I’ve been selling buttons, zippers and some fabrics part time from 2001 until 2009. In 2009 I reduced the hours on my regular job (this is where the understanding spouse comes in) and started taking on more lines. On 3/1/11 I quit my job as the VP of Sales of a jacket company and spent all of my time selling fabrics, zippers, buttons and all types of garment construction necessities. I also forged alliances with factories, pattern makers, truckers and all kinds of other industry folks. Some of these connections were really sharp and others were not as sharp. Be prepared to get blamed for the stuff that goes wrong and to not get much credit for the stuff that goes right.

While I have vast experience in the garment business, I did not sell my first piece of fabric until 2003. Looking back on it, I pretty well had my head in my rear end until about early 2011 when I simply got better at my job and got better lines. As I did more business, my lines respected me and my customers more. They also sent larger checks (and sent them in a more timely fashion) which is terribly helpful.

Want to be a fabric rep?? Here is my little to do list. Go to F.I.T. and take a couple of semesters of Textile Science. Buy Kathleen’s book and give it a couple of reads. Some of your best selling ammunition is on page 33. You will spend a couple of years writing 10 yd orders. This is actually valuable training since your 10 yd customers have EXACTLY the same expectation as your 10,000 yd customers (except for the first time I wrote a 10,000 yd order, I stopped and had a martini on the way home).

Dealing with jobbers, importers, converters and mills is interesting. Some of these folks are very supportive. Others are not so good. My experience has lead me to one rule (though it does not have to be your rule). Never represent anyone from Los Angeles. Some of the people you will be dealing with deserve a tremendous amount of respect. Some are complete schmucks.

Here are a couple of other important reminders.

Your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not. Really big accounts are VERY difficult to come by. In ten years, I have stacked up two really big accounts and then another dozen that are pretty decent. I have over 200 occasional to frequent smaller accounts. Sound good? I’ve been doing this since 2001!!! So all in all, I’ve added two accounts a month and most of them have been ordering significantly less than $5,000 a year.

Be on guard for bad product. I repped a zipper and supply company that started shipping bad product. I fired them after the third bad instance of product. I lost two of those three accounts.

Ten years ago their were 35 regional sales reps. There are only handful of people making a living at selling fashion textiles as of 2011. My guess is that their are about seven or eight of us outside of New York and LA. There are only two of us at it on a full time basis in Chicago. Most of the others have some connection to retailing or are strictly jobbers.

The truth is, I find it terribly rewarding. Still, it is a tough gig with little chance of success in the first few years.

how would I go about starting some applications..contacting appropriate people..and being seiously considered?

I have a vast number of contacts in the design field and am exposed to higher end clients daily..I am well suited for this..but again, have no previous experience..how would I begin?

I have a company that I would like to work for..

I am a decorator..wanting to get into fabric sales..and have been told tha since I have such a vast number of design contacts..that I might consider repping for a fabric company. I have no previous experience with this..but am hard working and desperately needing a job..and this sounds like a great match…In design I love garden interiors/exteriors..therefore I think I might enjoy water sesistant fabrics..and aim to design in the future…sunbrella sounds like a great match..now could I be seriously considered for fabric sales?

any ideas of who to contact?