Starting your own fashion-related clothing brand may seem difficult when you begin to approach it, however with the right guidance and well-conducted research, you can start your own brand with a strong understanding of what it takes to succeed.
You simply need to breakdown the steps and simplify the process – taking it a little bit at a time and covering key areas first so that you are prepared for what is to come.
Finding the right manufacturer
Once you have decided on developing your brand, the initial thing you will want to do is find the perfect manufacturer that will suit your needs.
This means working within your time scale, a good rate, being able to produce good quality prints and finding a garment manufacturer that can produce small orders for you. It is ideal that you start of your brand small so that you can test the waters a little bit – this means having a small quantity of orders to start with.
There are many suppliers around the UK and overseas that can create a variety of styles and designs tailored to your brand. Seamless Source can help find the right garment manufacturer for you. With easy communication via our website and 24/7 support from Seamless Source’s customer service team, you’ll be able to start turning your designs into real life products instantly.
Another aspect of clothing to consider is sustainable production and labour. It is likely that you will be competing with brands that can produce ‘eco-friendly’ clothing on a larger scale. Investing in a manufacturer that is friendly to the environment and eco-friendly within their production process is important.
Sourcing fabric
In order to maintain the sustainable aspect of your brand, your fabric sourcing is an essential factor to consider as transparency is highly values by customers. Consider looking at fabrics such as Bamboo, Jute and Tencel – as these have a variety of different qualities as well as being eco-friendly and biodegradable.
If you cannot afford to venture into these more innovative fabrics yet, then instead opt for better versions of standard fabrics – such as recycled polyester, BCI cotton, and responsible wool.
Another thing to consider is to order a prototype before you fully commit to ordering in bulk. This is because on CAD (or from your sketches), the design can look different to the real product. The material may drape differently, the print or the logo may not be as strong as visualised and you may decide you’d prefer an embroidery logo instead. Therefore, sampling is an important part of the whole production process.
Competitors
To start with, it’s great to look at your competitors. Evaluate strong competitors in the market – these can be established brands that you can use to develop lasting strategies or young and upcoming luxury brands. You will find that plenty will focus on sustainability and look into ethical practices, and as a result, produce well-designed stylish products.
Once you can understand how these brands create mutual connections and build relationships with their consumer base- this is something you can adopt within your own brand. By researching your potential competitors, you can identify their brand story, their USP, their price points and even take note of things in a design aspect.
Considering the details
When starting any form of clothing line, it is important to have a detailed tech pack and a clear idea of who your target audience is – this makes it easier to develop yourself and your brand identity to get the best for your future customers.
Also ensure you have covered the financial side of things – depending on how many orders you make, you’re more likely to be able to negotiate a better deal the bigger the order, but this does not mean you have to order in bulk straight away. As mentioned earlier, order in a smaller quantity and then work your way up once you discovered your best-sellers.
Investment and long-term goals
Another thing you need to consider and plan for way in advance is how much you are investing. You need to be aware that to start a new brand, your investments need to be well thought out, no matter what type of business you are aiming for.
You need to be prepared that you are going to be in this game for a while before anything starts to take off. You are looking for a 3-year (or more) game to get to a stage where you have secured a reasonable and comfortable amount of visibility for your fashion brand.
It is also important to think about your touch-points with your customers in order for them to buy into your brand. They need to feel up to date and a part of your brand, whether this is through digital marketing such as Instagram or Facebook or attending fashion events and exclusive fashion parties where you can meet and greet your potential customers.
If you are at a stage where you wish to look into garment manufactures that produce high-end quality fabrics, Seamless Source can help. We connect small to medium scale fashion businesses with suitable manufacturers from across the world. To find out more, contact us.
