Fashion Industry discussion, review, analysis, news, and information

Claire of The Fashion Bomb recently attended the "Breaking Into Fashion" forum which was hosted by the talented designer, Malcolm Harris.  Claire shares with us some very useful tips if you want to get started in the fashion industry.  For designers, Claire says:

"To get your line going, don't wait for a golden egg: get your products out there! Malcolm started his line with $500! Make what you can, then go online and sell them on myspace; make your friends cart them around; create a buzz and get blogs to write about it."

Marketing your designs online is the single best way to get your name out there.  Not to mention it's very cost-effective.  I recently interviewed Dan Schawbel, an expert on personal branding, and he says, "The biggest challenge for anyone is getting your name out there and building your personal brand. With the upfront investment, your work will payoff, as I use myself as an example. Don't fear starting new conversations and networking with anyone. You don't know what new opportunity can surface."

This may sound very cliche, but I'm going to say it anyways:  "It's not what you know, but who you know".  Here's another phrase I learned this year, "It's not what you do, but how you do it!"