How to Launch Your Own Fashion Brand

If you want to start your own fashion brand but do not know where to start from, then you have come to the right place. Never forget that challenges are always there. You are not the only one who is having trouble establishing a clothing brand. Every successful fashion brand was once an idea. It is their commitment, struggle, and effort that turned the idea into a successful fashion brand.

Finalizing your Business Model:

Every fashion brand follows a business model to hit big in the industry. It doesn’t turn into a success overnight. Let us discuss the three options you need to finalize for your business model:

Designing from Scratch – This process can be done in two ways. Either designing clothes, sourcing material, and producing garments yourself or through a manufacturer. It is a bit costly method and a more time-consuming method. The perks include higher profits and a fashion brand that is your own.
Wholesale – This is a simple process. It involves buying clothes in bulk and customizing them by adding your own designs, tags, and labels. The method of printing involved in this process is screen printing. This is because its quality is better than digital printing which is the third option.
Print on-Demand – This process is the simplest one as compared to the other two. It involves buying plain garments and digitally printing your designs on them.

Step-By-Step Guide to Start a Clothing Line Business:

Now that you know the three ways to decide your business model, let us move onto the step-by-step guide that will help you layout your business model:

Decide your Niche – Think about something unique to offer to the competitive fashion industry. If it is already being offered by a big fashion brand, then why will customers buy from you? Find the gap in the market. Hit the right spot. Find your niche. Is your clothing brand going to be a fitness-related one, for example, or a formal one or something else?
Developing Brand Strategy – Devise a brand strategy that you will follow. This is a crucial process as brand strategy forms the image of your fashion brand. This is what your customers get connected with and will always get associated with. Think about the goal of your clothing business. What is it that you want to achieve from your product? Define the identity of your brand, its ethos, and the personality that you want to develop. Thus, the brand strategy also defines your target audience. The branding of your clothing lineup will target this audience.
Brand strategy will also help you deduce the budget required for your fashion brand. You need to decide the number of designs that you want to start with. It is best to start with one or a maximum of two designs at first. This is a common mistake that clothing brands make. They want to start by introducing various designs.
Keep in mind that there is and can never be anything fixed in the fashion industry. So, you should always be ready to be flexible and make your plans accordingly.
Organize your Business Plan – This step goes side by side with your brand strategy as you will find a lot of things merging with each other. If you are not sure about how to organize your brand, ask yourself the following questions:
Location and Working – Are you going to start your work from home and later move onto a small shop? Or are you going to start from a studio? Is it going to be an eCommerce apparel business?
Management – Are there any other actors involved? Is it you who is going to be designing your garments or are you going to hire a designer? Are you going to manage your brand on your own? Will there be people working for you?
Sales and Marketing – Will you use conventional ways to market your brand or digital ways? If you are establishing an eCommerce clothing brand, going for social media marketing will be the best option. Marketing is dependent upon your budget.
Decide your Brand Name – The last thing that you need to do is to decide on your brand name. Your brand name should complement your brand’s image. Think of a unique and creative name as this is the first thing people are going to hear about your brand. Your brand logo and slogans, if any, will be dependent upon your brand’s name. Thus, think wisely, yet creatively.
Creating your Designs – Now that you have planned everything, it is time to put that plan into action. This is the time to bring the creative artist within you to life. Start developing your clothing designs. Take your time here. Do not hurry as your first sample of designs will leave a lasting impression on the customers.
Manufacturing – Unless you are not manufacturing your own clothes, you will need to find a manufacturer. This manufacturer is going to be a long-lasting one. You cannot always find a new manufacturer for your next batch. This is the time to turn your clothing designs into a reality. This is where you will turn to all your contacts to get to the right manufacturer. Be patient and take your time. Your garment’s quality is dependent upon the manufacturer. The bad quality will put an end to your brand even before it starts. Thus, take your time. Once you finalize a manufacturer, it is time to get your first sample made. Make sure to order a small batch first and test it rather than ordering the entire bulk and end up being disappointed. Moreover, you can also test that small batch by introducing it in the market if you are not sure. For an initial start, you can get quotes at https://gradehouseltd.com/.
Final Cost of Product – By now, you know what your target audience is and what your production cost has been. So, decide the cost of your garment based upon your audience and the production cost.
Introduce your Brand to the Market – By now, you have finalized everything and also have your first batch ready to introduce to the market. While you have already made a business plan, but this is the time to refine your plan for the last time. You will have your brand name by now, your marketing techniques, and your first batch ready. The only thing left is to launch your brand and start selling your product. Your launch does not have to be a big one. In fact, it is better to go for a soft launch, depending on your budget as well rather than going for a huge one. Put marketing tactics into action, for instance, add deals and promotions, use influencers to market your brand, etc.