Buenos Aires - For fashion students dreaming of launching their own label after graduation, the industry has never been more accessible — or more competitive.

Today, young creatives can build a brand directly from their phones, promote collections through social media, connect with manufacturers online and even use artificial intelligence to create campaigns before securing a first investor. But according to Simon Collins, the former Parsons School of Fashion dean now based in China, where he works as an educator and runs his own design consultancy, the core challenge of fashion entrepreneurship remains the same: creating something people genuinely connect with. “Your tools have changed, but what you need to do hasn’t changed,” Collins explains during an interview with FashionUnited. “You still need a good idea”.

From fashion school to industry: Starting your own brand after graduation

Fashion entrepreneurship starts before graduation

One of Collins’ strongest points is that students should not wait until graduation to start building their careers.

At Parsons, he encouraged students to intern early, attend industry events and begin developing professional networks from the beginning of their studies. According to him, the graduates who succeed are usually the ones who were already actively involved in the industry while still studying.

“You should be interning every weekend. You should be going to every event. You should be meeting people,” he explains. “You don’t want to graduate and suddenly decide it’s time to build a network.” For Collins, entrepreneurship is less about officially founding a company and more about developing an entrepreneurial mindset early on. Students who proactively seek opportunities, build relationships and test ideas before graduating tend to adapt faster to the realities of the industry.

Technology changed the tools, not the fundamentals

Over the past decade, launching a fashion brand has become significantly more accessible. Collins points to the rise of social media, e-commerce platforms, AI-generated content and digital production networks as tools that dramatically lowered entry barriers for young designers.

“Now you can start your own brand while you’re still at school, using your phone,” he says. “You can create campaigns using AI, promote through social media and even sell directly through those same platforms.” But despite these technological changes, Collins insists the fundamentals of building a successful fashion business remain the same.

“That doesn’t mean it’s any good though,” he says. “You still need to figure out why people are going to buy your product.”According to him, many students become too focused on personal inspiration instead of understanding consumer desire.“Your inspiration is important to you, but nobody else cares,” he points out. “People care about how it looks, how it feels and what it means to them.”

Why emotional connection matters more than originality

For Collins, one of the biggest mistakes young designers make is overestimating originality while underestimating emotional connection.

Fashion, he argues, is fundamentally about making people feel good — whether through confidence, identity, belonging or self-expression.“You have to decide who your customer is and make them feel good,” he states. This emotional factor is often what differentiates memorable brands from forgettable ones. Collins believes successful emerging labels are not necessarily the most revolutionary, but the ones capable of clearly communicating who they are, who they are for and why they matter. “A strong brand has a strong story,” he explains. “Not ‘my grandmother inspired me’ — but understanding where you’re selling, who your customer is and why there’s room for your brand in the market.”

Building visibility before building a company

In today’s fashion landscape, Collins believes social media presence has become one of the most valuable forms of early-stage brand equity.

“These days, you need to build your IP,” he says, referring to personal branding and audience development. “If someone has a million followers on social media, that’s huge.” But beyond visibility itself, Collins sees audience-building as proof of initiative and business intelligence.

According to him, students should approach social media strategically — not simply as self-promotion, but as a tool for testing ideas, building communities and understanding how to communicate with consumers. At the same time, he stresses that digital visibility alone is not enough without consistency and execution. “There are some people you meet and you immediately think: you’re going to be successful,” he observes. “And others you barely remember.”

The reality of funding and financial independence

One of the most direct moments in the interview comes when Collins addresses one of the biggest concerns among graduates: funding.

“You’re not going to get funding,” he points out. “No one is going to give you money.” Rather than waiting for investors, he encourages graduates to focus on generating momentum independently — even at a very small scale.

“You’ve got to make money somehow. Be a bartender if necessary,” he says. “Sell a few garments. Start small. Make it happen.” For Collins, self-initiative is often what convinces others to eventually offer support. “If you’re helping yourself, people will want to help you,” he explains. “But if you’re not helping yourself, why should anyone else?”

This pragmatic perspective reflects a broader shift in fashion entrepreneurship, where young designers increasingly combine freelance work, internships, personal projects and small-scale production while gradually building their brands.

Entrepreneurship and employment are not opposites

Despite encouraging entrepreneurial thinking, Collins does not romanticize launching a brand immediately after graduation. In fact, his advice for most graduates is to first gain industry experience within established companies. “Every single day that goes by, you learn more,” he explains and adds: “Make mistakes on someone else’s money first.”

According to Collins, working inside a company allows young creatives to better understand production, communication, business operations and team dynamics before taking on the risks of entrepreneurship. At the same time, he believes entrepreneurial qualities are equally valuable inside large organizations. “If they ask you to make coffee, make really good coffee,” he suggests. “Be proactive. Bring ideas. Show initiative.” For him, successful careers — whether entrepreneurial or corporate — are ultimately built on the same foundation: curiosity, adaptability, consistency and the ability to create value.

Brands that succeed understand their audience

When asked about brands that successfully identified opportunities early on, Collins highlights Skims as a strong example.

For him, the success of the brand came from recognizing an underserved market and building a clear emotional and commercial proposition around it. “The minute I saw it, I thought: that’s brilliant,” he says.

He also points to Parsons alumni such as Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler and Jason Wu as examples of designers who successfully translated personal identity into coherent brands early in their careers. “They personified the brand,” Collins explains. “People understood who they were and what they stood for.”

The value of adaptability

Throughout the interview, Collins repeatedly returns to one idea: adaptability. While strategy matters, he believes rigid plans quickly become obsolete in an industry that constantly changes. “You need to be heuristic,” he emphasizes. “If circumstances change on day two, you change everything.”

For graduates entering today’s fashion industry, that flexibility may be one of the most important professional skills of all. “The strategy is not knowing exactly what will happen,” Collins concludes. “The strategy is knowing how to find the answer when things change.”