Fashion Designers Get Paid: Build Your Fashion Career On Your Own Terms

Don't waste your time on freelancing platforms that are known for cheap pay and demanding clients.  But how do you know which freelancing platforms to look out for?

After surveying over 500 fashion designers who are students in my Freelance Accelerator program, I've compiled real data so you can feel confident. Even though many of these students have found success, you still have to be wary of bad job postings.

I break down...

Saying 'Yes' to be a more desirable fashion freelancer is the quickest path to getting caught in a scope creep nightmare.

There's an important balance of being available but also having boundaries.  Andressa, my guest in this episode, and I talk about constructing firm proposals and how to handle the awkward dance of revising costs mid-project. By the end of this strategy-packed session, you'll be armed with actionable advi...

Success can be temporary.  It can dry up if you're not prepared. There one day and *POOF* gone the next.

That's exactly what happened to my guest in today's episode, Louise Ryan, a freelance footwear trend consultant.  She had a stable freelance income for a while but eventually, it dried up leaving her looking for answers.  She turned to my flagship program FAST and shares how she redesigned her freelance fashion career a...

Is freelancing in fashion actually as good as it sounds?  From the promises of freedom to the ideas of total flexibility, it can be easy to get swept up in the "dream".

There's a lot of positives when it comes to freelancing, but that doesn't mean that you don't have to put in hard work to achieve your freelancing dreams.  In this episode, Kate Knight opens up to share some amazing wins but also gives a realistic perspectiv...

Are you struggling to figure out your fashion design freelance rate? Do you find it challenging to determine how much to charge for your fashion design services?

That's because no one openly wants to talk about rates or money.  In this episode, I break that silence in the industry by sharing real-life strategies that I've used in my own career and examples from real successful fashion freelancers for setting rates.  If char...

Sourcing in your freelance fashion career is a lot like matchmaking!  You want to make good connections that align well with your client's brand. You can build a great career by thinking strategically and approaching sourcing with care.

Once you identify that sourcing isn't just about finding products or services; it's about creating valuable connections and delivering exceptional results, you can strategically start settin...

If you're new to the fashion industry or unsure of your skills but want to start as a freelancer, you may consider being a fashion virtual assistant (VA) and earning while you learn.  Find out how you can transform your soft skills into hard cash.

You don't need to be a super tech genius to work as a virtual assistant in the fashion industry; basic tech skills and a willingness to learn as you go are enough to get started....

Knowing how to add value to your clients without sacrificing your mental health is a lesson many freelance fashion designers learn on their freelancing journey.  It's all too easy to listen to self-doubt and let imposter syndrome creep in which ultimately will lead to resentment, burnout, or missing out on huge opportunities. So how can you land freelance gigs from big names while overcoming challenges such as low self-est...

Let's talk about two easy but often overlooked strategies to avoid the freelancing roller coaster of making $3,000 1 month and a $100 the next, and you're left wondering where your next fashion design is project coming from.

By implementing these practical strategies in this episode of Fashion Designers Get Paid, you'll position yourself as the kind of freelancer that brands want to hire again and again, ultimately leading ...

Want to kickstart your freelance career while learning a new industry skill, like Clo3D?

In this Fashion Designers Get Paid episode, we hear a clip from a strategy session with fashion designer Sharon Hay, who's breaking into fashion from the tech industry and learning Clo3D. So, how can you build your network and line up clients while still learning?

It's not about waiting until you're an expert before putting yourself out ...

Ever feel like one of the biggest roadblocks in your fashion design career is procrastination?

If you find yourself reaching for the newest or trendy technology hoping to finally find your holy grail for staying on task (spoiler alert: it wasn't it), then this episode has your name written all over it!  I talk with Grace Brodeur who specializes in helping entrepreneurs overcome procrastination so they can increase their tim...

What if you had to completely restart your fashion career?  And what if you were also faced with a lot of barriers?

That's exactly what this fashion designer, mom of two, and my guest, Andressa Iop, faced when she moved from Brazil to the U.S.  Between learning a new language, juggling the hectic schedule of motherhood, and everything else, she found time in the cracks of her day to fit in time to rebuild her fashion career...

Is freelancing in fashion worth it?

If you've ever wondered about being a freelance fashion designer (or PD, TD, patternmaker, etc!) then this episode will shine some light on the pros and cons of freelancing in fashion.  Let's get super clear on what true remote freelancing means so then we can pull back the curtain to reveal all the good and bad that comes with it.  Is freelancing really worth it?  Tune in to find out!

Rejection doesn't have to be synonymous with failure.

The truth is, there will always be rejection in your fashion design career and that can be scary (and totally normal!).  But whether you hear a yes or no shouldn't be what determines your success.  In this episode, I talk with Anne Benschop about the fear of rejection and the impact that can have as a freelance fashion designer.  We work on reframing her mindset to measu...

Woah...did we just crack the code of sales conversations to land more freelance fashion design clients?!

If you've ever felt sales conversations were scary or just need to elevate your sales game, then our guest, Nikki Rausch, is here to share her best tips and tricks to help you feel confident in your sales calls.  We talk about navigating the sales staircase framework, using the power of smart questions, and leading the c...

Being a freelance fashion designer means you can step outside of the norm and build a career your own way!

Just like today's guest, Amanda Russo, who takes a little bit of a backward approach from what we may normally see.  She lives in Brazil and helps factories source new fashion brands and then manages the product development process.  We talk all about exactly how she got her clients, how she put together contracts and ...

Should freelance fashion designers attend a sourcing trade show?

Let's go straight to the source with the vice president of the largest sourcing trade show in North America to get the answer and insider tips to make the most of your trade show experience.  Andreu David is the vice president of Sourcing at Magic is here to help find the perfect vendors and suppliers for your freelance clients or your own fashion brand, And s...

Dreaming of more clients doesn't help grow your freelance fashion career...but these tips will!

Hanan specializes in modest women's wear and aims to expand her client base but needs a little help navigating her niche. Heidi and Hanan delve into the importance of having a niche-specific profile on platforms like Upwork, as well as leveraging industry connections to attract new clients. They explore strategies for standing ou...

There's a mind-blowing amount of nuances that go into being a freelance fashion stylist and who better to share all the deets than someone who's styled for Emmy award-winning TV shows?

We have the pleasure of being joined by the esteemed freelance stylist with over 25 years of experience, Darshan Gress. With a diverse background in styling for TV shows like Project Runway and Top Chef, Darshan has now transitioned into pers...