"Mary’s aptly title’s ‘Survival’ Guide is long overdue. For anyone seeking to compete, and succeed, in our crowded, and highly competitive industry, Mary’s comprehensive advice is absolute required reading." Peter D. Arnold Executive Director Council of Fashion Designers of America
"The Fashion Designer Survival Guide" is a veritable encyclopedia on the ‘how to’s’ an emerging designer must consider when going into business. Excellent professional advice is presented throughout the book along with serious discussion of the expectations he/she will confront in the market place. This book is a "must have" for all young entrepreneurs in design.
Margaret Hayes President The Fashion Group International
"For anyone interested in being a fashion designer or working in the fashion industry, The Fashion Design Survival Guide is the quintessential must-read. Mary Gehlhar clearly and deftly navigates the reader through the otherwise labyrinthine and confounding real world of professional fashion, addressing every must-know from apparel manufacturing to marketing and branding to runway production and retail sales. This should be a required text for fashion students, young designers, and even mid-career professionals."
Tim Gunn, Chair Department of Fashion Design Parsons School of Design Project Runway
"The Fashion Designer Survival Guide offers sage advice for any designer contemplating starting up a new fashion company. This guide is applicable not only to US designers but also globally, since the fashion industry fundamentally works the same way in the US, UK, Europe and Asia. Gehlhar outlines the ‘A to Z’ of the fashion business, along with tricks of the trade to help new designers manoeuvre their way through industry obstacles and increase their chance of success."
Linda J. Peters Director, Centre for Fashion Enterprise London College of Fashion London, UK
"Along with their sketch pad and scissors, every aspiring designer should have a copy of this book. From ordering fabric to making yourself interesting to the press, Mary Gehlhar has put together an invaluable, step-by-step guide to succeeding on Seventh Avenue and beyond."
Nancy MacDonell, Editor at Large, NYLON Author of The Classic Ten: The True Story of the Little Black Dress and Nine Other Fashion Favorites
"Fashion fledglings now have one up on Hansel and Gretel. Forget crumbs, Mary Gehlhar offers juicy morsels of relevant information to aspiring designers—collected from professionals in the field." Laird Borrelli Senior Features Editor, Style.com "If only I had this manual when I began my company! The Fashion Designer Survival Guide is a well written handbook for the entrepreneur ready to commence his or hers own Fashion Business. It delineates in detail every step of the process required to start-up and run a successful business within the Fashion Industry. The book is exceptionally informative and offers examples of the triumphs and failed experiences of many well-respected designers. As a designer, who at one time, underwent much of the trials that Mary writes about, I have found the book to be extremely helpful and encouraging to all aspiring designers ready to embark on an independent career within the industry."
Rebecca Taylor
