How to Start Your Own Fashion Brand

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Starting a clothing line that can become a brand sounds like a dream but it can become a reality. Every famous and iconic brand that you know has a story, and usually, they have just started as a project in a living room. Many successful brands have started from the love for fashion or a need for certain clothes. That love and passion are what made them successful and a power company today.

While launching a brand may seem challenging, with today’s tools like online marketing teams and e-commerce, it is a lot easier than it used to be. Below we will show you how to start your own brand and make it successful.

Develop Your Brand

Your brand is your company’s public identity, something that will make you recognizable. It should include your best and most prominent attributes. You cannot understate the importance of a brand, as it can separate you from the competition and make you stand out as a new fashion brand.

What we wear and what we buy defines us and the customers, so the message that your brand conveys is important. Today’s generation of buyers wants a connection to the brand; they want to see the genuine side and plans of the brand. Ask yourself these questions:

What identity should my brand project?
Who will wear my clothes?
What makes my clothing unique?

By answering these questions you will see in what direction your clothing brand should go, and it’s very important to be consistent to make the brand stronger.

Identify the Need of the Market

A successful brand becomes one when there is a need for the clothes they make, not by making the clothes just because the designer likes it. A fashion brand is a business, so you should act upon that. All the products that are successful are catering to the need of the market and buyers. You can’t create a demand for a product.

Explore and try to figure out what product is needed that the major companies are not producing and selling, and focus on that.

Calculate the Numbers

Fashion is part business, so numbers and calculations are a big part of it, and you have to know your numbers. Whether you do it or you hire an accountant, figuring out the costs and profits is the way your brand will flourish.

The obvious points are tracking the sales and profits, but before that, there are a number of other aspects you have to account for. Some of them are license fees, marketing costs, design and sewing tools, materials, and wages for your employees if you have them. Calculating all of the numbers will ensure you know the cost of production, and you will be able to plan ahead.

Set Your Prices

The first thing you have to know in order to set prices is how much it costs to produce your clothes or the cost per unit. It is also important to include the cost of running your business and profit. The best prices are between 30 – 50% higher than your expenses for the garment. These are the fundamentals.

Another thing to consider is the price of your competitors and the value of your clothes. Whether you think about it or not, your customers are always being bombarded with ads, commercials, billboards, etc. with prices and selections of clothes from your competitors. That means they are comparing prices, and you should be aware of them.

If you don’t know any prices, it’s very easy to miss the mark on them and go either very low or very high. If you set a very low price your profit will suffer, and if you set a very high price you may not sell anything. Branding and marketing will also add value to your brand, so you may set higher prices.

Find a Clothing Manufacturer

Unless you plan to do the whole production process by yourself, you should consider hiring a clothing manufacturer or additional workers. Maybe you need interns, a fabric supplier or a factory that is going to produce a certain number of your clothes.

If you are a business person and don’t know much about design, a good way to look at is looking into design companies like Style State production that will make the design process easier for you and you can work with the production team.

Weigh the pros and cons of producing locally or internationally, but also try to be eco-conscious along the way.

Start the Launch

When you have finished all that up, it is time to launch your brand’s first clothing line. It doesn’t matter if it’s small at first, many successful designers have started out like that. Even though you would like to have your company all to yourself, you probably need access to capital, so it would be good to reach out to potential partners or co-investor.

If you have a business partner who could invest in your brand in exchange for future proceeds, entering the fashion business world is going to be a lot easier. It is the most traditional way to start a business, so be open to that solution.

When you start your fashion brand and gain some success, it is always a good thing to reflect on your actions and outcomes. Recognize your weaknesses, and learn from mistakes. They are a part of the process, and you should remember that no one’s journey is perfect, so relax and focus on your goals. Having a fashion brand and designing or selling clothes is fun and a way to express yourself and your art. Find the right type of customers, appeal to them, and your brand will flourish.

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Daria Winters

Daria Winters is a music/literature/travel addict and a firm believer in kindness and beauty. She’s currently living in Europe, but the road may easily take her somewhere else. Her goal is to one day become a well-known writer and blogger on lifestyle, health… and travel adventures!