How To Launch A Clothing Business
Picture by Ray Piedra from Pexels – CC0 Licence
The world of fashion is undeniably competitive. However, with a combination of design skills, business acumen, a quality manufacturer, a great team, and determination, it’s possible to make your clothing label a well-known brand.
Source A Factory
With an abundance of overseas factories offering to manufacture clothing lines at affordable prices, it can be hard to resist the opportunity to outsource apparel production abroad. However, without having access to the manufacturing facility, it’s challenging to keep a watch over the process, to check your clothing production is going ahead as intended. The bottom line is, you need to develop a great relationship with a manufacturer you can trust.
While researching and contacting potential production companies, it’s essential to be mindful of the Latest Trend in Fashion: Low MOQ Manufacturing. MOQ, aka minimum order quantity, is often required from manufacturers when you order the creation of clothing. So, ensure your business budget can afford this before you ask a manufacturer to create a prototype.
Find Your Market
There needs to be proof of demand for a particular form of apparel before leaping into designing and creating garments. It’s how you’ll know your products will have a fighting chance of appealing to consumers and selling!
Please take a look at and research existing clothing companies to see who they cater to and the styles they offer. During your research, find out whether you can identify a gap that has not yet been explored, such as glamorous outfits for XXL women or fashionable choices for older women.
Connect With The Intended Audience
Finding your market is the start of designing clothes that an intended audience wants or needs, and can afford. And it’ll lay the foundation for creating a clothing line which sells. But more research is required to get to know your audience and gain a better understanding of their struggles. Such as finding clothing that fits the way they want. Apparel that suits them and their style, and that flatters their body.
Speaking to and surveying your market’s problems will help you create a clothing line that solves customers’ solutions. Making your products a necessity to buy, and a competitor to watch in the fashion world.
Design A Team
Your team is as vital as your concept. The people you invite into your business should possess the same vision as you for your brand, and be skilled, motivated, and creative.
As with any startup, money is understandably tight, to begin with, which restricts the talent you can afford. However, fashion schools have plenty of eager students who aspire to gain experience in apparel design and production. Why not send out a notification on social media of what you’re looking for? And offer hands-on experience for suitable candidates.
If you have a passion for fashion and dream of seeing your clothes modeled on the runway. Or displayed in the window of a large department store, you can make it happen.
However, before you begin daydreaming about owning your own clothing store and heaps of customers queueing outside the doors, it’s wise to work through the above points to help get your business plan in order.
