Fashion rule #243: Being polite, gets you places, being a bitch doesn’t

By |May 5th, 2015|

8 months ago I quit my job at a fashion Startup with an idea to create a series of eLearning workshops, based on my book, and focusing on the product development process. 
After 20+ years in the fashion industry I felt it my duty (oh, how noble of me) to […]

From Inspiration to Collection: Where do the ideas come from?

By |December 9th, 2014|

Some fashion brands deliver new collections twice a year, some every three months and some monthly, and whilst it’s often one designer who heads up a brand, behind every jacket, purse or shoe, there is a large team, working hard to develop and produce the goods in the right colour […]

Causing a Bottleneck? 3 Tips to Ease the Information Flow.

By |November 12th, 2014|

Whether you are delivering, once, twice or three times a season, the way you plan and execute the development and production of your collection needs to be both documented and shared internally, ideally from the start.

Here’s why:

I recently worked with an accessory company who had grown quickly and organically over […]

The Devil is In The Detail: 5 simple questions which lead to success

By |October 13th, 2014|

Over the past 10 years I have found myself shoe horned into a niche area of the Fashion Industry that works with small brands, new divisions of existing brands or Startups. Not that i’m complaining as this for me is by far the most exciting area to be in: Starting […]

Inside the industry tips #1: The fashion concept

By |October 10th, 2014|

Originally published a year ago, the concept for any fashion collection is the creative starting point. Here’s a reminder on my top tips:

What is a concept?

A concept is the design direction for the colour, shape, mood and fabric for any fashion collection, and is created at the beginning of the […]

Punch above your weight, but be ready to duck and recover: Lessons applied to fashion of life # 4

By |November 19th, 2013|

Have you ever oversold your capabilities on something? Promised an employer that you were capable of achieving a task without ever having done it? Or invited your family over for Christmas without ever opening a cookbook? Yes! Of course you have, everyone has at some point in their life…Overselling your […]

Inside the industry tips #4: Factories

By |November 14th, 2013|

Factories:

Without factories the world would have no ‘stuff’, it really is a simple as that; we would have no clothes, no toys, no cars and no books. Referring to themselves as factories, manufacturers, vendors or sources, they are all technically the same entity: they all produce items that are sold […]

Have the sweetener ready: Lessons applied to fashion or life # 3

By |November 7th, 2013|

In every company that I have worked in there has been a situation which needed, what I call a  ‘sweetener’ for when things get stressful. For me, in fashion, it can be a physical item (a garment, fabric swatch or even button), which immediately changes the mood from heavy to […]

Inside the Industry tips # 3: Information Flow

By |October 31st, 2013|

What do you mean by Information flow?

The creation, design, development and production of a collection involve the generation, sharing and distribution of a huge amount of information. The information flow from the start of the development process to the end of production is a crucial element for the successful internal […]

Learn to love a list: Lessons applied to fashion or life # 2

By |October 25th, 2013|

Hands up if you are list person? Yes? No? I’m not just talking about work now, in everyday life as well. Still no? Wow, that’s impressive – You should tell me your secret.

I think it’s fair to say that to be good at fashion development or production you need to […]