Establishing A Fashion Brand — It Is Not Just About The Clothing
Starting a fashion brand is not just about clothing. It is mostly creating a business plan rather than making clothes. When I first started thinking about becoming a fashion designer, I thought, I had to learn how to sew, and that’s it. However, diving into the fashion industry make me realize that establishing a fashion brand is a combination of talent, business thinking, and support.
Working on your own might have its own and unique challenges, and the most important thing is that it takes time and a lot of hard work, energy, and commitment. You may be afraid of spending sleepless nights, but in the end, it will be worth it.
When I researched for myself how to establish a fashion brand, I come up with these six important steps:
Decide on your target audience
Think of establishing a fashion brand as you start a business. And in every new business also in the fashion industry, you should consider your target audience. It is significant because your fashion brand is going to be more focused. It is important at the beginning because you set your goals. Everyone who is in this sphere knows that is difficult to know precisely how to draw all the patterns. This is one of the reasons why setting a target is going to help you in this everyday-changing industry. Having a talent may not be enough. You should know what your niche needs to create wanted products. Choosing the right target audience may be challenging because it is a lot of work. People should understand their selling points. Why are they selling these products? What is the innovative thing about them? Who might be interested? If you answer these questions, you are one step closer to finding your perfect customers.
Build your budget
Useful advice is having your business plan before starting your clothing line. If a person knows how much he/she needs for a particular piece of clothing it is easier to set a price for your customers. Having a particular price will help you see how affordable your clothes are going to be. However, setting a price is not as easy as it sounds. You have to consider the competitors, and in this industry, there are many. Also, you will see if you need fundings from outside sources because creating beautiful clothes might be expensive. This business needs capital for machines, textiles, threads, and of course marketing.
Organize your business
Organizing your business is going to help you in the future. You will have to make many decisions at the beginning — decide if you want to do it on your own, or you will need help. You may want to think about location, fundings, marketing, insurance, and product catalog. Your business will be well-organized and easy to operate if you think beforehand about the most important decisions.
Create your own designs
Establishing a fashion brand is a personal journey. Probably, you are creative and have something different to offer in this fast-moving and constantly changing industry. But you should know that it is difficult. But creating your own designs is the most important thing. You cannot steal ideas and use the same techniques and models as your competitors because you might get sued. You should also be practical. As Anna Wintour said in her masterclass’ article: “Being a successful fashion designer is always a blend between the ideal and the attainable.” Being practical is one of the more significant things every businessman should have as a skill. In the fashion industry, being practical is crucial. It is the skill of making the right decisions on how much you need for one piece, in other words having a detailed plan on how much time, textiles, threads, and resources you will need.
Choose a brand name wisely
You should choose your brand name carefully because it is one of the key elements that make your brand identity. The name talks a lot about you. It should be easy to remember, but also impressive. Customers remember the brands by their names. Choosing the right name is one huge step towards your success. After you choose your brand name, you could consider patenting it. In this way, you reserve your right to use this name for ten years.
Start manufacturing
If you have everything in order, you should start your product line. Making efficiently your designs is extremely important for your success. You should decide if you are going to be the one who is going to make the clothes or you will have another manufacturer. You might search for another person, but you should be completely sure that this person is the right choice. Being surrounded by people you trust is one of the key elements of a successful business.
Establishing a fashion brand is a long journey, but it is worth it. Even when you see your first cloth becoming real is a feeling I cannot describe with words. It’s magical.
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Desislava Taskova is a senior at the American University in Bulgaria, majoring in Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication. She is currently taking a course in Fashion Design and dreams of establishing her own brand.
Her favourite quote “To me, clothing is a form of self-expression — there are hints about who you are in what you wear.” — Marc Jacobs
