Hi, I’m Mary……

….and I wrote the Fashion Designer Survival Guide to help fashion entrepreneurs find answers to all their questions about starting and running their own fashion label.

As Fashion Director of Gen Art, a teacher at Parsons School of Design and through casting several seasons of Bravo’s Project Runway, I met hundreds of talented designers from all over the world working hard to manage their production, financing, sourcing and sales with few resources to help. I wrote the Fashion Designer Survival Guide to provide all the information they need to succeed in one place. It includes advice from dozens of designers on their keys to success, as well as the generous insights of patternmakers, factory managers, sales reps, attorneys, and investors.

As a passionate advocate for sustainability in fashion, I believe small businesses are key to a more positive future and can led the way in adopting responsible practices, educating customers and inspiring others. As a member of the advisory committee for the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network and as a Fellow with Nest, I have the privilege of supporting the important work of fashion innovators and social entrepreneurs who work every day to positively impact both people and planet through intentional design.

I am so thankful for the designers and entrepreneurs who inspire me each day when I visit studios, speak at schools, and see how they apply creativity and innovation to beautiful design.