Blogs — Elizabeth Stiles • Fashion Industry Consultant, Business Coach and Mentor

Fashion Retail Coach and Consultant

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the fashion feed - episode 26 - amy fettis owner of the UK factory studio 54

Amy operates Aim Athleisure Ltd which is in it’s 4th financial year alongside her sampling studio - Studio 54

After launching her own business, she realised the gap in the market at how hard it is to get your product from paper into production so decided to create her own sample room in the UK

Amy has a background in project management which have some great transferable skills into production & running a sampling facility as there’s so many different stages to bring together all at once - very similar to a house build!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesApril 1, 2020fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers, fashion photography, social media marketing, instagram support, instagram for fashion brands, instagram for fashion business, instagram for fashion, instagram prompts for a fashion brand, design inspiration, new inspiration, how to find inspiration, style blog, content creation

the fashion feed - episode 25 - natalie yaffe @ the box - extending the life of designer clothes

The Founder and Director is Natalie Yaffe, who came up with the concept having been an avid sample sale shopper herself. The idea was born out of a frustration that sample sales weren’t enjoyable experiences; evoking ideas of unwanted product, bad merchandising and frantically rummaging through boxes or rifling through rails.

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesMarch 24, 2020fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers, fashion photography, social media marketing, instagram support, instagram for fashion brands, instagram for fashion business, instagram for fashion, instagram prompts for a fashion brand, design inspiration, new inspiration, how to find inspiration, style blog, content creation

the fashion feed - episode 24 - plus size fashion blogger sara brown discussing size inclusivity

Sara Brown is a plus size designer, podcaster and influencer (even though she’s not keen on that term!)

She’s worked in the industry for about 6 years designing for Marina Rinaldi & Asos Curve & her heart lay in the Asos Curve product development & even managed their insta account for a while

Sara is launching her own brand Dolly Rocket as she always wanted more from the fashion industry & believes its something that others are wanting too - creating confidence through colour!

We couldn’t remember how we met but decided it was the universe (aka instagram) that brought us together & I’m so happy it did!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesMarch 17, 2020fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers, fashion photography, social media marketing, instagram support, instagram for fashion brands, instagram for fashion business, instagram for fashion, instagram prompts for a fashion brand, design inspiration, new inspiration, how to find inspiration, style blog, content creation

the fashion feed - episode 23 - #iwd bonus episode with catherine erdly about knowing your numbers

Happy Belated #IWD2020!

To celebrate, Catherine Erdly and I talk numbers!

Catherine and I are really passionate about women being financially independent for our personal reason which we share in this bonus podcast

In this episode we discuss :

Why its so important for women to pay attention to the numbers within their business

What numbers are the ones you should be paying attention to

How to make a sales plan

How to work out your profit margin

listen

You can listen by clicking through to Apple Podcast here

Remember to hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss an episode!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesMarch 17, 2020fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers, fashion photography, social media marketing, instagram support, instagram for fashion brands, instagram for fashion business, instagram for fashion, instagram prompts for a fashion brand, design inspiration, new inspiration, how to find inspiration, style blog, content creation

the fashion feed - episode 22 - create compelling content with social media manager kirsty scott

Kirsty & I found eachother on Instagram (how else do people meet these days?!

We both followed Sarah Akwisombe from No Bull Business School and got chatting on DM’s

I love chatting to people on the podcast no matter what stage of their journey they’re at & Kirsty is only just starting out! I thought who better to talk about social with than someone who’s way younger than me & has her finger on the pulse as they say!

Kirsty offers so much advice on her pretty in pink insta page so definitely give her a follow while you’re here! Her stories are hilarious and she really made me laugh whilst recording!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesFebruary 26, 2020fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers, fashion photography, social media marketing, instagram support, instagram for fashion brands, instagram for fashion business, instagram for fashion, instagram prompts for a fashion brand, design inspiration, new inspiration, how to find inspiration, style blog, content creation

the fashion feed - episode 21 - sewing from scratch with new craft house

Hannah and Rosie popped up on my insta feed via a post that Heart Zeena shared about DIY sewing & I loved that New Craft House was making sewing cool & accessible to everyone!

Friends since school, they’ve always been obsessed with crafting (girls after my own heart & I had to go to Hobbycraft straight after we met as I felt so inspired!)

After having a successful blog & also struggling to find fresh and exciting craft products they set up The New Craft House in 2013. Using traditional crafting techniques in modern and stylish products, their range of kits and workshops inspire everyone to be creative.

They run workshops from the studio on Broadway Market, East London with Hannah’s beautiful dog who was napping behind us whilst recording!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesFebruary 13, 2020fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers

the fashion feed - episode 20- how to get out of your creative fashion rut with elizabeth stiles

This week I’m giving you free reign to get creative!

You may have seen online lots of people who are super inspired and excited to post “new year, new me” posts which can make you roll your eyes if you’re not in that space

Perhaps you need to move on a bestseller and you’ve hit a brick wall to come up with some new designs

I’ve got 5 steps on how to get out of a creative rut…

the fashion feed - episode 19 - 2020 retail trends with elizabeth stiles

If you read the news - there’s a lot of doom and gloom around retail at the moment but I’m here to inject a bit of fun and positivity for the independent brands!

This episode is a solo episode after a lot of you enjoyed the one I did about my career history and all about 2020 retail trends

I take some time out each week to read articles on these platforms - I highly recommend signing up to their newsletters

the fashion feed - episode 18 with heather williams @ sourcing playground - how to find a factory for your brand

I met Heather through LinkedIn and couldn’t believe what an incredible platform she’d created with Sourcing Playground.

Having been a buyer herself, she knew there was a problem in the industry through connecting manufacturers to retailers and vice versa. After spending a fortune on travel going to different sourcing shows around the world, she thought ‘why is this not online’ ?!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesDecember 17, 2019fashion blog, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion influencer, fashion industry consultant, fashion design, fashion trends 2020, fashion, fashion marketing, fashion brand consultant, fashion trends, fashion disruptor, fashion pr, fashion sourcing, fabric sourcing, sourcing trip, sustainable retail, sustainability, sustainable sourcing, sustainable fashion, ethical retailing, ethical sourcing, ethical fashion, ethical clothing business, sourcing playground, finding a factory, fabric manufacture, fashion manufacturers, new factories, where to manufacture, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, clothing manufacturers for small quantities, sourcing a manufacturer, fabric suppliers

the fashion feed - episode 17 with lauretta roberts @ theindustry.fashion - the secret to getting ahead in the fashion industry

Last year I wrote on my dream guest list that I wanted to record an episode with someone from WGSN or Drapers. Then I went to speak at Fashion SVP which is a trade show to meet manufacturers from all around the world. I saw a stand called TheIndustry.Fashion and met the founder Lauretta Roberts

the fashion feed - episode 16 with jane hamill - increase your sales & make more money (actually!)

Jane Hamill is SO passionate about fashion, sales and helping brands make money - HELLO! A woman after my own heart.

Jane’s tagline is “Create a Simple Marketing Plan / Build Your Following / Get Consistent Sales”

She’s also really funny so it was a pleasure to record the episode with her

the fashion feed - episode 15 with fabric expert katie towle

This week I’m joined my fabric expert Katie Towle - she’s a woven fabric designer & sourcing expert having worked for some of the biggest retailers in the UK

the fashion feed - episode 14 - lucy hitchcock @ sassy digital

Episode 14 of The Fashion Feed podcast is with Lucy Hitchcock of Sassy Digital. I met Lucy in a networking group called The Coven where I saw she’d launched her podcast ‘Winging It’ which is great!

She runs Sassy Digital which is a marketing ‘agency’ designed to be an extension of your team, and one of their strengths from the beginning has been fitting seamlessly into client’s businesses.

Sassy Digital has been managing social media accounts, building brands and websites since 2014 and in that time they’ve worked with plenty of talented people and extraordinary brands.

the fashion feed - episode 13 - lessons learnt in the fashion industry with elizabeth stiles

You asked and I listened!

A few weeks back, I did some insta polls asking what you’d like from the podcast and I was blown away with the amount of people asking for a solo episode … so here it is!

In this episode I share with you my career history so far & something I’ve taken from each business I’ve worked for. It’s quite unsual to have worked in so many different businesses across buying AND supplying so I hope you find it insightful to get a behind the scenes look at the industry!

I share what I learnt about school, uni, Next, ASOS, Asda, Miss Selfridge, NEW girl ORDER, Huge Boss & more!

the fashion feed - episode 12 with fashion designer caro gomez

Episode 12 is with fashion designer Caro Gomez

Originally from El Salvador, Caro and I met in a facebook group when we were prompted to say what our skills were & if they’d be beneficial to anyone else in the group

I needed advice on email marketing and Caro wanted to speak to someone in the fashion industry for advice on launching a fashion brand - funnily enough she became my first ever client!

After realising we were both based in North London, we’d meet by Camden Lock to help each other out but it quickly formed a friendship that was way past a simple skill swap

I wanted Caro on the podcast because people always ask me ‘how do you ACTUALLY start a fashion brand?’

the fashion feed - episode 10 with photographer olivia bossert

Established fashion photographer Olivia Bossert is the 10th guest on the podcast!

Olivia approached me via instagram for us to do a podcast swap which I thought was such a great idea

She interviewed me for her podcast ‘It Starts With A Click’ for fashion photographers and I interviewed her for The Fashion Feed!

podcast interviewsElizabeth StilesAugust 28, 2019fashion blog, fashion designer, fashion podcast, fashion pr, fashion consultant, fashion business consulting, fashion influencer, fashion design, fashion blogger, fashion manufacturers, fashion industry consultant, fashion, fashion startup, fashion industry, fashion marketing, fashion startup advice, fashion expert, fashion brand consultant, fashion business, fashion disruptor, fashion brand, fashion label, how fashion brands make money, creative industry, clothing advice, clothing brand, clothing manufacturers for small businesses, clothing manufacturers for independent brands, premium clothing line, instagram for fashion brands, instagram for fashion, independent fashion brand, independent fashion label, independent retail consultant, independent retail, fashion photography

the fashion feed - episode 9 with fashion brand elsie & fred

This week I’m lucky enough to have 3 brilliant guests on the fashion feed podcast who own the independent fashion brand Elsie & Fred

Founded by three siblings from Coventry, Leanne, Natalie & Ryan Haynes launched Elsie & Fred in 2014 which has now grown into a successful 6 figure business.

the fashion feed - episode 8 with charlotte jacklin

the fashion feed - episode 8 with charlotte jacklin

This week’s guest on the fashion feed podcast is blogger, podcast host & content creator Charlotte Jacklin

I started following Charlotte at the beginning of this year and my friend noticed she was speaking about starting a fashion brand on her stories. I sent her a message to ask if she’d like to come along to the workshop we were running which she did, it was so lovely of her to come down and join us.

the fashion feed - episode 7 with joanne @ arnold & bird - graphic & product designer

My guest on The Fashion Feed this week is Joanne Griffin, graphic designer & product development consultant.

the fashion feed - episode 6 with lucy greenwood

the fashion feed - episode 6 with lucy greenwood

My guest on the sixth episode of the fashion feed podcast is Lucy Greenwood who’s the co founder of Lucy and Yak with her partner Chris. Lucy & Yak is an ethical clothing and lifestyle business famous for their super comfy dungarees!