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Design Create Sell

A guide to starting and running a successful fashion business

By Alison Lewy

eBook £11.99 / $14.99
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Design Create Sell

A guide to starting and running a successful fashion business

By Alison Lewy

Jacket text

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.

About the author

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.

Media coverage

From Womenswear Buyer:

The synopsis: A guide to starting and running a successful fashion business. The author: Alison Lewy is founder of Fashion Angel, an organisation that offers help and support to emerging and established entrepreneurs within the fashion industry. Lewy launched and ran her own fashion label for 15 years, before becoming a specialist consultant and then… Read more »

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From Pop Goes Fashion :

I received an email recently about a new fashion business book by Alison Lewy called Turn your talent into a business Design Create Sell. The book is a guide to starting and running a fashion business and produced in partnership with Country Living Magazine. The book sounded like an interesting read and decided to review.… Read more »

Read More…

From Pop Goes Fashion :

I received an email recently about a new fashion business book by Alison Lewy called Turn your talent into a business Design Create Sell. The book is a guide to starting and running a fashion business and produced in partnership with Country Living Magazine. The book sounded like an interesting read and decided to review.… Read more »

Read More…

From Pop Goes Fashion :

I received an email recently about a new fashion business book by Alison Lewy called Turn your talent into a business Design Create Sell. The book is a guide to starting and running a fashion business and produced in partnership with Country Living Magazine. The book sounded like an interesting read and decided to review.… Read more »

Read More…

From And the buzz is...:

Designer and founder of ?Fashion Angel?, Alison Lewy, has come up with a brand new book titled ?Design Create Sell?, that claims to be an essential guide to the fascinating fashion industry, giving an overview of how it works and what makes it tick. This book will guide readers through the issues they need to… Read more »

Read More…

From The Industry:

‘Design Create Sell’ is the new book from The Industry’s Alison Lewy. Stocking shelves in the likes of Waterstones, the 220 page guide offers pragmatic advice on how to crack the fashion industry; including case studies with Industry members, Corrie Nielsen and Julia Grinham of Upper Street. We talk to Alison about being a published… Read more »

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Contents

About the Author

Introduction
Making the dream a reality
Contributors

1. An Overview of the Fashion Business
- The Different Market Segments
- Eco fashion
- Case Study:Tammam
- Product Categories
- Roles In the Fashion Industry

2. Getting started
- The Business Plan
- Writing a Business Plan
- Case Study: Upper Street
- Business structures
- VAT
- Where to Work From

3. Research
- The Importance of Research
- Identifying Your Target Customer
- Case Study: Land Girl
- Comparative Shopping
- Researching Trends

4. Range Planning
- Planning Your Product Range
- Case Study: Sarah Angold Studio
- Pricing Strategy

5. Building Your Brand
- The Importance of Branding
- Case Study: Mark Thomas Taylor
- Developing your Unique Selling Point (USP)
- Preparing a Graphic Design Brief
- Be Consistent

6. Getting It Made
- The Production Process
- Sourcing and Selecting Manufacturers
- UK vs Offshore Production
- Case Study: Redhound for Dogs
- Sample Management
- Design or garment Specification
- Production and Critical Path Management
- Managing the Production Schedule
- Creating a Production Docket

7. Routes to Market
- Wholesale vs Retail
- Case Study: Lowie
- Agents and Distributors
- Trade Shows

8. Plan, Prepare, Pitch
- The Buying Seasons
- Getting a Sales Appointment
- Case Study: Corrie Nielsen
- Preparing Your Pitch
- Negotiation

9. Telling the World
- An Overview of Marketing and PR
- Marketing Materials
- Exhibitions and Catwalks
- Case Study: Hatastic

10. Finance
- Budgeting For Your business
- Profit, Loss, and Cash Flow Forecasts
- Sources of Finance

11. Protecting your brand and Products
- Intellectual Property (IP) Overview
- Protecting Your Trademark
- Business name

Conclusion

Useful Links
Glossary of Useful Fashion Industry Terms



Published: 30/09/2012
Edition: 1st
Pages: 232
Formats: paperback - ISBN 9781908003348
ebook - ISBN 9781908003508
Media enquiries

If you’d like to get in touch with the author for interview or comment, or you’d like a review copy of this book, please contact us at pr@harriman-house.com or call +44 (0)1730 233870.

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