No matter what type of business you want to start, it all begins with a simple idea. If you have a killer idea about building a clothing brand, I recommend not wasting time and just starting it.
Don’t know where to begin?
Well, that’s why I am writing this guide. Starting a clothing brand might seem like a complex idea (which it is to some extent), but you can kickstart a startup by following some simple guidelines.
In this article, I am going to discuss how to start a clothing brand in detail.
Let’s start.
Understanding The Clothing Brand Business:
Before getting into discussing a step-by-step way of building a clothing brand, let’s understand its basics. A clothing brand business usually revolves around selling clothing items that belong to a specific company or brand.
This brand, whether personal or enterprise-level, usually focuses on providing a quality that is based on specific ideas and values.
Nike, Chanel, Supreme… all of these are some of the biggest clothing brands that are changing the world of fashion entirely. There’s one thing in common between them. It’s the fact that all of their clothing products belong to a specific vision.
Your main job while starting such a brand will be to create quality products that reflect your personal brand and sell them to make a profit. That’s pretty much it!
However, its demands are going through a certain phase, and building a brand from scratch that’s well-known and popular enough to help you generate a great income. That’s what I’m going to shift the discussion towards.
How to Start a Clothing Brand – Easy Steps
Starting a clothing brand is just like starting any other business. You have an inspiration and a plan, and you just execute it to shape a business. Let’s see how to do it:
1. Have an Inspiration
I believe that starting a clothing brand without inspiration is just selling a mediocre “me too” product in the market. Do you know what happens to a mediocre product in a competitive market?
It collapses.
That’s why it’s important to start with having an inspiration. I learned this fact from Maximilian Reisinger, who launched a clothing line, Perspectopia. He explained in one of his videos that the inspiration and concept behind the brand was to create a culture centered around “an optimistic way of living”.
So, find your perspectopia and center the clothing brand around it.
2. Create a Plan
Creating a business plan is as important as any other step involved in this process. A business plan helps get a complete overview of the big picture. It includes the main goals and a streamlined outline about how to achieve them.
A more comprehensive plan also includes points like:
- Financial planning
- Product sourcing
- Marketing
- Operation set-up details
So, design a complete plan that encompasses all the major aspects of the clothing brand.
3. Come up With a Name and a Logo
This step is probably the point that excites most aspiring entrepreneurs. After all, we all would love to see our brand name and logo on a t-shirt that someone is wearing.
Coming up with a name and a logo requires creativity. It’s something that does not have a direct impact on the popularity of the business. However, it’s important because it brings value to the brand and gives it a unique identity.
There’s one ultimate tip that I’ll give you about this point:
Don’t overcomplicate it.
💡Pro Tip
People spend hours and hours coming up with a brand name. That’s not necessary. Pick any name that reflects the core values of the brand. Do the same thing with the logo.
4. Legalize The Brand
If you’re going for the long run (which you should), legalizing the brand is extremely important. Not only will it keep the company away from any legal troubles, but it will also give the rights to the brand name and logo.
In this way, no one else would be able to copy it.
Legalizing the brand involves a bunch of different things. It’s really a complicated process, and I suggest consulting with a business lawyer first. Still, to give you a simple overview, legalization involves the following factors:
- Registering the business entity.
- Trademarking the brand name and logo.
- Getting required licenses and permits.
- Registering for taxes.
5. Source The Material
Sourcing the material is an important step since it’s going to determine the overall quality of the brand.
Do the research and find the right supplier that sells quality material. Make sure to build good relationships with the supplier to have a pleasant, long-term deal.
💡Pro Tips
🔷Avoid going for a cheaper product.
🔷Order a sample first and analyze it properly.
🔷Conduct different tests on the fabric, such as washing and heat exposure.
🔷Don’t forget to consider the shipping costs along with the overall material price.
6. Design Your First Clothing Line
Now, it’s time to design your first clothing line. Please remember that it has to be amazing. You might not be able to design the perfect product at first. But make sure not to finalize until you’re completely satisfied.
It doesn’t matter what type of clothing batch is being designed first. Still, designing things like t-shirts and hoodies is recommended. These are versatile clothes and will attract a wider audience at launch.
Important Considerations:
👉 Plan to create clothes for different sizes.
👉 Avoid complex designs at first to save budget.
👉 Besides the design, focus on wearability and comfort as well.
👉 The first line should be highly relevant to the brand’s ideology.
7. Manufacture a Prototype
Another important factor that you need to follow during the “how to start a clothing brand?” process is to manufacture a prototype. Manufacturing a prototype before starting full-scale manufacturing is important.
As a newbie, it’s impossible to know whether or not the first clothing line is going to be game-changing. Creating a prototype allows testing and reviewing to fix issues and make improvements.
So, create a proper sample first and then run different tests on it to confirm the quality before manufacturing the whole unit.
Testing The Prototype
- Test the sample on different body types for a fit check.
- Wash the product properly and study the effects.
- Expose it to the heat to check the effects.
- Take feedback from experts about the quality.
8. Launch The Brand
Finally, it’s time to launch the brand. It’s an important step because it is going to make the first impression on a specific audience. So, make sure to launch the product in a proper way.
People utilize different ways to launch a clothing brand. Some prefer a soft launch, where they introduce the product to their inner circle of friends and family members.
On the other hand, some people go for a full-scale launch. It involves investing in launch campaigns using different techniques, such as utilizing influencer marketing.
9. Market the Brand After Launching
Creating and launching a clothing brand is only one part of the main business. The real game begins when you market the brand to a large audience. After all, the more people know about the brand, the more successful it will become quickly.
People use a bunch of different marketing techniques to launch their newly introduced brand to the market. Some of the main ones include:
- Digital Marketing
- Paid advertising
- Search Engine Optimization for the website
- Print media marketing
💡Pro Tip
🔷Utilize popular social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook for a quick promotion.
🔷Invest in Search Engine Optimization to build a strong and ranking website.
🔷Build an email list at the start and utilize it for email marketing.
10. Grow The Brand
It’s more of a post-brand-launching step, but it’s super important. People who have a long-term vision for a business should start focusing on growing the clothing brand.
Growth involves reaching out to more customers and producing more clothing lines. It also involves partnering with other relevant brands and increasing your company’s reach. Pick any suitable method of scaling the business in order to maximize brand visibility and make more sales.
Final Verdict
For anyone wondering how to start a clothing brand, one thing to keep in mind is that it’s possible. If you have a proper vision of a brand, you can transform it into a proper business.
Just have a perspective and center the whole brand around it. Don’t compromise on the quality, and keep on marketing the brand to get more exposure.
Soon, you’ll be able to see the brand become successful and give you a decent profit.
People Also Ask
To do that, you need to build a vision and create a name and logo accordingly. Then, legalize the brand and source material from quality suppliers.
It mainly depends on the scale at which you want to launch the brand. In general, it could cost you somewhere around $500 to $50,000.
To create a brand name for clothing, pick something that defines the value of the brand. It doesn’t have to be very complicated.
To start a high-fashion brand, you’re going to need premium-level fashion design skills. These skills will help you create amazing clothes and pick the finest material to manufacture high-quality products.
