Running a bespoke design consultation as a fashion designer

A bespoke design consultation should end with a shared picture of the garment, not just a mood. Ask clients to bring references and to know the occasion, date and budget range; spend the first part listening and looking at those references, then sketch in front of them, show and let them touch fabrics, and agree on a timeline with the number of fittings it implies. Close with a written summary and a quote, and book the first fitting once the client confirms. The consultation is where trust is built, and where later disagreements can be avoided.

Go through the references and ask what exactly they like in each: the neckline, the fabric's movement, the colour, the attitude. Clients may point at a whole look when they love one detail. Ask how they want to feel wearing the piece.

Sketch while you talk, and adjust in real time. A quick drawing shared on the table makes decisions concrete: sleeve or not, length, back detail. Keep the sketches and date them; they become the reference for the next steps.

Show swatches and let the client handle them in daylight. Explain how each fabric behaves, how it wears, how it cleans, and what it means for the price and the making time.

Take the measurements you need at the end of the consultation, or book a separate session if the design isn't settled yet. For complex pieces, explain that you'll make a toile — a test version in plain fabric — to check fit and proportions before cutting the final fabric. Clients who know this step exists understand why the first fitting doesn't look like the finished piece.

Clients sometimes come back after the consultation with new references or second thoughts. Agree up front how many design changes are included before the fabric is cut, and what happens after. A clear rule protects the timeline and keeps the relationship friendly when inspiration strikes late.

Work backwards from the date: making time, number of fittings, a margin for adjustments and for delays in fabric delivery. Tell the client how many fittings you expect and roughly when, so they can plan around them. Present a quote with what's included and what would change it, such as a fabric upgrade or extra fittings.

Send a summary with the sketch, the chosen fabrics, the quote and the timeline. Once the client confirms, book the first fitting. If they need time to decide, say until when the timeline still holds.

For clients who live far away, a first consultation by video can work for the brief and references. Send fabric samples by post beforehand if you can, and plan the measurements and first fitting in person.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a design consultation service and fitting services, and open slots for each at their length, one place per slot; repeat them each week on chosen weekdays until a date. Clients book the consultation online without an account and receive a confirmation email. In the service description, ask them to bring references and to write the occasion and date in the optional note, which you'll read in your new-booking email. Book fittings yourself from your calendar once the project is confirmed.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own, and say in the description whether the consultation fee is deducted from the order. Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list and tell them yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract. It doesn't take deposits.