The fashion industry is highly competitive and cutthroat. It can be a challenge to land that dream internship or start your own label. Aspiring Fashion designers can use these three tips to become successful.
Be unique
You may be tempted to keep up with the latest trends and replicate the clothes already out there. However, this is a bad idea. It’s important to think and act differently if you want to be successful in the fashion industry. Think of creating the next trend instead of contributing to an existing trend. It is difficult and risky to be original – not to mention the amount of mental energy it takes to develop something new. However, creativity is a required trait in the industry. Draw your inspiration from what makes you, you. Evaluate your daily life for little sparks of inspiration.
Network
The fashion industry is an exclusive club. Designers must work with manufacturers, department stores, and media networks if they want their ideas to come to life. Networking can help you get an internship or become an apprentice for successful designers and learn their strategies. This will help you become successful at a quicker pace. In addition to creating connections, you must also maintain existing connections. This might mean occasionally meeting someone for coffee. Don’t underestimate the value of simple actions, such as sending someone a simple text letting them know you liked their most recent line. Overall, successful fashion designers have large support networks.
Use social media
Create an Instagram account and share your drawings, in-progress pieces, and finished products. Gain a following and interact with them regularly by letting your followers vote on which drawing they like best or run giveaways. Designers can use feedback from followers to make products better in the future. Get a mannequin to show off finished products. Social media can help you get discovered by others in the fashion industry. Who knows, you might even get featured in the next issue of a fashion magazine. Department stores may also be interested in getting their clothes into stores if they see your work on social media.
By using these three tips, fashion designers will be able to grow their personal and professional brands.
Doaa Dashoush is an experienced businesswoman in the fashion industry. She currently serves as the President and CEO of GFASHION, a global luxury brand currently based in New York City. GFASHION prides themselves on their unique approach to the industry. They don’t follow trends set by others. The Luxury brand focuses on innovative design through their work with the top designers on collections that reflect the company’s craftsmanship.