Activities
The following activities require you to research and explore. Although they will not be evaluated, they will help you grow and develop as a fashion designer.
Activity 1
Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes
Having a business plan is a great tool to guide you throughout every phase of your new career. Practise creating your own business plan.
Begin with a basic executive statement. Depending on what you want to do in fashion this may or may not be an easy task. 
Try your best to create a plan that summarises where you are at right now with your fashion design goals. Where would you like to see your career go? Use the steps above to create a plan that matches the fashion label or business that you have in mind for yourself.
Activity 2 
Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes
For this activity, you will stretch your imagination and creative skills and work on creating your own signature item. 
Before you do, search the internet and look for designers who have made their mark on the fashion world. You should be able to find quite a few designers who have set themselves apart by creating one signature piece. What do you notice about their designs?
Now you should try your hand at creating something that will make you stand out amongst the rest of the designers. You can choose to design something in clothing, shoes or accessories.
Activity 3
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
In a paragraph, describe the importance of a business plan and detail some of the key components. 
Activity 4
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
Write a paragraph explaining some of the ways that you can finance a clothing label. 
The answers, feedback, and advice section for these activities will be found in the Resource Section.
Activity 5
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
Work your way through the following paragraphs and insert the most appropriate words to fill in the missing blanks. There is a total of 10 for you to work through. 
A business’s 1_________ structure refers to the employees and the chain of command. It also covers hiring, recruitment, and 2____________ projections. When you are planning this section, keep in mind that 3___________ need artists, tailors, graphic designers, models, and 4_________ consultants.
Most 5__________ will register as a limited company, partnership, or sole trader. A sole trader is simple to set up, but it means you are 6__________ responsible for business debts and hold 7__________ responsibilities.
Start-up businesses prefer to apply for 8_______ because they usually do not require payback. However, the number of subsidies offered by the UK 9__________ is limited. If you are interested in applying for a grant for your fashion line, organisations want 10__________to see that your plans for the future are detailed, fail-proof, and serious.
The answers, feedback, and advice section for this activity will be found in the Resource Section.
Facts
Fact 1
In 2016, spending on clothes and footwear from high street shops and their websites in the UK dropped by 4%. The largest retailers are suffering the most, such as Marks and Spencer, who has seen a 10% loss in the market.
Fact 2
You should expect to spend from £1,000 to £4,000 in the first year to get a basic clothing line off the ground in the UK, if starting your own.