How To Make Money As A Fashion Designer From Home

There has never been a better time to pursue your dreams and make a living in a creative field. For many years, becoming an artist, fashion designer or even actress was something that you had to get very lucky to achieve.

Now, you really don’t have to get lucky at all. It only takes drive, hard work and focus. With advances in internet technology, the rise of social media and the ability to find an audience instead of having your audience find you, you can become a fashion designer from home.

People these days are self publishing books and making money as authors. They are selling their art and even making their own movies. Instead of having to work for peanuts and try to build a name for yourself in an industry, you can create it yourself.

In this article, I will go over several ways that you can break into the fashion world without ever leaving your house.

1 – Find a niche

The way to stand out in a crowded field is to not try to compete with the big players. Try to find items that are being sought out that not a lot of designers are bothering with.

You can make a name for yourself as being the cool new beach sandal designer, for instance. You’ll need to find a way to set yourself apart by making something unique with the sandals like using some cool colored Hook-and-Loop Velcro Straps. Recycled materials are popular especially if you are using something interesting like old water bottles or something that makes your creations stand out.

There are endless possibilities here so get creative and find a product that you would be happy focusing on. Otherwise, creative boredom may set in and you’ll have a hard time maintaining the drive you need to succeed.

2 – Build a fan-base

Notice how I didn’t mention the word following. Having followers on social media is good, but not good enough if you want to make a living at this. You need them to be fans. Fans are loyal, will spend money repeatedly on your products and will be happy to spread the word.

This involves giving your followers what they actually want. It will take some trial and error, but when you are building a following, make sure to ask them lots of questions. They will often tell you what it is they are looking for in designs. Then you can use their advice and make the types of products they will happily buy over and over.

You’ll also need to be very interactive. It isn’t enough to simply post the right content at the right times, but to also be engaging with your followers. They want a human on the other side of the computer.

3 – Build a brand

People love underdogs, but they don’t love no names. They are looking for a brand that they can get behind and follow. You have to make a brand for yourself to be recognized.

To do this without getting famous is not as hard as you think. It simply means making a name for yourself online. To do this you have to be on several channels and focus on becoming an authority in your area of expertise.

Let’s go back to the beach sandal example. Start a Youtube channel that covers footwear or even specifically beachwear and post videos regularly. Over time, your videos will be seen by people that are interested in beach sandals and you’ll get people following you there.

Then you should also start a podcast. This is a good way to talk about fashion trends or other points of interest. Once you have built a bit of a reputation, you can interview other designers or people in the fashion industry.

Once these things are tied in with your social media presence, you will find that people know who you are and want your creations.

4 – Build the website

The last piece of the puzzle is to come together is to have a place where your products can be bought. Your website is your store. You don’t need to open a boutique and spend tons on rent while you wait for your customers.

Since all of the steps up to this point were done online it makes sense to have it easy for your fans to get a hold of your work. There are many ways to set up a site even when you don’t know what you are doing. Of course you can hire a web designer to create the site and then accept payments online.