Young Fashion Designers Take Control

Many young fashion designers suffer from the same problem. First, they have to be aware of the commercial dimension of the business in order to make their voice heard and stand up and then survive. There is an indescribable enthusiasm in the scissors strokes, and passion on the tip of the pen on the old ones, but due to financial concerns, sometimes those contradictory ideas and exciting projects die before they are born. Contemplating business-related issues such as manufacturing, cost and financing takes more time than design. Some are completely unfamiliar with this side of the business, and some do not even want to understand it. Here’s what Wendy Malem says: “We’ll find a business graduate, or even a student, with a heady head. The young operator needs experience and the designer needs cash flow control. Maybe you promise a small salary or contacts that he can use in the future. This step will not turn the designer into a businessman he does not want to be, but it can turn design into work.”

If I were a newly graduated designer, maybe I would camp in front of a university business campus until I met the person I was looking for. I imagine; Colorful flyers with the words “If experience and new clothes are what you’re looking for, call me”, a promise to make a personal design instead of paying a salary… Malem likes the idea. even reminds me of Luella Bartley, who switched from magazine editor to fashion design, and laughs. “The important thing is to think about this side of the business,” she says. “You can’t help someone who just wants to draw all day to grow in the industry. Design is the engine that moves the fashion industry. But if you leave the industry out of business and focus only on “fashion”, you cannot see the future. I’m not saying that the way to be a good designer is to have a good business mind. It is not about choosing the one that brings profit instead of making the designs you dream of in order to gain commercial success. Just don’t see money as the “dirty” part of the business, it’s needed to survive.

A business development initiative for the fashion industry

These recommendations are from the mouth of an expert. Wendy Malem is the director of the Center for Fashion Enterprise (CFE), founded in London in 2003. CFE is a strategic business development initiative that supports emerging designers in the luxury and high-end fashion industry and enables them to develop. Malem is a fashion designer who has worked for domestic and international brands for 20 years. She decided to use her years of experience and observations to support young designers and left the design business and returned to the sector with a different mission by completing an MBA. “When I look back at the industry, it’s hard to say, “They were there because they were successful,” for the faces I saw that day, for all the names I knew. There were examples that continued to exist in the sector through close relationships such as family and friends. This is a structure that hinders the opportunities of young designers. Of course, there was a field to work in, but it was difficult to rise in this structure that dominated the business. Or a designer who was advanced enough to show designs at London Fashion Week was losing all its charm after two seasons because he couldn’t handle the commercial side of the business. I aimed to make a difference when I set out on this path, and at CFE we achieve that.”

One year experience required

The CFE team are not talent scouts who watch the graduate fashion shows of the schools and shine the designer they find successful. The designers knocking on CFE’s door are the names that have been in the industry for at least a year with their brand. The aim of Center for Fashion Enter Prize is to expand the volume of designers in the sector who have turned their brand into a small business. For example, the Go-To-Market Program supports designers who have been in business and have a business for at least a year. This is the level at which the requirements of being a professional fashion business are explained by giving one-on-one advice or organizing workshops. The next level is the Pioneer Program to support new designers for a single season. CFE analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of these designers’ businesses and determines a development strategy suitable for the brand. The Investment Program provides support to fashion businesses that have been operating for at least four seasons. Thanks to this two-year program, brands have access to both a significant audience at London Fashion Week and a wide international press profile. A studio is also provided to the designers by the London Colloge of Fashion. We recognize many of the names CFE has worked with and still does. Like Peter Pliotto, Richard Nicoll, Marios Schwab, Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchoff…

Young designer meets world brands

A brand or retailer may want to increase its existing customers and introduce itself to new customers. It may also aim to enter new international markets or gain more media coverage. CFE paves the way for implementing this strategy by pairing the right designer with the right brand. Partnerships such as Peter Pilotto and Kipling, Shannon and Eastpak are the work of CFE. He created a capsule collection from this service and Harvey Nichols London bought this collection.