Starting a clothing brand is much harder and takes significant time to develop, but ultimately if you are planning to go this direction, then you must think of it as a career or profession. See every success you achieve and milestone you reach to grow your brand as you would a promotion in a career.
A reputable clothing brand has a lot of advantages. For example, if you look at Ralph Lauren, and consider the number of labels within his corporation, then you are looking at an overwhelming variety of labels. It can range to more than 10 Ralph Lauren labels, a few of which we have listed below. Ralph Lauren was able to achieve this because he created a robust brand that turned preppy/western styles of clothing made by an American designer a cool thing during a time when most clothing brands were mainly driven from a European perspective. He also perfected manufacturing quality clothing. That is what many customers appreciated. For this reason, he succeeded in winning the hearts of Americans so that today he is globally recognized, respected, and demanded by people from all walks of life. Today people willingly trust any product he creates. Now, Ralph Lauren does not only sell clothing but also houseware accessories, furniture, paints, and so much more.
Just to show you how a brand can diversify their identity, take a look below. Something cool happens when an established brand like Ralph Lauren branches out with their design aesthetic. It’s not just polos and jeans anymore. It works because each label speaks to the Ralph Lauren ideal, but offers a range of style needs. See a few of their labels below:
Ok, now that’s gangsta (lol), right?! When your brand began life as a clothing brand but grew selling home decor, you have no doubt you’ve made it…
A clothing brand that represents quality and exclusivity can transition to any product once you establish a name and reputation for your brand. But remember building a clothing brand does not come cheap and it does not come easy. Building a brand comes with a lot of hard work. The ability to persistently follow through on your vision requires effort even when things become extremely hard and feel impossible. Here is a guide on how to build a brand to help you clarify and streamline your process.
So to recap, here are the most important things to take away from this section:
- Do you have a point-of-view that is unique?
OR
Are you willing to experiment until you find that unique point-of-view, while keeping your product quality and customer service satisfaction to the highest caliber? - Are you going to perfectly articulate for others why your mission and vision matters?
- Is there a niche market where consumers are looking for a product or concept like yours?
- Are you willing to play the long game and invest your blood, sweat, and tears?
- Are you properly funded or able to spend money on long-term branding as you grow?
Some of these questions may seem very obvious to many readers. The fact is, most entrepreneurs are not willing to sacrifice living safely in their 9 to 5 job to ‘roll the dice’ in a way that is necessary to build a brand. The unknown scares us since our brain’s amygdala is programmed to fear the unknown and work to survive for today. But overcoming this fear and thinking long-term can separate you from this herd thinking, which is exactly what you need to do in order to find success in anything you do.
Just consider this, an average person making an income netting 5K monthly, would rather go and get an apartment or a car to make his/her life fit the typical mold. It’s the white picket fence ideal, right? They look to make things easier rather than make a sacrifice by finding a roommate or living on mom’s couch for a while. They don’t consider taking public transportation for the next 2 years so they can use the money they’ve saved to test various branding tactics or marketing ventures to get their name out.
Ultimately, trying something less safe is more risky. Most people are told risk is dangerous and therefore they stay exactly where they are economically. So many have proven though, if you take a look around, success requires risk. What successful person do you know who has not taken many risks to get to where they are? If you ask me, it seems like avoiding risk is a poor mindset. We recommend to be strategic, but to definitely take risks since that’s the only way you’ll be able to win. This is where our team of professionals can help ease some of that fear of the unknown.
AVmade has made it so easy for those who are passionate and talented but do not have the right network, capital, or know-how to go about the process. The ability to create products that are high in quality, low in MOQ, and to transact safely with the USA’s elite factories means now new entrepreneurs can have so much more time to focus on branding and assure quality to their customers. See how it works.
5 REASONS FOR STARTING A CLOTHING BRAND
- Creative
- Love Designs
- Stylish
- Savvy
- Ready to share your unique point-of-view
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CREATIVE?
Creative individuals have a completely different point of view than most. We view the world differently and everything can somehow correlate to another idea. We know ideas are interdependent, which means when we see a leaf, we somehow can imagine a product or design. Creatives are always inspired in a natural (rather than forced) way. If you are this type of person, then building a fashion brand will be a seamless fit for your skills. Puns obviously intended! Since your unique perspective grows from your experiences, the more you see, the more ideas drift your way. That is the beauty of fashion too. The little black dress will always need a modern update and your vision may be just what it needs.
WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
A love for design is very similar to the idea of creativity discussed above since it is a part of a person’s natural tendency or not. If all you have done since you were a young boy or girl is sketch and use your imagination to envision what could be, then that is an obvious passion. Hopefully, you are so passionate that you catch yourself sketching all the time. If you can get so wrapped up in your drawings that you lose track of time, it is pretty safe to assume that you could take that love and turn it into a career. When you can do that, work feels less like a hassle and more like a calling.
This is the type of personality that is constantly combing through magazines looking for inspiration in order to create ideal garments or products. It is also very likely a designer who will look at someone else’s work and understand how and where to improve it. If this personality describes you, then building a brand is a perfect way to showcase your skills. Not only will you find it to be a fulfilling process but also something you can build a great reputation doing. Picasso is often credited as saying, “Good artists copy but great artists steal.” Obviously, he did not mean to go around knocking off other creatives’ work! LOL, that is just WRONG. What we should take that to mean is we should look at somebody else’s work so we can make something greater. Improving on the original concept and making it your own. Appreciate the original design, but love it enough to have something authentic to add to the conversation.
HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY IF YOUR CONCEPT IS UNIQUE?
Having a unique concept can mean a couple of different things.
● Consider your own personal style. Does it define you? Do your friends identify what you wear as a part of ‘who you are’? Maybe you are a person who has a very creative yet specific look that can only be described as artistic. ‘Unique’ is what iconic looks are made of.
Take the example of Alexander McQueen whose designs featured a very dark and futuristic way of looking at clothing. The overall creative concept offers a specific point-of-view that envisions wearers as ahead of their time in gutsy tailored pieces. This doesn’t mean your style has to be an avante garde concept, but this is to say that if you have a creative eye drawn to striking visual concepts, then you have the potential to build a brand on your current style. If you’ve developed a style that satisfies you and is recognizable to your social circle, then building a brand around that takes on fashion is a natural next step.
● Let your company’s individuality shine through with a powerful message. You may have a mission that is current and something that needs to be solved. A standout example of this is the brand Reformation. This is a brand whose mission is to build a company around sustainability. Using thoughtful fabrication and the process of making the garments as sustainable as possible defines this company’s world view. The company was founded based on a unique concept with the intention to solve today’s climate issues by creating products that are beautiful yet made very sustainably.
As you can see, sharing a unique concept can come in many forms. But building a brand around your own inventive style or a timely concept that you feel passionately about can spell success. Make a name for yourself by associating with the key concepts and conversation starters that bring people together. People who appreciate your mission can become your greatest chance to scale and bloom.
WHAT IS A TRENDSETTER?
This isn’t only the ‘it’ girl or guy of the moment. This is the individual that has a certain swag and knows exactly how to put together an outfit. Mixing old and new wardrobe pieces, reinventing old thrift shop finds–they can make what was old new again. Either they do this for a living as a stylist, or they work in a creative space. They manage being very stylish by living ahead of the trends. Maybe they study up on what is coming off the runways and (remember Picasso’s words) steal inspiration before their friends get the chance. They set the trends!
So they are known as trendsetters by friends and coworkers who always look to them for styling advice. Friends follow them on social media to see what their next outfit is and shoot them a quick text to ask style related questions. Complements galore follow their outfit choices. When this individual finds work as a stylist, they usually act as personal shoppers and dress very successful individuals, or celebrities because they have a keen eye for putting together outfits and choosing products that speak to a client’s identity. They style a person in ways that only someone with a great understanding of visuals could do.
Now, it’s important to understand that just because someone wears the right clothes does not mean he or she is a trendsetter. Some Instagram influencers may be mistakenly considered trendsetters, but many influencers happen to have the right look because they are paid to do so. Starting your own fashion brand does not mean you have to look like an Instagram influencer by any means, but you do need to know what styles will lead others to follow. Understand who you are as a person. If trendsetting and design is where your passion lies, building a brand is going to be the next logical step for your ideas to come to life.
So carve out a niche that lives within your own trends and stick with that niche. Even if you are a style chameleon, don’t go from creating urban styles this season and punk rock next. Find and stick with your true concept to deliver an authentic product and you will find your audience.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SAVVY?
Savvy individuals come in all forms. Business savvy individuals know how to identify talent and recruit top talent to help them build a business. The best example for this comes from J Brand jeans. The founder Jeff Rudes was a business savvy individual who came across and recruited a well-known celebrity stylist in a collaborative effort in order to create a brand. Giving the cofounder a small stake in the company, they have built a very successful business which at its peak earned over 100M annual revenue.
Other business savvy individuals will just hire the right person or a credible team to go after a certain business concept based on the individual or the team’s point of view. Sometimes being a close second to other businesses who blazed a trail proves profitable. This is called the ‘fast follower’ in business terms. This means they identified an up-and-coming company that is doing something cool and innovative and want to join the party so-to-speak.
To do this, the savvy fast follower puts together a team to go after the same concept as a ‘first mover’ business. If the company they picked to closely follow succeeds then they are very likely to succeed since a rising tide lifts all ships. This is why after something becomes popular you’ll see many companies copycat with similar variations on an idea. The amount of success one will achieve as a fast follower will be determined how closely the savvy individual followed the company from an early stage. If you establish a company once the original business has achieved great success, then your likelihood of finding great success is very unlikely. This is considered following before the break up.
If you can add business savvy to your list of qualities then building a brand as a collaboration or as a second follower is a possibility for your gifts.
