Business Consultations
Grow with confidence. Build with intention. Lead with purpose.
We help independent fashion designers, creative entrepreneurs, and boutique owners build sustainable and profitable fashion businesses rooted in slow fashion principles. We know that strategic decisions early on can save time, money and creative energy - and our consulting combines lived experience with 20+ years of industry insight to guide you toward meaningful, long-term success.
Why Choose CTFC Consulting?
You won’t find generic advice here. CTFC consulting is led exclusively by co-founders Melissa Pierce and Kasi Martin- two seasoned slow fashion professionals who have built brands, cultivated maker relationships, shaped narratives, and navigated the real-world challenges of independent fashion businesses in Central Texas. We combine strategic clarity with hands-on industry experience to help you refine your vision, identify oppoprtunities within your current model, build systems that support sustainable growth, and make confident decisions around collections, sourcing, pricing, positioning, marketing, and much more. We don’t offer theory- we offer lived expertise in building ethical fashion businesses from the ground up.
Examples:
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Develop a clear, year-long strategic roadmap for emerging founders, including curated industry resources, defined milestones, and structured monthly advisory sessions to ensure measurable progress.
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Conduct comprehensive business audits to identify operational gaps, financial inefficiencies, and growth opportunities- delivering a prioritize, acationable plan to strengthen performance and profitability.
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Guide founders through launching a new clothing line, from collection strategy and design refinement to budgeting, margin development, tech pack creation, sampling oversight, and factory liaison support.
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Lead brand positioning and marketing stratgey development- clarifying your niche, refining messaging, auditing content, strengthening visual direction, and building a sustainable marketing plan aligned with your production capacity.
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Support brands expanding from direct-to-consumer into wholesale with trade show strategy, booth design guidance, buyer relationship cultivation, inventory planning, and scalable growth systems.
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Advise designers managing small-scale production teams (in-house or independent contractors) on workflow optimization, zero-waste opportunities, time management, and sustainable operational best practices.
Meet Your Consultants:
10 years of Slow Fashion Entrepreneurship Experience
Melissa Pierce
Proficient Areas:
-Business Planning / Strategy
-Brand Development
-Product Line Strategy
-Manufacturing + Sourcing
-Sales & Pricing (products)
-Wholesale/Retail (B2B/C2C)
-Event Production
-Trade Show Strategy
-Project Management
-Case Studies
-& Much More
About Melissa: A 5th generation Texan and Austinite with a breadth of experience owning her own (self-funded) Fashion/Jewelry Brand, Soul Studio (founded in 2016) based here in Austin. A world-traveler and cosmopolitan, always absorbing cultural and a systematic understanding of the world which she brings into her endeavors and everyday life.
Melissa is exceptionally good at creative strategy and prides herself on having a well balanced right-left brain way of thinking and operating.
Publication Features: The Cut, Instyle, Slow Fashion Forum, Tribeza and more.
Celebrity Clients: Alanis Morissette, The Black Pumas, and more.
Wholesale Partners: Anthropologie, Free People and over 50 other boutiques in Canada and the USA.
12 years of Slow Fashion Entrepreneurship Experience
Kasi Martin
Proficient Areas:
-Brand Development (styling)
-Omni-channel Marketing
-CRM & Lifestyle Marketing
-Public Relations and Media Strategy
-Business Planning / Strategy
-Sales & Pricing Strategy (services)
-Copy & Content Writing (SEO/GEO)
-Wardrobe Styling (personal & editorial)
-Project Management
-Case Studies
-& Much More
About Kasi: Texas based fashion industry expert, journalist, stylist, and marketing executive with over a decade of experience at the intersection of fashion media, sustainability and brand growth. She began her career in Austin building. styling studio focused on editorial work and secondhand/vintage sourcing, serving clients across the city for over five years. Her styling work has supported brands such as Purse & Clutch and Soul Studio, grounding her expertise in both aesthetics and ethical production. Kasi brings a rare 360 perspective: industry reporting, supply chain expertise, editorial authority, executive marketing leadership, and founder-level brand strategy. She helps brands operate with integrity while building long-term cultural and commercial relevance.
Publication Features & Bylines: Texas Monthly, Sourcing Journal, Ecocult, and Her Work (Founder & Editor-in-chief, 12 years) along with others
Consulting Clients: Credo Beauty, Whole Foods, Goodwill, Axiology Beauty, Return Plant Foods, and more.
Styling Clients: Purse & Clutch, Soul Studio and private personal clients across Austin for over five years
Leadership Roles: Head of PR, Fair Trade USA; Director/Head of Marketing for sustainable and plant-based CPG brands.
Now Booking (2026):
Ready to grow your fashion business? Tired of making costly mistakes? Our team can guide you to make the right decisions
Book with us below and we’ll be in touch shortly via Email to get you scheduled
