How to Start Your Own Clothing Brand

If you have a passion for fashion and you’re ready to dip your toes in the business world and combine your passion with earning money, then starting your own clothing brand might be a no brainer for you. If you’ve decided to go for it and believe in yourself, then well done because not many people even get to that point when it comes to starting their own brand.

You have to be able to believe in yourself while understanding. It’s going to be a hard venture, but you need to be able to borrow the motivation along with the clothes so that you can ensure that your brand is going to go off with a great start. From investing in light booths to be able to colour match fabrics to investing in the right sewing machines, you need to know what you’re doing when it comes to starting your own clothing brand. In this article, we’re going to put together some tips to get you started.

  1. Consider your costs. The very first thing that you have to consider when you are starting a clothing brand is the cost of it. The exact costs are always going to vary depending on your business, size and model. For example, some clothing designers choose not to invest in a light booth so they can colour match fabrics when it comes to fixing clothing or put in their clothing colours together. You may be different and may decide to add that to your finances. The exact cost is really going to vary, but you need a minimum of $500 to $1000 to start a small clothing business so that you can get your marketing launched and actually be able to buy in the machinery and products that you need.
  2. Find your niche. Identifying a gap in the market and filling it is how you’re going to make your clothing brand stand out among all others. You want your brand to gain an edge in the competitive market out there that is already dominated by major clothing labels and brand names. A niche is so important because passion is not going to get you where you want to be on its own. You need to be able to make sales, and that’s how you’re going to find. In your niche, think of it as going to a random party and trying to market products to the general public. Are you going to be going for T-shirts or socks? Hats or jackets? Either way, you need to make sure that you are able to stand out compared to every other brand out there.
  3. Get to know your ideal customer. Are you marketing clothing for children or are you marketing it for adults? Understanding who your ideal customer is, is going to help your business to thrive because you’ll need to be able to fulfil an unmet demand. You need to think about spending habits, price ranges, the values of your customers, their behaviours, where they like to shop, do they like to go in store or do they like to shop online. You also need to think about building a product that your target audience is going to love.
  4. Think about the business model that you want. Are you striking out alone? Your business model is going to be your road map for your whole business. So having your business plan and your model put together is vital. It’s going to outline everything that you need, from how you’re planning to source and manufacture your clothes to how you’re going to sell them. Depending on your target consumers and your niche, there are a range of business models available for your fashion brand. You just have to know which ones are going to suit you the best. It’s going to take some time for you to figure this out, so do not rush this process. Are you planning to drop ship, or are you planning to create the clothing yourself and sell them on Etsy? Regardless of where you choose to sell it, you need to have your model mapped out so that you have something to follow.
  5. Think about your business structure. How do you plan to represent yourself legally? If you’re going in for sole proprietorship, you’re going to be an individual taking care of the entire operation. You may find it easier to go into a partnership with a mentor or with somebody who’s already been in the fashion industry for a while and knows what they are doing. Regardless of how you choose to do it, making sure that you have a structure mapped out along with everything else in your business plan is really going to help you to make a difference. 
Scroll to Top