If you are thinking of starting a fashion business of your own or opening your store, it should comprise a combination of hard work, patience, and passion, on one hand, and of course a lot of creativity, on the other. For any fashion designer to be able to see his or her own creative work featured in a fashion show or selling so well in the market, would definitely be a dream come true. It’s definitely not the easiest business idea out there, but it can be a very rewarding business with a huge upside. And it is indeed a very popular business idea, especially in today’s world.
It does sound amazing to create a store filled only with items that you yourself made. Moreover, you can use your designs to connect and create a strong bond between you and your customers. But, the road you need to take to create a successful clothing line is not always going to be smooth and easy.
Research and more research
You should try not to just sell your product, but to actually know your product. There are now a lot of options accessible when it comes to the clothing printing side, and you don’t want to really push yourself by going with just one style because you didn’t take the time to investigate other creative options that brought different results.
Fast fashion has taken over the industry, simply because the products are made cheaply and the production is rapid, but more and more companies are researching and trying to make products that will last for a long time. Thus, choosing the right and well made fashion products for your brand needs to be a must. That way they will be able to change their mindset from quantity to quality.
The right Mindset
The first thing you see when you think of your own clothing line is that you think of yourself as a designer. But, the main ingredient of a successful clothing line is seeing yourself as the CEO in the first place, and then a designer.
In the beginning, everything will probably start just with you, you will be the one taking care of everything that a brand entails: you will be in charge of website maintenance, marketing promotion, PR, finances, taxes, sourcing of your products, designing, the shipping process, you name it. You will even need to do things you’re not trained for or don’t really like doing.
With the existence of e-commerce platforms and all kinds of tools available and with the help of software like Unmade, where you can create your own clothes on-demand, building your own brand can actually be easy. You can use the software to create and design and manufacture whatever you like to meet your future customers’ needs.
Fashion design skills and their development
Many world-famous designers like for example Vivienne Westwood, were able to find massive success in the fashion world, even though they self-taught themselves and did not have any formal education. And of course, their careers started in the pre-internet era. Times have changed so much for us, we live now in a time of access, and making a new engine or tailored t-shirt can simply be taught and learned by watching a couple of YouTube videos.
It’s a possible mission to launch your own clothing line, even without formal education, but learning a few things in a classroom or online, has its merits: you can learn the latest standards in the industry, also have access to resources and equipment, make contacts, and professionals can be the ones giving you some feedback on your work.
Beyond classic marketing channels
Marketing your brand is actually one of the hard things to do—preparing a demand for your items and accessories, presenting them to an audience, and pointing customers your way.
But, before choosing the right marketing channels for your brand, it should be stated as a fact that people don’t just accidentally stumble upon products that are of “relevance” to them. It’s actually all a way of strategic placement. Think what are the online places your customers visit and where it looks like you can surprise them and actually present it as an illusion that they were the ones discovering you. Think of SEO, find influencers, and target community-building activities.
Educate yourself
Nowadays, everything is up for a change, starting from the industry itself, the business landscape, and your target market. The world around us is constantly evolving, so one very important thing is to stay on top of the most up-to-date data. Even if we talk about social media algorithms on one side or where your customer is shopping, on the other, you need to keep researching so that the decisions you make for your business are informed decisions.
Networking
The number 1 marketing tool these days is still the word of mouth, even though everyone would choose social media as being at the forefront of their marketing plan. Simple, real-life relationships are still very important. You can use platforms like LinkedIn to stay connected with some professional acquaintances.
Good Cash Flow and Financing
When you start with your business, the one thing you need to pay attention to is how to handle and manage your cash flow and funding. It is also a crucial thing to know about budgeting because this is the way you will allot the money that you need for making your product and have enough money to pay suppliers and retailers. Your finances should always be under your control.
When you have the right mindset and you are ready to create your own brand keep your heart and mind open for everything that will come and all the lessons you will learn.
