Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Put everything together
• Part 2 of 4: Putting the basics into practice
• Part 3 of 4: Making the clothes
• Part 4 of 4: Marketing and selling your clothes
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Do you dream of setting up your own trendy clothing line? To be successful, you need to learn how to run a business, how to market your products and how to keep your customers happy. These are some helpful tips for starting a business in the apparel and fashion industry.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Put everything together

1. Draw up a good business plan. Your business plan outlines how you want to run your clothing line. When writing, try to be as realistic as possible. It's always better to underestimate your winnings and be pleasantly surprised than to overestimate your capabilities and get disappointed. In particular, consider the following aspects:
   • Introductory Summary - The Introductory Summary is both a description of your corporate mission and a means of attracting potential investors. This pitch is indispensable in all industries, but especially for clothing lines, as they often require external financing.
   • Description of the company. The company's description gives people an idea of ​​where you want to go with your clothing line, what sets you apart from your competitors, and the markets you want to gain a foothold in.
2. Put the way you are going to finance your business at the top of your priority list. Financing is the lifeblood of your start-up business. If you don't have external funding yet, it's important to work on this and master some rules of thumb. This is what you need to know to start your business:
   • How much money do you need to launch your clothing line? Have you saved up for this or do you need a loan from the bank? Find out what the options are for taking out a loan to start up your business. You may need collateral to take out a loan.
   • What are your costs? Read the rest of this article carefully and then list the estimated costs (materials, production, inventory, equipment, advertising, marketing, organizational costs, etc.). Calculate how much it costs to run your business for a year. Is your available budget sufficient to cover these costs?
3. Think about how long you can go without a salary. Do you want to dedicate yourself full time to your clothing line? If so, how many years are you willing to wait for your business to turn a profit, allowing you to award yourself a salary? Or do you want to add it? Profit is good, but you value creative expression more than profitability. Try to measure your involvement. Assume that you cannot award yourself a salary during the first year unless you are very, very lucky.
   • You probably spend more than you earn in the first four seasons (1 year). But once your company is established, you can expand with financing from private investors (for example via BAN Nederland), famous people and pre-orders on deposit.
4. Study the rest of the market. Who are your current and probably your future competitors? Who belongs to your target group? For how much do you think you can sell your designs to retailers and wholesalers? Ask around. Receive feedback. Talk to retailers and potential customers.
   • It may be an idea to find a side job in a store that supplies the market you have in mind. Pay attention to what the store is buying and what the customers are buying.
   • Find examples of clothing that resembles what you want to design and find out where and for how much it is sold. This knowledge gives you a head start when you start for yourself.
5. Find out what your legal obligations are. First, determine which legal form best suits your company (eg, NV, sole proprietorship, general partnership, etc.). Register your company with the local Chamber of Commerce. Your company will be assigned a VAT number. You can obtain information about starting a business at the Chamber of Commerce or on the website. You can consider hiring a lawyer as an advisor or to have on hand for when needed.

Part 2 of 4: Putting the basics into practice

1. Determine if you need employees. Do you need to hire people to help with your clothing line? Find out what kind of help you need, for how many hours per week, and what you can afford for it.
   • If your production is intended for exclusive clothing stores, you can cut, sew and hem yourself. If you want to take it bigger, you will definitely need to call in support for production.
   • Do you want your clothes to be produced locally? Biological? Do you have it made abroad for less money (and less good quality)? These questions influence your choice of who to hire.
   • Do you want a retail location? If so, you probably need to hire people.
2. Start creating your own brand. This is the time for fun fashion decisions! Your brand name determines what people associate with your clothing line, so choose wisely!
   • Choose a name. What name does your clothing line represent? You can use your own name (as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs have done), a word that describes you (such as Rodarte or Marchesa), a word from another language (e.g. Escada, stairs or ladder in Portuguese), or words with aesthetic value (such as Iceberg, Mulberry or Imitation of Christ). Whatever you choose, make sure the name is unique and recognizable.
   • Your brand name and your company name can and should be different. For example, your company name can consist of your initials or a variation of your own name, while the name of a collection (from the clothing line) should be more creative and representative of the style you have chosen.
3. Design a logo. Brainstorm about many different logos until you end up with one that you are completely sure of. People recognize you by your logo and it is confusing if you keep changing it. Find out if the chosen name is available as a domain name and how to register your trademark (most legal systems allow and even encourage this).

Part 3 of 4: Making the clothes

1. Design the clothes. This is the most fun part for most people, but it's only 10-15% of the whole process! Create sketches, receive feedback and decide which sketches will be part of your first collection. Choose fabrics and materials that are cost effective and contemporary.
   • Ask the manufacturer of your line what the restrictions are, such as certain colors that they cannot print. When designing a T-shirt line, ask the printer for the following information: dimensions specifications, the type of shirt you want to print on and the weight / quality of the fabric (for example, choose a cheaper thinner fabric for a summer clothing line) .
   • Detail is important. Provide your sketches with a good layout that clearly shows the details and uses the correct terminology. If you don't know the terminology, find a photo to show the manufacturer and ask what it's called. Learn the jargon and prepare well, so that you know how to recognize and name the substances you want to use in terms of weight (m / kg), material and composition.
2. When designing your collection, consider the seasons. Collections are usually designed seasonally. Most department stores purchase at least two seasons in advance and smaller stores purchase 1 to 2 seasons in advance. Please note that you need time for design, production and delivery accordingly.
3. Put your designs into production. Take your sketches to a seamstress, manufacturer or print shop. In general, a prototype is made first, so that you can be sure that the clothing is produced the way you want it. In any case, ask a lot of questions and always record everything in black and white.
4. Look for your manufacturers. Search the Internet for "clothing manufacturers". Many people work with clothing manufacturers abroad because the costs are lower. Keep in mind that many of those manufacturers only supply in bulk, so ask for minimum quantities before proceeding with them. Shop around and ask about the lead time and how quickly the prototypes can be sent to you (these samples should be available before your designs are ready for production).
   • Take into account the production conditions. Consumers are more aware of appalling working conditions than before and are dealing with clothing lines that have such a background.
   • If you can sew, you may be able to make the patterns and prototypes yourself. You can also seek advice from a sewing expert.

Part 4 of 4: Marketing and selling your clothes

1. Design a website to promote your clothing line. Make sure it looks very professional and displays the clothes at its best. Clearly state your contact details if shops or other potential trading partners want to contact you. If you want to sell clothes through your site, you need to set up a shopping cart system and set up payment methods so that you can receive payments via iDeal.
2. Connect with websites and blogs that can showcase your brand and website. You can also think of auction sites and arts and crafts sites that also allow clothing. Relationships generate sales, whether it be through word of mouth or the convenient go-to-do principle. Remember that well!
3. Promote your clothing line. This can cost thousands of euros in the first year. This is what you need to do to get your brand name on the market:
   • Write a press release and send it to local newspapers and magazines.
   • Buy it advertising space in newspapers and on websites that are read by people in your target audience.
   • Sponsor activities that attract your target group.
   • Get the support of a celebrity or give your clothes away to the most popular person you know for free so that he / she will walk around with it.
   • Use social media such as Twitter, Facebook and your own blog to spread the word. Also make sure you have a good LinkedIn profile.
4. Be your own advertising pillar. Wear your own fashion, ask people for their opinion and write them down. This also helps you design a product that people like. Take all suggestions seriously. It works the same as a marketing and design team and it costs you nothing. In the beginning you have a small budget, so take advantage of every opportunity you get.
5. Take orders. Sell ​​your wares at festivals, markets and to everyone you know. Make an appointment with local stores and convince them to include your line in their range. Offer your clothes on the internet. Have a catalog printed and sent to stores and potential customers.
6. If this fits your budget, go to fashion fairs. Renting a booth can be expensive, but it can be worth it, both for sales and publicity. For example, the MAGIC Fashion Trade Show in Las Vegas and the Bread and Butter fashion show in Berlin are great places to set your sights on.

Tips

• Sometimes it pays to work with a befriended designer or colleague who can help you get your clothing line off the ground. Two get more support and ideas than one. First check whether you can work well together, because the fact that you are good friends does not mean that you can run a company together!
• Come up with a catchy name! That helps to make your company a success!
• Be aware that your own principles must be reflected in the clothing line. If you care about fair labor, a healthy environment and sustainability, make sure that your clothing line adheres to these principles and that this is also made clear to the customers.
• Make sure everything you do reinforces your brand name.
• Try to find private investors who are willing to support your brand. You can even consider joining TV shows like Dragon's Den to attract investors and show off your clothing line at the same time.

Warnings

• Once you're in the fashion industry and in the company of celebrities, it can be tempting to rest on your laurels. Do not! Always look for opportunities to improve. Keep changing your clothing line and keep making progress. Don't take anything for granted or you will end up with a boring brand.
• Make sure you can always deliver orders. You quickly get a bad reputation if you cannot deliver ordered products or cannot deliver them on time.

Necessities

• Business plan
• Suitable place to design and edit clothes
• Storage space for clothes (Beware! This can be a costly affair.)
• Information about manufacturers. Make sure you have chosen the right one for your needs (do extensive research on the internet, by phone, and during face-to-face conversations).
• Mentors. You need to be able to rely on people to help you survive and help you overcome the challenges that come your way in this industry of fierce competition.