How to start a clothing brand in 12 simple steps [2024]

The shift to online shopping in the last decade has surpassed what was initially expected from the digital landscape. More than ever, products and goods can be easily marketed, sold, and fulfilled online. This accessibility has made creating a clothing brand a feasible and viable option for those who want to embark on the path of entrepreneurship.

Starting any company isn't all rainbows and butterflies, though. Successfully launching a brand in any industry takes hard work, focus, research, and planning. You'll need to develop a brand identity with which your audience can identify and curate effective sales and marketing strategies that inspire and motivate consumers to shop for your brand.

Main takeaways from this article:

• Success in building your own clothing brand hinges on understanding market trends and consumer requirements to create products that resonate with customer preferences and loyalty.

• Building a brand identity is crucial to attracting and retaining customers. Brand identity involves creating a unique and relatable image for your clothing line.

• Social media campaigns are crucial for extending the brand reach and boosting sales. They leverage platforms where target audiences are most engaged.

• Despite a saturated market, new clothing brands with unique styles can be profitable with initial investment in product development and online store setup.

• Starting a clothing brand offers benefits like personal freedom, profit potential, community engagement, learning opportunities, potential for expansion, and contribution to the fashion industry. 

• The latest clothing design trends include minimalism, vintage and boho styles, and bold prints and patterns.

• Key steps to start a clothing brand include identifying the target market, creating a business plan, conceptualizing the brand, conducting market research, establishing brand identity, obtaining a business license, designing clothing, and ordering samples, among others.

Here are the steps you should follow to transform a small clothing line into a successful fashion brand.

If you genuinely know and understand your target market, you'll create a product your audience will feel you designed specifically for them. More than ever, consumers are attracted to products that add value to their lives and feel unique to their lifestyles and preferences. Understanding your target market and the specific audience will lead to consistent brand loyalty, more sales, effective marketing, and happy customers.

To nail down your target market, consider the following:

Customer pain points

Consider what your ideal customer may struggle with when shopping for clothing. These pain points may include dressing to their body shape, finding the right size or style that suits them, how to style an outfit, or finding clothing that fits their budget.

Customer demographics

Will you design your clothing line with one gender or age group in mind? Maybe you're catering specifically to Gen Z, or your target customers are much older. It's crucial to determine who exactly your fashion line will be designed for, so you can keep fashion trends in mind when designing items and creating a marketing plan.

Customer locations

Whether you'll be solely online or plan to open brick-and-mortar stores, knowing your customers' location is essential for marketing and logistics. It will impact shipping fees and your chosen manufacturing facility while creating your business plan.

Customer psychographics

Understanding your customers' psychographics, such as their values, lifestyles, and desires, can help you in a few ways. Knowing this data allows you to design products that cater to their interests and use marketing tactics to attract them to your clothing line.

Consumer trends

In the digital landscape, trends shift constantly. Keeping an eye on where your target audience discovers new fashion brands, how they interact with ads on social media, and how they fund their purchases (Buy Now, Pay Later, anyone!?) is essential when you start a clothing brand and as you scale.

Customer purchase habits

Knowing what time of day your audience is shopping online or browsing Instagram is beneficial for your marketing plan; creating content and posting it during those crucial times can dramatically increase your website views and sales. Additionally, understanding why consumers choose one fashion brand over another can help you modify your clothing line as you see fit.

Determine your company's goals, strategies, and a detailed action plan for each facet of your fashion startup with a business plan. This step is essential in creating a clothing line business because it provides a roadmap for your company's foreseeable future. A business plan should detail your plans for financing, producing, distributing, and marketing your clothing.

Decide which of the following business models best fits your needs and goals:

• Creating your clothing items yourself: Creating items yourself is ideal for a small clothing line with minimal product variations and a small team (or a one-person show). You'll source the product (T-shirts, denim, scarves, loungewear, etc.), create the designs, and produce the final product.

• Manufacturing your clothing items in bulk: Most manufacturers require a minimum order quantity to work with a company. For some, anything less than 500 units per order is considered small. Working with a manufacturer can help you save money by purchasing in bulk as you scale your brand. In the beginning stages of launching a clothing company, small batch production manufacturers (where you can order anywhere from 1 to 100 units) may be a more suitable choice.

• Producing & fulfilling your clothing items through a print on demand company: With a print on demand business model, the clothing brand is responsible for creating the designs and working with a supplier to customize the products you want to sell. Under your brand, your products sell on a per-order basis and can ship from all over the world. The supplier, like Gelato, handles your fulfillment, production, and shipping processes.

The most successful brands make people feel something and leave a lasting impression. A solid, consistent brand will ensure your products stand out from the crowd, and it showcases your company's personality and what you stand for.

To conceptualize your clothing brand, consider the following:

• What do we offer that is different/better from what currently exists?

• What is our value in the market?

• What are we trying to change or improve in the fashion industry?

As you brainstorm a business name, think about the words or phrases that align with your brand and what you're bringing to the market that doesn't already exist. Consider the key differentiators in your products and how they will make people feel. Naming a fashion business can be as simple as using a spin on your name, details about the product, or even a graphic or symbol of what your company represents.

Consider sharing your brand story with your audience. In the future, you could do this in a blog post, a mission statement on your website, or simply by getting on Instagram Stories and sharing how your business came to be.

Performing market research will reveal any gaps in the market that your clothing line can fill for consumers and help you stand out from the competition. Your research should answer the following questions:

• What clothing items are in demand?

• What trends are on their way out, and which aren't going anywhere?

• Where are consumers comfortable spending money?

• What do consumers expect in terms of sustainability from a brand?

Knowing the answers to these questions will give your business insight into what existing clothing companies are already producing, how consumers shop, what they expect, and how your products or shopping experience can offer something different.

It's time to get artsy! Whether your creative juices are flowing or you hire a graphic designer to create your brand identity, this is an essential step in building a brand. Brand identity can build customer loyalty by creating the face of your business.

Brand identity consists of the color scheme, logo, fonts, and typeface you will use on your website, social media channels, and any material you use when shipping (mailers, flyers, etc.). It becomes how customers will recognize your brand, and it should speak to your products, your values, and what you stand for.

Your color scheme should be one or more colors that complement each other, as they will become associated with your clothing brand over time. Your logo should be punchy and eye-catching and can be a symbol, a letter, text, or some combination of these.

Your clothing brand, like any other business, will require some form of legal recognition, which gives you the legitimacy to operate within a certain jurisdiction. This process typically involves acquiring a business license or permit. The specific type and cost of a business license you will need hinges on various factors: your location, the size of your brand, the nature of your products, and more. 

Your local government website should provide the information you need to apply for a business license. First, determine the necessary legal structure of your business. It could be a:  

• Sole proprietorship: This is the simplest form, where you, as an individual, own the business. You are personally responsible for all debts and obligations.

• Partnership: As the name implies, this is where two or more people share ownership. Each partner contributes to all aspects of the business, including money, property, labor, or skill. Each party shares the profits and losses of the business.

• Corporation: A corporation is a more complex business structure. It is an independent legal entity owned by shareholders, meaning that the corporation itself, not the shareholders that own it, is legally liable for the actions and debts the business incurs.

• Limited liability company (LLC): A hybrid structure that combines the legal protections of a corporation with the tax benefits and operational flexibility of a partnership.

When you've decided on the legal structure of your business, you can then apply for a business license. Each jurisdiction will have its own specific requirements and procedures, which will often entail completing an application form, paying a filing fee, zoning approval, and obtaining tax ID numbers.

Once you've nailed down your brand identity and decided on hand-making items, using clothing manufacturers, or a print on demand model, it's time to start designing the clothes!

The first collection is arguably the most important; it sets the tone for your business, who you are as a fashion designer and the message you want to send. Focus on quality pieces that showcase your creativity and style that you'll be proud of for years. Create mock-ups of your designs that you can tweak, rework, and finalize as inspiration comes.

Whichever manufacturing process and supplier you choose, be sure to order samples of your clothing before making an order. Sampling will allow you to touch the fabric, see the design and print quality, and decide if any modifications need to be made. Samples will ensure that you are confident in your product and the supplier and feel good about selling the product to customers.

You're on a roll, and now the next step involves making your clothing brand tangible. Ordering samples of your clothing line is crucial before you delve into full-scale production. It's the only reliable way to assess the quality, fit, and overall appeal of your designs. 

These samples act as your clothing brand's first representation, letting you inspect your designs in reality rather than just on paper or computer screens. Remember, the key objective is to achieve the best quality possible that aligns with your brand philosophy and consumer expectations. Once you're satisfied with the sample pieces, you're ready to go into production. But remember, starting small is advisable, allowing you to gauge customer response before investing further. This approach will help reduce risks associated with inventory and production costs as you lay the foundation of your clothing brand.

If you're just starting a clothing brand with a few handmade products, creating a store on a marketplace like Etsy is a great starting point for a small business. If you have multiple clothing lines or intend to scale up quickly, ecommerce sites like Shopify may be your best bet.

Taking the time to set up an organized, appealing online presence is key. It's important to consider the overall visual identity of your brand, from your logo and color choices to product photography and layout. All these elements should reflect your brand's message and appeal to your ideal customers. Furthermore, don't forget to optimize your product descriptions with crucial keywords to improve your SEO ranking and increase organic visibility.

As you add listings to your store or ecommerce site, keep in mind what kind of content encourages you to purchase as you shop online. Pay attention to your product descriptions; they should provide compelling details about each item, including the quality, fit, and materials, while painting a picture for your shoppers that excites them to wear your clothes.

Don't skimp on visuals! Take the time to create beautiful images and videos of your items, so you can showcase them in your shop and use them on social media. High-quality imagery will set realistic expectations for customers of what they'll get when they purchase from your shop.

One of the most significant steps in starting a clothing brand is determining the suitable pricing for your items. This process isn't merely about covering your costs - it's about understanding the perceived value of your products in the eyes of the customers.

To start, research your competitors' prices and compare their products' quality to yours. Then, consider your expenses, including manufacturing, taxes, marketing, and overheads. Apart from these, you must also factor in your profit margin. Remember, effective pricing isn't static; it should be flexible enough to adapt to market changes and customer feedback. While setting a competitive price, don't undersell your product to gain market share. Low prices may undermine the perceived value of your brand and may not cover costs in the long run. Likewise, an overpriced product could turn potential customers away. It's crucial to find a balance that maintains your brand image yet appeals to your target demographic.

From your research, you should have a solid marketing plan mapped out. You should know the social channels where your target market is the most active, where they purchase from, and where they interact with brands the most. This information should directly impact the channels you use to promote your brand.

Many clothing brands target their customers on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for significant global reach. These platforms make it possible for a small clothing line company to interact with customers worldwide, drive traffic to your store, and empower these shoppers to make purchases.

Run social media ads, giveaways, and promoted posts targeted to your ideal shopper(s). Social media advertising doesn't have to cost a lot of money; you can run small ad campaigns, make tweaks, and scale up as you see fit. Test ads with and without visual components, using coupon codes and other strategies to encourage users to interact or share your page, visit your website, and make a purchase.