A guide to starting and running a successful fashion business

By Alison Lewy

Making the dream a reality…

The fashion business is an exciting and diverse industry to be involved with and the number of people starting up fashion related businesses is increasing every year.

These new entrepreneurs are coming from many different backgrounds including design graduates looking to start their own label, designers working for other companies that have decided its time to be their own boss, and those wanting to utilise their transferable skills to set up a business that can fit around their family commitments.There are also the innovators that have invented or identified a new product they want to launch.

This essential guide will give readers an overview of the fashion industry and what makes it tick. It will guide them through the issues they need to think about before they start and take them through the key steps involved in setting up a new business. Readers will learn how to conduct the research needed for their business plan and get practical guidance on building your brand, getting your product made, marketing & PR and how and where to sell products.

This comprehensive book will inspire fashion lovers to turn their dream into a reality.

Alison Lewy ran her own fashion label for 15 years and is founder of Fashion Angel, a fashion business accelerator that offers support to both emerging and established fashion industry entrepreneurs.

As well as successfully designing and building her own label, Alison set up production agency Skin Solutions and worked with high-end designers including Matthew Williamson and Preen on product development and manufacturing.

Her extensive industry background resulted in working as a consultant for Newham College, managing the Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for textiles, manufacturing and design projects. The results of the research undertaken by Alison with fashion and textile SMEs formed the basis of new vocational curriculum and the development of innovative business support and mentoring programmes for the fashion sector.

Alison went on to run the Fashion and Textile Museum for six years where the constant demand from designers lacking the business and entrepreneurial skills they needed to set up their business led her to setting up Fashion Angel and the Fashion Angel Business Club.

Alison was keen that others should have access to the same invaluable support, that she had been lucky enough to receive, having worked with a business mentor for a large part of her professional life.