The $100,000 Opportunity Most Fashion Designers Are Still Missing

When we first began helping designers and other industry experts take their skills and expertise online, we kept hearing the same line over and over:

“I’d love to teach, but I don’t think anyone would buy my course.”

Meanwhile, people with half the talent, half the experience, and double the confidence were launching courses from their kitchen table and selling them to thousands.

The truth?

Fashion education has gone digital, but a huge number of everyday, working fashion pros still aren’t being heard.

Today, through Catwalk to Commerce, we’re finally seeing designers and tutors who once held back turn their expertise into real income with the potential for some making more from a single course launch than they earned in an entire year of in-person teaching.

And if you’re a designer, fashion tutor or fashion consultant, the window of opportunity is wide open.

The Digital Shift No One Can Ignore

Fashion has always adapted, from couture houses to fast fashion, from pencil sketches to 3D software. But the most significant shift in education? It’s the move online.

As Francesca Sterlacci, founder of University of Fashion, said when launching her digital platform:

“Students didn’t want to rely on books; they wanted videos.”

And she was right.

Video-based learning is now the norm, not the novelty. Learners want real demonstrations, real designers, real techniques, straight from the source.

Even celebrated designer Manish Malhotra, when announcing his online course, said:

“While it’s difficult for me to connect with the students daily, this programme is designed to guide them through video lectures where I’ll be sharing my experience.”

If he sees the value… we all should.

Why Now Is the Perfect Moment

1. The global classroom is waiting

Students from Lagos, New York, Milan, Manila and beyond are all hungry to learn from someone who actually works in fashion.

And trust me, they don’t care if your studio is glamorous or if your pattern table has seen better days.

They care that you know what you’re doing.

2. Digital tools make teaching easier

CLO 3D, Procreate, Illustrator, Zoom, Kajabi…
You can literally record a whole lesson without leaving the house.

3. Education is no longer tied to location

You don’t need a classroom to teach.
You don’t need permission from a college.
You don’t need a studio full of mannequins.

Your laptop can be your classroom.

4. The fashion industry is shifting to hybrid learning

Fashion schools are now partnering with online educators. The people who build digital authority today will be the ones they call tomorrow.

How Much Money Can Your Own Fashion Course Really Make?

Let’s talk numbers, because this is where most designers underestimate the potential.

Scenario A: A Simple, Standalone Online Course

• Course price: $150

• 500 students in a year (very possible with a niche audience)

• $75,000 revenue

Record it once. Sell it forever.

Scenario B: Course + Mentoring

Pair your course with optional private support:

• 50 mentoring students at $500 = $25,000

• Course sales = $75,000

Total: $100,000/year

That’s without working 40 hours a week. And without marking assignments until midnight.

What You Could Teach (and People Will Actually Pay For)

You don’t need a PhD in fashion marketing. You need to solve one problem brilliantly.

Some of the best-selling course topics right now:

• Fashion Illustration for Beginners (traditional or digital)

• How to Build a Capsule Collection from Scratch

• Sustainable Fashion & Upcycling Techniques

• Digital Pattern-Making in CLO 3D

• How to Start a Fashion Brand on a Budget

• Portfolio Preparation for Fashion Students

Your niche is your superpower, and the narrower it is, the easier it is to sell.

A Personal Note on Missed Opportunities

When we started working with designers, one of the biggest surprises was how often incredible talent goes unseen simply because the designer never thinks of turning their talent into a course.

We’ve sat with pattern cutters in Pisa, who could draft a coat block blindfolded, illustrators who draw like they were born with a pencil in their hand, and tutors who have decades of wisdom… yet believe “no one will want to learn from me.”

But they do.
And they will.

Because the online market is starving for real fashion educators, not formal institutions or influencers with a sewing machine they bought last week.

If You Don’t Act Now… Someone Else Will

In 2020, going online was optional.
In 2025, it’s survival.

AI fashion influencers are here. Virtual stylists are here. Digital fashion houses are here. Students no longer wait for September; they learn whenever they want, from whoever shows up first.

If experienced designers don’t step forward, the gap will be filled by people with enthusiasm but no expertise.

Start Simple, Start Small, And Start

Here’s all you need to begin:

1. Pick your niche: the one thing you could teach in your sleep.

2. Film your first lesson: messy is fine, authentic is better.

3. Upload it to Kajabi: the platform we use at Catwalk to Commerce.

4. Please share it on Instagram, TikTok, email, and with friends.

5. Improve as you go: every course gets better after the first.

Your first course won’t be perfect. But it will be meaningful.

The Future of Fashion Education Is Online. And Your Voice Matters More Than Ever

After all, designers shape culture and tutors shape designers.
Online courses allow you to shape both at scale.

So the question isn’t:
“Can I build an online fashion course?”

It’s:
“When will I start?”