Fashion Career - Help!!!

ccclef

Hi Everyone:-)

Okay so I'm based in Cork, firstly. I'm changing my career and am looking for advice on how to proceed

I've worked in retail my entire life and after branching into finance after my degree, I realised retail is where I want to be. I want to set up my own boutique style store with local and international products.

I have years of experience working in this area but want to know what is the best way to proceed in relation to college or further education. I have no drawing experience so as thinking of starting courses in fashion design etc to gain a further insight.

Any advice at all would be fantastic. Thank you so much

wmpdd3

Do you want to be a designer or a buyer or a retailer, or all three?

jimmii

Do a start you own business course working in retail and running retail are two completely different things! I just happened to have opened a boutique style store with local and international products this year so wish you all the best with it as it is VERY tough at the start be prepared for days questioning everything you are doing! When you start make sure you have ATLEAST enough money to see yourself and the shop through 6 months and ideally you'll have funds to keep the shop and yourself ticking over for a year this really will make the whole thing a lot easier I completely underestimated that and without a bit of luck getting a particular product I have no idea how we would have got by! If you do get this up and running it is really important to take advantage of your "new" factor editors always want journalists to be finding new things to write about and you have a window of time when there will be lots of places who are willing to give you free editorial we managed to get loads written about us for no cost just email EVERYONE who writes about fashion! There are some huge fashion blogs out there all it can take is one mention.

jimmii

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Do you want to be a designer or a buyer or a retailer, or all three?

When you are setting up on your own you really need to be all three!

ccclef

Thank you so much for your reply :-)

It is unbelievable to get such an insight before I take this on:-) Can I ask if you are just a buyer or do you design your own products?

I'm hoping to get finance as well as my own savings, hopefully will pull through:-)

Can I ask what training you completed before you took this on, or if you could recommend any?

Thank you so much:-)

jimmii wrote: »

Do a start you own business course working in retail and running retail are two completely different things! I just happened to have opened a boutique style store with local and international products this year so wish you all the best with it as it is VERY tough at the start be prepared for days questioning everything you are doing! When you start make sure you have ATLEAST enough money to see yourself and the shop through 6 months and ideally you'll have funds to keep the shop and yourself ticking over for a year this really will make the whole thing a lot easier I completely underestimated that and without a bit of luck getting a particular product I have no idea how we would have got by! If you do get this up and running it is really important to take advantage of your "new" factor editors always want journalists to be finding new things to write about and you have a window of time when there will be lots of places who are willing to give you free editorial we managed to get loads written about us for no cost just email EVERYONE who writes about fashion! There are some huge fashion blogs out there all it can take is one mention.

jimmii

I didn't do any courses beforehand but I definitely wouldn't suggest doing that there is so much to learn and I kind of just had to figure out out as I went along if I could talk to the me of last year I would tell them to stop all the other stuff and do a do a start your own business course!! We buy and design and plan to wholesale next year too. The money thing its really important assume you won't be able to take out any money for six months so have enough for rent for yourself as well as the shop and have enough to restock the shop and not forgetting a bit of food every now and then! You don't need to worry about money for socialising or anything as you won't have time for that anyway!!