Start Your Sustainable Fashion Brand – Details, episodes & analysis

This month, we’re releasing “Best of” episodes that will feature some of our most popular episodes of Season 2. This series will highlight important first steps when starting a fashion brand, and how to raise funds for your first production run. In today’s episode, we’ve pulled together the most popular episodes on all things money while building your sustainable fashion brand. Enjoy!  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Should You Quit Your Day Job to Start Your Fashion Brand:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/57jALqOhNaLoIPDfvwkCJp?si=0cd7034d6fb843a6

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Sustainable Fashion Brand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQjbezSnUHI&t=3s

For the rest of February we’re releasing “Best of” episodes that will feature some of our most popular episodes of Season 2. This series will highlight important first steps when starting a fashion brand, and how to raise funds for your first production run. In today’s episode, we’ve pulled together the 3 most popular episodes on how to get started on your sustainable fashion brand. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

How to Determine Your Unique Selling Position: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwlgKmRHYo4&t=95s

Everyone loves the hero’s journey and I’m sure you can recount a dozen other failure-to-success, rags-to-riches stories of celebrities and athletes. But what about your own? As an entrepreneur, regardless of whether you’re established or aspiring, what is your relationship to failure? To thrive in this industry, you have to be okay with mistakes, frustration and yes, failure. That’s what we’ll explore in today’s episode.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Does Hard Work Really Pay Off: https://factory45.co/hard-work-really-pay-off

How many times have you wanted to give up? Whether it was entrepreneurship, a job, your education, a relationship or something else… If you ever faced feelings of wanting to throw it all away, what stopped you from doing it? What kept you going and invested in the long game? Perhaps you already know the answer, but the next time you face these same feelings I want you to consider this… because it might just be *the* key to success.

In times of economic downturn, do you know which fashion sector tends to do better than the rest? Luxury fashion. The sole reason being that the primary customer base is high-income consumers who generally aren’t affected by a recession. So if you’re looking to start a fashion brand and want to jump into the luxury market, this episode is for you.

If, right now, you Googled “How much does it cost to start a fashion brand” a bunch of articles would pop up giving you a range between $500 and $50,000. Which isn’t all that helpful if you’re trying to put a budget together or plan ahead. While yes, it’s true that startup costs vary greatly depending on what type of garments you’re making, how much experience you have and who you’re working with, in this episode I’m going to attempt to narrow down that range so you have a better idea of what to expect. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Should You Quit Your Day Job to Start Your Fashion Brand:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/57jALqOhNaLoIPDfvwkCJp?si=0cd7034d6fb843a6

When you think about starting your own sustainable fashion brand there’s one thing you may be considering that traditional fashion brands aren’t thinking anything about… and it’s the end-life of the clothing you sell. In other words, when your customer is done wearing the garment they purchased from you, where will it end up? There are several different ways to approach the lifecycle of the clothing you’re selling but there’s one specifically that I want to highlight today. And for those of you who get ahead of the trend, it could mean another revenue stream for your business… 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

McKinsey article: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/style-thats-sustainable-a-new-fast-fashion-formula

Forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2022/07/05/the-tribe-of-fashion-thrifters-is-growing-thredup-invites-brands-to-get-on-board/?sh=389490f02ae0

Columbia Climate School article: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2021/06/10/why-fashion-needs-to-be-more-sustainable/

It should come as no surprise that consumers use social media to discover and shop brands they love. I do it, you probably do it, and your next customer is doing it right now. So how do you get your own brand to stand out in the social commerce game? In today’s episode, I’m sharing some of my best strategies for leveraging social media so you can make more sales for your fashion brand.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The #1 Email Marketing Strategy for Fashion Brands: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-13-the-1-email-marketing-strategy-for-fashion-brands/id1599138361?i=1000554365111

I am so excited to talk about this topic today because it’s a question that I have strong opinions on and many thoughts to share. Should you quit your day job to start your fashion brand? And taking it one step further –  if you stay – should you tell your boss that you’re starting a business? That’s what we’re talking about on today’s episode!

Should You Start a Sustainable Fashion Brand During a Recession? I’m not an economist and I’m obviously biased in how I would answer this. So, I’m crediting all of the info from this episode to the Business of Fashion and leaving my opinion out. In today’s episode, I’m walking you through some things to think about so you can decide for yourself. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Business of Fashion Article: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sustainability/what-a-recession-could-mean-for-sustainable-fashion/

Ep 9 When to Invest in Your Fashion Business (And Where to Start for Free):  https://open.spotify.com/episode/3tKnV9Xt9Q0TxI1py5PcZ2?si=e3646b9937c140d5