Does your passion lie in clothes and business both? If it’s so, you’ve landed on the right page. Considering the world population (i.e. 7 billion), the market for clothes is never going to sink. And the way fashion industry is heading, the business of clothing line will reach new apexes for sure.
So, if you’re passionate about business and your interest lies in fashion and clothing line, here we have a complete guide on how to start a clothing line from scratch. In this article, you’re going to find a complete procedure on how to start your own clothing line. Here are the major subjects that we will discuss in this article:
- Clothing Line Industry Overview
- Market Research and Feasibility
- Clothing Line Marketing Plan
- Cost Analysis
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Let’s start.
1. Clothing line industry overview
To start a clothing line, you need to be creative with a touch of business skills. Of course, there are no specific standards to start your own clothing line brand, but creativity is must if you want to set your brand apart. Coco Chanel started the business from a small hat shop in Paris, and now the brand is all over the place. Let’s have an overview of the clothing line industry so that you get a better idea.
According to Fashion United, the Global Apparel Industry is valued at 3 billion dollars and accounts for 2% of the World’s GDP. Combined, menswear and womenswear are valued at more than $1000 billion industry, and that’s more than a lot.
Clothes are not just in basics in the hierarchy, but it has become a symbolism of personality. People wear clothes to represent themselves, and that has opened a lot of opportunity for passionate people like you to start your own clothing line business.
Apart from being a huge part of the world GDP, the apparel industry is one big employer. Statista says the apparel industry in the USA employed more than 87,000 people in 2016 and Nike being the top of the chart.
Still questioning the evolution?
The online apparel industry is expected to raise 123.4 billion USD in 2022.
So, the apparel industry is going upward, and there’s no sign of looking back. Your decision to start an online clothing line looks perfectly fine, and now completely data-driven.
2. Market Research and Feasibility
As we know by now that the market for opening a clothing line is pretty huge. There are various genres in the apparel industry starting a business from infant wear to old age, ranging through sportswear, gym wear, nightwear, and many more. Let’s look at some niches that you can consider for your own clothing line:
- Sports Clothes for triathlon training
- Wedding Clothes
- Casual Wears
- Infants and Children Wear
- Robes
- Uniforms
- Cultural Wears
- Corporate Clothes
- Undergarments
- Costumes
- Season Wear
- Nightwear
Every genre is performing extremely well, and profit is a sure shot but the ones that have succeeded have one thing in common i.e. Uniqueness.
You must have something unique that can drive buyers to go with your brand. But, on the other hand, no person will like the clothes of every brand. So, every brand has a certain audience. Every successful brand has these three things in common:
- They are unique.
- They know their audience
- They have loyal customers
To find success in the clothing industry, you must be unique with your style. That uniqueness is appreciated by certain customers, and they became loyal to your brand.
Possible Challenges:
Every business has its fair share of challenges. Let’s have a look at the challenges that you might face when you start your own clothing line online.
- Competition:
The genre that you have picked up is already picked up by someone else. Some genre of people will always be interested in the niche that you’re the most interested. In such competition, your uniqueness is the only key to let people know about your brand, and make a great name in the market.
- New Design:
The fashion world is evolving, and this evolution is depended heavily on new designs. Paris, Milan, New York, London are the biggest hubs for fashion right now, and all they are doing is coming up with new designs.
Designs that can attract customers, designs that can set their customers apart from others like if you run fashion Facebook ads captivating visuals and unique aesthetics will make your brand stand out, driving engagement and conversions.
If you’re on the road to start your clothing line, you must be constant when it comes to designs. There are very few designs that are ageless (Converse Chucks). Designs changes with the trends, so you must have something to offer to your customers when it comes to design.
- Production:
As an owner of a clothing line business, you must be precise when it comes to production. You should know which of your apparels are performing, and what is the average stock that you must maintain.
The cost of production will increase, and keep on increasing. So, you must come up with a strategy that gives you benefit despite increasing production cost.
- Distribution:
After the production, distribution is one of the biggest challenges that you should look forward to. It is important to manufacture the product, but it also important that the product reaches to your customer, on time.
3. Clothing Line Marketing Plan
Of course, to sell the clothes online, you need an awesome website to start with. You need an eCommerce website where visitors can come and complete the purchase cycle without any hassle. To build an awesome eCommerce website, you need talented developers who know the market scenarios and eCommerce trends. Here’s the usual process we follow for our clients:
- Understand the client’s requirements and niche.
- Based on the niche, we select the best eCommerce Themes for the clients.
- Create an online store through our partner account.
- Upload their products along with 3 hours of free customization.
- In future, if the client request we also create a custom website design.
- Include eCommerce add-ons according to client’s requirements.
- Test the website.
A good website is the first requirement to sell clothes online, but the list doesn’t stop right there. You need marketing on various channels that can drive the right people to your website and give your business. The step is to hire a Digital Marketing Agency for eCommerce that can market your brand across various mediums. The online marketing services mainly include:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Pay Per Click (PPC) or Paid Promotions
- Content Marketing
With the right Digital Marketing Agency, you can get the right traffic [i.e. buyers] on your website, and start getting business.
4. Cost Analysis
As a business owner, you must have a clear idea about the costs. Here are some major costs that will answer “How much does it cost to start your own online clothing line?”.
- Business registration and legal charges
- Cost of acquiring a business license
- Cost of designing an effective and attractive logo
- Cost of developing an eCommerce website (you can also opt for free themes to save your initial expense)
- Cost of advertising and marketing
- Cost of insurance (general liability, theft, workers compensation, etc)
- Cost of online tools (Sales CRM, Payroll Software, Accounting Software)
- Cost of Design and Prototypes
- Cost of Inventory
- Cost of Production
- Cost of Manpower
- Cost of Distribution/transportation
These are the major areas where your money is going to be invested. Even though, the list of cost looks big, most of them are a one-time investment, and the remaining is a great investment for your future clothing line. For example, spending money on a good website is the most important, and it will benefit you for years to come.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions that arise when you’re jumping into starting your own clothing brand. Please find the answers to the FAQs below:
1. Can I start my clothing line from home?
Yes. You can start selling clothes online with a very small investment. As long as your designs and products are unique, you can start selling your clothes online at a very minimal cost. The process starts by designing an eCommerce website.
If you want to test the taste of your customers and save initial investment, you can come up with an offline store (or Home Store) and work upon your customers’ choices, comments, and compliments and stock accordingly.
2. What are the main costs to start my own clothing line?
Mainly, there are four costs in starting any clothing line:
- Legal Costs and Business Registration
- Cost of developing a website
- Cost of Design and Prototype
- Cost of Production
As you try to expand your business, you have to invest in various fields like marketing, advertising, and promotion.
3. How can I promote my clothing line business?
You can promote your brand in mainly two ways:
- Traditional Marketing
- Online Marketing
Traditional marketing is a huge market comprising TV ads, newspaper promotion, radio ads, billboards, etc. The online marketing is a big boom in Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, PPC, etc.
4. Can I sell my designs on other online mediums?
Yes. You can sell your clothes online on various eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Alibaba with a merchant account. Although, you must follow the right stocks and inventory, as Amazon/Alibaba is going to be a mediator between you and your customers. There are certain charges these platforms charges like referral fee, registration fees, shipping fees, etc. If you want to sell on these platforms, we suggest you to make a thorough research on it first.
5. What are the main challenges that I will face in starting a clothing line of my own?
There are many challenges you might face when you enter into a clothing line business. Here are the major challenges you’ll face:
- Competition
- New Design
- Production
- Distribution
6. How can I develop my clothing line website?
To design a clothing line website, you must connect with experienced developers who can deliver a great eCommerce website for your brand. Get free BigCommerce themes from PSDCenter take the first step to start your own clothing line.
Bottomline:
So, this is the entire guide on how to start a clothing line from scratch. Of course, starting a clothing line a great business choice, and there is always going to be enough potential. Let us know your thoughts on this subject, or ask questions if you’re on this road.
Connect with us to create an online store for clothing and fashion, we have a tremendous team of developers, all set to help you out. We also have our very own BigCommerce theme store, be sure to check our themes as well.
Cheers!
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