Barron's Educational SeriesThe Fashion Designer Survival Guide: Start and Run Your Own Fashion Business

If you are like me, you may have a copy of one of the older editions of this book. I have a dog-eared copy that I refer to often, but I am really happy I picked up the new edition. Times have changed and so has this book.It probably has more than half new content which includes:- A new premise. Older editions focused more on designers building a career like Zac Posen, but the world changed and so has the authors perspective. She explains there are many paths to success and many ways to design and create a fashion business. But she does emphasize that however you approach it, you must be really focused on what you are setting out to do and what makes it different.- How to sell & market directly to customers vs. the traditional way of trying to get into stores. This edition includes both but she really encourages designers to lean on social media and online media to build a loyal following so they don’t become overly dependent on traditional retail chains.- New advice from many fashion experts. What I always loved about this book is it includes wisdom from many designers who are in the field with all different kinds of businesses. There are a lot of new photos to show their work and support the chapters.- A bigger focus on sustainability. I like how she it breaks it down into ways to approach the issues because no one can do it all.- Ways to think about new opportunities. There definitely isn’t a one size fits all approach to being a designer but the book triggered new ideas for me to connect to my customer and tap into collabs and new technologies.This book is a great buy for anyone who is a designer or interested in really understanding what has to be done to create any fashion brand. This is the business side that isn’t taught in fashion school. That said, it’s not a text book with forms and charts…so, if you are looking for that, another business book might be a better option. While some reviews point out the harsh reality chapter upfront, I think its actually encouraging and is just intended to show to that the day to day of being a designer and running a business is not as simple as it looks on TV.

This book offers everything you need to know to achieve success in the fashion industry as a start up or rising brand. Valuable knowledge and insights from the seasoned author as well as golden nuggets from successful designers doing it now! Loved this book!

Bought this book as a gift for my sister (a recent fashion school graduate). She loves it and specifically appreciated the focus on the business side of producing clothing and the additions that address the pandemic. She said her program didn't focus on business so she's glad to have this as a reference.

I am a Parsons Grad Student, and this book has been more helpful than most of my classes! I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn from an industry expert who writes in a fun and easy-to-understand manner.

I bought it as a gift for my mom and she liked it a lot

Very informative especially chapters on fashion law

Great book. Very insightful and thorough.

So informative