HOW TO CREATE YOU OWN CLOTHING BRAND?
How to create your own clothing brand? To be successful, you need to learn how to run your business, sell your products, and keep your customers happy. Here are some basics to help you get a foothold in the apparel and fashion industry.
STEP ONE: Create an orderly plan for your clothing brand
1.Build a solid and clear business plan. Your business plan needs to lay out how you intend to manage your clothing brand. Be as realistic as possible when writing. Remember, it's better to underestimate your profits to be pleasantly surprised than to overestimate your abilities and end up disappointed. In particular, think carefully about:
*Executive Summary. An executive summary is both a description of the company’s mission statement and future plans and a way to attract potential investors. This is necessary for all businesses, especially in the apparel industry, which often requires external investment.
*Company description. A company description lets others know what your clothing brand is, what differentiates you from your competitors, and what market you want to be in.
2.The company's financial planning is a top priority. In the early stages, funding is the lifeblood of a business. Even if you don't have outside investment, it's important to keep your company's finances running smoothly and have some basics in place. You can start with:
*How much money do you need to start your clothing brand? Have you saved enough money for this, or do you need a loan from the bank? Consider SBA or other types of loans to start your business. You may need to use collateral to get a loan.
*What are your costs? Read the latter part of this article, then make a list of all expected costs (materials, manufacturing, supplies, equipment, advertising, marketing, overhead, etc.). Add up the cost of running the business for a year. Can your realizable income offset these costs?
3.Just imagine how long you can do it yourself without getting paid. Do you want to do this clothing brand full time? If so, how many years are you willing to wait before the company is profitable and you earn your own salary? Or do you just want it to be a side hustle? It's great if it makes money, but you should value it more than making money. Try to gauge your level of engagement. At the same time, be prepared to not pay yourself for the first year or so of operation unless you are very lucky.
*You may spend more money than you earn in the first four quarters (one year). Once you’ve established your brand, you can expand your capital through angel investors, celebrities, and pre-order accounts at the mall.
4.Do research on the remaining markets. Who are your current and possible future competitors? Who is your target market? How much do you think your designs will sell at retail and wholesale? Ask those around you for feedback. Talk to store owners and potential customers.
*A part-time retail job at a store that caters to your target market is a good idea. Take a look at what’s in the store and what customers are buying.
*Find an example of a garment similar to the one you want to design and see how much they can sell for. This can be a strong support when you create your own clothing brand.
5.Be clear about your legal obligations. First, decide on your business structure (LLC, partnership, corporation, etc.). In the US, you need a tax identification number and a business license, and you need to fill out a DBA (doing business) form at your local bank so you can accept checks written in your company's name. You may want to consider hiring a lawyer to act as a consultant, or to help you whenever you need it.
STEP TWO: lay the foundation for your clothing brand
1.Consider whether you need employees. Do you need to hire people to your clothing brand? What kind of assistant do you need, how many hours per week are required, and what can you pay?
*If your product is boutique, you will need to do all the cutting, stitching and finishing yourself. If you plan to start a larger business, you will definitely need to hire people to help with production.
*Do you want your clothing to be produced locally? organically? Are you willing to spend less money (low quality) to produce abroad? These questions will affect who you decide to hire.
*Do you want to build a retail location? If so, you may want to hire people.
2.Start building your brand. Now is the time to make some fun and tasteful decisions! How you build your brand will influence who is associated with your clothing brand, so choose wisely.
*Name your brand. What kind of name can represent your clothing brand? You can use your own name (like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs) a word of your own creation (like Rodart or Marchesa), evolved from another language Words that come from (e.g. Escada, which means stairs or steps in Portuguese), or words you like in their aesthetic sense (e.g. iceberg, mulberry, or imitating Christ). Whichever you choose, make sure it’s unique and recognizable.
*Your brand name and company name should be different. For example, your company name can be your own initials or variations, while the name of a batch of clothing (clothing collection) should be more creative and representative of the design style.
3.Design a logo. Make an extensive list of many different flags, then narrow it down until you pick one that you're absolutely sure of. People will gradually recognize your logo, but if you keep changing, they can be easily confused. Check to make sure the name you pick has an available domain name, and consider registering a trademark (this is recognized and encouraged in most jurisdictions).
STEP THREE: MANUFACTURING your CLOTHING brand
1.Design clothes. For a lot of people this is the funniest part, but it's only 10-15% of the whole process! Make sketches, seek feedback, and decide which designs will be your first series. Pick out fabrics and materials that are cost-effective and trendy.
*Ask anyone on the line if there are any restrictions, like if they can’t print certain colors. If you are designing a t-shirt, you should get the following information from the printer: size (gauge) of the design (how big it can be), the type of shirt you want to print, the weight/quality of the fabric (for example, for summer clothing you can choose thinner, thicker cheap fabric).
*Details are everything. When you do a sketch, you should create a sketch that shows every detail clearly, with accurate terminology. If you don’t know what the term is, find the corresponding photo to show to the manufacturer and ask what they call it. Learn the jargon to be prepared to correctly identify the fabric (output), content and structure you wish to use.
2.Design your collection according to the season. The design of the collection usually depends on the season. Most department stores buy at least two quarters in advance, while smaller stores typically buy one to two quarters in advance. You need to schedule design, production and delivery accordingly.
3.Production Design. Take your sketches to a tailor, maker or screen printer. Usually a prototype or sample is built first, allowing you to confirm whether the garment that will be produced is the kind you want. In any case, be sure to ask ample questions and always keep all agreements in writing.
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*Keep production conditions in mind – consumers are more concerned with “sweatshop labor” today than in the past, and will boycott clothing brands that use cheap labor.
*If you know how to sew, you may be able to create prototypes and samples yourself. It is also a good idea to consult someone who is good at sewing clothes.
STEP Four: Marketing your clothing brand
● Write a press release and send it to local newspapers and magazines.
● “Buy” ad space in publications and websites that your target group is likely to read.
● Sponsor events to cater to your target audience.
● Get celebrity endorsements, or give the most popular people to wear your stuff for free.
●Use social media such as Weibo, WeChat and your own blog for publicity.
TIPS FOR your clothing brand
●Choose a catchy name that will help your business!
● See if you can find angel investors or similar investors willing to back your brand. You might even consider implementing a program to simultaneously invest in and promote your brand.
●Sometimes, the addition of a designer friend or colleague can help you get more support and ideas than just blindly immersing yourself in clothing. But make sure you’re business-friendly – you can’t be controlled by each other just because you’re friends.
● Make sure what you are doing or what you come up with helps to enhance your brand.
●Be conscious of making sure your clothing brand reflects your own principles. If you care about employee fairness, environmental health, and sustainability, you can ensure your brand operates in accordance with these principles and communicates them to consumers.
WARNNINGS FOR your clothing brand
●Once you get into the fashion world and start playing with celebrities, it’s very tempting to make sure you’re sane. Don’t go down like this. Keep looking for ways to improve. Keep changing your clothing brand and try to make progress. Don’t be too hedonistic or your brand will soon become outdated!
●Be sure to make sure that you can complete all the orders you have placed. If you fail to deliver the same amount of product on time as agreed, you will quickly become notorious.
PREPERATIONS FOR your clothing brand
●Business plan
● suitable design clothing point
● Garment storage warehouse (beware! This can be expensive)
●manufacturing details and identifying a most suitable manufacturer (do a lot of research online and discuss over the phone or in person)
● Mentor – You really should have someone who can help your industry survive and resist the challenges of industrial bottlenecks.
