Fashion Calendar

The need to manage time well and plan ahead is essential. In a fashion business one season rolls into another with frightening speed. When you first set up in business, choose a workable schedule. Allow plenty of time for the many important and detailed processes. In subsequent seasons you will have very set patterns in the year. For example, your broad studio plan for a womenswear range might be as follows:

October - February	Design, range, plan, sample, sell	For autumn/winter
March - September	Design, range, plan, sample, sell	For spring/summer

Menswear year works two months ahead of this plan.

For your first season you need to get it right, so give yourself a lot of time as this opportunity will not be available again.

Here is a thorough breakdown of the key processes of the fashion year, including full and pre collections:

Processes

Try and avoid mess-ups by planning and understanding the processes. Remember it begins with a piece of paper and a scrap of fabric and ends with a cheque. All this can take 12 - 18 months.

Considerations

• You need quickly to establish business patterns loosely based on these suggestions. The need for proper planning and organisation is paramount, particularly at the beginning.
• From your year plan, you will be able to see at what times of year you will be working practically round the clock and, conversely, at what time of year you can take a break.
• Most fashion designers seem to take holidays in May and December but it is unlikely you will be taking any holidays in the first year of your business!
• Constant monitoring of your business's profitability is essential.
• You need to assess the product, its profitability and all the other cornerstones.

"The cyclical thing was a shock...it's relentless, it's tiring."
- Clements Ribeiro