The Fashion Designer Survival Guide, Revised and Expanded Edition: Start and Run Your Own Fashion Business (Paperback)

~ (Author), Diane Von Furstenberg (Foreword)
Key Phrases: purchase order financing, emerging designers, fabric suppliers, The Fashion Designer Survival Guide, New York, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“For anyone interested in being a fashion designer or working in the fashion industry, The Fashion Designer Survival Guide is the quintessential must-read.”

—Tim Gunn, Bravo's Project Runway

 

“For anyone seeking to compete and succeed in our crowded and highly competitive industry, Mary’s comprehensive advice is required reading.”

—Peter D. Arnold, President, Cynthia Rowley

 

“It takes more then just a creative idea to succeed as a fashion designer. The Fashion Designer Survival Guide will help bring ideas to the marketplace.  It is a comprehensive overview of the business side of fashion that offers detailed practices and specific tools that are required to become a working designer.”

—Steven Kolb, Executive Director, Council of Fashion Designers of America

Product Description

Mary Gehlhar, author, industry authority, and consultant to hundreds of designers, including Zac Posen, Twinkle by Wenlan, Rebecca Taylor, and Cloak, gives readers behind-the-scenes insights and essential business information on creating and sustaining a successful career as an independent designer.

 

With advice from fashion luminaries including Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Cynthia Rowley, Diane von Furstenberg, Richard Tyler, and top executives from Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York, this fully updated and revised edition of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide addresses the latest trends in apparel and accessories, the newest designers, an updated introduction, and a new foreword by Diane von Furstenberg, Designer and President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).

 

The Fashion Designer Survival Guide provides the necessary tools to get a fashion line or label up and moving on the right track, including:

 

* How to create a viable business plan

* Figuring out how much money you need, where and how to get it, and how to make it last, including the latest on private equity

* The best sources for fabric and materials

* Navigating the pitfalls of production both at home and abroad

* Marketing, branding, and getting the product into the stores and into the customer’s closets

* Romancing the press, dressing celebrities, and creative publicity techniques

* Producing a runway show that will get results

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing; Exp Rev edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1427797102
• ISBN-13: 978-1427797100
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,497 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Fashion > Designers
  #2 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design > Commercial > Fashion Design
  #4 in	Books > Reference > Job Hunting

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very realistic. A must-read, May 8, 2009

By	J. Foster (Long Island) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book. If you want to know how the business really is, read this book. The only reason why I took off a star is because I was terrified after reading it. It briefly discouraged me from design because it seemed to focus on all of the pitfalls.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars where was this book when i started designing?, August 4, 2008

By	Andrew Salzer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For anyone that is looking to get into design (or even if you have just started your own line / business), this book is a *must have*. Ms. Gehlhar's breakdown (and overviews) of each category is spot on. I seriously and honestly believe that if this resource had been around when I started my own collection, I would have saved myself a lot of running around and $ in the process. I highly recommend this guide. Plus, it's simply a great read. The insight from other designers profiled is fantastic!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bible of fashion design business! , July 20, 2008

By	Alisa (Chico, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I've read a few books on how to start and run your own fashion design business, and this is one of the best ones I've read so far. Not only is it shorter then a lot of the huge books, but it's too the point and Mary writes in a style that is very easy to understand. She gives great advise and there are good examples and pictures in the book to help you further understand how to do things the best way. I have the first edition that she wrote and that one is great also but this one has new sections and it's a more complete form of the business process.