The Business of Apparel

Losing Top Clients and Refocusing? Behind the Scenes of A Pivot in Business In this behind-the-scenes episode of The Business of Apparel, Rachel is pulling back the curtain on a major transition at Unmarked Street. After losing two of our top-paying clients, months earlier than expected, we're doubling down on what lights us up: building our annual membership community. Rachel walks you through th...

EP 125 - Tariffs Are Crushing Apparel Margins: How to Survive & Thrive in 2025's Tough Economy How will tariffs affect your apparel business?  Are you prepared to not just survive, but THRIVE in this economy? In this episode of The Business of Apparel Podcast, Rachel takes an unplanned but essential detour to talk about the escalating impact of tariffs on apparel brands, and what you must do to pr...

Double Your Apparel Brand's Revenue by Doing Half the Work | The Power of SKU Rationalization Are you burning out your team and draining your profits by offering too many products?  Did you know you can actually double your revenue by doing less? In this episode of The Business of Apparel Podcast, Rachel explains the strategy of SKU rationalization, the proven process of reducing your product line...

Unmarked Street vs. The Business of Apparel: What's the Difference? Behind the Scenes Have you ever wondered what really separates Unmarked Street from The Business of Apparel? In this episode of the Business of Apparel Podcast, Rachel pulls back the curtain and breaks down the purpose and vision behind her two companies, and how they each can help you grow and protect your apparel business. Spark...

Christine Lindebak on Why You Should Start Your Apparel Brand Before You're Ready Curious how a career in luxury fashion can evolve into a thriving sewing education and sustainable apparel brand? In this episode of Business of Apparel, Rachel welcomes Christine Lindebak (from 🇪🇸 Spain), founder of Sewing in the City and her slow fashion label Lindy, Lindy. Discover how Christine turned a childhood...

SKU Rationalization 101: Boost Profit & Cut Clutter in Your Apparel Line Are you drowning in too many SKUs? In this episode, Rachel breaks down SKU rationalization, a powerful but misunderstood tool that can completely transform your apparel business. Whether you're a solopreneur or scaling a million-dollar brand, you'll learn how to simplify your line, boost margins, and give your customers what...

Helping Independent Apparel Brands Avoid Costly Mistakes with Elizabeth Solomeina In this episode, Rachel welcomes Flying Solo co-founder, Elizabeth Solomeina to talk about what it really takes to successfully grow an independent apparel brand from scratch and avoid some very costly mistakes. From testing the market to wholesale risks, Elizabeth draws from real-world experiences from over nine yea...

Mary Coats On Sustainable Fashion, Finding Your Fit & Her Role At Unmarked Street In this episode, Rachel connects with longtime friend and industry pro Mary Coats for an inspiring conversation about her winding path through the apparel industry. From childhood sewing projects to earning a master's degree in sustainability and working with major brands like Pearl Izumi and Head Sweats, Mary shares...

How to Build a Line Sheet That Saves Your Apparel Brand Thousands | Full Tutorial + Free Template In this episode, Rachel is giving you a full tutorial on how to build a bulletproof apparel line sheet, using the exact spreadsheet used by both $0 startups and $16M brands. Whether you're brand new or already running a business, this line planning template will become your most-used tool for budgetin...

The Biggest Contract Mistakes Apparel Founders Make (That Could Cost You Thousands) In this episode, Rachel shares a very personal story that highlights a critical legal and business lesson for every apparel entrepreneur: always get it in writing. Through the lens of her current rental dispute, she draws strikingly similar parallels between landlord agreements and the contracts apparel founders si...

Smart Product Naming Strategies to Elevate Your Apparel Brand In this episode, Rachel is touching on the underestimated challenge of naming your apparel products—and why getting it wrong can cost you time, clarity, and customer trust. Drawing from her corporate experience (including a years-long product renaming project), Rachel shares how naming impacts everything from marketing to scalability, a...

3 CEO Mistakes That Are Killing Apparel Brands (And How to Avoid Them) In this episode, Rachel is going deep into the hidden challenges facing apparel brand CEOs—and the critical mistakes that can sabotage even the most promising businesses. Drawing from years of firsthand experience at Unmarked Street and working with dozens of clients, Rachel shares real stories (with names changed) of three dis...

The Truth About Apparel Manufacturer Sourcing & Factory Partnerships In this episode, Rachel breaks down everything you need to know about sourcing an apparel manufacturer and choosing the right factory partner. We go into the key differences between FOB, X-Works, and CMT production models—and why understanding these terms is critical to your brand's success. If you're still unclear on MOQs (minim...

How to Use MOQs to Budget Smarter & Grow Your Apparel Brand In this episode, Rachel is addressing the subject of Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) and how they can make or break your apparel brand. As one of the most asked-about (and most misunderstood) topics in the industry, Rachel goes over how MOQs impact your production, budget, and growth strategy. Rachel breaks down exactly what an MOQ is, wh...

How to Start An Apparel Brand the Right Way In this episode, Rachel strips it all down and gets real about what it actually takes to start an apparel brand. If you've ever typed "how to start a clothing line" into Google or YouTube, this is the episode you've been waiting for. Rachel breaks down the pros and cons of drop shipping, and what sets a real apparel brand apart — especially when your goa...

Are Patents Worth It? Deciding on Legal Protection for Your Brand with Tamany Vinson Bentz In today's episode, Rachel sits down with legal expert, Tamany Vinson Bentz about intellectual property in fashion and apparel. There have been a ton of questions regarding the critical role patents, trademarks, and trade dress play in safeguarding and enhancing brand identity and today, those questions are...

Behind the Scenes of a Fashion Photoshoot! In this episode, Rachel offers a backstage pass into the world of fashion photography, revealing the realities of what to expect, but also how to prepare to have a successful photoshoot for your own brand. Learn how tools like shot lists can help you be more efficient and ensure you capture every necessary image. As the industry shifts towards digital adv...

Should You Start A Trend or Innovation-Based Apparel Business?  How To Decide What Is Right For You In today's episode, Rachel is comparing a trend vs. innovation-based business in the apparel industry and helping you decide which is right for you.  She goes through the process of how high-end runway styles trickle down into ready-to-wear collections. Rachel even recommends a resource like WGSN th...

Watch Your Business Thrive By Simplifying Your Product Offers In today's episode, I'm teaching you about the one thing that will help your business thrive! You'll discover the power of simplicity and focus in connecting with your ideal customer. At Unmarked Street, we shifted our focus from appealing to a broad audience to appealing to a singular target customer by making our communication crystal...

Efficient PLM Solutions for Emerging Apparel Brands with OnBrand Founder, Preston Plowman In today's episode, Rachel sits down with Preston Plowman, co-founder and CEO of OnBrand PLM System! Preston has crafted a PLM system that uniquely serves small and emerging fashion brands alike. This episode uncovers how OnBrand PLM stands apart by slashing high costs and enhancing user experience, offering...

Grow a 7-Figure Apparel Business Using These Budget Tools In today's episode, Rachel is announcing brand-new budget tools to help you grow to a 7-figure apparel business!  We all know, growing any business takes realistic budgeting and strategic planning. Using these new tools will help you reach your goals in less time. Forget the myths of beginning your venture with just a few thousand dollars;...

Use These Tools to Build A Tech Pack in 2025 (The Great Tech Pack Debate) In this episode, Rachel turns to the Great Tech Pack Debate and clarifying what the best tools actually are to build an amazing tech pack. Essential tools shaping the industry's future, like Adobe Illustrator, Excel, Google Sheets are all great, but that's not all. Our focus is the art of transforming stylized fashion sketch...

Learn to Be A Successful Fashion Freelancer with Heidi Weinberg In today's episode, Rachel welcomes, by popular demand, successful fashion freelancer, Heidi Weinberg, aka "Sew Heidi" to the podcast!  Heidi is sharing her journey from industry insider to earning 6 figures as a successful freelancer. Heidi compares niche in the fashion industry to mall food courts and cuisine-specific restaurants, o...

How to Run Your Business Like An Elite Athlete In this episode, Rachel is channeling her inner athlete as an entrepreneur?  Yes, you read that right! Rachel realized that the lessons learned on the field could transform anyone's approach to business success. This episode offers a fresh perspective on structuring ambitious goals, breaking them down into actionable steps, implementing strategies, an...

Struggling In Your Business?  This One is For You In this episode, Rachel is raw and real. The struggles of maintaining optimism amidst the pressures of business growth, especially in the wake of the pandemic and all of the other obstacles we have in front of us are REAL. This episode explores the realities of entrepreneurship, where trust is tested, and expectations aren't always met. From challe...