How to Build a Successful Fashion Brand from Alice James

Alice James, the founder of AJG Fashion Consulting, has turned her extensive experience in the corporate retail world into a thriving business dedicated to empowering fashion entrepreneurs. AJG Fashion Consulting is renowned for its empathetic approach and commitment to fostering the success of women-owned, LGBTQIA-owned, and minority-owned businesses.

In this interview, Alice shares the journey behind her company, the unique strategies they employ to stand out in the fashion consulting industry, and the importance of sustainability and ethical practices in today’s fashion landscape. Join us as we delve into the insights and experiences that have shaped AJG Fashion Consulting into a beacon of support for fashion startups and established brands alike.

Inspiration Behind AJG Fashion Consulting

SBS – What inspired you to start AJG Fashion Consulting?

Alice – As a woman and a mother, I’d hit the glass ceiling in the corporate retail world. I decided to take a chance on myself and build a company focused on providing compassionate, trust-worthy support to fashion entrepreneurs navigating the ins and outs of starting their own business. In building this support business, we’ve been able to build a phenomenal group of brilliant women who are dedicated to the success of our clients.

Differentiating AJG Fashion Consulting Services

SBS – How do you differentiate your services from other fashion consulting firms?

Alice – We lead with empathy and build trust with our brands. We truly become part of their team, and their success becomes our own. We also provide a significant amount of training and guidance throughout the process, empowering our clients to take over more aspects of running their businesses. We’re also extremely passionate about helping woman-owned, LGBTQIA-owned, and minority-owned businesses succeed.

Overcoming Challenges in Fashion Projects

SBS – Can you describe a particularly challenging project and how your team overcame those challenges?

Alice – Managing global logistics during COVID was one of the most challenging events we’ve had to work through. We were managing production and shipping all over the world when the world shut down in 2020.

Although things picked up slowly, we were able to manage every component of the production lifecycle one step at a time and ultimately keep things moving (even though there were delays). One of the benefits of going through this is that we’ve all become experts on international logistics.

Current Fashion Industry Trends

SBS – What trends are you currently seeing in the fashion industry, particularly in sustainable practices?

Alice – Many brands that are just starting out are building their businesses around their commitment to sustainability. The easiest ways for brands to be more sustainable are to use recycled or natural materials and fabrics, work with factories and suppliers that use sustainable manufacturing processes, and be aware of the carbon footprint of their supply chains.

While the fashion industry has not had the best practices in place to accurately measure sustainability in the past, consumer demand and worldwide regulations are creating upgraded processes and benchmarks that will create more transparency and reveal true environmental impacts.

Ensuring Ethical Compliance and Quality Control

SBS – How do you ensure ethical compliance and quality control in your manufacturing processes?

Alice – Every factory we work with is 100% socially compliant and certified. It is a requirement to be within our factory network. We accept a variety of globally recognized certifications if they confirm conformance to legally required social and ethical standards.

Prior to becoming an AJG partner factory, you must submit your documented quality assurance (QA) process for approval. We require QA reviews at multiple checkpoints throughout the production process. A final QA inspection report is sent to our team for approval prior to shipping to confirm it adheres to the established production standards and tolerances.

For new factory partners, we hire a third-party inspection company to review and validate the final QA report findings prior to shipment. Once we’ve built trust with the partner and can confirm consistent quality, we no longer require this additional third-party audit.

Strategies for Launching New Fashion Brands

SBS – What strategies do you use to help new brands successfully launch in the competitive fashion market?

Alice – For startup brands, we always stress that when it comes to the number of products, less is more. Having a clear and concise product line that a new consumer can understand is a great launching strategy.

We encourage launching brands to explore all sales channel options. Many brands envision only selling their products on their websites, but we’ve had many brands be surprised at how their business has thrived in ways they never imagined.

Impact of Technology on Fashion Consulting

SBS – How has technology impacted your business and the services you provide?

Alice – Technology has given us the tools to better manage our global supply chains. It helps us to have real-time insight into our production lifecycles as well as improves communication and collaboration with our worldwide partners.

Technology advancements in fashion design, such as 3D modeling and pattern making, can reduce the product development phase. By seeing the designed products on 3D models, the design can be altered and confirmed before handing off to the factory reducing the number of sample rounds needed to get to production.

Success Story: Growing a Fashion Brand

SBS – Can you share a success story of a brand you’ve helped grow?

Alice – We were lucky enough to support the talented women at KIN Apparel. After appearing on Shark Tank, their business was growing rapidly, and they needed professionals to come in and help them to develop and source new products, create processes for consistency and efficiency, and establish an inventory and timeline plan that could keep up with their consumer demand.

We were able to jump right in creating new products they’d been wanting to add for years, building supply chains with trust-worthy manufacturing partners, and establishing industry standard product development processes. We also developed an open to buy plan to track sales and inventory and plan finances more accurately.

Tailoring Services for Startups and Established Brands

SBS – How do you tailor your services to cater to both small startups and established brands?

Alice – For launching brands, we focus on establishing the supply chain for low-volume production and we work hard to bring their product from idea to reality. We also focus a lot on education throughout the production lifecycle so they’re more prepared as their businesses grow.

For established or growing brands, we focus on the exact needs of the business to take on workload. This can be anything from managing all product development to sourcing for higher volume production or developing inventory and profit goals. Our team’s seasoned experience gives us the ability to easily plug into an existing team and make an immediate impact.

Advice for Aspiring Fashion Entrepreneurs

SBS – What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking to enter the fashion industry?

Alice – Do your homework! I hear from many entrepreneurs that end up losing a lot of money by making avoidable mistakes. Be sure you understand what you’re paying for.

Be sure to research every single partner and supplier before working with them. Be especially careful with factories found on platforms like Alibaba that promise they can produce anything. Ask for references and to see similar samples they’ve produced to prove they have the capability to help you.

Staying Updated with Fashion Trends

SBS – How do you stay updated with the ever-changing fashion trends and consumer preferences?

Alice – Most of the brands we work with create products to solve problems or fill a need in the market so they’re less trendy. We do try to incorporate fabric and color inspiration and guidance for our brands to remain relevant even if they don’t want to follow the trends. We do this by attending trade shows, reading industry publications, and reviewing global fashion shows.

Common Pitfalls for Fashion Startups

SBS – What are the common pitfalls fashion startups should avoid?

Alice – One common mistake is spending too much or too little on marketing when you’re just starting out.

Marketing agencies can be very expensive. Although they can help to make your products look good, having a brand name, minimal branding, and a smaller website is all you need to prove your concept and validate building your business.

If you spend too little on branding, you could end up with beautiful products but a website or images that don’t sell the products.

Future Plans for AJG Fashion Consulting

SBS – What are your future plans for AJG Fashion Consulting, and how do you envision its growth in the next five years?

Alice – Our current plans are to continuing to grow and support more fashion businesses thrive! We currently have nine amazingly talented women on our team and hope to continue adding more to that.

In five years, we hope to establish a global woman-owned supply chain to further our commitment to gender equality.