Here's how you can equip yourself as a self-employed fashion designer.

All designers, but particularly if you are self-employed, should be perpetual students. Particularly when you are self employed, you want to find ways to stand out. Staying on the cusp of what's new and making sure that your skills are up to date ensures that you are continuing to bring value to your clients and your projects.

Is not about reinventing the wheel, but how does that wheel fit you. What is your signature aesthetic? What are your bringing to the market/ industry that is truly original to you? And are you confident enough present your brand authentically to the public?

You have to know the business, of fashion. You have to enjoy it, or be disciplined to do the business, that can consist of; marketing, sourcing, customer service, finances etc. Or be able to outsource these services. I personally enjoy the business aspect of it, but I also know my skillset. I enjoy making a website, but am terrible with the finances, so that aspect I outsource help.

This is something I am constantly preaching. When you are a self-employed designer, you unfortunately cannot JUST focus on being creative. You need to understand how to price what you're doing (so you can actually make a profit and support yourself), market yourself, and generate leads so you can get consistent business.

Networking was definitely my secret weapon when I was freelancing. I worked with agencies, but most of my work (and a lot of my best experiences) came from networking with others, especially on the job. Talking to people at your current assignment so they know who you are and what you do is crucial. And if you can find any in-person networking events, even better! Online events are great, but because we've spent (and continue to spend) so much time online, meeting people in-person feels very new and is so effective to make a lasting impression.

Use digital time tracking tools to optimize time management. It's best to allocate a day per week to do all the necessary admin tasks as they can be quite boring for creatives.

Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to tune into that power. Then prioritize when to create. It can be the smallest spark, to a large image that can ignite a frenzy of creativity.

This should be a no-brainer at this point, but it's definitely worth saying it again. Technology is the future of fashion, and it allows you to streamline your workflow and communicate your design ideas more clearly. Most companies are bringing in a freelance designer because they either don't have the skill set in-house or they need extra help. Either way, they'll want you to work expediently and efficiently. Digital fashion software like Illustrator, Photoshop, Clo3D, Browzwear, all help ensure effective and productive communication and workflow.

Clients seek credibility in a self employed designer. The more relevant, professional, aligned content that you have online the better. Also merging the digital aspect, even if it's a sketch from a sketchbook, copied and edited as a digital sketch is probably a good thing to have.