Fashion Designers Get Paid: Build Your Fashion Career On Your Own Terms

Kim Dippel is a fashion designer with 12 years of experience working for surf brands like Oneil and Quiksilver. After having a baby and moving away from a hub, she wanted to try freelancing. After not having any luck with her existing contacts, she turned to UpWork where she successfully landed a few ongoing clients that have kept her consistently busy. In the interview, Kim shares how to land your first few gigs, why honesty and transparency is essential to building relationships, and how to raise your rates with clients. You will learn: What you can do to land your first few jobs and build up your ratings How to write a custom proposal and get the client’s attention Red flags to look for when deciding whether to take a project or not What to watch out for when bidding project based (flat fee) work How to negotiate your rate without cutting yourself short How to transition clients off UpWork Strategies to track correspondence (phone, email) to make sure you get paid for your time Why your website should be a cohesive representation of you as a brand Why it’s ok to ask your client a lot of questions Guest Info & Resources: Kim's Portfolio Website Looking for more resources? Get free fashion design templates, tutorials and more from Successful Fashion Designer

Show Notes

Kim Dippel is a fashion designer with 12 years of experience working for surf brands like Oneil and Quiksilver. After having a baby and moving away from a hub, she wanted to try freelancing. After not having any luck with her existing contacts, she turned to UpWork where she successfully landed a few ongoing clients that have kept her consistently busy. In the interview, Kim shares how to land your first few gigs, why honesty and transparency is essential to building relationships, and how to raise your rates with clients.

You will learn:
  • What you can do to land your first few jobs and build up your ratings
  • How to write a custom proposal and get the client’s attention
  • Red flags to look for when deciding whether to take a project or not
  • What to watch out for when bidding project based (flat fee) work
  • How to negotiate your rate without cutting yourself short
  • How to transition clients off UpWork
  • Strategies to track correspondence (phone, email) to make sure you get paid for your time
  • Why your website should be a cohesive representation of you as a brand
  • Why it’s ok to ask your client a lot of questions
Guest Info & Resources:

Looking for more resources?
🎟️ Register for the 1-day live event training on May 30th at https://sewheidi.com/live

What is Fashion Designers Get Paid: Build Your Fashion Career On Your Own Terms?

This is a show for burnt-out fashion designers (and TDs, PDs, patternmakers and beyond) who want more flexibility while still doing work they love. As a freelance fashion designer, you can build your fashion career on your own terms. Freelancing in fashion is the only way to get freedom in your day (instead of being tied to a desk). Whether you want to earn extra money on the side, fund your fashion brand, or replace your salary, the FDGP podcast will help you get there. Listen in for actionable tips and strategies to kickstart or grow your career as a freelance fashion designer, build your confidence, and create the life you want. Hosted by $100k+ fashion freelancer Sew Heidi, the show features interviews and strategy sessions with successful freelance fashion designers from around the world who've ditched toxic fashion jobs and taken control of their own destinies. This is the only place to get REAL insights from REAL freelancers who have built REAL careers on their own terms. (Formerly the Successful Fashion Freelancer podcast.)