The Successful Fashion Designer

You’ve tried everything to get clients – Upwork, cold pitching, you name it. In this interview with Aashika, a freelance lingerie fashion designer, she shares the same sentiment and advice on how she handles this hardship. She also shares literally ONE thing that she changed on LinkedIn that not only got her more clients, but made them approach her! Plus, keep listening for some valuable tips and transparent experiences on charging wages based in India, including getting a fair wage both inside and outside of India.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

We can all agree that no matter what you have going on – life can get really busy sometimes. Between your job(s), freelancing, social life, family life – the list goes on – it can get so difficult to keep track of everything while building a freelance fashion career. Productivity and time management skills are quintessential to your success in the fashion industry and beyond, so this is a major talking point on today’s episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast.  While pregnant with her second child and already raising a 3 year old, working, and freelancing, Lindsey knows how crazy life can get. We cover advice on balancing your career and family responsibilities mom-to-mom, as well as all things freelance fashion design – including finding your niche, searching for clients, and refining your pitches to make yourself more attractive to a brand while needing to do less customer research. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer

There are millions of reasons we might leave the fashion industry – burn out, starting a family, a big move, or just life in general… And I often find people asking if it’s possible to break back into the industry, whether they’re too outdated and not up with the trends, or that they don’t know the latest software. In this episode of the Success Fashion Freelancer podcast, I’m here to tell you that it’s TOTALLY possible, and how one of my former students did it. In this episode I interview Kate Knight, a cashmere sweater designer who took a whopping 10 year long break from fashion after pursuing a different career and having a daughter. Now, she’s killing the game – and we walk through the challenges she faced and the strategies she’s used to break back into fashion design. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Setting your rates is one of the hardest aspects of freelancing, and it might be holding you back. Such was the case of Chad Robertson, a freelancer who was severely undercharging for his services in the book editing and formatting industry. After Heidi hired him for a freelance job to edit her first book, Chad followed her advice to raise his rates and turned his annual earnings from $20,000 a year to a whopping $100,000! In this episode, we discuss how Heidi found Chad through his niche, the conversation they held about his rates, and how that turned his earnings into a 6-figure income. While it’s not the fashion design world, Chad’s story is inspiring and relatable for all freelancers as he had to overcome mental barriers to raising his rates and finding the confidence to charge what he was worth.  TRIGGER WARNING: Chad discusses his early career as an immigration paralegal and touches on sensitive topics including severe poverty, suicide, and family separation. To skip this conversation, start listening a

Everyone has to start somewhere in the fashion world. In this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast, you’ll get to know Kayla Marshall – a fashion design freelancer who didn’t go to fashion school, is totally self taught, and doesn’t have any formal industry experience. This can be suuuper daunting, but together we will talk through some great tips for getting started as a freelancer! Plus, it can be hard to know when you’re “ready” to start offering skills to clients you aren’t 100% confident about. You’ll hear some valuable advice on ways to learn these skills such as creating tech packs, fashion flats, and using Adobe Illustrator, which will help you gain some confidence on offering new skills such as pattern making to clients. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Starting your own fashion brand is the dream for many – but it’s not a walk in the park. In this episode of the SFF podcast, Sofia Luzon recalls the late nights of sewing, packing & shipping, talking with suppliers, and more sewing for her lingerie brand. Not only was it overwhelming, but it took 5 years of dedicated work for Sofia to even pay herself – and even that was less than minimum wage! Then, after attending our Freelance Week last year and learning from some of my free resources, Sofia decided to dip her toes into the world of fashion freelancing. After creating a portfolio, an account on Upwork, and working up the courage to start pitching, she had her first client in just 10 days. Not only is she in complete control of her work life, but she is consulting for brands and hasn’t been without a project since.  Listen to this episode to learn how Sofia started her career, and you might want to rethink your journey in starting a brand. Plus, get tips on how Sofia found clients, sent pitches, and gai

Surface pattern design is a broad category that includes textile design and print and pattern design for all sorts of applications, from dishware to packaging to office supplies. If you’ve been listening to the SFF podcast for long, you know how important niching down is for finding freelance clients. But in such a diverse specialty, figuring out what to focus on can be a big challenge!   In this episode, I walk surface pattern designer Rachelle Fields through choosing the niche she wants to focus on. Then we go on to talk about pricing, and what to include in a textile design contract so both you and your client walk away happy. For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

If you’re interested in freelancing in the fashion industry, but you don’t know where to start, this one’s for you! Learn what services freelance fashion designers can offer (spoiler alert: It’s way more than just “design”!), how to decide what YOUR services should be, and the secret that makes getting started as a freelancer 10X easier! Plus, get inspired by stories of real-life Successful Fashion Freelancers who are loving their flexible careers in fashion.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Struggling to find a job (even after attending a respected fashion school)? Stuck at a job that sucks the joy out of life (but feel like it’s your only option)? Laid off (and not sure if fashion is worth the struggle anymore)? If you’re fed up with the fashion industry, but don’t want to give up on the work you love, this episode is for you!    If any of those situations sound familiar, Textile Designer and Successful Fashion Freelancer Katerina Dimovska has been there too. But her transformational story is proof that you don’t have to leave the fashion industry to have creative, fulfilling work that lights you up! Now she’s earning more than she did in her full time job, she has the freedom to travel between her family in Macedonia and her partner in Italy, and she’s finally doing work she truly loves.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Are you charging too much as a freelance fashion designer? Money is one of the most awkward subjects for many newer fashion freelancers, and a fair rate can deter some clients. But your time is valuable! If you’re setting or raising your freelance rates and worried that charging what you’re worth will scare potential clients away, this one’s for you. Listen for tips on how to avoid this tough scenario, and to learn why losing freelance clients because of your rate might not be a bad thing! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Whether you’re new to the fashion industry or you’ve only worked for bigger brands, sourcing fabrics and trims for smaller brands can be a daunting task for many freelance fashion designers. How do you find fabric suppliers with low minimums? How do you know if a fabric supplier is any good? And what are the basic steps to buying fabric for a small fashion brand? In this episode of the Successful Fashion Freelancer Podcast, I’m once again chatting with Jay Arbetman, the founder of The Sourcing District. Since he started helping out with the family coat business at age 14, Jay has accumulated 50 years of experience in the fashion industry. A lot has changed since the last time I interviewed him in 2017, especially when it comes to startup brands, sustainability, and freelancing in fashion.  Don’t miss The Complete Guide to Sourcing Fabric with Low Minimums. And for the complete show notes and links to all the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

On the surface, it sounds like Krystal has it all—a thriving freelance fashion design biz, FIFTEEN solid clients, and a connection that regularly sends her more work. The problem? Her 15 clients are all in different niches, from hunting & fishing to swimwear to golf. Krystal’s killing it and her clients love her, but switching between so many different categories leaves her feeling scattered, disorganized, and frantic. She wants to niche down and do the work she’s most excited about, but how do you tell good clients that you’re letting them go? And how do you find the time to update your portfolio, find potential clients in your new niche, and pitch when you already have more on your plate than you can handle? Listen to this Freelance Strategy Session for actionable advice on how to offboard freelance fashion design clients in a way that leaves them feeling great, how to change your niche, the different kinds of brands that hire freelancers and tips on finding them, avoiding permalance roles, and more.  F

“I can’t freelance—I need a stable job.” One of the biggest misconceptions about freelancing in fashion is that it’s feast or famine. So many people imagine freelancers stuck in an endless job hunt, never knowing where their next project is coming from (or if they’ll get one at all!). But the truth is that, when you know how to build your career the right way, freelancing can actually be MORE stable than a full-time job. Hear how once-reluctant freelancer Sam Shammas has created her dream career doing fashion illustration and freelance bridal design, and get inspired… because it’s possible for you, too.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

One of the MOST common reasons aspiring fashion freelancers put off building their freelance career is not having enough time. There’s this myth that you need to find a two-hour block of time every day to “hustle” and “work your business.” And the only way most of us mortals can carve out time like that is to sacrifice our sleep (get up at 4 a.m.!), or to sacrifice that precious bit of leisure time we all need at the end of a long workday.  Well, there’s good news: You can create space in your day to build your freelance career without giving up your social life, your sleep, and your sanity!! For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

The high cost of fashion school shouldn’t be the thing that keeps you from working in the industry you love. Yes, it is possible to break into the fashion industry without a fashion degree, without industry experience, without connections, AND without living in NYC! Today’s guest, Arya Mishra, is a 20-year-old, self-taught designer in India. She started out as a freelancer exclusively offering fashion flats, and within the first two months she already had multiple clients paying her $20 an hour—and more lined up!   Don’t let fashion industry myths keep you from pursuing your dream. Fashion is a challenging industry, but with the right tools and a lot of determination, you CAN become a Successful Fashion Freelancer.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

You’ve landed a new client, and the trial project they requested went great! You’re ready to start the full project with them. But then, they suddenly stop replying to your emails. You try following up, but it’s like they’ve vanished. You’ve been ghosted. And it sucks.  Were your rates too high? Did you do something wrong?  That’s what I explore with this week’s guest, Anna. She’s a FAST student with a couple of years’ experience freelancing. But when she was ghosted by a couple clients in a row, she started to lose her confidence. Is she really a good enough designer? And if she is, why did they bail? For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

Successful Fashion Freelancer Alison Hoenes has grown her freelance business to 75% more than her old full-time income in just 4 years. She has plenty of clients and more projects than she can take on, and she needs help! In part two of the interview, we dive into what Alison can do to keep growing her business without losing her work-life balance–one of the best things about being a true, remote freelancer. We cover hiring, deciding what tasks to delegate (or dump altogether!), and how Alison can help even more clients without lowering her rates or burning out.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

How do you grow from your first few clients to a thriving, fully booked freelance biz? After four years as a Successful Fashion Freelancer, Alison Hoenes is earning 75% more than her old full-time salary, booked out months in advance, and still growing. And she’s doing it all without working insane 60-hour weeks (like most traditional fashion jobs). If you’ve established some steady clients and are ready to grow your freelance business, this episode is full of strategies to get you there. And if you’re just getting started, you’ll be inspired by how far Alison has come in just four short years. This episode is a follow up from Alison’s interview two years ago: Episode 103: How to Make More Money as a Fashion Freelancer (than in a Full Time Job)!  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

A common myth about freelancing is that it’s unstable, and you have to hustle 24/7 to get enough projects to survive. That was how this episode’s guest, PK, felt. When she had her son and started freelancing, she got burned by a client who refused to pay, and felt like she was constantly searching for a job. Now, she works with brands in her home country of India and around the world, and she has so much work that she had to hire other freelancers to help out!  Listen to hear how she did it, and what it takes to build a successful freelance career anywhere in the world.  For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!

You’ve put in the time and the work. Now there's only one thing standing between your side hustle becoming your full time source of income: getting more freelance clients. In this episode our guest Connie reveals the simple change that allowed her to transform her side hustle into a design agency within 18 months.   For the complete show notes, including links to the resources mentioned, head over to Successful Fashion Designer!