Choosing Fabrics...
Below are our articles on the subject of Choosing Fabrics. If you can't see what you are looking for our other categories are displayed on the left under 'Our Quick Links'...
Adjusting Your Business for a Changing Market
A guide to practical ways of shoring up and, if necessary, scaling back your fashion business so that you're well equipped to survive in challenging economic times....
Advice on Running a Clothes Shop or Fashion Outlet
Things to bear in mind when launching and running your own boutique alongside your fashion design business....
Anticipating Trends in Children's Fashion
How to anticipate and identify developing trends in children's fashion and how parental concerns and buying patterns affect the approach you should take to preparing your designs....
Basic Equipment for Starting up a Fashion Business
A guide to establishing the equipment you'll need for your fashion design business and making good quality purchases....
Choosing the Right Sewing Machine
Advice on the things you should consider when choosing a sewing machine for your fashion design business....
Choosing the Right Workspace
A guide to setting up your fashion design business workspace to maximise efficiency and create a pleasant environment in which to do your job....
Creating your Fashion Business Website
A guide to designing, constructing and marketing a successful website for your fashion design business....
Developing Staff Skills
Could training courses help your staff to improve their skills and give your business a boost? Investing in training can be easier than you might have thought - find out how....
Developing Your Own Recognisable Style.
A guide to developing your skills and instincts so that you can create your own successful fashion style. The importance of brand identity and using style to make a name for yourself....
Employing New Staff
Is your business ready to take on new staff? How to source applicants, what to look for in a potential new staff member, and how to conduct an interview....
Fashion Design Training, Courses and Funding
A guide to the different training options available for fashion design entrepreneurs in the UK, and to means of securing funding for your fashion design business....
Finding a Studio or Shop Base
A guide to determining what you need from a studio or shop, finding the right premises, and negotiating the right lease to go with them....
Finding your Target Market in the Fashion Industry
A guide to identifying the ideal customer base for your new fashion business....
Getting your Fashion Designs Featured in the Press
A guide to communicating effectively with the press and drawing media attention to your fashion design business....
Having a Signature Fashion Print
A look at the advantages of fabric printing and different ways of going about it when you want a unique look for your fashion designs....
Holding Promotional Events for Your Fashion Business
A guide to holding events to promote your fashion design business. Who to invite and how to get them right....
How Closely Can You Copy Other Fashion Designs?
Advice on how to avoid being sued for copying fashion designs as garments or patterns, either deliberately or accidentally....
How to Create and Distribute your Own Fashion Catalogue
A guide to designing, constructing and producing your own catalogue to promote your fashion designs....
How to Sew Stretchy Fabric
How to make the best of stretchy fabrics, avoid common problems and develop your designs the way you want....
How to Store and Care for Bulk Fabric
A guide to setting up proper storage facilities for your fabric, protecting it from damage, and cleaning and preparing it for use....
Intellectual Property: Protecting Your Fashion Designs
Advice on the legal options you can use to protect your fashion designs from copying....
Interview: How I Started My Fashion Business
Designer Jane Faye talks about starting up her fashion business, Gaia Noir, selling eco-friendly alternative clothing....
Interview: Inside Fashion Photography
Fashion photographer Stuart Crawford gives us the low-down on what a professional photoshoot can be worth to you, how to organise one, and how to get the best out of it....
Is There Any Fashion Design Software That I Could Use?
A guide to choosing affordable fashion design software suitable for making children's clothes....
Keeping Records of Your Patterns and Fabrics
A guide to organising, storing and cross-referencing patterns and fabric samples used by your fashion design business....
Launching Your New Fashion Business
A guide to successfully launching your fashion business and drawing attention to it....
Logos and Labels for Your Fashion Business
A guide to developing logos and labels which will solidify your brand identity and project it effectively in any context in which they're used....
Making Premises Family Friendly
With just a few adjustments you can make your shop much more welcoming to families and get ahead of competitors by building a friendly reputation....
Marketing to Children and Parents
A look at the different priorities of children and their parents when it comes to shopping, how you can work around this problem, and how you can make your shop more appealing to both....
Meeting Demand for Your Fashion Designs
A guide to taking on contractors in order to manage fluctuating demand for your fashion designs....
Persuading Retailers to Stock Your Designs
A guide to successfully placing your fashion designs with retailers and keeping them coming back for more....
Practicality and Durability in Children's Clothing
What you need to know to make practical materials and design choices for children's clothing, to create garments that will last and make a big impression on the market....
Predicting and Following Fashion Trends
A guide to predicting the next big thing in fashion and making use of upcoming colours and styles in your fashion design business....
Quiz: Can you Run a Fashion Business?
Take this simple quiz to help you determine how ready you are for starting up your own fashion business....
Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Marketing?
Find out how good you are at researching, targeting and running marketing campaigns for your fashion business with this entertaining quiz....
Raising Funds for Your Fashion Business
If the bank turns you down or you can't raise all the money you need in the usual ways, it's time to start thinking about other sources of funding that can help your fashion business survive, grow and...
Running Your Fashion Business Ethically
A breakdown of the different issues you should be thinking about if you want to take an ethical approach to running your fashion business....
School Rules and Children's Fashion
How to find out about school uniforms and dress codes and how to uncover the secret fashion codes of the playground, plus a look at what this can be worth to you as a designer....
Seasonal Fashion: Preparing and Marketing Designs
A guide to the fashion design process from trend forecasting, through design, to production and launch....
Self-employment and Tax: Part Time and Full Time
A guide to the British tax system and how it affects the self employed. What your responsibilities are, how to handle tax forms, and how to claim expenses....
Selling Your Clothes on Market Stalls
Advice on setting up and running a successful stall to promote and sell your fashion designs....
Selling Your Fashion Designs by Mail Order
A guide to providing mail order services, packing and preparing your fashion items, and ensuring that they're properly delivered....
Selling Your Fashion Designs Online
A guide to selling clothing through a website, satisfying customer needs and encouraging return customers....
Setting Prices for Your Clothes and Designs
A guide to pricing the clothes you produce through your fashion business to optimise your sales potential....
Sewing Satin, Silk and Shiny Fabrics
A guide to preparing, cutting, sewing and pressing satin, silk and other shiny fabrics to create beautiful clothes and furnishings....
Sewing With Summer Fabrics
A guide to choosing suitable fabrics for summer clothes and working with them to produce great results....
Should you Make Clothes to Fit all Sizes?
Advice on how to adjust your clothing designs for different sized customers and on the advantages of designing for larger people....
Should You Use Professional or Amateur Models?
A guide to working with models to achieve the best possible look for your fashion designs in photoshoots and on the catwalk....
Silk - from the Cocoon to the Catwalk
The incredible journey silk makes from its origin in silkworm farms, through factories and wholesalers, to designers, the catwalk and fashion boutiques....
Social Networking and Your Fashion Business
Using social networks can boost your business on many levels but you'll need to know what you're doing if you want to make it a success....
Sourcing Clothes Rails, Mannequins and Display Props
A guide to finding the right equipment to help you display your fashion designs....
Sourcing Fabric for Your Fashion Design Business
A guide to sourcing and dealing with fabric wholesalers....
Sourcing Specialist Materials and Fabrics
A guide to sourcing specialist fabrics and trimmings and making sure you get a good deal....
Sourcing Suitable Fabrics for Children's Clothes
A guide to selecting suitable fabrics for children's clothes so that you can minimise the risk of allergies and fire, produce resilient, long-lasting garments, and make them really comfortable....
Taking an Income from Your Business
A guide to predicting your future business income and the pros and cons of taking a salary....
Targeting a Niche vs Mainstream Fashion Market
A guide to niche fashion marketing and its advantages and disadvantages....
Understanding Fabric Colours
A guide to understanding and working with different colours in the world of fashion. What possibilities are offered by each colour and how can you predict what's going to be in next?...
Understanding VAT in your Fashion Business
Understanding tax can be a headache but VAT is relatively simple and registering can be advantageous to some types of fashion business....
Understanding Workplace Clothing
What you need to know to get involved in designing workplace wear for all kinds of different corporate and factory environments....
Using Accessories to Promote Your Business
A guide to choosing and using the right accessories to turn your fashion designs into a look which will attract the attention of the press and shoppers alike....
Using Fashion Design Software
Advice on choosing fashion design software and the advantages it can offer to your fashion design business....
Using Fashion Trade Shows to Promote Your Designs
A guide to presenting your fashion designs successfully to retailers at fashion industry trade shows....
Using Fashion Trade Shows to Source Products
A guide to spotting, identifying and purchasing new fabrics at fashion industry trade shows....
Using Online Auctions for Your Fashion Business
A guide to using online auctions to sell clothes successfully and to advertise a fashion design business....
Using Professional Fashion Photography
A guide to choosing and working with professional fashion photographers. How can professional fashion photography benefit your fashion design business?...
Utilising or Selling Leftover Fabric
Suggestions to help you reclaim and make good use of the scraps of leftover fabric you generate in your fashion design business....
What are Fashion Shows Worth to Your Business?
Advice on how to determine the value of fashion shows to your fashion design business, and on how to prepare for a successful fashion show....
What Customers Want: Quotes from Fashion Shoppers
What do customers really think about clothes shopping? We interviewed ordinary people to find out their priorities....
What Should I Charge For the Rights to My Design?
How should you go about setting a price on your fashion designs? What are your fashion designs worth and how much might a company be willing to pay for them?...
What to Do if Your Supplier Lets you Down.
A guide to finding other sources of fabric in order to complete orders in unexpected situations....
Where Can I Get Help to Sell My Designs?
Advice on how to find a business partner who can take care of the sales side of your business whilst you get on with the creative stuff that you do best....
Working With Contractors
A guide to the basic principles of working with contractors, drawing up good contracts and protecting yourself in case things go wrong....
Working With Wool
A guide to different types of wool fabric and how you can work with them effectively to create attractive and comfortable clothes - for any season!...