Young designers trying to make a name for themselves out there have got it rough. Aside from all the competition from the big names you need to differentiate yourself from the thousands of other designers trying to make it big in this make-or-break world of high couture and low-end knock-offs.
In order to help you make it as a fashion designer and give you a leg up on some of your competition, I’ve compiled a list of the ten best websites for emerging fashion designers. These sites will provide you insight on becoming a fashion designer, learning your competition and getting some much needed publicity when you need it. Enjoy
Look at all the helpful goodness on our top bar. Tell your friends!!!
FashionIndie.com is not on the top of the list cause I run it, it’s on here cause we’ve built this site to be a resource for young designers looking for a little publicity and tips. We regularly feature emerging fashion designers, we always promote the events and shows of young designers, and best of all WE CAN BE BOUGHT. We have a program called Fast Track which puts you’re story, event, or sale ahead of all the other tips we get thrown at us. What this means is that within 24 hours your brand can be in front of thousands of our readers and circulating through dozens of our site feeds which distribute our content.
In addition, we regularly develop events specifically for our network of over 5000 emerging fashion designers. Events have included fashion shows, charity auctions, design competitions, grants for fashion designers, networking events, and fashion weeks all devoted to young fashion designers. To find out more about these events be sure to register with us.
Style Maps keep customers connected to their favorite designers.
More than just a pretty looking social network for the stylishly inclined, Trendible.com gives emerging designers the type of tools they can only pray for (or pay for since Trendible is free and everything else isn’t). When a designer joins Trendible.com they can post pictures and video of their collections, connect to their customers and send customers updates on sales & events, new collections, and information on the stores that carry them. Designers can judge their popularity based on those their connected to figure out what other designers and stores their customers love, giving them the type of information they need to determine their demographics, psychograpics, buyer behavior and geographic location. It’s a big information pot for designers looking to build a brand.
3. Etsy.com
If you’re a jewelery designer or addicted to DIY then Etsy is should be your home. Easy to use and quick to master, Etsy allows you to sell you’re goodies to a large audience of craft addicts. If you’re stuff is a little less “earthy” there’s no reason to turn down the site. At the end of the day, the traffic you drag to your store will result in sales. Etsy’s platform and interface makes it the perfect choice for a designer looking for a quick, clean web store.
MySpace.com’s dedicated spot for fashion
4. MySpace.com
Yes the independently run Facebook is better, cleaner and, pretty soon, more popular, but MySpace’s customizations will allow you to build a web presence on the cheap without needing to know too much about coding. Make your profile an extension of your brand with your colors, text and images. Adding photo albums of collections and videos of your shows are always a great idea, but be sure to keep it professional. Too many graphics and blasting music and crazy images will only distract from your collection, making it difficult for a buyer or magazine editor to care about your work. Also, be sure to watch your top friends and comments. No need for the wrong message to come across to your customers. When you’re finished building your profile be sure to connect to Fashion Indie (myspace.com/fashionindie)
The ideal site for designers who are focussed on t-shirts, Big Cartel is a quick solution that lets you sell quickly and promote easily. Customized URL’s help you connect to your store from any where on the web and check out couldn’t be easier. If tee’s are your thing, be sure to check out this site.
A private network of fashion enthusiasts, The Fashion Spot has quickly grown to becoming a monster of a site filled with the type of user interactions designers creme for. Users can talk about their favorite designers and discuss all aspects of fashion. If you get an invite treasure it and use it to fill the space with the type of carefully planted information only membership access can grant you.
7. Google.com
Google isn’t the first place you think of when you’re a young designer, but the type of information you can extract for the site is extremely valuable. Here are some quick tips for using the site.
Search : site:www.yourwebsitehere.com to find out how many pages of your website Google is paying attention to.
Search : link:www.yourwebsitehere.com to find out how many other websites are connecting to you website.
Search : “your label name here” to see how many pages contain your name. You never know, you might be on some blog or may have missed a press clipping.
You can also sign on to get weekly and daily updates for those days when Google spots your name or website on the web. Just sign-up for Google Alerts to find out about these helpful reminders
Everyone’s on the Tube, even Ford Models.
8. Youtube.com
There’s no denying the power of the Tube. Upload your runway videos, introduce yourself to the world, show people behind the scenes, whatever you want to show, show. Share your world and don’t be surprised if it starts answering. Video is the best way to show who you are and for your designs to move. It’s one step closer to bringing your customers closer to your collection. Get on their and make yourself a star.
9. Facebook.com
Told you I’d mention Facebook. Perfect for connecting you to the people who can make your collection grow, Facebook is great cause many of the companies you’d want to connect to like Conde Nast and Hearst are already on there. As an added bonus, the extra plug-ins that the site provides can let you sell your collection and share it with the hole Facebook audience making you a Facebook superstar in no time.
Completely dedicated to the craft of fashion manufacturing, this site is perfect for the designer looking to grow. The blog plays more like a book with chapters dedicated to various subjects on the manufacturing process. The writing is entertaining and worth taking a look at if you’re at the point of your career where you want to increase production. We can’t all design out of basements forever.
Hope this list if helpful indies. Be sure to comment with more suggestions if you have them.
Futurist, Husband, Lover of Small Animals. I'm the quintessential jaded New Yorker with a mind for all things fashion. My articles are the type you'd expect from the popular girl at school; mean spirited and ready to pour some pigs blood on your homemade prom dress.
