How to break into the business of fashion

About the fashion industry

There’s more to fashion than just selling beautiful clothing, it’s an industry that encompasses different sectors such as; women’s wear, men’s wear, children’s wear, jewellery, footwear and accessories (belts, handbags…etc.). And there a lots of roles to be dealt with, first there’s the; designer (the person who sketches the designs), the Pattern Cutter (the one who makes or grades the clothes patterns, Seamstress/Garment Technologist (one who makes or sews the clothes), Marketing Consultant (the person who markets the clothes and how they reach the customer), Visual Merchandiser / Stylist (the one who styles the clothes in the store or during photo-shoots for magazines, music videos or celebrities) and Press Officer (One who’s responsible for the generation of brand publicity through magazines or newspapers). Consequently people usually decide which area they want to specialise in depending on their interest and strengths.

If you have been reading the articles that I have written so far, you would have noticed that I like reference to the western part of the world most especially the UK where I reside.

I normally come back to Uganda once a year and the last time I was here was in December 2013. Whenever I am here I make sure that I squeeze time out of my busy schedule to do some primary research and pop into clothing shops in shopping malls such as; Garden city and Mazima mall to name a few. Unfortunately, I am always left unimpressed with what I observe. Most of the clothes in the shops are usually out-dated; there’s nothing that really get me excited, the designer knockoffs are as bad as the roads and some local designer’s garments clothes are made to a poor standard which is a major turnoff for a discerning customer. Critically, despite having fashion clothing stores that are already in place, Uganda hasn’t actually got a fashion market; it is yet to be established. We still have a long way to go before we can reach the size of the UK fashion industry. On a constructive not; there’s a huge interest for the latest fashions especially from fashion enthusiasts, thanks to rise of social media and the internet being made affordable in Uganda these day. People can now view what their favourite celebrities are wearing, watch fashion shows online……etc.

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However change starts from somewhere and so things will be in place pretty soon. I am excited and driven to push the Uganda fashion industry to become transparent. I want Kampala to be the capital of fashion in Africa, maybe perhaps second to South Africa at least. I want to see people coming to Kampala from other African countries or even Europe for shopping sprees. It’s a long term business goal and a dream that will be met. In the next 20 years, this industry won’t be the same as long as I am still alive. I envisage at least 2 major fashion / universities in Uganda as well as clothing factories here.

  Advice to aspiring designers;

Instinctively, you will need to have a passion for fashion, the determination to succeed, a willingness to learn and improve on your feeble areas. If your work is good then believe in yourself that you’re the best! But remember, the fashion industry is one of the toughest and most competitive industries in the world. Getting your foot in this industry means starting at the bottom so I encourage that after college or university, go work for an established fashion house, this will give you the opportunity to improve your skills and gain experience. The fashion industry is about WHO YOU KNOW and working for a renowned designer / fashion house will enable you to make media contacts along the way and get your name out there too. Most major designers who have made it have all worked for other designers. By doing that you create a story about yourself because the fashion industry wants to hear stories like: she / he has worked for this designer and now she’s ready to go her own way and launch her own line. I, myself I’ve been in that situation and I am at a point where I am already setting up fashion business.

Lastly, you need to understand the bureaucracy surrounding trading in Uganda / Africa and once you get your head around it you should be able to control for your business.

Funding / Financing;

If you have no funds in place but want to start a fashion business, I recommend you tell your close relatives about what you intend to do and they might be able to support you with some resources to go towards your business.

We are still in a global recession so the banks are reluctant to give out money especially to new business. Therefore I advise that if you’re working, save up a portion of your salary each month, this will help you to finance for your business and prevent you from borrowing which could lead you into financial jeopardy.

Furthermore, please check out these companies , they will help you with more information regarding fashion and business;

Fashion of Business

Africa Fashion Week

Drapers

Kenyan Fashion Week,

Africa Strictly Business

AfricaFashion Guide

satisfashionug@gmail.com