The Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast is finally back. In today’s podcast episode, we are talking about how you can sell more products during the upcoming holiday season. We give you 5 actionable tips for making the best of the period from Halloween to New Year. 2019 was the first holiday season to surpass the trillion-dollar mark in the US. Certain fashion, packaged goods, and luxury items businesses do up to 80%-90% of their revenue during the holiday. These numbers make you want to pay some ex...
Sep 14, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Today we are extremely excited to share an in-depth conversation with our friend Brian Hill - the executive Director of Phoenix Fashion Week. Brian is also the host of the Fashion Rewired Podcast that Ana was a guest on a while ago and in today's podcast episode we chat about so many great, inspiring things. First, we go way back to when Brian launched his own fashion brand and the most important lessons learned from running his own brand. The conversation later moves to how he got working for P...
Jul 17, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 57
In this incredibly inspiring episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, Sofia Demirtas shares her story of starting and running the beautiful luxury and sustainable womenswear brand Fanm Mon. Fanm Mon is a luxury womenswear brand that launched in 2013. The label takes a bold approach to embroidery, offering feminine styles and vibrant color combinations. Sophia takes us all the way back to the start of her brand, the biggest struggles they’ve had so far, and how important respect, love, an...
Jul 01, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Today we have the incredible honor of interviewing a design and brand building rockstar! Reinhard Pascher has 30 years of experience in product innovation and brand building. He is the co-founder of the brand agency Pascher + Heinz in Munich Germany. He works for both clients and agencies at an executive level and he has developed concepts and strategies for upcoming and leading sports brands like Nike, Odlo, Adidas, Volvo, Dynafit, Atomic, Head, Salewa, Toray, Red Bull and many many more. Reinh...
Jun 25, 2020•56 min•Season 2Ep. 55
In today’s podcast episode, we have the honor of talking to an apparel industry friend, Charles Ross. Charles is a specialist in performance sportswear design, and an expert in sustainable matters and a lecturer at the Royal College of Art in the UK. Ever since we started the podcast we have wanted to have Charles on the show, so today’s episode is a real treat. We cover a broad variety of topics from material innovation, to industry opportunities, projections for the future, industry resources,...
Jun 02, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 54
In today’s podcast episode, we are talking about how you can sell more products by nailing your unique value proposition, and by figuring out your niche. What is a niche and why is it so important? We are also discussing what's not a niche, but instead a market segment, product area, product category, or trend? This episode is both for brands about to start that need help figuring out their niche, as well as established brands that are having issues attracting customers. Sit back and enjoy AEP05...
May 28, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 53
In today’s podcast episode, we are answering questions from our community regarding how to run your brand in the current situation. We see new behaviors, people stay inside, they don't meet in workspaces, kids are at home, people are losing their jobs, online demand increases, and so on. In this episode, we have gathered all your questions that we have received from you, that are all centered around the Covid-19 situation, and we give you our input to guide you through these times. Here are some...
May 22, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 52
In today’s podcast episode, we have the honor of interviewing Stefanie Sacherow. She is the Senior Project Manager at the greatest performance fabrics fair there is - Performance Days in Munich, Germany. We had the pleasure of chatting with Stefanie about the fair, their quick adjustment on moving online during these challenging times when people can’t physically be at a fair. We also talked about the upcoming innovative materials and sustainability. And we also covered Stephanie's trip around t...
May 12, 2020•45 min•Season 2Ep. 51
This is the sixth part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are: Build Your Foundation Manage Your Business Build Your Brand Design Your Collection Make Your Garments Sell Your Products In this sixth part of the series, we are talking about Selling Your Products. Bring out your notebook and join us for AEP050. Show notes Sign up for the brand new Course...
May 05, 2020•11 min•Season 2Ep. 50
This is the fifth part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are: Build Your Foundation Manage Your Business Build Your Brand Design Your Collection Make Your Garments Sell Your Products In this fifth part of the series, we are talking about Making Your Garments. Turn up the volume and join us for AEP episode 49. Show notes Sign up for the brand new Cour...
Apr 28, 2020•10 min•Season 2Ep. 49
This is the fourth part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are: Build Your Foundation Manage Your Business Build Your Brand Design Your Collection Make Your Garments Sell Your Products In this fourth part of the series, we are talking about Design Your Collection. Turn up the volume and join us for AEP episode 48. Show notes Sign up for the brand new ...
Apr 21, 2020•10 min•Season 2Ep. 48
This is the third part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are: Build Your Foundation Manage Your Business Build Your Brand Design Your Collection Make Your Garments Sell Your Products In this third part of the series, we are talking about the third step; Build Your Brand. Put on your headphones and join us for AEP episode 47. Show notes Sign up for th...
Apr 14, 2020•9 min•Season 2Ep. 47
This is the second part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are: Build Your Foundation Manage Your Business Build Your Brand Design Your Collection Make Your Garments Sell Your Products In this second part of the series, we are talking about the second step; Manage Your Business. Turn up the volume so everyone can hear and join us for AEP episode 45. S...
Apr 07, 2020•9 min•Season 2Ep. 46
This is the first part of a 6-part series covering the Apparel Entrepreneurship Success Path. This 6-step process covers all parts of starting, running, and growing a profitable apparel brand. The 6 steps are: Build Your Foundation Manage Your Business Build Your Brand Design Your Collection Make Your Garments Sell Your Products In this first part of the series, we are talking about the first step; Build Your Foundation. Turn up the volume so everyone can hear and join us for AEP episode 45. app...
Apr 02, 2020•14 min•Season 2Ep. 45
In this special episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about how to deal with the current coronavirus situation and still run your business. The coronavirus or covid-19 has changed the business landscape dramatically. The pandemic is out of our control, and we don’t know what the near future looks like. This topic has been brought up in our coaching calls and also with some of our members. Many of you are wondering what to do, how can you minimize the risk and stay ahead of the...
Mar 19, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 44
4 actionable tips for how to get started and also improve your SEO. Did you know that some clothing brands that we work with are getting thousands of visitors to their website every month without paying a cent on advertising? This goes for us at Apparel Entrepreneurship as well. Actually we created our website with SEO in mind day one. Yes, SEO is what will give you free traffic to your website. When you search for a topic, that search engine gives you a number of suggestions for pages. SEO mean...
Mar 10, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Many designers are afraid of this exact thing or they have some bad experiences with issues regarding this problem. In this episode, we are talking about plagiarism and copying. How to protect yourself and deal with plagiarism. Brands ripping off other designers' work is not a secret. In recent years it has been easier to out copying brands with all the social media and the blogs and the insta lives, and stories. For some designers, it is a big issue and we feel we have to talk about it now. Aft...
Mar 04, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 42
In this episode of the AE Podcast, we share with you 5 steps to develop your mindset. Mindset - what is that? It's a set of beliefs, assumptions, and notions that you have about your world. But your beliefs are shaped when you were little. The society and your parents and the culture you were brought up in have shaped who you are and what you believe. Depending on what beliefs you have, these can really limit you and eventually your business. Psychology is one of the biggest parts of running and...
Feb 21, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 41
In this fairly short episode, we talk about one simple, but yet very important differentiator, that can make or break your sales. It all has to do with this common advice that we get, that you should do what you love. Put on your headphones and listen to this easy shift that many brands overlook. Show notes at apparelentrepreneurship.com/podcast
Feb 14, 2020•9 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In this episode, we are talking about the solution to the struggles of frustrated and overwhelmed emerging entrepreneurs. The struggle is real you guys! So many spend tons of money and time, getting nowhere or making very little progress, pumping in money in a business without a real plan for return on investment, meaning profit. We know these struggles and worries, because we have been in those shoes. We were you! From starting and running 2 own brands, working with hundreds of brands through A...
Feb 07, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 39
In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about fashion trade shows and more specifically how to grow your brand by exhibiting at a trade show. So in this episode, we are dissecting the whole thing. What exactly are trade shows in case you haven’t been to one? Why you should or shouldn’t be at one and how it can be beneficial for your brand? We are also giving 3 key takeaways that you want to consider before attending the next trade show. Sit back and relax, put all other ...
Jan 30, 2020•21 min
In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, we talk about sourcing or more specifically How to maximize your sourcing fair visit. We explain what they are, what you can expect from the sourcing fairs, and some dos and don'ts. We further discuss why it is a good idea to visit a sourcing fair, what you can get out of them, and how to get as much value for your time and money as possible. To find a sourcing fair near you, see the show notes. There you can also download the free PDF wit...
Jan 23, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 37
In this fairly short episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast we address a question that we receive all the time; How Do You Know When You Are Ready To Launch? Grab that cup of coffee, walk the dog, and listen to our take on when you are ready to launch. Show notes at apparelentrepreneurship.com
Jan 13, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 1
This is the episode many of you have been waiting for. It’s the first interview ever here on the Apparel Entrepreneurship Podcast, and it’s about how to best work with a manufacturer. We are talking to Kevin Van Lancker, founder and CEO of Sportwear of Tomorrow , a manufacturer of sublimated sportswear. They are the first and largest Print on Demand manufacturer in Europe for the cycling and triathlon industry and work with clients worldwide. Kevin gives us the inside view of what brands need to...
Dec 30, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, we talk about planning a productive 2020. You'll get tangible advice and tips on how to plan your work and manage your time. First, we talk about how to plan your year on a high level. We will continue to discuss how you can plan your week and give you two different ways of doing this in a structured manner. Lastly, we talk about daily planning, what to think about, and actionable tips. 2020 is coming up quickly, Listen to this podcast, ta...
Dec 21, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 34
In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, we talk about 7 predictions and apparel business trends for 2020. We have worked with hundreds of brands through the Apparel Entrepreneurship Membership Program, one-on-one coaching, the Ana Kristiansson Design Agency, helping entrepreneurs start, run, and scale successful, meaningful, and profitable clothing brands. So in this episode, we are going to look into the future. Here are our predictions for next year. So, sit down with pen and ...
Dec 12, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 33
In this episode of the Apparel Entrepreneurship podcast, we talk about how and where to find inspiration for your designs and collection. How do you turn design inspiration into fashion collections? Why is it a good idea to have an inspiration for your designs and collection? So how and where does it all start? How do designers know what to create? Inspiration is everywhere and we often hear this when designers are interviewed: where do you get your inspiration from? They most often answer from ...
Dec 04, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Through working with clothing brands in the AE Membership Program, and through our consulting assignments, we see 5 major reasons why customers aren't buying from certain brands. Some of you have been running your brand for years and you now see a decline in sales. And many of you haven't launched your brands yet, and want to be better prepared for pitfalls that can be avoided before your launch. In this episode we are bringing attention to why you aren't selling and what you can do about it. Sh...
Nov 27, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 31
This is a special episode about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These are the two most significant online selling days of the year. 2018 the sales grew around 20% from the previous year in the US, taking the revenue to record levels. We had actually planned to do another episode today on design inspiration. We had planned to NOT do an episode about Black Friday, but you have sent us questions about it and asked when we are going to talk about it. You kind of decided for us, and we love you for th...
Nov 19, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In today's episode, we are talking about why you should have a blog, why it's useful, and blog topic tips for your fashion brand. A blog is important, no matter if you are just starting out or if you are running and established clothing brand. When should you start? How often should you post? What should you talk about? There are so many things you can talk about on your blog besides your products. A common concern for new brands that don't have products yet is what they should post about. In ma...
Nov 15, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 29
