Best of Blog: 2016 Edition

Part of our mission at Maker’s Row is to educate small businesses about design, production and various aspects of starting a business. We strive to put out a wide breadth of posts from various perspectives, including brands, factories, business experts, and our own two cents. Here’s a roundup of our most popular posts in 2016, in case you missed them!

It’s Not Too Late: Famous Design Entrepreneurs Who Started After 30

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Today, the most popular images of entrepreneurs are young leaders. However, some of the greatest designers became successful entrepreneurs later in life. Learn how Vera Wang, Jack Neil, Christian Dior, and more strategically built their empires. Their stories prove that it doesn’t matter how late you start, you can still be great at what you love.  There is no age limit on realizing your dreams.

How These Entrepreneurs Started an Apparel Line With No Experience

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When I think of all the things I wanted to be as a little girl, fashion designer was not on the list. But when my wife and I took a sabbatical from work and travelled around the world, we came up with the wild idea of starting a fashion business. We have always gravitated towards the clothes in the men’s section, but were always frustrated because they didn’t fit. So we thought, “why don’t we start a ready-to-wear clothing company that caters towards women who are looking for menswear-inspired designs?”. The only problem was, Kelly my wife was a teacher, and I was a marketer in the healthcare industry, so what made us think we could get into the fashion industry?

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Small Batch Jewelry Manufacturers You Should Know

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We’ve compiled a list of 7 Small Batch Jewelry Factories doing big things for small business, emerging designers and even some very large brands looking to create unique jewelry products.  Whether you’re ready to start producing on a larger scale, just getting started or looking for a low minimum partner, small batch manufacturing, these proudly ‘Made in America’ factories can help take your ideas to product.

How Custom Print Fabrics Are Made

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The very first phase of our digital prints start with tons of research and experimentation. There are many websites and online graphic designers that allow you to purchase the rights to their designs or can help you understand trends. Racysuits looks through websites like Shutterstock and Patternbank for inspiration and repeat patterns.

How Much Inventory Do You Need To Launch?

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Syama Meagher, CEO of Scaling Retail, addresses the #1 question she gets asked in her fashion business consulting company. When a client is launching online they want to know “how many items will I need to produce to open?” followed by “what if I don’t have enough?” The answer is that it’s a lot less than you think and the number is driven by your marketing and sales strategy.

Do You Need a Technical Designer?

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Working to get a new idea to production is never a straight shot, especially for new designers and entrepreneurs.  Luckily, there are technical designers that serve as a liaison between the design and production process who can help you on your journey to production.  We traveled to the Upper West Side to learn exactly about the role of technical designers from Nicole Melendez.

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How I Made It On Project Runway

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We’ve all watched Heidi Klum “auf” someone on Project Runway before. We’ve enjoyed seeing inside the design process and see people create amazing designs with little time, sometimes weird inspiration, and people’s favorite…the unconventional materials. Many enjoy being a spectator and many are hopefuls that they will someday be given the chance to walk on that runway.

What Is A Flat Sketch?

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Before you can create your tech pack, you have to create something called a flat sketch, which is also known as a technical drawing or informally as a flat. Essentially, this is the point of the process when you want to have the perfect sketch of your design.

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