How To Start A Clothing Line From Scratch

Now more than ever, the desire to start our own businesses has never been greater, with 3.2 million ‘Brits’ estimated to have started their own companies in 2018, citing a desire to ‘become their own boss’ and ‘getting itchy feet at work’ as part of their incentive to become a self-made entrepreneur. And who can blame them when workers are getting undervalued and underappreciated at work, how can we question their decision to go down the self-employment route, when their creativity is being stifled or stuck in jobs that ‘do not make them happy’? After all I should know how difficult it is to work without recognition, to be in a job where you are a hamster watching the wheels go round and when every day is an endless series of monotonous routines, that leave you drained and lifeless when you go home. Of course not all employment sectors are limiting, and rather many workers enjoy stable financial prospects and the security of a workday routine. But for 52% of Brits wanting to create their own businesses citing a ‘better work-life balance’ as an incentive to make a change, it makes sense that people are wanting to learn how to start a clothing line from scratch, wanting to ‘find’ the next big app, or create a product that they feel has been missing in the target market. For me personally, taking the step to leave my job to go full time has been the best decision I could have ever had made, but alongside blogging there are several side projects that I would like to work on, including creating my own clothing line from scratch.

But how on earth do you ensure that you stand out as a small fish among multi-national fashion companies when you create your own clothing line I hear you ask? Well, it’s far from simple; starting your own clothing line is more than just deciding what ‘products you will be selling’ but also establishing what your target audience is, how you will ‘sell your products’ and what the price point of the goods are that you will be selling. Which is where this guide to starting your own clothing line comes in. From finding a clothing manufacturer that can help you find clothing to sell as part of your brand, to choosing a ‘clothing line’ business model, here are some key steps to that will enable you to start a clothing line.

Find A Reputed Clothing Manufacturers Specialist Like Sewport

Even if you have never started your own business before, do not be put off by a lack of experience, as anyone can make their dreams come to life, if they dare to dream. Starting your own clothing line has never been more accessible, with professionals such as pattern makers, tech pack creators, design partners, materials partners and production partners, coming together on websites like Sewport, to help you get your dream business on the road.This innovative website not only brings both designers and suppliers together with easy ways to communicate through the platform, but it also allows you to develop a business relationship with your suppliers as you can work together to establish exactly how you would like your products to ‘look’ in accordance to your brand aesthetic. For example lets look at one of the initial aspects of ‘fleshing out’ a fully fledged clothing line; you can work with manufacturers directly to create ‘concept sketches’ which can be either drawn ‘digitally’ or on paper. Eventually these ‘concept sketches’ can become digital sketches, using programmes like ‘Illustrator’, which you don’t need to draw out yourself, but rather you can find someone who can bring your vision to life, via platforms like Sewport.

Another key aspect of finding a reputed manufacturer is ensuring that they are able to obtain samples, so that you can see how your brand comes to life. This will involve a manufacturer like Sewport giving you limited samples which gives you a visual demonstration of how they have interpreted your ‘concepts’ and also allows you to see what you like about the collection and what can be improved ahead of a full production run.

Choose A Clothing Line Business Model That Will Elevate Your Brand

The choice as to what business model you ‘choose for your clothing line’ is entirely dependent on what kind of fashion brand you are looking to create. For example those who are starting a fashion brand on a budget might look into creating a ‘print and demand’ line, which refers to using a special digital ink-jet printer to print ink directly onto clothing and apparel, whereas a custom cut and sew line, is exactly what it sounds like, where you do ‘everything yourself’ from financing the production run to designing sketches and sourcing fabrics.

The business model that you choose should be dependent on what kind of budget and time you have available to offer the brand. For example lets say you are creating a clothing line on the side, alongside a full time schedule, you might not have much time to dedicate to developing the brand but might have a higher budget. In that case you might decide to choose a ‘Print And Demand Clothing Line’ which has the lowest ‘energy input’ because it is an automated production service, where it produces high quality apparel quickly and efficiently. However if you are looking to create ‘large production run’ then Print On Demand will not be cost effective as there are no volume discounts. In contrast if you are looking at running a ‘business full time’ and have time to dedicate solely to the business alone, then the ‘cut and sew line’ might be the best fit for you, and will equip you will the skills needed to create your own clothing line from scratch. However please note the start up costs for a custom cut and sew line are very high as you need to finance all aspects of your clothing brand. It does mean however that you retain all creative control of the brand.

Find Your Clothing Niche And Differentiate Your Brand

The most important part of creating your clothing brand is establishing what niche you want for your brand and how it would stand out from the rest of the crowd. For example let’s say your niche was a clothing line that created T-Shirts to raise awareness of mental health, the way that you would stand out from the crowd would be on your emphasis on mental health and raising awareness through your clothing line. This might be through a cohesive logo or design that raises awareness of mental health-whether that be through images or slogans- or even through the branding story that you ‘create’ which will help you create a niche that identifies with your target audience.

Or let’s say that you want to create a brand whose niche is sequin festival wear, it would be very important to look at the material and quality provided by the manufacturers to see whether it aligns with your price point and brand aesthetics. It would also be important to note as to whether the fit and style is on brand, making it key to ensure that sizing is ‘accurate’ and directly reflects the needs of your consumers.