Four years ago I co-created the highest funded fashion project in Kickstarter history at the time. To fund the first production run of our product, the Versalette, one garment that can be worn over 30 different ways, my co-founder and I looked to Kickstarter to raise $20K in 30 days. What happened over those 30 […]
Whenever anyone asks me: What’s your one piece of advice for new designers? I always have the same answer. I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years, and I warn all of them of the same mistakes that I made when I was first starting out in the fashion industry. Let me take you back […]
A few years ago, I went to Bali and wrote two versions of a book. I know, how obnoxiously “Eat, Pray, Love” of me. My former co-founder and I had decided to close our doors at {r}evolution apparel (after completely burning out our relationship) and it was an impulse purchase I made with my portion […]
As soon as I walked in, I wanted to run out. All of the feelings of awkward adolescence came streaming back as the European house music blared in my ears and over-enthusiastic pre-teens bounced through the huge glass doors. It was 2013 and I hadn’t stepped foot in an H&M store in nearly five years. […]
Raise your hand if you’ve seen more fashion Kickstarter campaigns than you can count and you’re feeling kind of “over it”… Considering that I dedicate an entire module of Factory45 to teaching entrepreneurs how to launch successful crowdfunding campaigns, I’m sure it sounds weird for me to say that. But I’m going somewhere with this. I […]
A while back, I wrote a post about entrepreneurship and the real downfall of failure. I argued that it isn’t the act of failing itself that’s the most terrifying, it’s the external connections we make to it. If we fail, we’ll lose our dignity. If we fail, we’ll lose our life savings. If we fail, […]
I’m in the business of working with startups and new designers. A lot of the people I work with don’t have a fashion design background. They’re entrepreneurs with a cool idea, but other than that, they don’t have much knowledge on how to get started. One of the reasons I started Factory45 was because I know […]
The winter of 2011 was a tough one. I had been trying to set up a supply chain for my clothing company for five months and by February, my co-founder and I had hit a mental and logistical standstill. Looking back, five months seems like nothing. But for two driven, go-getter types, every ignored email […]
Francisca Pineda is the founder and designer of Bhava, a conscious footwear company. We first met in NYC last year for lunch, and I learned that not only is she a designer, but she also organizes sustainable fashion retreats in Costa Rica and teaches ethical design classes at FIT. Today, Francisca is digging deep into her advice for new designers and […]
Six years ago, I was 24 and had just gotten back to the States after spending two years “bartending my way around the world.” I had once been the girl who envisioned herself in the corner office — but after two years abroad, I knew that I would never get a “real job.” I wanted to […]
