Product Details
The Fashion Designer Survival Guide: An Insider's Look at Starting and Running Your Own Fashion Business

The Fashion Designer Survival Guide: An Insider's Look at Starting and Running Your Own Fashion Business
By Mary Gehlhar

List Price: $22.95
Price: $15.61 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

14 new or used available from $15.61

Average customer review:
An Insider's Look at Starting and Running Your Own Fashion Business

Product Description

The national retail apparel business has grown to a $172 billion per year industry, and the employment rate for designers is expected to outpace that of all other occupations through the year 2008. The Fashion Designer Survival Guide is a must-have for the thousands of talented designers who want to see their dream of creating an independent fashion line become a reality.Mary Gehlhar, author, industry authority, and consultant to hundreds of designers (including newcomers Alicia Bell, Keanan Duffty, and Milly), gives readers behind-the-scenes advice and essential business information on creating and sustaining a successful career as an independent designer. The Fashion Designer Survival Guide provides the necessary tools to get a fashion line or label up and moving on the right track, including: •Start-up costs and financing •Legal issues •Business plans •Public relations and sales •Marketing and manufacturing •Distribution-trade, trunk, and runway shows This book also provides case studies from independent designers at different stages of their careers, including tough letdowns and exciting successes. Young designers weigh-in on topics important to them when they were starting out, while several top name designers offer personal perspectives on a single question, providing a window to their world and a variety of answers.Designers are bursting with creativity but often fall flat going into business as an independent. The Fashion Designer Survival Guide provides designers with the one thing design school didn’t-intelligent and successful business practices.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #22775 in Books
  • Published on: 2005-09-01
  • Released on: 2005-09-01
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 224 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Women’s Wear Daily
"Lest fashion's neophytes get too dreamy, Gehlhar is there to ground them…"

—Margaret Hayes, President, The Fashion Group International
"Mary presents many expectations he or she will confront in the marketplace and provides excellent professional advice throughout the book."

—Peter D. Arnold, Executive Director Council of Fashion Designers of America
"For anyone seeking to compete and succeed in our crowded and highly competitive industry, Mary's comprehensive advice is required reading."

Customer Reviews

Worth every penny5
This book is most valuable when you're 'in the the process' of starting/ running your line. It's a little piece of gold... keep it in your library for reference after you finish reading it. Of course, you're going to have to go out and navigate this industry for yourself, but this aptly named - survival guide - gives you a running start. It's worth every penny... buy the Expanded Version. One thing that I think you should pay particular attention to is the way she phrases things... ex. saying, "I'm a fashion designer" is for the public, not the industry... confidence is key to opening doors, but so is the way you communicate... design is a small part of the process... it's first and foremost a business to you and to your vendors... time and money are in high demand... FDSG will save you both and give you the opportunity to sculpt the way you think and work within this industry... good luck!

Great insider info for all to enjoy!5
I've been in the business (www.glamajama.com) for almost five years now and I still found lots of useful info. Gives lots of pointers on how to set-up your clothing line's "timeline" for design, production, and launch. Follow their suggestions and you will have the optimum amount of time to build and promote your line. Also, it provides an overview for legal issues, marketing, and selling the line. This is a great reference tool for anyone wanting to know more about the inner workings of the fashion biz.

Excellent for High Schoolers3
As a fashion design student, I was given this book before attending school by a friend. I read it all in one day and really appreciated all the information in it. But, I will say that I understood most of the business end of the information because I had already taken a college level business class.

The information in this book is very general and I would say it is excellent for someone who is thinking about going into the fashion industry and wants a realistic view of the process. Reading it before attending classes will give you a head start to understanding key concepts that will be covered.

If you already have a degree, I agree with one of the other reviewers, I wouldn't buy it.