
The Underrated Skills That Will Get You Far in Fashion Business with Madison Powers of Madison Victoria
How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fitsShow Notes
In episode 95, Madison Powers speaks about the story, the underrated skills, and the business plan that have helped her “effortlessly creative” business go far in just a few years. Madison is strategic with her decisions, and crystal clear on her customer and business values, and shares so many little-talked-of realities of fashion business in this interview.
Madison was born and raised in Greensboro North Carolina, obtaining her bachelor's degree from NCCU in Business Administration and Marketing! After a year in Corporate America, Madison decided to put her love of business and fashion into something meaningful. Thus, creating her namesake label Madison Victoria; a slowly made, small-batch-produced woman’s label that offers classic silhouettes with creative and functional designs for the modern women. Creating a community for all and a safe space within the fashion industry for black and brown women.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Madison got into fashion despite being too scared to pursue a fashion degree in school
The strategic way Madison interviewed different manufacturing partners to make sure she found the best fit for her business
How to stay inspired as a creative without a travel budget
Why Madison recommends every business owner create a thorough business plan
How her business plan has helped her make better decisions in her business
The underrated skill that has helped Madison grow her brand (more than money could)
The importance of storytelling - including what, how, and whom to tell
Why it is so important to find the right day job before your business becomes full-time.
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
Madison Victoria website
Madison Victoria Instagram
FashionPedia fashion encyclopedia
Has listening to How Fitting helped you create a better fit in your fashion business? Episode 100 of this podcast is coming up and I’m planning a special episode featuring the most notable moments from the 104 guests I’ve had on this podcast so far – plus your story! Click here to tell me about your favorite How Fitting episode and how it has impacted you or your business.
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.
More from How Fitting: design a slow fashion business that fits
If we’re talking about how values show up in the creation of specific clothing styles, you won’t find a better example of this than fair trade fashion. For fair trade fashion brands, the process is just as important as the product. Collections don’t begin with design inspiration, they stem from family-owned production partners, long-term boutique relationships, cross-cultural collaborations, and a commitment to each person involved.
A good product is not enough. As much as we’d like to pour our creative time and resources into creating the most beautiful design and exquisitely crafted product and then let it sell itself, it just doesn’t. In fashion business, the job doesn’t stop when the garment is produced. Marketing it is just as important. And that job actually starts before the product even exists.
If you run a slow fashion brand, you’ve probably experienced this. You saw how wasteful the fashion industry can be and vowed to run your brand differently. You want to pursue quality over quantity, sustainable materials and practices, fair labor, and avoid over-production. But how does this slow fashion intent meet the reality of factory MOQs, wash tests, and production costs for a new brand? Plus, as the brand grows, is there a scale where a slow fashion brand is no longer slow fashion?
As entrepreneurs, we didn’t start businesses to create a job that we hate. In fact, for most of us, it is quite the opposite. We want our work to be fulfilling. But we also want it to pay the bills and not burn us out. So how do we build a business that is both fun and financially stable? That offers both creative confidence and commercial control? Where the day-to-day process feels magical, but also manageable?
We’re told in fashion business that your brand’s patterns are your IP, don’t let anyone else have access to them. It is true that your patterns are one of the most legally protectable aspects of your brand’s unique fit and design aesthetic, but is gatekeeping patterns really necessary for fashion business success?