13

TIPS TO

START A

CLOTHING

BRAND

@elemntz.fashion
 Contents

Introduction 03

Ask the right questions 04

Surround yourself with the right people 05

Identify your competitors 06

Differentiate yourself from the competition 07

Do your market research 08

Find your identity 09

Spend wisely 10

Design & make your collection 10

Sell your product 11

Develop your online presence 12

Stay up to date 13

Delegate 14

A final thought 15

13 TIPS TO START A CLOTHING BRAND PAGE 2

 Introduction

If you're reading this, it means you're interested in creating your

own clothing brand.

You may have already thought a lot about what you want to do, but
the steps to get there can seem overwhelming. Or worse, you have
no idea what to do and where to start!

With these 13 tips, we'll explain how to start your journey.

13 TIPS TO START A CLOTHING BRAND PAGE 3

 01// Ask the right questions

Wanting to start a textile business isn't trivial. It's a project that makes many
people dream, but few brands survive under real world pressures. The
market is hyper-saturated, and it's an understatement to say that the
competition is fierce!

So what are your motivations for wanting to start your own business? Why
put yourself through this? Are you ready to sacrifice your weekends,
holidays and restful nights?

Even if the launch of a brand is not something complicated in itself, to make

it last is.

Do you have enough intake? There are different ways to finance your
clothing line project, but you will always need a little money aside to register
your brand and launch the first orders. If you don't have any then it may be
difficult to carry out your project.

Do you have an original project? Why do you want to open your own
business? To improve on your competitors, or do you have the idea of the
century?

As said above, the textile world is saturated. Wanting to do the same as

your neighbour will certainly lead to ruin. You, therefore, need an original
concept, a way of doing things that differs from your competitors.

Either you do better, you do cheaper, or you do differently. But don't copy,
consumers will always buy from the original.

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 02// Surround yourself with the
right people
The entrepreneurial journey is intense, but also a great adventure! Do you want
to take this trip alone or accompanied? Both options have advantages and
disadvantages.

Working alone gives you the full freedom of decision however it requires you to
have all the know-how. Unless you have a large influx of money, you won't
necessarily be able to hire people for positions that you don't fully master. In
addition, you will not be able to get valuable outside opinions. Asking your friends
and family for advice isn't always the best idea. Your parents may find everything
you do great, or on the contrary irrelevant.

Having a partner interested in the project gives another look at your ideas and
actions. Having someone to “brainstorm” with allows you to move forward faster
and -in my opinion – better.

Personally, I chose the family business format. Elemntz is run by my husband and
I. It can be risky as we bring work into our home lives (causing potential conflict),
however we can confront our opinions and be quite honest with our failures or
mistakes.

Working with others does bring its share of problems that you wouldn't have
going solo; sometimes egos can clash and cause problems. Disputes could
happen over subjects such as management or the design of certain parts of the
collection - something that can be avoided when one is alone.

In general, working with associates remains a positive thing. From a strategic

point of view, several individuals united for a single purpose will do more work
than a single person. Each of the partners has their expertise in a field, the work
is, in principle, better than if a single person manages all the positions. In addition,
more partners also mean more start-up capital. Each comes with a seed of
investment for the business.

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 03// Identify your
competitors

This is the basis of all business creations. The consumer has only a
limited budget for the purchase of clothing and the best trader
wins.

Thus, to make the most of your game, you must identify your
competitors. Who makes products similar to yours? If you've been
thinking about your project for a while, I think you've probably
already identified some potential competitors.

The object of the game for you is to observe what they can do,
and figure out how to do better. In no case is it a question of
copying their strategy, but, without copying them, it's important to
observe how your competitors proceed. How do they
communicate, with what vocabulary? What are their targets, what
are their arguments? See the communication media they
frequent: are they on social networks, and if so, which ones?

From the information you'll collect, you'll be able to see more

clearly what awaits you. You're no longer browsing blind, you now
know who you are dealing with. You can start strategizing to
outperform your competition. Put simply; less expensive, more
beautiful, or of better quality.

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 04// Differentiate yourself from
the competition

If I asked you to name a dozen brands of clothing, you would likely

also be able to tell the difference between all the ones you gave
me.

Textile companies that succeed in establishing themselves meet a

specific market need. Either at the price level, style level, or the
storytelling level.

Alongside this, you need to find an angle to enter the market.

What will make your brand different from others? Why would I buy
from you, rather than any other clothing brand? This aspect is
essential for the consumer to distinguish you and listen to you.
Differentiation is also important for press relations; it helps them
remember you and helps them write about you and your brand.

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 05// Do your market research

When you plan to set up your brand, often you think you're going to
smash everything! 'The world is waiting for us!' But in reality, it can be
more complicated.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs fail by having too much confidence

in themselves, and never checking that they're right. You may have
invented the best jeans in the world, but if there is no one to buy them
you will go broke. It is for this reason that you absolutely must test
your idea as soon as possible, with people who are likely to be
interested in what you are going to offer. Once upon a time, to do
market research, you had to meet customers in person or over the
phone.

Luckily in 2022, we have formidable weapons:

With a social media account and minimal investment, you can

question your prospects on all aspects of your project through a
survey. You can also collect their contact details to reapproach them
later, once your project has seen the light of the day.

Some public services, such as The Business and IP Centre (part of

The British Library), provide interesting statistics that should be
analysed; the size of your market, the sums spent by customers in this
branch of the sector etc. All this information is good to take to have a
clear and precise vision of what awaits you.

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 06// Find your identity

Fashion brands differentiate themselves from each other thanks

to their positioning in the market (see step 3) but also by their
visuals and aesthetics.

Logos, graphics, typeface and the style of photos & videos.

If your customers can distinguish you in a photo or recognize your

logo, it means you are on the right track!

The choice of colours, the words you will use to describe your
project; everything you implement must be in symbiosis with the
image you want to give.

If something is wrong and breaks this consistency, then your

communication will become unclear to your customers. So, apply
yourself to choose the best elements that will make up the identity
of your brand.

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 07// Spend wisely
Money really is an essential commodity, especially for the textile industry, money is
(unfortunately) everything. Upfront investment is needed to launch your fashion brand, if only to
register your business, protect your brand and launch your first collection.

There are several ways to finance your project, and most of the time it is a mixture of these
processes that will allow you to raise the necessary amount:

Your savings and those of your business partners

'Love money' (if fortunate enough, money donated/loaned by family or friends)
Loans
Potential investors
Government or local aid
Crowdfunding

What should I spend money on?

If there are 3 things that you should be spending money on, it's marketing, branding and a
manufacturer. Without branding & marketing you basically don't exist - and if you don't exist
you don’t sell. Your image and the way your brand is perceived is what will differentiate you from
your competitors.

You need to choose your manufacturer wisely and make sure you work with one that pays
attention to certain details that matter to you. Are they using a material that you like? Are they
making great products? Do they respect your delivery time? All of the above are extremely
important to build a trustful and lasting relationship with your distributor/retailers.

What should I not spend money on?

Opinions vary on this matter, but I don't recommend spending money on buying followers on
social media platforms. It might sound like a good idea at first and an easy way to make your
Instagram look more reputable, however it's easy for potential clients and customers to see
through this. Services which provide guaranteed followers often use fake accounts which just
damage your algorithm; this affects how much engagement you'll receive from real people. If you
do have money to spend on social media, put it towards a well-prepared advertising campaign to
expose your brand to your potential audience.

Remember, good things take time and you will gain an audience gradually through smart social
media strategies.

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 08// Design & make your
collection
Now that you have the idea, the name, the structure and the money, it's
time to think about what you are going to make!

A clothing brand that offers nothing to its customers just isn't viable. To
work on your clothing line, you don't have 36 solutions. You have 2;

Either you draw yourself, because you have the technical drawing skills of a
fashion designer.

Or you hire someone freelance who will do it for you, under your direction.
This, however, requires considering a higher budget for the overall project.

After this decision comes the stage of prototyping your collection, this is the
last moment to make changes and adjustments to the models. Once the
prototypes have been validated by you, the gradation is done (the variation
in different sizes), and the patterns are edited if needed.

Finally, comes the manufacturing stage. After finding the right manufacturer
and agreeing with them on the terms, they launch production of the
defined quantity. If you decide to have it manufactured abroad, do not
forget to consider delivery times and exchange rates which can be
unpleasant surprises if they are not taken into account! It is important to
check their work regularly; you have to communicate with the manfacturer
to be sure that production is progressing normally, and that the
manufactured parts comply with the specifications you have defined.

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 09// Sell your product

Having a clothing brand is, above all, being a trader. If you are
unable to present your creations in the public domain, it is likely
that you will be out of business before long.

It is important not to neglect this aspect of the business; selling

your collection is critical to the survival of your business.
Thus, you need to identify the different places likely to market
your products as soon as possible.

Different choices are available to you and coexist without any

worries:

Your own store (if you can afford it)

Multi-brand physical stores
Online stores
Marketplaces and pop-up stores
Through a fashion agency that can help you at any stage of the
process, like ourselves! - elemntz.co.uk

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 10// Develop your online
presence

To attract the right customers to your brand, you must invest in an

aesthetically pleasing and functional website. This website should
embody the identity of your brand.

You should also create a presence on social media, such as by

keeping a video diary or a blog. Interest your audience! The
more people talk about your project, the more they will pay
attention to your progress and the more likely you are to convert
them into customers.

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 11/ Stay up to date

Follow fashion trends. To ensure success in the highly

competitive world of fashion it (and I can't stress this enough) is
essential to be informed.

Here are some ways to do this:

Read fashion magazines e.g. Vogue, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Elle

Industry magazines e.g. Business of Fashion, She Media,
Refinery29
Blogs ran by fashion experts, such as ourselves -
elemntz.co.uk/blog

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 12// Delegate

Delegating is important; you can’t and shouldn’t do everything

yourself. Delegating will help you stay focused on creativity.

At Elemntz, we noticed how overwhelming it can be for creatives

to deal with the business aspects & promotion of their brand.
That's why we exist, we are here to lift the weight off your
shoulders!

We are here to...

LET THE CREATIVES STAY CREATIVE.

Elemntz seeks to act as the guide for market entry, strategy,

branding, PR and marketing as well as a bridge between
brands and retailers in the UK, France, UAE, and Malaysia.

With Elemntz, you can focus on your art.

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 13// A final thought

Setting up your clothing brand is not easy.

It takes time, money, and unwavering commitment. It is a project

that must be nurtured and it's important to realise that success
does not happen in a few days. It is a long-term job that awaits
you if you want to carry out this undertaking.

Remember, you should always keep dreaming. Our dreams

inspire our creativity and without them it can feel impossible to
find true motivation for success.

Written by May Fall

Managing Director, Elemntz

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If you found this guide helpful, please consider thanking the creators by
joining our community; follow us on Instagram: @elemntz.fashion