Starting a Fashion Business

Fashion Designer

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Fashion Designer
Starting a Fashion Business
Starting a Fashion Line

Getting Paid to Dress People and Make Them Feel Good
Envision getting paid to dress people and make them feel good.

You work with the most talented and creative people in the industry.

Your name is franchised internationally; you can find it on billboards

all over subway stations.

You hang out with the world’s most stylish people; some are celebrities,

some are ordinary people with discriminating tastes. More importantly,

you earn a six, or even, seven-figure income annually.

While there are only 18 haute couturiers worldwide acknowledged

by the Syndical Chamber of Haute Couture in Paris and only a few

designers have the privilege to operate showrooms or boutiques on

Man hanttan’s Seventh Avenue, you can be successful as a fashion

designer regardless of where you live and whether or not you graduated

from fashion school

What if you have never worn “designer” clothing before? Of course,

you are stylish but you cannot afford to wear an evening dress designed

by Yves St. Laurent nor a pair of jeans by Donna Karan.

You may even ask, “Can a person whose apparel collection

comes from neighborhood department stores, who doesn't live in

New York City and didn't go to fashion school become a fashion

designer?” The answer is a definite yes.

Despite the misconception that designer clothes are very highly priced,

every piece of apparel is, in fact, designed by a designer. More than 95%

of fashion designers work outside the small circle of haute couturiers

and international fashion houses.

A fashion designer is a creative and technical professional who designs

clothing within a specific theme for a specific purpose and a specific market.

Here are some examples of what a fashion designer creates,

which range from everyday clothes to precious metal jewelry

in various prices, shapes and sizes:

T-shirts
Evening dresses
Jackets
Socks
Career suits
Baby outfits
Denims
Maternity clothes
Hats
Jogging clothes
Bandanas and scarves
Umbrellas
Glass bead jewelry
Shorts
Swimsuits
Beach wears
Uniforms
Shoes

There are several career paths in this field that you can choose

based on your strengths and interests. You’re not restricted to

become an haute couturier or to work with one.

Some of the career paths to choose from:

Creative Designer
Technical Designer
Sketcher
Cutter
Pattern Maker
Textile Designer

Types of employers you can work with include:

Textile Manufacturer
Apparel Manufacturer
Fashion Studio Owner
Haute Couturier
Men’s Tailor
Retailer
Trend Consultant

Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev talked to many fashion professionals,

including successful designers, professors and trend consultants

to provide you with the best and the most comprehensive self-study

guidebook filled with insider information, tips and advice for breaking

into and succeeding as a fashion designer.

Five-time Coty Award winner Alexander Julian
interviewed in this eGuide

Among them are:

A five-time Coty Award winner (the “Oscar” of the fashion industry)
A designer who has her own TV show
A dean of an internationally-recognized fashion school
A New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology cum laude graduate
A home-based women's apparel designer and manufacturer whose

products are sold in 110 retailers nationwide
A designer and manufacturer of upscale men's hosiery who did not

have any formal fashion training or business contacts prior to entering

the business. His products are now sold in exclusive retail stores

throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

About the Author

Jennie S. Bev is THE fashion and image career expert, whose

reputation has been acknowledged by prestigious media
internationally. She has been profiled and mentioned in Entrepreneur,

Teen People, Canadian Business, Home Business, Dong (France),

San Francisco Chronicle, The Independent, Daily South town,

The Arizona Republic, Femina (Asia) and Dewi (Asia).

Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev was named 2003 EPPIE Award finalist

in Non-Fiction How To category for excellence in electronic publishing.

She has published over 40 books and 900 articles in the United States,

United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Southeast Asia.

She is also a college professor based in San Francisco Bay Area.

Jennie's career as a fashion writer has earned her the prestigious

offer to act as a member of the judging panel for the Indie Fashion

Award Festival in New York City. The contest is conducted annually

by Bright and Aspiring Designers (BAD Expo), a non-profit organization

that supports new independent fashion designers.

This 102-page instantly downloadable StyleCareer.com eGuide

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Fashion Designer brings you

valuable insider tips, advice and suggestions not available elsewhere

to help you embark on this highly lucrative career path.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Myths, the Realities and the Basics
·I Have Never Worn “Designer” Clothes
·I Cannot Draw nor Sew
·I Cannot Afford to Attend Fashion School
·I Live Far Away from New York City
·Who Creates Fashion Trends?
·Is There a Place for “Down-to-Earth” People in this

Glamorous Industry?
·What are the Benefits of Being a Fashion Designer?

Getting Ready for the Big Break
·Industry Size (details of market size and employment)
·Fashion Cycle (how the trends are determined and the steps

involved in turning fabric into wearable apparel)
·Terminologies (what is a "line"? "collection"?)
·Classifications (U.S. industry classifications of

apparel products)
·Personality Traits (needed to break into, survive and succeed)
·Skills of the Trade (resources from which you can actually learn

how to sketch and create your first design)
·Design Templates (access to templates to use with your own

design sketches)
·Self-study Resources (access to Web sites where you can actually

learn how to measure and sew your first design)
·To Go to School or Not (the advantages and disadvantages)
·Top Fashion Schools (worldwide list of top schools)
·Fashion Schools in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia
·Alternative and Distance Learning Schools (for a small fraction of

top fashion school's tuition)

Career Game Plan
·Earning Potentials (working for others and yourself)
·Locating Employers
·Career Paths
·Portfolio (what to include, what not to include, and how to organize

them attractively)
·Interviewing and Presentation Tips
·Internship Search
·Assessing Your Entrepreneurship
·Small Business Resources
·Choosing Your Specialty
·Market Research
·Business Legal Structure
·Partnership Advice
·Pricing Your Services
·Roads Less Traveled (other ways to market your services)

Being Successful
·Personality Traits to Succeed
·Promoting Your Business on a Shoestring Budget
·Trade Shows (where they are and how they benefit your career)
·Fashion Weeks (what they are and why you need to join)
·Get Listed in Merchandiser Marts
·Buyer’s Open Calls
·Manufacturing Representatives
·Outsourcing the Manufacturing
·Professional and Trade Organizations
·Industry News and Trends

·Profiles of 9 Successful Fashion Designers (including an internationally

recognized Coty Award winner, niche, and home-based designers)

This eGuide literally saves you hundreds or even thousands of dollars

spent on professional workshops and training and hundreds of hours

of research. It will help you break into the career of your dream faster

without having to repeat the same mistakes that most newcomers do.

We have also included online resources from which you can learn to

sketch, design and create your first designs conveniently at home

(for free). This alone will cost you hundreds of dollars elsewhere.