The Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast

There are many roles that need to be filled in your clothing business. As a small clothing brand, you can and probably will take on several of them. But ask yourself which roles you actually can fill and which ones you need to outsource. In this podcast, we are going over the typical roles you need to fill in an apparel business.

In this episode, we delve into the world of clothing manufacturing and provide you with all the information you need to successfully find and work with a manufacturer. Before even beginning your search, there are important factors you need to consider, and we cover these in detail to ensure you are fully prepared. We then move onto the nitty-gritty of finding a manufacturer, from where to look to the steps you need to take to ensure you find the right one for you.

Once you have found a potential manufacturer, we discuss the key questions you need to ask them to determine if it's a good fit. This is crucial in ensuring that both parties are on the same page and can work together effectively. Finally, we provide you with tips and advice on how to make the partnership work, ensuring that your clothing line is manufactured to the highest standard possible.

So, whether you're just starting out in the fashion industry or are an established clothing brand looking to switch manufacturers, this episode has something for you. Join us as we share our expertise and provide you with everything you need to know to find and work with clothing manufacturers.

In this episode, we go over 5 of the most common mistakes clothing brands make regarding the design and product development phase.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we have the honor of speaking with Tony McWilliam, a seasoned brand founder, entrepreneur, designer, agency owner, publisher, business leader, sustainability advocate, and much more.

We are talking about building a successful clothing business, and discussing how to grow a clothing brand from $0 to $45 million.

Not only do we talk about Tony’s story and listen to how he has succeeded in the business, but he also talks about how he had to leave the company he founded, and was left with nothing. It’s a must-listen if you want to avoid the same situation.

In this episode, we are covering 13 huge mistakes that are being made when clothing brands are starting out. We have worked with hundreds of clothing brand startups around the world and helped them start and run their own businesses, through Apparel Entrepreneurship and Desinder. Are there any lessons learned from the mistakes made? To make it a bit easier for you, we have examined the mistakes that we've seen most often, and present them in this episode.  

Can you start a clothing brand with little money? Absolutely, but there are a few things to consider. In this episode, you will learn what to do if you have a limited budget when starting a clothing brand. Ana and Klas have been working in the apparel industry for 20 years, helping clothing brands through Apparel Entrepreneurship as well as through the leading apparel strategy, branding, and design agency Desinder. In this episode, they are using this experience to explain what you can do, when it comes to handling the collection, marketing, and finances on a tight budget.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we cover a specific set of questions to better prepare yourself and your family & friends for what it will take to get your brand going. Working through these questions before you start your brand will make you better prepared to run your business in a successful way.

Enjoy episode 61!

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about what the reality of the apparel industry looks like today, and common mistakes you definitely want to avoid.

Put on your headset and enjoy episode 60.

The fashion industry has grown with 21% over the past 3 years. It's a 3 trillion dollar industry. So there are huge opportunities for brands to succeed. Unfortunately, most startups fail and the most common reason is cash-flow problems. In this episode, we want to help you improve your chances of succeeding by preparing you for what to expect. We give you a list of things you need to know before launching your fashion brand. When you are prepared you can make a better plan and more easily handle challenges that arise.

Bring out your notebook, turn up the volume and listen to episode 59 of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast.

The Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast is finally back. In today’s podcast episode, we are talking about how you can sell more products during the upcoming holiday season. We give you 5 actionable tips for making the best of the period from Halloween to New Year.

2019 was the first holiday season to surpass the trillion-dollar mark in the US. Certain fashion, packaged goods, and luxury items businesses do up to 80%-90% of their revenue during the holiday. These numbers make you want to pay some extra attention to this period of the year, and see how you can maximize your revenue.

Put on your headphones or turn up that car stereo, and enjoy AEP058!

Today we are extremely excited to share an in-depth conversation with our friend Brian Hill - the executive Director of Phoenix Fashion Week. Brian is also the host of the Fashion Rewired Podcast that Ana was a guest on a while ago and in today's podcast episode we chat about so many great, inspiring things.

First, we go way back to when Brian launched his own fashion brand and the most important lessons learned from running his own brand.

The conversation later moves to how he got working for Phoenix Fashion Week, how he later became the executive director, and the incredible job they are doing to help emerging fashion talent to succeed with launching and growing their brand.

We also chat about the fashion industry today, and Brian shares a lot of tips for emerging and established fashion designers on how to succeed in this industry, in today's challenging environment.

Brian also gives us some tips on how to stay motivated, inspired, and always pushing forward, learning, and growing.

This is a fantastic episode, with so many tangible tips. Enjoy!

In this incredibly inspiring episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, Sofia Demirtas shares her story of starting and running the beautiful luxury and sustainable womenswear brand Fanm Mon.

Fanm Mon is a luxury womenswear brand that launched in 2013. The label takes a bold approach to embroidery, offering feminine styles and vibrant color combinations.

Sophia takes us all the way back to the start of her brand, the biggest struggles they’ve had so far, and how important respect, love, and kindness is to keep a strong and motivated team.

She also talks about the importance of staying true to your vision and your beliefs and how transparency and honesty can grow a more connected and loyal customer fan base.

Sophia shares so much wisdom in this episode, and the biggest takeaway for us is that yes, listening to and following your intuition is more powerful than experts advice. Nobody knows you, your brand, and your brand mission as you do.

Enjoy this episode!

Today we have the incredible honor of interviewing a design and brand building rockstar!

Reinhard Pascher has 30 years of experience in product innovation and brand building. He is the co-founder of the brand agency Pascher + Heinz in Munich Germany.

He works for both clients and agencies at an executive level and he has developed concepts and strategies for upcoming and leading sports brands like Nike, Odlo, Adidas, Volvo, Dynafit, Atomic, Head, Salewa, Toray, Red Bull and many many more.

Reinhard is also a jury member in some of the world's best design and innovation awards like Ispo brand New, Volvo Sports Design Forum and Award, and the German Design Award.

Listen to Reinhard's fascinating stories where we cover topics like what makes for great design, Innovation, design awards, inspiration, motivation, and what makes brands succeed (or not…)

This interview is such a goldmine for everybody interested in outstanding design, innovation, and brand building.

And if you really enjoy the interview, pls rate and review the podcast on the platform you are using, to help spread the word so more people can enjoy and learn from it!

We appreciate you!

Happy listening!

In today’s podcast episode, we are talking about how you can sell more products by nailing your unique value proposition, and by figuring out your niche. What is a niche and why is it so important? We are also discussing what's not a niche, but instead a market segment, product area, product category, or trend?

This episode is both for brands about to start that need help figuring out their niche, as well as established brands that are having issues attracting customers.

Sit back and enjoy AEP053!

In today’s podcast episode, we are answering questions from our community regarding how to run your brand in the current situation. We see new behaviors, people stay inside, they don't meet in workspaces, kids are at home, people are losing their jobs, online demand increases, and so on.

In this episode, we have gathered all your questions that we have received from you, that are all centered around the Covid-19 situation, and we give you our input to guide you through these times.

Here are some of the questions that we address in this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast:

• I was really close to launching then Covid hit. I still haven’t launched it. Should I still go ahead and launch my brand or should I wait it out?
• What are the most important things to do right now for an apparel brand?
• I run an existing brand, what’s the best thing to do right now to sell my products?
• I only sell my products to retailers, I have not been able to sell. What tips do you have?

So stay at home, keep your distance, turn up the volume and join us for the 1-year anniversary of the AE Podcast!

In today’s podcast episode, we have the honor of interviewing Stefanie Sacherow. She is the Senior Project Manager at the greatest performance fabrics fair there is - Performance Days in Munich, Germany.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Stefanie about the fair, their quick adjustment on moving online during these challenging times when people can’t physically be at a fair. We also talked about the upcoming innovative materials and sustainability. And we also covered Stephanie's trip around the world with a few pitstops at some fantastic places in Laos at a textile center where they do organic silk in small quantities that are organically dyed and Indonesia, where she collected ocean trash for recycling together with No-Trash Triangle.

Put on your headphones and listen to this very inspiring conversation.

This is the sixth part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are:

1. Build Your Foundation
2. Manage Your Business
3. Build Your Brand
4. Design Your Collection
5. Make Your Garments
6. Sell Your Products

In this sixth part of the series, we are talking about Selling Your Products.

Bring out your notebook and join us for AEP050.

This is the fifth part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are:

1. Build Your Foundation
2. Manage Your Business
3. Build Your Brand
4. Design Your Collection
5. Make Your Garments
6. Sell Your Products

In this fifth part of the series, we are talking about Making Your Garments.

Turn up the volume and join us for AEP episode 49.

This is the fourth part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are:

1. Build Your Foundation
2. Manage Your Business
3. Build Your Brand
4. Design Your Collection
5. Make Your Garments
6. Sell Your Products

In this fourth part of the series, we are talking about Design Your Collection.

Turn up the volume and join us for AEP episode 48.

This is the third part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are:

1. Build Your Foundation
2. Manage Your Business
3. Build Your Brand
4. Design Your Collection
5. Make Your Garments
6. Sell Your Products

In this third part of the series, we are talking about the third step; Build Your Brand.

Put on your headphones and join us for AEP episode 47.

This is the second part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are:

1. Build Your Foundation
2. Manage Your Business
3. Build Your Brand
4. Design Your Collection
5. Make Your Garments
6. Sell Your Products

In this second part of the series, we are talking about the second step; Manage Your Business.

Turn up the volume so everyone can hear and join us for AEP episode 45.

This is the first part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are:

1. Build Your Foundation
2. Manage Your Business
3. Build Your Brand
4. Design Your Collection
5. Make Your Garments
6. Sell Your Products

In this first part of the series, we are talking about the first step; Build Your Foundation.

Turn up the volume so everyone can hear and join us for AEP episode 45.

In this special episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about how to deal with the current coronavirus situation and still run your business.

The coronavirus or covid-19 has changed the business landscape dramatically. The pandemic is out of our control, and we don’t know what the near future looks like.

This topic has been brought up in our coaching calls and also with some of our members. Many of you are wondering what to do, how can you minimize the risk and stay ahead of the competition.

In this episode, we are going to give you over 20 actionable tips on what you can work on and what you can do for your customers and communities.

Business is not as usual but if you can, continue your business as usual without panicking! Most apparel business operations can be done virtually. Believe us, we did it when we ran our 2 apparel brands, and we are doing it today, with our brands in the design agency.

Around the world there are lockdown measures, shops are closing, there are travel bans, people are taking social distancing measures, kids are home from school. In our lifetime, we haven’t seen anything like this. But, we have to keep moving, we have to keep going, to run our businesses and support our customers and our communities.

We're all in this together! You move on, businesses move on, and the ones that adapt are the ones that are going to survive and even thrive.

4 actionable tips for how to get started and also improve your SEO. Did you know that some clothing brands that we work with are getting thousands of visitors to their website every month without paying a cent on advertising? This goes for us at Apparel Entrepreneurship as well. Actually we created our website with SEO in mind day one.

Yes, SEO is what will give you free traffic to your website. When you search for a topic, that search engine gives you a number of suggestions for pages.

SEO means that you optimize your website so that your pages will be one of those suggested results.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and in this episode, we give you 4 actionable tips for how to get started and also improve your SEO.

Put on your headphones or turn up your car stereo, because you you want to get more online sales, don't you?

Many designers are afraid of this exact thing or they have some bad experiences with issues regarding this problem. In this episode, we are talking about plagiarism and copying. How to protect yourself and deal with plagiarism. Brands ripping off other designers'  work is not a secret. In recent years it has been easier to out copying brands with all the social media and the blogs and the insta lives, and stories. For some designers, it is a big issue and we feel we have to talk about it now. After this episode, you will have more info to help you with your decision along the way.

We are covering 2 main scenarios:

1. Designers are afraid even before they begin. The manufacturers or suppliers are going to copy their design when they send away the tech packs and sketches
2. Someone has already copied their design and they are angry, bitter and pissed off and don’t know what to do about it.

Put on your headphones or turn on the volume in your car, and get some general tips on how you can protect your brand and designs.

In this fairly short episode, we talk about one simple, but yet very important differentiator, that can make or break your sales. It all has to do with this common advice that we get, that you should do what you love.

Put on your headphones and listen to this easy shift that many brands overlook.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about fashion trade shows and more specifically how to grow your brand by exhibiting at a trade show. So in this episode, we are dissecting the whole thing. What exactly are trade shows in case you haven’t been to one? Why you should or shouldn’t be at one and how it can be beneficial for your brand? We are also giving 3 key takeaways that you want to consider before attending the next trade show. Sit back and relax, put all other things aside, and listen to AEP038.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about sourcing or more specifically How to maximize your sourcing fair visit. We explain what they are, what you can expect from the sourcing fairs, and some dos and don'ts. We further discuss why it is a good idea to visit a sourcing fair, what you can get out of them, and how to get as much value for your time and money as possible.

To find a sourcing fair near you, see the show notes. There you can also download the free PDF with 8 Questions To Ask At A Sourcing Fair.

Put on your headphones and prepare to maximize your next sourcing fair visit.

In this fairly short episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast we address a question that we receive all the time; How Do You Know When You Are Ready To Launch? Grab that cup of coffee, walk the dog, and listen to our take on when you are ready to launch.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, we talk about planning a productive 2020. You'll get tangible advice and tips on how to plan your work and manage your time. First, we talk about how to plan your year on a high level. We will continue to discuss how you can plan your week and give you two different ways of doing this in a structured manner. Lastly, we talk about daily planning, what to think about, and actionable tips.

2020 is coming up quickly, Listen to this podcast, take a few hours, and plan for your best business year so far.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, we talk about 7 predictions and apparel business trends for 2020.  We have worked with hundreds of brands through the Apparel Entrepreneurship Membership Program, one-on-one coaching, the Ana Kristiansson Design Agency, helping entrepreneurs start, run, and scale successful, meaningful, and profitable clothing brands. So in this episode, we are going to look into the future. Here are our predictions for next year.

So, sit down with pen and paper, and listen to what's going to happen in 2020 and how you can make a change for growth in your business.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, we talk about how and where to find inspiration for your designs and collection. How do you turn design inspiration into fashion collections? Why is it a good idea to have an inspiration for your designs and collection?

So how and where does it all start? How do designers know what to create? Inspiration is everywhere and we often hear this when designers are interviewed: where do you get your inspiration from? They most often answer from everywhere. But where is everywhere? In this episode, we give specific ideas for where to find inspiration and how to go about it.

You might have a trend sensitive business, or you may run a timeless brand. But you, at all times, have to know what's going on in the world, and know the trends and why things are the way they are. Because your brand is evolving with time, whether you like it or not, because that’s the nature of the game. And if you do know the trends it will be easier for you to run a business that is relevant, to increase your chances for more sales.

Inspiration isn’t only for the prints, or the details, it’s for everything. Starting with the products themselves, the silhouette and shapes, the materials choices, the colors and color story, the accessories chosen like buttons and trims and cords, all the way down to the finishing touches and styling of the garments.

Put on your headphones and join us for Design Inspiration 101.

Through working with clothing brands in the AE Membership Program, and through our consulting assignments, we see 5 major reasons why customers aren't buying from certain brands. Some of you have been running your brand for years and you now see a decline in sales. And many of you haven't launched your brands yet, and want to be better prepared for pitfalls that can be avoided before your launch.

In this episode we are bringing attention to why you aren't selling and what you can do about it.

This is a special episode about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These are the two most significant online selling days of the year. 2018 the sales grew around 20% from the previous year in the US, taking the revenue to record levels.

We had actually planned to do another episode today on design inspiration. We had planned to NOT do an episode about Black Friday, but you have sent us questions about it and asked when we are going to talk about it. You kind of decided for us, and we love you for that!

So, here is a packed episode with everything you need to know about Black Friday, including the pros and cons. We are also giving you 9 marketing ideas for how you can increase your chances of selling your products. This information is also useful to know if you decide NOT to do Black Friday.

In today's episode, we are talking about why you should have a blog, why it's useful, and blog topic tips for your fashion brand. A blog is important, no matter if you are just starting out or if you are running and established clothing brand.

When should you start?

How often should you post?

What should you talk about?

There are so many things you can talk about on your blog besides your products.

A common concern for new brands that don't have products yet is what they should post about. In many cases, they don't want to reveal too much information before the products are manufactured and ready to sell.

In this episode, you will get loads of tips on things you can talk about to connect with your customers.

So, bring out a pen and paper, put on your headphones, and join us for AEP029!

In this episode, we are talking about business partners, coaches, and mentors. Why is having a business partner such a good idea? What do you need to think of when picking a partner? We are discussing some crucial components to consider before partnering up with someone, so you don't make the same mistakes we have done and also seen other clothing brands make. Listen to this episode before choosing your partner, so it doesn't end up in disaster.

It's challenging to grow your business alone. But, maybe you don’t want a partner for some reason. Perhaps you want to own your business to 100%. We are also addressing alternatives to bringing on business partners, where you still can you grow your business.

Go for a walk, get on that bike, sit down on the bus, or whatever suits you. Put on your headphones and join us for AEP028!

In this episode, we are discussing how you can design your business to suit your life, in opposition to the other way around. When we started our first business, we basically just mimicked the way our previous employers ran their businesses. But the traditional 9 to 5 setup didn't suit us, and our life situation changed along the way. So at one point, we sat down and actively planned how we wanted our life to look like. You don't have to run your brand as everyone else does. Design your own business.

In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we give you 5 steps to how you can design your business to betters suit your life situation, your goals, and your preferences. Sit back and listen. It's time to take control of how you run your brand and business.

There is a lot of talk about the Millenials, but not as much about the consumer group that is going to be the biggest one in 2020. In this episode, we are talking about generation z. We discuss who they are, how they will behave, and what we can do to connect with them. Even if this is not your target customer group, you can learn a lot about this generation that is already controlling and influencing $800 billion in direct spendings! So bring out a pen and paper and prepare your brand for the future.