The Demi Couture Renaissance. A sustainable business model. (2024)

If you have a burning desire to create sustainable hand crafted unique products but are still procrastinating about starting your fashion business or if you have started but can’t make a profit…..then you’re more than likely, what I like to call a Floundering Fashion Designer 😜.

If you are a Floundering Fashion Designer then you more than likely are doing one of these three things:

• NOT MAKING A DECISIONabout which business model to start, who your customers will be and at what price points.
• You have a business model in mind but are not sure if customers will pay high prices points for your unique EXQUISITELYcreated artisanal products…because they can buy itPrimarkfor £2 and your manufacturer quoted you £80 JUST TO SEWand embroider it!!!
• You have already started but UNDERPRICEDyour products that took hours of love, devotion, blood sweat and tears to create!

So, this indecision and fear keeps you:

• FLOUNDERINGin procrastination, not getting across the starting line.
• Feeling FRUSTRATEDand worrying that you’ll end up in a job you hate for the rest of your life because you just don’t know how to start, or worrying that it won’t work.
• You have started creating and selling beautiful, unique, socially conscious, handcrafted pieces but underpriced them so you’re actually PAYINGyour customers to own your products!….and you spend all day worrying that soon you will have to close up shop and go back to a 9 to 5!

I’m willing to bet that if you’re having any of those problems you’re making some of the mistakes that I just listed.

I completely understand because I was once a Floundering Fashion Designer with the same worries and fears but I found a way to start and make it work. After fifteen years running my brand I learned a thing or two and I am about to give you an insight into one business model that I used for my brand which sold to global CELEBRITIESand is currently gaining some traction in the fashion market.

Most people start a business solely based on price. They look at what they would pay for a garment (usually not a lot) and assume their future customers will also not want to pay a lot, or assume they will not value the quality of their products because they can buy a mass produced version on the high street for so much less.

So, they compromise on quality, design, craftsmanship, creativity, individuality and more importantly, they compromise on the emotional reason they started the business in the first place just so they can price their garments at something they THINK their customers will pay. Eventually they start resenting their business and cannot design the products they set out to do because their low prices attracted the wrong type of customer.

The reason most designers don’t master this is because they undervalue the workmanship involved in creating unique products, they have little confidence in their customers ability to appreciate the value, far less pay for it and have not carried out enough research to understand the growing demographic of sustainably conscious clients who want to pay more for authentic unique design and craftsmanship. They place most of their focus on keeping prices low because that is what they mistakenly believe their customers want.

Another mistake is that they let customers control their brand’s NARRATIVEand before they know it they are blending in with everyone else, with scattered ideas, no point of uniqueness and stand for nothing.

There are around 13 different business models to choose from inside Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy, my signature group coaching programme. I can’t give you all thirteen right now because it will overwhelm you and I want to give you an easy start by introducing my favourite business model that is currently gaining a renaissance. With just this one structure some of you will be able to finally stop procrastinating and start creating your own business model by the end of the day….Promise!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR FASHION ENTREPRENEURS ACADEMY

OK so lets get started! If you can master this business model you will have the most fulfilling, creative, socially conscious business and life you can ever imagine….I promise you that! I know that because I’ve worked with hundreds of fashion students and this is always their favourite.

The demi-couture business model is having a bit of a “moment” in fashion. It’s a reflection of what’s happening in society and the need for smaller, more frequent collections that are faster to produce than traditional couture, and also more cost efficient.

Nowadays consumers don’t have the luxury of time to go to loads of couture fittings and since the pandemic they have got used to and want to continue with the convenience of online shopping. So, a new breed of designers has emerged that are bridging the gap between the originality and expert artisanal skills of one-of-a-kind couture and the lower priced mass produced trend driven ready-to-wear business model.

These new young brands are responding to the increased demand for unique, accessible, exquisitely executed pieces from young Gen Z customers, with EXQUISITE TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIPfrom all corners of the planet or by re-purposing quality vintage pieces.

Demi-couture basically hits a sweet-spot half way between ready to wear and couture and it’s priced accordingly with prices ranging from £10,000 to £50,000. Customers get all the the emotional, artisanal, couture skills without the six figure couture price tag.

Major fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Valentino or Christian Dior have always offered a limited number of unique pieces with couture embellishments, superb fit and time-honoured hand techniques within their ready-to-wear collections however now this new wave of young start-up labels are being seduced into demi-couture, creating uniqueNON-REPLICABLEpieces to young customers looking for individuality.

Jane McMillan for Mac Millan

Now you might be wondering what exactly the difference is between couture and demi-couture. A demi-couture dress is where the silhouettes already exists and modifications are made by adding a new fabric or changing the colour to fit the customer’s look and style. A couture dress is where the silhouette is made from scratch especially for the customer.

Some ready-to-wear brands are adding a demi-couture offer alongside their core range, as more of their customers are looking to buy investment pieces. The limited edition aspect of demi-couture increases the exclusivity of their brand and satisfies a growing desire for authenticity and uniqueness.

There’s more value to demi-couture than just wearing it to one particular event…..The young 22 to 26 year olds investing in these clothes post unboxing images and videos on social media and they also have a certain peace of mind that they are buying something that’s unique, in limited quantity, SOCIALLY CONSCIOUSand a re-sellable investment.

They are tired of looking like everyone else and want something individual. For the past two decades, no matter where you travel to, the same product can be found in any city in the world and there has been no individualism. Young consumers are tired of this and want to be able to buy something unique that is not easily copied.

Jane McMillan for Mac Millan

But more than that they are also seeking out deeper more MEANINGFULworldly experiences and searching for investment pieces that can be treasured for longer than one season. They want to buy less clothes with more longevity.

Everyone is now more exposed to artisanal skills and talent from all corners of the planet and they are willing to pay more to support local skills and authentic craftsmanship. Therefore more people are recognising these new-wave demi-couture designers that offer an eco-rich, fair-trade element to their brands with pieces sometimes taking months to create.

These new designers are conscious of the fair treatment of workers and ensure they are paid a fair wage. The garments are fairly expensive but the socially conscious customer receives one of a kind statement pieces with more uniqueness & quality and a certainty that their garment was crafted with AGE-OLD SKILLSand sustainable practices.

With More consumers looking for unique designs, meticulous detailing and skilful craftsmanship without the six figure haute couture price tag or the bespoke face-to-face fitting process, couture designers are compelled to envisage new ways to stay current, amenable, and visible to their clients. With so many fashion brands increasingly taking their collections on-line to provide a direct-to-customer sales model, demi-couture hits the fashion sweet-spot because it allows designers to showcase couture-quality pieces in off-the-rack standard sizes via e-commerce sites and social media.

Fittings do not necessarily need to be offered in person. You can also offer your customers a virtual design service by having videos and a set of instructions on your website guiding your customers through every specific detail of how to measure themselves. You can also hop on a zoom call with them to really ensure they are measuring correctly.

The old fashion timetable, showcasing several collections every year with buyers and press constantly travelling all around the globe was unsustainable. The overconsumption trend is over! Demi-Couture is a business model where you only produce collections with a limited number of looks, produce the garments on demand and buy fabrics on demand thereby eliminating overproduction and contributing to conscious fashion.

If conscious fashion is one of your top core values, you have an authentic story behind your brand and your customers are looking for craftsmanship, slow fashion, TIMELESS quality with limited impact on the planet, then the Demi couture model could work for you.

Demi-Couture can be seasonless with a made-to-order structure which means that each limited quantity piece will not be produced until an order has been placed. This structure works most effectively when you employ your own team of machinists and crafts people to produce in-house because this reduces transportation and gives you more control of it being ethically produced.

So now you are aware of the demi-couture business model and how, if you master it, it can help you achieve the business and life you desire. However if you don't know all the other business models available how will you know if you really have made the right choice for your business and customers. You don't want to invest all your time and money in one business model only to realise two years later that another model would actually have been more successful for your customers. Or perhaps a blended business model could be what’s more suited to your particular circ*mstances and customer base. You will never know this without understanding all the business model options available to you.

So, to make sure you journey down the right business model path and to learn what to do once you’ve chosen, click the link below to join the waitlist for Fashion Entrepreneurs Academy. You’ll also be notified about my next free training, coming very soon!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR FASHION ENTREPRENEURS ACADEMY

What business model have you chosen for your business? I’d love to hear from you. Perhaps you have tried the demi-couture model already. How is it going? DM me on IG @janemcmillancom.