Getting Your Fashion Collection to Market Short Course
Course description
Course overview
Tow do you promote and sell your fashion collection into major retail stores as well as independent boutiques and websites worldwide? Led by an industry expert, this course will untangle the many routes you can take to deliver your clothing line to your customers, increase your sales and develop your brand.
You will learn how to approach and sell into the key retail stores that suit your brand profile and price points, such as Selfridges, Liberty, Topshop, Asos, Revolve or Dover St Market. How do you get to these key buyers? When you get there, how should you present your collection and what are the communication tools that you would need to support your collection at retail?
In the past 15 years, the way makers reach their consumers has changed radically and vice versa. Core elements such as making a product and selling it remain constant. However, the traditional selling models of wholesale/retail and suppliers reaching customers via retail specialists (online or in stores) have become more blurred. If you dream of having a successful fashion business one day, come along and get some useful and practical tips from someone who has done it.
Who this course is for
Fashion designers new to the market who have an existing collection or product that they wish to wholesale into various retail outlets (online and in-store) and expand their overall customer base
It is suitable for those keen to explore the advantages of direct sales online via their own website or if they are considering setting up their own store
Those with some previous business experience elsewhere wishing to move into the fashion market.
Key information
Topics covered
- Your manufacturing base, suppliers, timelines and deliveries
- Approaching buyers, agents and distributors: pros and cons, and how much they take from your margin
- Multichannel retailing: making it work for your brand and sales
- Selling directly on marketplaces: advantages and disadvantages
- Financial tools: having cash flow plans in place to deal successfully with larger buyers
- The legal stuff: trademarks, terms and conditions of business
- Cutting through the fluff: managing social media, press and PR to your advantage
- Key terminology that any designer/brand owner should be aware of
- Concessions: large stores often offer concessions rather than buying in the brand. We look at how this works
- Non-seasonal cycles and working outside the traditional buying seasons to meet consumer demand
- How to reach the 'not so obvious' buyers
- How to respond to 'unknown' buyers who contact you directly
Learning outcomes
- Develop a good understanding of how to take your niche product to market and reach enough customers to sustain your business
- Get a better understanding of issues around costs and how to manage budgets
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Notepad and pen
- Any available samples (digital or otherwise)
- Laptop or tablet
Tutor
Joanna Bell
With 20 years of successful fashion sales and brand management for Michael Kors, Lulu Guinness and Temperley amongst others, Joanna Bell recognises the importance of offering solid commercial insight at the beginning of a brand's journey.She set up the Bell Style consultancy in 2017 to give younger brands the strategic sales service that larger brands can afford.
www.bellstyleconsultancy.com
She now wants to bring this knowledge to a wider audience.
Book a course
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