7 Things to Consider When Starting a Fashion Brand

The fashion industry is a lucrative business. More and more people are starting e-commerce apparel stores to either supplement their income or advance their careers.

There are several things that all fashion startup founders have in common:

Self-belief and a great fashion sense.

If you don’t trust yourself, it will not work out.

Equally, if you have no stylistic vision, your creations won’t sell.

But apart from these 2 given skills, what else should you consider when launching a fashion brand:

1. Prepare adequate finances

Revenue is not always easy when you first start out.

This is because you’ll have a lot of expenses, especially when you launch.

You need startup capital but also think of budgeting for everything from staffing costs, marketing fees, and insurance premiums.

To get started, you need to have financial backing. To ensure you have enough money, it may be a good idea to look into different forms of finance such as crowdfunding and equity financing. 

It’s no use having a great idea and business plan if you don’t have enough money for it all. A minimum of £30k is generally necessary before venturing into this sector – although many people will raise more than that through loans or personal savings. 

2. Manufacture your own clothes or buy wholesale

Whether you should manufacture your own clothes or buying wholesale clothing for resale depends on various factors, including your business goals, resources, and the nature of your clothing venture.

For example:

If you’re planning to start a clothing brand with a unique design or niche market and have the necessary resources, manufacturing your own clothes may give you more control over quality and design.

Buying wholesale is often more suitable for retailers or smaller businesses looking to stock and sell existing clothing lines without the need for design or production facilities.

Manufacturing your own clothes can be costlier initially due to setup costs, machinery, and skilled labor. It requires a significant investment in time and capital.

3. Know your target audience

Know exactly who is your ideal customer. And who it isn’t.

For example, by pricing your products higher, you’ll alienate certain buyers who don’t have that disposable income and, as such add exclusivity and aspirational aspect to your brand.

Many fashion startups fail because they market to everyone. Thankfully a leading research company Vision One can do market research for you. They specialise in UK & international consumer insight & marketing research.

4. Hire a great branding team right away

Branding is everything in fashion because clothes are aspirational. And aspiration is built through perception. Branding = perception building.

A sound branding and marketing strategy is the basis of a good fashion brand. Study Patagonia and Reformation to see how differentiation and blue ocean strategy works in fashion marketing.

Hire marketers who have done what you want to do. In this case, there is less chance for trial and error leading to quicker success.

One of the best ways to attract the attention of people advertise on Youtube. Youtube ads are those pre-roll clips you see before you click on a Youtube video. Learn more about this type of advertising by reading this guide to YouTube Pre-Roll.

Hire an expert marketing agency even if you have to spend more.

5. Create customised packaging

Custom packaging helps you to stand out in a crowded market. It can also make even the most common products feel more personal and luxurious. Here are a few ways to use custom packaging supplies to refine your customers’ experience.

In your packages, you can also include ‘thank you’ notes to strengthen the customer relationship in even further. Or add promotional materials inside

Packaging is a clean yet final way of swaying your customers to shop with you again. 

6. Invest in beautiful content production

Since fashion is a truly visual industry where organising photoshoots and hiring models is a big part of marketing, hiring a specialist video production company is a must.

Branded video content agencies can also help you to create social content for Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Social media marketing allows you to build a community or a two-way customer relationship around your mission, so your brand becomes bigger than just clothes.

7. Think of enterprising location  

If you’re planning to have a brick-and-mortar business, consider your location carefully.

Think of where your ideal buyers are likely to spend their time (either by living or working nearby), also nearby competition or lack thereof.

Up-and-coming areas are great because middle-class crowds tend to move there but commercial rental prices are not yet obscene.