‘From Design to Entrepreneur’

What does it take to make a successful career in the fashion industry? A Graduate Master of Design from the Royal Academy of Art Sandra Burke unveiled secrets to entrepreneurship in this creative but challenging field.

Having written 4 fashion textbook series – Fashion Designer, Fashion Artist, Fashion Computing and Fashion Entrepreneur, Sandra, who is currently the director of Burke Publishing and dabbled in the fashion industry as an international fashion designer for decades, gave an overview of the growing Asian market and her experiences over the years including her view on the London fashion week.

As the fashion industry can be such a vast field, there are necessary qualities that are stepping stones to ensure a fashion entrepreneur’s success. First and foremost, all entrepreneurs must have a natural and intrinsic way of doing things. They must be intuitive and streetwise to solving problems; enthusiastic, passionate and creative; have the ability to network with a useful circle of contacts and are able to coordinate their resources; are able implement business plans; are determined to exploit opportunities and make them happen.

In an ever-changing environment, all entrepreneurs must build their own competitive advantage to gain leverage over their rivals. To do that, they have to be able to identify marketable opportunities, then exploit and commercialise them to gain that competitive advantage.

In order for creative ideas to evolve into marketable products, entrepreneurs must develop an elaborate business plan which outlines where you plan for your business to go and how you head there. All business plans must confirm whether – (1) there is a market for your products or services, (2) you can make the products or can outsource them; or (3) the new venture be feasible, make the best use of your resources and be profitable.

By the end of the session, students from ESMOD Kuala Lumpur who aspire to kickstart their fashion business one day have a clearer idea on what it takes to sustain their dream career in future, thanks to Sandra. This master lecture was organised   by The One Academy to exemplify its Masters Train Masters coaching philosophy which is practised for over 25 years.

“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to work together with Sandra who is a very experienced international fashion designer whose works are recognised all over the world. She has experience in lecturing many students globally and hopefully, we will have the chance to work together again in future,” said The One Academy Founder and Principal Tatsun Hoi.

“We also hope that the students will appreciate this golden opportunity to meet with industry experts as it will provide a better head start to all who wants to follow Sandra’s footsteps and succeed in their career.”

As one of the leading fashion design institutions in the country, ESMOD Kuala Lumpur pledges to provide the best education programme and continues to nurture its students passionately through the world class intensive course of ESMOD Fashion Design & Pattern Making. ESMOD Kuala Lumpur is part of The One Academy, one of the top creative institutions in the country that continues to nurture its students passionately by providing diploma and degree courses namely Digital Animation with Game Development, Interior Design, Advertising & Graphic Design, Multimedia Design with New Media & Interactive Design, Illustration, Movie & Game Art, Visual Effects and Fine Arts besides ESMOD Fashion Design & Pattern Making.

For further enquiries, contact email [email protected] or visit www.toa.edu.my.