How to Build a Fashion Brand: The #1 Skill Aspiring Fashion Entrepreneurs Want to Master

Welcome to the first edition of Sim de la Mode // Fashion Startup Logs, a new blog series sharing insights from my market research — and how it’s shaping the Sim de la Mode mobile app, designed for anyone dreaming of launching their own fashion brand or building a career in the industry.

If you're reading this, you might be one of the people who recently shared their thoughts in one of my surveys. Whether you're exploring fashion as a career path or simply passionate about how fashion businesses work, this journey is for you.

What Do Aspiring Fashion Entrepreneurs Want to Learn?

Fashion is about much more than just great design — it’s also about strategy, timing, production, pricing, and how all those elements are connected.

To understand where future fashion professionals feel they need the most support, I asked:

“If you could learn just one skill to help you start a fashion business, what would it be?”

Here’s what 250 aspiring creatives told me:

• 🧠 How to build a fashion brand – 29.4%

• 📱 Marketing & social media strategy – 23.4%

• 🧵 Finding suppliers & manufacturers – 23.4%

• 💸 Managing money & pricing – 23%

• 🧑‍💼 Business planning and networking – small percentages

Why Brand Building Comes First

With nearly 30% choosing brand building as their top priority, it’s clear that understanding how to build a strong, strategic fashion brand is seen as the foundation for success.

A brand isn’t just a logo or a name — it’s a complete identity that tells your story, connects with your audience, and guides every decision you make. Whether you want to launch your own label or contribute meaningfully to an existing one, having that clarity is essential.

How Sim de la Mode Teaches You to Build a Fashion Brand

Sim de la Mode is designed to make fashion business education practical, immersive, and tailored to real creative ambitions. Rather than learning each topic in isolation, the app guides you step by step through building your own virtual fashion brand — giving context to the skills you’re developing as you go.

Phase 1 (now in beta), is your onboarding experience with a special perk for early subscribers (because trendsetters need to be recognised 😎). 

Then, in Phase 2, you’ll begin building your brand from the ground up in Module 1: The Fashion Universe.

There, you’ll:

• Explore the landscape of fashion business models

• Understand the importance of brand positioning

• Experiment with pricing, calendars, and storytelling

• Start shaping your brand identity in a risk-free, interactive space

  
  

It’s not just theory — it’s hands-on brand building, made for people who learn by doing.

Be Part of the Next Generation of Fashion Founders

To build this next phase, I’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. Your support helps bring Sim de la Mode to life — and early backers get:

• 50% off the full experience (€50 instead of €99.99)

• Access to new content as it's released

• Recognition as a Founding Supporter

👉 Support the campaign here

What’s Next?

This is just the first post in the Fashion Startup Logs. Each week, I’ll share more of my research and my startup journey with Sim de la Mode, and how that can help you in your fashion career.

If you're excited about fashion entrepreneurship and want to see what it really takes to build a brand from scratch, stay tuned. Sim de la Mode is just getting started.

👗 Stay Stylish

Ekaterina

P.S. I'm curious – if you were starting a fashion brand today, what aspect of brand building would you find most challenging? Is it creating a unique identity, telling your story, or something else entirely? Share your thoughts in the comments below!