Embracing Failure- How Setbacks can Propel Your Fashion Business Forward
Wouldn’t it be lovely if everything worked out exactly the way you planned it? Timing aligned perfectly, your idea turned out exactly the way you envisioned it, and everyone was happy with the outcome. Yeah, that’s the dream [deep sigh…]
But buckle up because I’m going to take you through the rough neighborhood of fashion failures today, not because I want to scare you, but rather because I want you to be prepared.
If you run a fashion brand, things are going to happen. Bad stuff, big stuff, small stuff. And that’s just monday. I hate to break it to you my friend, but your life from now on is not just the creative visionary that you always wanted to be. Nope, as the key decision maker you also have to make quick decisions, pivot and provide solutions because things will go wrong and failures at many levels are imminent. How you deal with them is up to you, but I want you to be able to approach challenges with confidence.
One of my former jobs I lovingly refer to as the hotline handler. I was hired to be the technical expert dealing with patterns and fit, but eventually that morphed into something else completely where I just showed up at work each day and sorted out any production problem that hit my inbox. 10,000 jackets had fabric damage. Sweaters were coming in much smaller than spec. One of the partner factories was desperate for work. Tech designers were flexing power over my delayed fit approvals. A design had to change because of production issues so we needed buyer approval. Bulk fabric color standards did not match…. The list could go on and on about the things that required sorting–and quickly.
I guess you can say that each day was a failure, but not to me. It just became a lifestyle. At first I was stressed. It was a lot, but then it got easier and I grew to love it. Failures became routine and just part of the job, which is how I would like you to see it as well.
Today I’m giving you a little pep talk and some advice on how to handle failures when there is a lot of money on the line, not enough time, or it’s just too stressful.
Keep calm and carry on
I was good at my job, and from this point forward in my career I was often put in a place of leadership because I could handle these dicey situations. But working under pressure is not for everyone. I’ve had to be the voice of calm when superiors literally freaked out about whatever was going wrong. One thing that I can guarantee is that panic will not get you anywhere. Panic amidst failure is like fighting against a current.
When you are faced with a failure that seems terrible on many levels, the best thing you can do is take a deep breath and go get a coffee. I’d give it at least 10 minutes before saying anything to anyone or popping off any emails. That’s the bare minimum. Most problems do not require a solution at that very moment you find out about them. Remember, everyone is waiting on you so they are on your clock and you need the space to make an informed decision.
I would often wait a few hours or until the end of a day before offering a resolution to a problem. When you have the space to critically think instead of panic, better decisions can be made. Sometimes a seemingly complex problem will have a simple solution if you give yourself breathing room.
I can also say that as an employee working in an environment where the boss freaks out, panics and sends as many employees in a whirlwind as possible all the while doling out blame- is not a good look nor a good place to be.
Forget the blame
Failures will happen and you need to find out why, but placing blame should never be a priority. I’ve seen too many situations where someone is so worried about saving their own neck that they will throw anyone under the bus. We are all humans and screw ups happen. Rarely is anyone intentionally creating problems. I think we can all agree that a simple non-dramatic workday is what everyone craves.
Of course, part of finding solutions is about preventing it from happening again. So that’s where the blame should stop. Find out where it originated and where the breakdown happened and move on from there.
It’s often that the people who screwed something up are the people that you need to work with. Let’s say your fabric supplier placed your order in the wrong color, or your pattern maker didn’t correctly understand what you wanted. At the end of the day, everyone needs to work together to make it right so maintaining relationships is key.
Remember, trying = failing, but that’s ok
Rarely does something work 100% of the time. It’s all about chipping away at a solution. Let’s say you have an idea for a dress silhouette that you know will be a hit. But when you make a sample, it’s just not there. Some people will just give up and say the idea is bad. But the truly creative people will see what else they can do to make it work- can they modify the style slightly? Maybe change fabrication? Part of being a designer is about working within parameters to make something amazing.
Another frequent example I see is when designers go to work with a manufacturer for the first time and the manufacturer sees what they are doing and is like “Nope, can’t do that”, or “Nope, that’s not right, it’s gotta change.” It’s easy to feel like the manufacturer doesn’t understand their vision or maybe they can find someone else. But if something is not working, you need to learn why. It’s the only way to grow.
Don’t be afraid to ask why. Remember, there are no dumb questions. If someone is telling you no, then you want to understand why so you can learn and move forward. If something didn’t work out, instead of being sad/angry/depressed, figure out why it didn’t work and move on. Let’s face it, if fashion was easy everyone would do it!
Be ok with learning everything the hard way
This is my own personal mantra- everything I know is because I learned it the hard way. I’ve screwed up so many things, made impulsive decisions, failed to account for certain details, etc…But you know what? I’m pretty good at what I do now, 20 years down the road from my first screw up, because I learned from my mistakes.
Yes, learning from your mistakes sounds pretty cliche, but generally there are truths behind cliches. If you do something wrong don’t be too hard on yourself because next time you’ll do it better now that you know.
Recognize that nothing will ever be perfect
Because you are embracing learning things the hard way, it’s also key to remember that “done” is better than “perfect”. It’s super disheartening when you spend so much time making something you think is done perfectly only to have it dismantled later. I had a client that was set on doing multiple fit samples for tiny ⅛” adjustments. She spent months not only going back and forth with me to make the changes, but also doing the samples herself, only to realize that her manufacturer looked at her like she was crazy when her garments came in ¼” under spec and she complained. They had to explain tolerances to her and then she had to come back to me to confirm. It was then she realized that these tiny increments wasted so much of her time.
Until you know what someone absolutely needs, don’t kill yourself with the details that matter to you and perhaps not to them. It’s easier for your manufacturer to ask you for more and then you know for next time.
Regrouping after a failure
When failures happen it can seem like the end of the world and the little voice in your head starts with the negatives:
Maybe you aren’t good enough.
Perhaps you should never have even tried.
How can you ever show your face again?
You don’t know what you are doing.
These moments are dark and you are contemplating your exit strategy and wondering if your old boss will hire you back. But this is the moment where your desire for success is truly put to the test. Calling it quits is the easy way out. Sure you lost a lot of money, but at least you won’t have to stress anymore. But if you believe in your vision then this is where you dust yourself off, get back on your feet and figure it out.
But I’m giving you 100% permission to take a day or a week away. Reset and start again. With a little time and distance clearer visions always tend to emerge. I would wager that what you come up with will be even better than your first attempt.