How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits

• The Benefits of Retail Experimentation and Collaboration For Independent Fashion Brands with Elizabeth Solomeina of Flying Solo

  If you’ve ever dreamed of having your products in stores but are hesitant to dip your toes into retail because of high overhead, lower wholesale margins, or lack of retail experience, Elizabeth Solomeina has a solution. In episode 116, Elizabeth shares her refreshingly different approach to retail. Her multi-city retail space and press showroom, Flying Solo, is designed just for independent designers to grow their brands and community. It is a collaborative retail space where designers get to control how their collection is presented, get feedback directly from customers, and make higher margins without the traditionally long wholesale lead times. Elizabeth Solomeina is the co-founder of Flying Solo, a revolutionary fashion retail and PR platform based in New York and Paris. With a background in design and entrepreneurship, Elizabeth has built one of the most influential independent fashion platforms in the world — supporting thousands of emerging brands over the years and redefining how fashion reaches the market. This episode explores: Fitting the customer Who the Flying Solo customer is How Flying Solo presents diverse designers, collections, fits, and sizing cohesively to customers The future of retail amidst today’s gloomy retail headlines Fitting the lifestyle What Elizabeth and her team look in the designer they stock How brands can best prepare for a successful retail experience How creatives can thrive by working together How Flying Solo’s retail model gives so much more freedom and flexibility to designers Fitting the values Why Elizabeth believes so strongly in the value of collaboration and community The benefits of creative experimentation for designers People and resources mentioned in this episode: Flying Solo website Flying Solo Instagram Elizabeth’s LinkedIn Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• Fit Based on Faith, Values, and Vocation (i.e. Psychographics) with Heidi Keil of Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel

  When your brand focuses on a specific body shape, creating clothes that fit is fairly easy. But what if you are designing for specific psychographics instead of demographics? What does fit look like then? Heidi Keil is the founder of Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel. She designs clothes for female pastors and chaplains – which is super niched on both faith values and vocation, not necessarily body type. Manufacturing clothes and a business that fits has been a prayer-filled journey for Heidi, but she serves in this way because she loves it. In episode 115, hear how Heidi arrived at a size chart and a size range that fits the pastors she serves, why Heidi started Humble Hearts as a business but it’s turned into more of a hobby within her lifestyle, and how Heidi’s faith values and favorite bible verse inspire her humble approach to running her brand. Heidi began designing clergy apparel, at the request of her pastor, when she was a student in an Apparel Design program. It was something Heidi continued to offer, somewhat sporadically, while working in the costume shop at The Guthrie Theater following graduation. When the theater closed due to the pandemic in 2020 she turned her time and attention to creating a line of clergy apparel (mainly due to her own need for something to fill her time). Gradually, with the help of family, friends, past instructors and work contacts she slowly developed an online presence. Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel is in its 5th year.   Where does the name come from? "...live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:1-2 Heidi shares: "This small business has been a wonderful way to blend my interest in fashion and apparel design with my faith." This episode explores: Fitting the customer The number of iterations it took to get the Humble Hearts size chart and size range right The things Heidi had to learn when she switched from her costume shop job to manufacturing clothing for Humble Hearts How Heidi learned what details and functionality are important for clergy apparel What changed when Heidi realized she didn’t have to do everything herself Fitting the lifestyle Why Humble Hearts started out as a business and has now become more of a hobby for Heidi How Heidi’s season of life allows her the time flexibility to run Humble Hearts How those around Heidi support her in this business The activity that has the biggest impact on sales for Humble Hearts Fitting the values Heidi’s humble approach to running her brand How the liturgical calendar affects Humble Hearts’ selling season How Heidi’s work with Humble Hearts serves a greater purpose People and resources mentioned in this episode: Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel website Humble Hearts Clergy Apparel Instagram Heidi’s email Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• How This Designer Changed Her Business To Better Care For her Customers with Paloma Soledad of LuxCare

  What would you be willing to do to better serve your customers and mission? Paloma Soledad, a three-time stage IV cancer survivor and founder of LuxCare, is making some big changes in her business to help women going through medical treatments feel more like themselves and less like a patient. In episode 114, she tells the careful details and entrepreneurial journey that has gone into creating LuxCare’s stylish and medically accessible clothing. Paloma Soledad is a fashion designer and three-time cancer survivor. Inspired by her journey with stage IV cancer, Paloma created LuxCare, a gifting platform, and line of clothing designed to help individuals facing medical challenges feel more like themselves. LuxCare offers adaptive garments, including headscarves for those experiencing hair loss, and versatile clothing that blends comfort, style, and medical functionality. Her brand focuses on sustainability, timeless styles, custom prints, and high-quality fabrics. Paloma's career highlights include designing for films such as "Coraline," receiving the "Best Emerging Designer" award at Portland Fashion Week, and being named one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Eight Costume Designers turned Fashion Headliner.” Her work has appeared in SPIN Magazine, L'Officiel, Photobook Magazine, and on electronic billboards in Times Square. With a commitment to slow fashion and environmental sustainability, LuxCare uses certified organic fabrics and continually seeks innovative materials. Paloma's designs are crafted to uplift and empower, offering both comfort and elegance. Raised in Hawaii, her design aesthetics were shaped by the natural wonders around her, instilling a deep respect for the planet's limited resources. Mostly self-taught, she learned from her mother as a child and honed her skills on the job. Today, Paloma seamlessly integrates beauty and craftsmanship into her fashion projects, significantly enriching the lives of those she designs for. This episode explores: Fitting the customer The LuxCare clothing details that made Paloma feel less like a cancer patient The thoughtful details from design to packaging that provide care to each customer How Paloma knew that it was time for a rebrand What Paloma wished she’d thought about before choosing a brand name Why gifting is a big part of the LuxCare brand Fitting the lifestyle The mental shifts needed to go from making everything yourself to producing at a factory How Paloma moved from costuming in the film industry to designing fashion apparel What Paloma had to learn when she transitioned from designer to entrepreneur Fitting the values Why Paloma compromised on her values to better serve LuxCare’s mission People and resources mentioned in this episode: LuxCare website LuxCare Instagram Paloma’s LinkedIn FabScrap - textile reuse and recycling Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• How To Build Trust With Customers As a New Brand With Niche Fit with Neha Samdaria of AAM The Label

  We’ve all been burned by an online clothing purchase that didn’t live up to its promised fit and quality. It is no wonder that women who don’t fit standard-size charts are hesitant to purchase from a new brand online. This is the challenge that AAM The Label CEO and founder Neha Samdaria has overcome within her brand that designs for pear-shaped women with fuller hips and thighs. In episode 113, Neha shares exactly what she did to build trust with her customers and factory, keep return rates super low, get stocked in Nordstrom, and have Buzzfeed and Forbes editors writing raving reviews. Neha Samdaria is the founder of Aam The Label, a sustainable fashion brand for the ~25% of women with fuller hips and thighs than the standard size chart. Founded based on her own experience as a pear-shaped woman and bootstrapped entirely from her savings, the brand is now available at Nordstrom and has been featured in Forbes and Cosmopolitan. Neha holds an MBA from Stanford and a Bachelor's In Science from Caltech. This episode explores: Fitting the customer How Neha created her own unique size chart for AAM The Label that focuses on body shape more than size How Neha conducts fit testing to make sure she gets the best fit for her brand and not just the individual fit models How AAM The Label got placement in Nordstrom Fitting the lifestyle The exact things Neha did to build trust with customers online How AAM The Label had to adjust to make wholesale work Neha’s original goals and timeline for business success and how her goals are different now The pros and cons of retail and wholesale The biggest mistake Neha made starting out Fitting the values What AAM’s values of fit, quality, and sustainability & ethics look like in practice How Neha found her factory, patternmaker, designer, and sample makers People and resources mentioned in this episode: AAM The Label website AAM The Label Instagram AAM The Label email Neha’s LinkedIn AAM The Label on Faire - wholesale marketplace Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth book by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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• How Made In the USA Clothing Connects Craft and Community with Kristina Collins

  What if clothes not only reflected the beauty and personality of the wearer, but brought together the skills, people, and livelihoods of a whole community? This is why Kristina Collins is passionate about producing her brand of jackets and sweaters in the USA as locally as possible. In episode 112, hear how she has focused her creativity and her sourcing to connect the community around her. This priority brings challenges, but also many opportunities to her fashion business. Kristina shares her transparent philosophy as well as her tips for brands wanting to set up a local supply chain of their own. Kristina Collins clothing is women's jackets, blazers, and sweaters designed and made in the USA. Our mission is stand-out, high-quality garments that are sourced and made with our local community at heart. This episode explores: Fitting the customer Why made in the USA is important to Kristina and her brand Why Kristina narrowed her offerings to just jackets and sweaters The dilemma with pricing products as a small brand Fitting the lifestyle & business How Kristina Collins navigates the seasonality of a Fall/Winter focused brand How Kristina is adjusting her design and production schedules to accommodate wholesale in 2025 The production model that is working for Kristina Collins Why Kristina recommends working with individuals instead of a full-package factory or agency when developing your brands first products Fitting the values The challenges and benefits of fitting your values in your fashion business How to make local manufacturing and production connections The types of fabrics and fibers that are easy to source in the USA Whether sample sales or resale hurt a brand’s reputation People and resources mentioned in this episode: Kristina Collins website Kristina Collins Instagram Kristina Collins LinkedIn Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.

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