Fashion mentoring and coaching

Get on the path to a sustainable future in fashion

BOOK A CALL

You’re here because you want your apparel to be as sustainable as possible, right?

It’s a BIG ask and can be very overwhelming to know where to start, what to prioritise and what steps you need to take – especially if you don’t have a background in fashion design. You might be worried you won’t be taken seriously, struggle to know what information to trust or even have the confidence to know how to validate the legitimacy of people or businesses out there. And if you follow the wrong information, there’s a real chance it could damage your business and cost you money. 

But it doesn’t have to be so scary and you don’t have to go through it alone.

Hi, I’m Belinda, your fashion mentor…

I’ve been in your shoes. In my 20+ year career as a fashion designer, I always tried to look beyond what brands and businesses were telling me is a sustainable product or material. Rather than taking it at face value, I developed my own assessment from a more holistic point of view.

I’m bringing both local and international expertise with multiple countries, building 7 figure categories in business. I’ve sat in boardrooms navigating tough ‘closed door’ conversations around the delicate balancing act of price vs value countless times. 

As your fashion coach, I don’t gatekeeper any information: I’ll look at your products from a commercial lens, as well as a sustainability one, to make sure you know exactly what’s going on. 

Together, we’ll move through the murky waters of sustainable fashion to get you on a much better path.

How it works

To give you the tools and know-how to develop your product through a sustainable and ethical lens, we’ll work together for either 6 or 9 weeks with a 60 minute online call each week. Each session I’ll guide you through a different topic, everything from refining your design and sampling processes to strategizing for new seasons, and more.

What you’ll learn

Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing

Understand the common frameworks, how to find a factory, certifications and auditing bodies, sustainable materials, what to look for and the questions to ask to be taken seriously.

Critical Path

Get to know the key steps in developing a product, including how long things will take and how you can reduce risk along the way.

Costings and Pricings

Get the lowdown on pricing your garment correctly to include a profit margin and/or wholesale discount, as well as responsible purchasing practices and understanding pricing architecture.

Design Process

Learn how to put together a collection and design for circularity, including sustainable materials, end of life, durability and IP considerations.

Sizing and fitting

See how to standardise your fit and decide on your size range, including the problems to look out for as well as the pros and cons of using the factory's patternmaker vs your own.

Sampling Process

Unpack how to prepare your product to come in the way you expect, including what needs to be in a Specification Sheet, how to specify colour and make a backup plan if things don’t go to plan.

Navigating production

Your sampling has come through looking great, now what? know the key phases in production and ways to reduce risk along the way.

New seasons strategy and planning

How to analyse a previous season, break down your financial goals into monthly sales targets and what most businesses consider when planning the financial framework for a new collection.

Packaging

What are all the extra elements you need to consider for packaging and  labelling and what are the most sustainable options?

Added bonuses...

  • Information sheets: Save your bottom line and honour your creations by using the information sheets to refer back to
  • Follow up notes: Insights and ideas specifically about your product and business
  • Extra resources: Books, articles, podcasts and guides (where applicable)
  • Introductions to industry: Where possible, I can introduce you to my trusted suppliers and network of incredible partners!

This is for you if...

You have an idea but don’t know how to bring it to life

You want to build a responsible business 

You don’t want to accidentally ‘greenwash’

You want to avoid costly mistakes that beginners make

You want to save time and get expert support

What you’ll walk away with

Best practice knowledge

Get the need-to-know knowledge on how to create sustainable and ethical apparel that goes beyond just what fabric to choose.

Time-saving processes

Access insider industry knowledge and optimised processes from my 20 years of experience to avoid costly mistakes and reduce risk.

Future-proof your business

New economies are on the way and you’ll learn how to design for a circular economy to align your business and products for what’s to come.

Relevant trends and research

I’ll share current perspectives and research on what sustainable fashion looks like to empower you to make confident product decisions.

What fashion coaching is really like

A hopeful future is in the hands of intentional creatives… like YOU!

Often the biggest disruptors are from outside our industry, mostly because they have a beginners mindset and a bold vision. The thing is, it’s difficult to make lasting and meaningful change if you don’t know the lay of the land. That’s where I come in… I’m here to guide you through the process and show you the tools you’ll need along the way. Together we can design a more sustainable future, one garment at a time.

Looking for longer term support?

For a select number of clients, I also offer 3 and 6 month packages to support you through your sustainability journey. This is especially helpful for brands looking to create new products and would benefit from my extensive expertise in the entire product lifecycle.