A：Your business plan needs to lay out how you plan to manage your clothing brand. Be as realistic as possible when writing it. Remember, it’s better to underestimate your profit to get the surprise of realization than to overestimate your ability to end up Disappointed. In particular, think carefully about:
executive Summary. The executive summary is both a description of the company’s mission statement and future plans, as well as a way to attract potential investors. This is necessary for all businesses, but especially in the jeans customs industry, which often requires outside investment.
company description. The company description can let others know what your clothing brand is, what differentiates you from your competitors, and what kind of market you want to get involved in.
B: A company’s financial plan is a top priority. In the early stages, funding is the lifeblood of a business. Even if you don’t have outside investment, it’s important to get your company’s finances on the right track and have some ground. You can start with:
How much money do you need to start your clothing brand? Have you saved enough money for this, or do you need a bank loan? Consider an SBA or other type of loan to get your business off the ground. You may need to use collateral to obtain a loan.
What are your costs? Read the latter part of the article, then make a list of all expected costs (materials, manufacturing, supplies, equipment, advertising, marketing, overhead, etc.). Add up the cost of running the business for a year. Can your achievable income offset these costs?
C: Just imagine how long you can do it yourself without getting paid. Do you want to do this clothing brand full time? If so, how many years are you willing to wait before the company turns a profit and you earn your own paycheck? Or do you just want it to be a side hustle? It’s great if it makes money, but you should value the thing more than making money. Try to measure your commitment. In the meantime, be prepared to not pay yourself a salary for the first year or so of operation, unless you’re very lucky.
You’ll probably spend more than you earn in the first four quarters (a year). Once you have established your brand, you can expand your funding through angel investors, celebrities, and pre-order accounts with malls.
D: Do research of the market. Who are your current and possible future competitors? Who is your target market? How much do you think your designs will sell in retail and wholesale? Ask those around you for feedback. Chat with store owners and potential customers.
A part-time retail job at a store that caters to your target market is a great way to go. See what the store is buying and what the customers are buying.
Find an example of a garment similar to the one you want to design and see how much they sell for. This can be a strong prop when you start your own clothing brand.
E: Clarify your legal obligations. First, decide on your business structure (LLC, partnership, corporation, etc.). In the US, you need a tax ID number and a business license, and you need to fill out a DBA (Doing Business) form at your local bank so you can accept checks drawn in your company’s name. You may want to consider hiring a lawyer as a consultant, or to help out whenever you need it.
A: Consider whether you need staff. Do you need to hire staff to your clothing brand? What kind of assistants do you need, how many hours per week are you asking for, what are you able to pay?
If your product is boutique-grade, you’ll need to do all the cutting, stitching, and finishing yourself. If you plan to start a larger business, you will definitely need to hire people to help with production.
Do you want your garments to be produced locally? Organically? Are you willing to spend less money to produce abroad? These questions will all affect who you decide to hire.
Do you want to build a retail location? If yes, you may want to hire staff.
B: Start building your brand. Now is the time to make some fun and tasteful decisions! How you build your brand will affect who will associate with your clothing brand, so choose wisely.
Choose a name. What kind of name can represent your clothing brand? You can use your own name (like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Marc Jacobs) a word of your own making (like Rodarte or Marchesa), evolved from another language Words that come from you (e.g. escada, which means stair or ladder in Portuguese), or words that appeal to you in their aesthetic meaning (e.g. iceberg, mulberry, or imitation of Christ). Whichever you choose, make sure it’s unique and recognizable.
Your brand name and company name should be different. For example, your company name could be an initial or variation of your own name, while the name of a collection of clothing (clothing line) should be more creative and representative of the design style.
C: Design a logo. Make a broad list of many different logos, then narrow them down until you pick one you’re absolutely sure of. People will gradually recognize your logo, but if you keep changing it, they can be easily confused. Check to make sure there is an available domain name for the name you pick, and consider registering a trademark (this is recognized and encouraged in most jurisdictions).
A: This is the most fun part for many people, but it’s really only 10-15% of the process! Make sketches, ask for feedback, and decide which designs will become your first collection. Pick out fabrics and materials that are cost-effective and on-trend.
Ask anyone on the line if there are any restrictions, such as if they can’t print certain colors. If you’re designing jeans, you should get the following information from the jeans manufacturer: design for size, choice of fit, weight/quality of fabric (e.g. thinner, cheaper fabrics for summer denim).
Details and everything. When you sketch, create a sketch that clearly shows every detail and that is terminologically accurate. If you don’t know what the term is, find the corresponding photo to show the jeans manufacturer and ask what they call it and how to custom jeans with that. Learn the lingo to be prepared to correctly identify the fabric (output), content and structure you wish to use.
B: Design your collection according to the season. Collections are usually designed according to the season. Most jeans customs brand do their buying at least two quarters in advance, while small stores typically buy one or two quarters in advance. You need to work out the design, production and delivery time accordingly.
C: production design, give your sketches to the jeans manufacturer of custom jeans, usually a prototype or sample will be made first, so that you can confirm whether the garment that will be produced is the kind you want. Regardless, be sure to ask enough questions and communicate all the details.
D: Looking for a jeans manufacturer. Search the Internet for “Custom jeans manufacturer”, Many people use overseas jeans manufacturers because of the lower cost. But keep in mind that many overseas manufacturers only do high MOQ, so ask about the MOQ first before proceeding, also ask about the turnaround time, when is the soonest you can receive the samples (they should provide samples before going into production) .
A: Create a website to promote your jeans custom brand. Make sure it looks professional and presents your brand in a positive way. Provide contact information in case the store or other business should contact you. If you want people to be able to buy clothing directly from your website, then you need to set up a shopping cart and customer account so you can accept credit card payments.
B: Establishing links between websites and blogs can make people pay attention to your brand and website. This includes selling through auction sites that allow clothing sales, arts and crafts clothing sales sites. Don’t forget, whether it’s written, verbal or helpful compensation, the relationship chain can drive sales!
C: Promotional jeans. These costs can run into the thousands of dollars in just one year. Here’s how you can implement branding:
Write a press release and send it to local newspapers and magazines.
“Buy” advertising space in publications and websites that your target group is likely to read.
Sponsor events to cater to your target audience.
Ask for celebrity endorsements, or give away free gifts to those most popular to wear your items.
Use social media like Twitter, Facebook and your own blog to get the word out. Make sure you have a great LinkedIn profile.
D: Think of yourself as a walking billboard. Wearing your own fashion and asking others for their opinion, and documenting it, will also help you design a product that people will love. Taking everyone’s advice is like having your own marketing and design team, but it doesn’t cost you anything. Money is tight when starting out, so take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.
E: Place an order. Make sales at festivals, markets, everyone you know. Negotiate with local stores and convince them to carry your brand. Showcase your clothing online. Print clothing catalogs and mail them to clothing stores and potential customers.
F: If you have funds, you might as well go to fashion shows. Buying a booth is expensive, but it’s worth it both in terms of sales and publicity. For example, the MAGIC fashion show in Las Vegas, or the Bread and Butter fashion show in Europe, are great venues that will put you in the spotlight.
