Mix business with pleasure
There are many new designers who are creative geniuses, but do not have the business savvy to be successful in today's competitive industry. Melissa Lombardo, of FBI Fashion College (FBI) speaks about how to get to get that business edge when you're a designer starting out.
Think Coco Chanel, John Galliano and Yves St Laurent: Eminent designers embedded in fashion history. They created some of fashion's timeless pieces that are still worn today. What made them so successful?
They innovated fashion. However that is not enough to be a successful designer in the world of fashion. These designers were also business savvy. They knew how to create publicity, manage and sell their collections to the world.
Business is just as important as design in fashion.
Where to begin?
Enrolling in a Fashion Business Course is the first port of call. FBI offers the Certificate IV in Fashion Business where designers learn how to construct a successful business plan, define their market and learn to plan financially for their business.
FBI's newest course combines design and fashion business which is tailored for design students who want to start their own business.
A Fashion Experience
Work Experience is so important before starting your own business. Working in the head office of a successful label is where you learn the in's and out's of how a business runs. Replicate the processes they do successfully and also learn from their mistakes. FBI Graduate Brent Wilson worked at Wayne Cooper before starting the 'Brent Wilson' label. Brent describes his time at Wayne Cooper as "invaluable" which has contributed to the success of his own label that is now stocked in Myer. Brent says, "You need the combination of Business and Design to be successful...otherwise you end up broke, no matter how good your designs are."
The road to success
You only need to look at the Australian fashion industry to see how original designs need an effective business plan to be profitable. Zimmermann, sass & bide and Camilla and Marc are just some of the labels which have combined the two successfully.
Success. Now there's a word which is lucrative enough to make you want to know more about the business.