Imagine your artwork on fashions and home furnishings -- not only in America, but around the world. The textile industry, while still a mainstay of U.S. manufacturing, has expanded into a highly competitive, global enterprise. This presents abundant opportunities and challenges for you, as a textile designer, to sell your art wares in the world market. To reach prospective buyers at home and overseas, you'll need an impressive portfolio, a diverse marketing strategy, patience and persistence.
Making a Portfolio
Assemble a catalog, or portfolio, of your designs. Use photocopies, not original art, and separate the artwork into categories by design themes. Identify and label each design with a product number or design name. Show each design as a single repeat and “stepped out,” or repeated, into an overall pattern.
Register your art with the United States Copyright Office. You’ll save on fees by electronically registering your designs collectively. Label each design with your copyright and the year of creation to let buyers know that you are serious about protecting your work against plagiarism.
Prepare your portfolio in various media. Create a printed sample book as well as a digital portfolio and a slide show. Always keep several copies of your sample book on hand to send to potential buyers. Develop your own Web site as an online showroom.
Marketing and Selling
Develop a brand identity for your product line. Create business cards, a professional resume and biography.
Study competitive designers and pay attention to market trends. Identify your strengths and create a sales pitch, sometimes referred to as a "30-second commercial," that you can use when introducing yourself to potential buyers.
Use social networking sites to make connections and promote your work. Join professional trade associations for artists and graphic designers.
Explore different venues for showing and selling your work, such as industry trade shows and publications. Consider hiring an agent to represent, or "rep," your designs.
Research domestic and international textile manufacturing companies. Visit their Web sites and contact them by e-mail or telephone to request their art submission guidelines. Follow each company’s submission guidelines explicitly.