From Designer to Power Player: The Shift That Changed Everything

Let me tell you a little secret, when I first started in fashion, I didn’t care about business. Not really. I was obsessed with designing, creating something new, something that would make people stop and feel something. Business? That was for the people upstairs, the ones in the fancy meetings, talking in numbers and charts while I focused on fabrics, silhouettes, and storytelling.

But then, something shifted.

I started listening.

Not just to my bosses, but to the operations manager, the accountant, the buyers. Basically, anyone who had a hand in making sure the clothes I designed actually sold. I wanted more, I wanted to grow in the industry, to be someone, and that’s when it hit me, design alone isn’t going to be enough. If you don’t understand the business side, if you don’t know how your creations fit into the bigger picture, you’re just guessing. And in fashion, guessing is a dangerous game.

Curiosity has always been my thing. I ask a lot of questions, sometimes to the point where I can see people wondering, Why does she even care? But that’s exactly why I’ve been able to grow. I needed to know what happened after my sketches left my desk. What did the buyers say? What did the sales data show? Which pieces were making an impact, and which ones weren’t landing the way we thought they would?

I was lucky enough to have a boss who saw my potential, so I did the smartest thing I could…I asked him to be my mentor. I started sitting in on meetings I technically had no reason to be in, just to learn. Listening to retailers, paying attention to what actually drove decisions. Because let’s be real, no matter how stunning a collection is, if it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t matter.

And here’s the thing, understanding business hasn’t killed my creativity. It’s elevated it.

Once I understood pricing, I also learned how to design exactly what the customer needed, without making it unattainable. When I grasped what retailers were really looking for, I found the balance between trend and longevity. And knowing how stock is managed, how markdowns hit profits, how one “bad” season can shake an entire brand, that’s not just number-crunching. That’s the reality of making fashion work.

The best designers in the world aren’t just creative, they’re strategic, and that’s exactly what I wanted to be. They know their customer inside out, understand what the market is craving, and find a way to align their artistry with smart business decisions.

If you’re a designer and you think “business isn’t my thing,” I promise you, you’re just limiting yourself. Fashion is an industry, and if you don’t understand the industry you’re working in, someone else will make the decisions for you.

So, ask the questions, the ones that make you feel a little out of your depth. Find a mentor who challenges you, who sees the bigger picture, and who’s willing to let you in on the conversations that actually shape a brand. Sit in the meetings you technically don’t need to be in, the ones where decisions are made beyond fabric swatches and trend forecasts. Pay attention to the numbers, the margins, the sales reports, not just the mood boards. Because the moment you start thinking like both a designer and a businesswoman, you stop just creating…you start leading. That’s when everything changes.