Have a knack for spotting fashion trends ahead of time? Are you dissatisfied with the current landscape of clothing lines? Check out these tips on how to start your own!
Launching your own project can be a daunting experience, no matter the formula. Whether it’s kickstarting a new cosmetic line. Or signing yourself up as a legal freelance trader. Or launching your own clothing line. There’s nothing scarier than making the jump. To make things easier, we’ve sifted through some research, to find out the best steps to achive this.
Check it out!
Identify Your 4 W’s
Where to start is often the hardest part of any project. Which is why people typically procrastinate for hours, weeks, even months before they’re actually ready to begin. But what if we told you, launching your own clothing line isn’t as scary as it sounds. In fact, it all stems from one simple list. What clothes will you stock? Which styles will you embrace? What seasons will you cover, and who is your target audience? And who inspires you?
The four W’s include: Who, What, Where, When and How. Yes, the ‘how’ really throws off the uniform here, but we promise it’s important.
Who: Who does your clothing line cater to?
What: What is your brand? What is your clothing line called? What is its aim, its purpose?
When:`When will you launch your clothing line?
Where: Where will your clothing line be available?
How: How does your clothing line differentiate from all the others that currently exist? How is it separate from the rest? What makes it special, or unique?
Register Your Business
Once you’ve identified these steps, the next thing you need to tick off your to-do list is registering your clothing line as a legal entity. This is a basic requirement for any company, no matter the size. Companies like Tide and YOUR Company Formations are known for being cost-effective organisations, providing legalisation for brands in the UK. Additionally, your business will also need to be registered through Gov.uk as a trade mark. This immediately gives your brand legal protection and the right to sell and license your brand. While we know this doesn’t all sound too glamorous, unfortunately, the beginning stages of starting a new business tend to involve rather dull admin.
Identify Your Manufacturing Routine
How do you want your clothing line to be distributed? Do you want to go big and sell things in bulk, or do you want to go down a more independent route and sell things in limited edition? As a first-time brand owner, there are so many options to consider on how to distribute your product. Realistically, when starting, budgets can be pretty limited. So the question of manufacturing can also come down to what’s most cost-effective. Which, typically, will be limited edition, since bulk producing would naturally involves collaborating with wholesale suppliers. This can come with substantial fees. And understandably so.
However, if you’re fortunate enough to have a loan or strong financial backing for your new brand, then Tapstitch has been proven to be a good and sustainable organisation. Helping new brands distribute their clothing lines ethically. Additionally, sites such as UK Fit and Project Blanc Studio are known for providing useful resources on well-credentialed fashion manufacturers and organisations to work with.
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Research, Study, Educate
Some of the biggest fashion brands include names such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, to name a few. All of which have been trademarked as globally successful business models. No matter where you are in the world, country to country, city to small town, these names are known for being the top clothing lines across both high street fashion and runways.
Launching your own clothing line is very different to succesfully maintaing one, and one of the best ways to sustain it is to master the ins and outs of the industry. Learn which brands continue to make headlines year in and out. Studying, researching and educating yourself on the intricacies of how fashion works and the rich history will help you get a stronger idea of what it takes to succeed. That’s not to say that your brand’s journey should be a copy and paste of successful campaigns; rather, great tools and skills can be gained from inspiration.
How To Ensure Your Brand Stands The Test Of Time
Many major fashion brands continue to stand the test of time; however, not without complications. For example, Ralph Lauren and Burberry had periods where their high-brow profile dropped due to the rich being threatened by how commercialised and thus popularised and easily accessible these labels became to the working class. Because of this, these brands suffered fashion suicide for a brief period. Despite both brands earning hundreds of thousands in the process. However, this ‘bad press’ per se didn’t last long, as the profiles of both brands later revived. The key to take from the journeys of these brands is that if you make a brand that is high fashion and equally accessible to all classes, you eliminate any chances of class divide. Thus, instead create long-standing and successful brands.
A prime example of this is Vivienne Westwood. The now late fashion designer is known for being a voice of a generation. An artist way ahead of her years. Her fashion range has remained as a high fashion staple, and that’s for a few simple reasons: there is no class divide in wearing Westwood. It’s all about inclusivity and sustainability. And if you want a brand that stands the test of time, honing in on this could be your gold dust.
Create A Digital Identity for Your Brand
We live in a digital age. Social media is everything these days, and is perfect for brand exposure. One of the most effective ways to get your brand noticed is by creating a strong social media presence. Actively posting weekly, staying on top of trends, and scheduling social content that not only advertises you, as a new fashion designer, but also hops onto trending conversations about emerging clothing lines. Sites such as Instagram and TikTok are imperative tools for boosting reach, gaining and maintaining an audience, all while maximising exposure. Aditionally, it’s one of the most cost-effective tools for getting noticed. While ad campaigns are strongly advised, researching trending videos, staying on top of what’s current and gaining media traffic are some of the easiest ways of expanding your company, that don’t involve breaking the bank.
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Laviea Thomas is a journalist at Inside Success who writes about film, music and politics.
Outside of that, she is an experienced freelance journalist with bylines in NME, The Quietus, Metal Hammer and more.
Over the years, Laviea has been an active panellist discussing fundamental conversations in the music industry, such as diversity and inclusion, and the importance of grassroots venues. She has been a panel guest for Kerrang! Focus Wales Festival, Future Yard and more.
