How to start a Clothing Line from Scratch

Entrepreneurs are stronger than ever today and are continuously growing in numbers. One of the most popular businesses is starting your own clothing line. However, this entails much more than knowing how to design clothes. You need to have an understanding of how businesses work, how they’re marketed and what materials you’ll need in order to sell them.

Create a Brand

The very first thing you need to do is creating a brand identity. Name your product line and what it stands for. The title of your clothing line will represent the kind of clothes you will offer. It should be short and memorable so your customers don’t forget it.

Find Your Target Audience

Who will you be designing for? This will determine the direction your clothing line will go. What age will your target audience be? Will they be male or female? Where do they live? What do the people in your target have in common? Finding common traits is the key to marketing. Keep in mind what designs work according to fashion trends in different places.

Start Designing

Buy a sketchbook. If you’re passionate about design, you probably already have a lot of ideas bobbing around in your head. Putting them down on paper will help you make modifications and get a clearer idea of how they will look when finished and the direction that your designs are going. Part of the design will be the trim items like clothing labels and hangtags. There are many different choices to consider. Woven labels, heat transfers, printed labels and custom paper hangtags will all help tailor your clothing line to the appropriate targeted customer.

Find a Niche

This is another important factor to consider. There is a demand for everything in the market today. Find something that makes you different and work at making that difference stand out. Your niche could be  crochet, knitting, screen prints, pop culture, geek items; etc. Your niche will also determine your target market.

Get the Materials and Start Sewing

Now all your ideas need to be put into the real world. Invest in fabrics, threads and a sewing machine. Not every design will work with the same fabric. Feel free to experiment with them and play with your designs to make them unique.

Give them a Professional Look

Once you’re done with the prototype it’s time to put all the components together. Woven clothing labels or heat transfers can be added to the neckline as the main label. Additional labels can be sewn on the outside or sleeve of the garment to show your brand name. And a hangtag or joker tag with your logo and barcode to finish the product. The main idea is to remind the customer of your brand every time they put on your creations.

Start Selling

Now that you have the finished products, you need to find a way to reach out to your customers. You can either do this through a traditional brick and mortar establishment or the most common method for entrepreneurs, is selling online. This can be done through social media, a website or a third party online retailer. Whatever your choice, you need to keep your target market in mind when choosing the medium.

Shipping and packaging

The first impression is extremely important but so is the last impression. Make sure your branding elements are all in place when the product reaches the customer. Poly bags are popular for shipping with a branded color sticker. Make sure to include any promotional products along with your business card. Return business and positive word of mouth are the keys to your success.