Starting Out
Planning and establishing your fashion business from initial concept to launch. Articles address market research, training options, design protection and choosing your customer base.
Developing Your Own Recognisable Style.
New fashion designers need their own style to stand out, so balance your instincts with what the market will actually buy.
Fashion Design Training, Courses and Funding
Get funded fashion design training and business courses to build credibility with investors without breaking the bank.
Finding a Studio or Shop Base
How to choose the right studio or shop space for your growing fashion business without overspending or getting locked into a bad lease.
Finding Your Target Market in the Fashion Industry
Figure out who actually wants to buy your designs by narrowing your focus and understanding what your potential customers need.
How Closely Can You Copy Other Fashion Designs?
Find out how much you can legally borrow from other designs in fashion without crossing into copyright infringement.
Intellectual Property: Protecting Your Fashion Designs
Your fashion designs can be protected by UK design right at no cost, but it only covers shape and cut, not colours or textures.
Interview: How I Started My Fashion Business
Jane Faye explains how she turned a passion for alternative fashion into a successful eco-friendly business with no formal training.
Predicting and Following Fashion Trends
Fashion designers need to anticipate trends months in advance to stay ahead of shoppers and create clothes people actually want to buy.
Quiz: Can You Run a Fashion Business?
Test whether you're truly ready to launch a fashion business with this honest self-assessment quiz.
Should You Make Clothes to Fit All Sizes?
Making clothes in multiple sizes means rethinking designs rather than just scaling up or down the same pattern.
Targeting a Niche vs Mainstream Fashion Market
Weigh the pros and cons of targeting niche fashion markets versus the mainstream when launching your design career.
Understanding Workplace Clothing
Research real workplaces and talk to actual workers to design clothing that truly meets their needs and fits their daily lives.