How To Start A Clothing Line

Step 1

The advantages of starting your own clothing line are immense. Just imagine having money rolling in while having an outlet for your designs? And then, as you drive to the bank, you pass someone wearing own of your designs?

Step 2

However, there is more to opening your own clothing line than just getting shirt made. If you make mistakes, you could end up with boxes of unsold clothing collecting mildew in your garage. This is why you should spend some time reading on of the recommended books in this article.

Step 3

For every hour you spend thinking about a design, you need to spend two hours thinking about how you are going to sell that garment. The designing is the fun part. Marketing your garments (getting them into retailer's stores is the most important part of starting your own clothing line.

Step 4

The marketing challenges are immense. You may order own of our recommended books and decide that opening your own clothing line is not a good choice for you in your life. In that case, you will have only invested $20-50 - versus losing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of your family nest egg by executing a flawed business strategy.

Step 5

One thing is for sure: years worth of experts' knowledge is contained in these books and it is all for your taking - if you can invest the time to do a little reading. So, hold off on opening your own business for now and get ready to do research and learn - by reading the wisdom of fashion gurus.

Step 6

Let's start with the first book we suggest you order from Amazon... Fashion for profit: A professional's complete guide to designing, manufacturing, & marketing a successful line - $43.87. This fashion bible is well-known as a reference manual that includes samples and resource lists. This book has everything you need before embarking on your own clothing line. You will continue to check chapters of this book even after your clothing business is underway. (It won't just stay closed on a shelf.) Readers have remarked that there are chapters that meant little to them at first but later became invaluable sources of business advice.

Step 7

The Fashion Designer Survival Guide, Revised and Expanded Edition: Start and Run Your Own Fashion Business $15.61 Mary Gehlhar - with interviews from established and well-known designers, this book gives insight into what is needed to start your own line. You find the basics included in most "how to" guides as well as practical advice on how to avoid common problems of production both in the USA and in other counties. By knowing about these pitfalls before you start your line, you can avoid being surprised by them and have a solution on how to overcome these challenges. For these examples, the book is a must-have for any serious business-minded person who want to make a profit from a clothing line. We highly encourage you to order both this book, as well as "Fashion for Profit" (listed above).

Step 8

Fashion Unraveled: How To Start, Run And Manage An Independent Fashion Label by Jennifer Lynne Matthews $29.67 Also included are interviews from aspiring clothing brand owners - details that may sound familiar to you! Also included was a business plan template you can use to easily make your own business plan. A real time-saver for sure. You'll get a bunch of nitty-gritty details that you may have overlooked such as costing and financing options and standards. You'll get some lessons on non-disclosure agreements and branding that you may not have considered. This new book has already gathered 6 positive reviews from readers, so we encourage you to order a copy.

Step 9

How to Effectively Sell Your Line to Retailers - Clothing Industry (Resources for the Clothing Entrepreneur) by Jay Arrington and Michael H. $62.00. This advanced book is for established clothing brands who wish to sell their wares to large and small retailers (including national chains). This book is not for a beginner, so we encourage you to read and understand one of the "beginner" books (above) before you delve into this book.

Step 10

The Official Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Clothing Line Jay Arrington, Marc D. Baldwin (Editor) - $79.95 A companion book to " How to Effectively Sell Your Line to Retailers," this book is designed to be read with its other volume. One of the strongest parts of this step-by-step guide is its guide to dealing with overseas manufacturers, including sections on Importing, Visas and Custom House Brokers Quota System and Duties Distribution. So, if you intend to have all your pieces manufactured in a different country, we highly encourage you to invest in this somewhat pricey book. It can save you a lot of money in the long run - if you follow its helpful tips.

Step 11

The Reality of Owning and Operating Your Own Clothing Line. Vol 2 $25.00. A follow up book to Arrington's "How to Start a Clothing Line." If you like the first volume, this volume will reinforce what you have learned and enable you to take your knowledge experience to the next professional level.

Step 12

In general, these books will teach you the importance of: Magic (hint: its not a magician's show), Getting a logo and trade-mark, Financing, costing and fees, Manufacturing in India and China, Getting a celebrity to wear your designs, How to get your garments into stores, How to write a marketing plan for a clothing line, The seasonal nature of the business and how that becomes a challenge to your finances, Markdowns and closeouts, How to avoid turning off large chain stores (by not being an amateur).

Step 13

Finally, we want to encourage you to give up the thinking that you will be able to spend your earnings from the clothing line during the first few years. Instead, you will need to invest all of your profits and maybe more - to adequately build your brand and finance more inventory. You'll deal with sarcastic challenges from friends and family who can only think in terms of being an employee and receiving a paycheck. It is unlikely you will receive a paycheck for your first few years! It all must be re-invested. And your first investment into your dream will be to order our recommended books and spend your time learning from those who were in your shoes before you!