Mingling with Fashion Designer Dina Chavez as She Prepares for Austin Fashion Week

Dina Chavez, the Austin-based fashion designer of SixChel, is preparing to captivate the fashion world as she prepares to debut her latest collection at Austin Fashion Week. Her vision is to empower women with design, crafting garments that expose a woman’s confidence and style. Dina shares her journey with us and offers valuable advice for emerging fashion designers trying to break into the fashion market.

Fashion Mingle: How did you get into fashion?
Dina Chavez: I’ve always loved fashion, ever since I was very young. Although, I was stubborn about studying and having a career in fashion at first. I used to think it wasn’t a suitable occupation. However, after years of making my own clothes and people coming to me for fashion advice, I decided to pursue a career in fashion.

FM: How did you start your own fashion line?
DC: After finding the courage to begin my own fashion line, I did A LOT of research. I came to the conclusion that I needed to find a city with the type of industry I felt I could be a part of. Once you figure that out, network and go!

FM: What’s the inspiration behind the collection you’ll be debuting at Austin Fashion Week?
DC: My collections are always based on issues I feel are important to women and their journey to be their true selves. For my next collection, which will be previewed at Austin Fashion Week 2016, I plan to present a line that shows women’s determination to express their maturity and confidence.

FM: What tips do you have for emerging designers who want to sell their fashion designs?
DC: As a designer that’s still finding my way, I believe you must be completely prepared and ready to explore every option.

1. There’s more than one strategy: Don’t feel the need to restrict your brand to one particular category.
2. Always do your research: There are many ways to make money and you must research and find which option or retailer best fits you and your collection.
3. Never stop learning: The most important thing to remember is that you will always need to learn and grow as a designer. No one graduates from fashion school with a complete knowledge of the industry. You learn through networking and trial and error.

FM: What advice do you have for designers interested in showing their collection at Austin Fashion Week?
DC: Austin Fashion Week is a very well organized event and provides a tremendous opportunity to display a designer’s collection. What a designer can expect from AFW is a marketing platform to showcase their work. It’s a great way to advertise your brand and get introduced to worldwide markets. But remember, that when planning for AFW, most of the funds come from the designer’s marketing and advertising budget.

See Dina Chavez at Austin Fashion Week!

Austin Fashion Week will be held April 15-23, 2016 and is in it’s 8th year. The week-long fashion celebration will feature photography and styling Mashup competitions, trunk shows and cocktail parties in boutiques all over Austin and 3 nights of runway shows where Dina Chavez will be presenting her 2016 collection.

You can connect and collaborate with Dina Chavez and other fashion professionals by registering for the Fashion Mingle nationwide fashion directory. Now accepting pre-launch applications!

Featured photo credit: Jared Tennant at JTpics.com