How do I start my own clothing brand?

Do you have a keen eye for design and fashion? Do you also dream of being your own boss and have an entrepreneurial spirit? If this is the case then starting your own clothing brand could be the right career path for you. You can market and sell your line of clothing online, then even scale your business and branch out into a brick-and-mortar store. Setting up your own clothing brand won’t be without its challenges, however. It’s essential to consider many factors, such as budget and the current market, and to get advice from the experts.

Social media marketing means that independent clothing brands are gaining exposure now more than ever, giving brands the ability to accurately target their ideal customer base. However, you could argue saturation of these brands makes it difficult to stand out from the hundreds of other brands that are using the same advertisement platform. Ever wondered how to make a clothing brand, and make it successful?

Here are some of the necessary steps you need to take to successfully start your brand.

"merchandise design on a automated screen printing press"

Find your niche

In order to find your niche you need to identify both a need in the market and your target audience. If you have a unique streetwear design in mind for a particular group, for example, you’ve already made the first important steps to establishing your niche. When you’re first starting out, particularly if you’re designing your own products, it’s a good idea to keep ideas fresh and personalised to your brand image. Stick to promoting your most popular items and then you can branch out later as you begin to scale your business. Sampling concepts is a great way to finalise your designs.

Make a business plan

Once you’ve got a clear idea in mind it’s time to prepare a business plan. It’s important not to overlook any details, especially as a startup business. It’s good to start as you mean to go on; your business plan should clearly outline several factors including your long-term goals, budget, market analysis and competitor research, location, suppliers, staffing, expenses, funding or loans, and more.

an example proof sheet of a white t shirt for a uniform printing job

Create your brand

Create a brand that fits with the style of clothes you produce and the needs and interests of your target audience. For example, for streetwear shirts, you’d want to consider heavyweight, high-end blanks that give an oversized fit to accompany large graphic designs. Considering all elements of the production process is important, and we can help with our 360° service from brand consultancy, sourcing blank shirts at trade pricing to garment finishing and everything in-between. Your brand is more than just a logo. It’s an identity which represents the promise you make to your customers, and it needs to stand out from the rest so you can catch your customer’s eye. Make sure your brand has a core value, so you can consistently attract your ideal customer.

Take your designs to manufacture and find the right supplier

The most exciting part of the process is finally getting your first pieces printed. Finding the right supplier is paramount. You need to carefully choose the designs and materials that best work for you, as well as a reliable printing supplier for your clothing brand. Your business plan should forecast for the longevity of your product, so finding the right supplier will ensure a long-term, trusted relationship between your product and your printers. You may need to weigh up quality against budget and pricing. Reputation is extremely important, make sure the quality is 100%.

staff at Teesh Print Ltd communicating about order fulfilment

a ghostbusters screen printing design illuminated for a licensed fashion order

Boost brand exposure

Even though you’ve got an amazing creative flair and product, your fabulous designs won’t sell themselves. You’ll need to spend both time and money marketing your clothing brand across multiple channels in order to boost exposure. If you’re planning on starting a sustainable clothing brand, for instance, all your branding and marketing material needs to clearly reflect this. Be creative with your marketing. In the age of social media with high volumes of video content, making material that is aesthetically pleasing and unique will boost your chances of success.

Scale up your clothing brand

If you’re planning on scaling your clothing brand, you need to be prepared for this in advance. You may want to consider outsourcing your manufacturing, fulfilment, printing and design, and more. Finding a good supplier that understands the entire production process will take a huge weight off of your shoulders, that’s for sure. This will help you cope with the rise in demand, too. Who knows, after putting in the initial hard work, you might end up with a successful business. Have the systems in place to make sure you’re ready to meet demands if your brand becomes popular, for example dealing with returns or adding extra levels of details to your product, such as swing-tags and neck labels.
Most importantly, be patient. It takes time to gather momentum and a good reputation.

Want to start your own brand? Here at Teesh we have experience working with lots of independent clothing brands on a regular basis, and we provide a personalised brand consultancy service. We have access to trade pricing on garments, as well as contacts in the industry to streamline the process, from making the garments right through to printing and processing. It allows us to provide very competitive turnarounds too, making brands more responsive to new trends etc.
Get in touch today to see what services we offer and how we can help grow your brand! We offer T Shirt Printing in London, across the UK and beyond.