MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
“It sounds simple but it took me a few years to really appreciate that the most important thing is to design with one ideal person in mind and not to try to please everyone with your collections- this really helps to focus on what you need to do to succeed as a designer in the long term.” (Portrait by Neil Gavin)
OSMAN YOUSEFADA
“Apart from not letting the struggle show, I think building key relationships with your stockists is vital. Have a coffee with them a few times a season, you are building loyalty, and in tough economic times that can carry you far.”
PETER JENSEN
“I started my business without any specific business plan, I just made a collection and presented it. I was lucky to get customers from the start and the business has grown gradually. It’s been a slow process and there have been lots of ups and downs along the way, I’m still learning as I go. If I were starting a business now I would not go about it in the same way, I would be much more strategic and look at it more as a business.
I think it’s important to really think about what you are good at and focus on it, It’s essential to have a clear identity. I think it can be good to focus on a certain type of product at first rather than launching into a full collection. It gives you a better chance of getting the manufacturing right and it’s easier for buyers to understand. Working out what you can manufacture well and for a good price would be a good place to start.
Think about whether you are ready to do a catwalk show at the beginning of your career (or if it is right for your brand) because once you start there’s no break!”
RICHARD NICHOL
“I think that practically it would have been beneficial to learn more about the business side of the industry rather then launching in the style deep end…otherwise I would say listen less to what others have to tell you and feel more because I think this is all about carving ones own path and listening to advice can too often throw you off your natural and instinctive way of doing things that makes you a unique designer.”
ROKSANDA ILINIC
“There is a beauty in not knowing what to expect and resolving the problems as they come along. Similar to design, business should be built and shaped in a unique way relevant to the people that are
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THE KNOWLEDGE
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