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!

why you should reconsider calling yourself a #sustainable brand

What does the word sustainable mean to you?

From one person to the next, it’s sure to mean something different. Even the OED definition seems vague when you consider the sheer lengths that this word can stretch to, especially in a world where it grows new meanings by the day. This in itself makes the word incredibly limiting, as it effectively opens yourself up to scrutiny and fierce criticism about where you’re falling down or ways that you miss the mark.

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

why you should choose shopify as your web platform

Finding the right web platform for your start-up fashion brand can be confusing. With so many to choose from, how are you to know which one will benefit you and your business most?

blogElizabeth StilesJanuary 7, 2020shopify, fashion blog, fashion shop, fashion influencer, online marketing, ecommerce

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’ ?!

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

working from home in winter: a guide to self-care

Working from home can be tough, especially in the colder months where shorter days and darker nights make it hard to match the same levels of productivity that you may have reached in the summer. For these reasons, it’s essential that you prioritise a healthy work/life balance.

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

recommending a manufacturer for fashion brands

Since starting my fashion consultancy business, I often get asked a similar question: can you recommend a manufacturer to me?

Of course – I would love to! Yet for many reasons, this is unfortunately a very grey area. To start with, there are a myriad of details behind what exactly constitutes a good manufacturer and inevitably this differs from person to person. To put it plainly, I like to use the analogy of internet dating or house hunting as an easy comparison tool. Finding the right manufacturer for you will be hard work and sadly there won’t be any direct shortcuts. It’s all about building a long standing and healthy relationship, communicating on a personal level and getting the right feeling. Now do you see where the dating/house analogy comes into play?

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.

4 things fashion brands need to know about brexit

Business of Fashion have written a great article about the 4 things fashion brands need to know about Brexit in collaboration with Tamara Cincik (found of Fashion Roundtable)

Here’s the highlights and link to the full article here

The ball is now in the EU’s court for all 27 member states to unanimously grant a Brexit deadline extension until January 31, 2020, which is widely expected to happen.

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!

elizabeth stiles features on drapers news

I was approached recently to comment on the profit loss at Ted Baker by a journalist at Drapers News & wanted to share on the blog in case you missed it!

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?’

how to get the best possible cost price from your factory

The intricacies behind the production process of a fashion business may seem mundane at first glance. When your mind is brimming with creative ideas about colours, designs and mood boards, these tasks can appear less inviting. Yet, these logistical issues are essential when it comes to ensuring that your business is in the best possible position to thrive.

the fashion feed - episode 11 with ecommerce director jason nelson

Episode 11 is with Jason Nelson, an experienced fashion e-commerce director

Apart from that, he’s actually my brother in law so it was a pleasure to record! Jason got me work experience in the marketing department at ASOS about 14 years ago so we discuss what it looked like to work there all those years ago!

Elizabeth StilesSeptember 10, 2019

mastering the #hashtag for your fashion brand

2007 saw Twitter completely redefine the hashtag. Rather being used simply for numerical purposes, the hashtag became key in online communication, especially in terms of trends. Since Twitter transformed the hashtag into a way of grouping collective feelings, other social media sites have jumped at the opportunity of utilising the hashtag as a way of increasing engagement, building audiences and subsequently generating greater profits.

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!

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