How to Start a Clothing Line
How to start a clothing line
* Funding - How much money will you need in order to launch your clothing line? Do you have money saved up for this, or will you need bank loan? To get a loan, you might need to have collateral. Read through the rest of this article, then make a list of all of your anticipated costs (materials, manufacturing, supplies, equipment, advertisement, marketing, etc.). * Research - Who is your competition? Your target market? Get a retail job at a store that caters to your target market. See what they are buying. How much do you think you can sell your designs for at the retail and wholesale level? Ask around. Get feedback. Talk to store owners and potential customers alike. Find examples of clothing that is similar to what you're going to design - where and for how much do they sell? * Profitability - Do you want to do this full-time? How many years are you willing to wait before this company starts turning a profit, and then giving you a salary? Or do you want it to be a side thing, that if it makes you money, it's a bonus, but you value your expression more than profitability? You'll probably spend more money than you earn for the first four seasons (1 year) but once you're established, you might be able to expand with funding from Angel Investors, celebrities, and pre-orders with store accounts.[1] * Legalities - Decide on your business structure (LLC? partnership? corporation?). In the US, you'll need a tax ID number, a business license, and you'll also want to fill out a DBA (doing business as) form at your local bank so that you can accept checks written out to your company's name. 1. -------------------------------------------------
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Choose a name. Brainstorm a lot of different logos, but narrow it down to one and make sure you are completely sure about the one you choose. People are going to recognize you by your logo and it will confuse them
* Funding - How much money will you need in order to launch your clothing line? Do you have money saved up for this, or will you need bank loan? To get a loan, you might need to have collateral. Read through the rest of this article, then make a list of all of your anticipated costs (materials, manufacturing, supplies, equipment, advertisement, marketing, etc.). * Research - Who is your competition? Your target market? Get a retail job at a store that caters to your target market. See what they are buying. How much do you think you can sell your designs for at the retail and wholesale level? Ask around. Get feedback. Talk to store owners and potential customers alike. Find examples of clothing that is similar to what you're going to design - where and for how much do they sell? * Profitability - Do you want to do this full-time? How many years are you willing to wait before this company starts turning a profit, and then giving you a salary? Or do you want it to be a side thing, that if it makes you money, it's a bonus, but you value your expression more than profitability? You'll probably spend more money than you earn for the first four seasons (1 year) but once you're established, you might be able to expand with funding from Angel Investors, celebrities, and pre-orders with store accounts.[1] * Legalities - Decide on your business structure (LLC? partnership? corporation?). In the US, you'll need a tax ID number, a business license, and you'll also want to fill out a DBA (doing business as) form at your local bank so that you can accept checks written out to your company's name. 1. -------------------------------------------------
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Choose a name. Brainstorm a lot of different logos, but narrow it down to one and make sure you are completely sure about the one you choose. People are going to recognize you by your logo and it will confuse them