HOW TO START YOUR OWN STREETWEAR CLOTHING BRAND?

HERE ARE 20 TIPS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED.

If you want to dive a bit deeper, feel free to contact me for a consultation. These tips are only to guide you through with a generic checklist of things to consider and questions to ask yourself before starting your brand. Each client, brand and business will have a different trajectory and factors affecting the launch.

1. TARGET CUSTOMER + MARKET RESEARCH

Know your audience. Ask yourself who the customer is that’s going to purchase your clothing. Where do they shop at? What are their spending habits? Are they Gen-Z or Millennials?

Also, what are some competitive brands currently in the market? What are they selling? How will your products compare to theirs? Create a market segmentation and find out where your brand is positioned on the axis.

2. MOOD BOARD

Create different visual boards of inspo images based on design details, fabrics and trims, print techniques and washes, graphic artwork, color palette, fit and silhouettes, and different categories of garments.

Print tearsheets out and pin them onto tall black boards. Circle details that you like in different colors. Red pen and yellow highlighters to categorize different comment. Cross out the images you don’t like or take them out so your boards are cluttered.

3. BUSINESS PLAN + INVESTMENT

It’s important that you create a business plan that will act as your blueprint on this exciting new journey. Write your thoughts down. Make a list of things you have to do and prioritize these tasks. What are the important milestones? Are there any deadlines you have to meet? You can always ask close friends for advice as well, but make sure you only pick a handful as you everyone has something to say.

Who will be funding this project? Do you have an investor or will this be out-of-pocket? Calculate how much you would need for the next 6-12 months before launching you brand.

A budget-friendly way is to start by buying blanks and printing your logo locally, versus going straight to production with intricate designs and cut-and-sew garments.

4. BRAND IDENTITY

Define your Mission and Vision. Where do you see the brand going in 5, 10, and 20 years? Why are you creating a brand? Why now? Is there a gap in the market that’s missing? Define what your story is. Have an elevator pitch ready of no less than 2-3 sentences defining your brand.

5. BRANDING + PACKAGING

Decide if you should hire someone or work with a creative agency to help with your branding and packaging needs.

This includes everything from designing your logo, creating special fonts, and making a brand guide, to producing your boxes, hangtags, woven labels, etc…

6. DESIGN + MERCHANDISE

This is the fun part. Start designing your collection!

Be as creative as you would like to be, but remember, at the end of the day, fashion is a business!

DISCOVER HOW WE CAN HELP →

DESIGNING

If you’re not a fashion designer by trade, I would highly suggest working with one to create either 2D vector cards or hand-drawn sketches for you.

Some designers sketch first then find fabrics after. Others get inspired by fabrics first, then design into it.

MERCHANDISE

Once you have your sketches together, sort them by colorway, by fabric, by style or by category. Create a linesheet of all your SKU’s so you’re able to visualize a complete collection.

7. FABRICS + BLANKS

Depending on your budget, if you want to make some quick merch, buying blanks is probably the better option. However, you would be limited to what fabric and fit the supplier has made.

But if you’re looking to create your own designs, then going to the fabric market or working with a production agent is the way to go. I can definitely help you with this step if needed. Send me a message and let’s make it happen!

8. PRINTING + WASHES

You can check out some Printing Techniques and different Fabric Washes that I’ve worked with but feel free to shoot me an inquiry if you have any questions.

9. TECHPACKS

A TechPack, short for Technical Package, is a document created by a designer or tech designer, that explains in detail how to make the garment. This will be followed by manufacturers for design detail, construction, sewing and measurements.

Techpacks can be costly, and rightly so depending on what type of garment is made, because the designer needs to have knowledge and experience in making that garment. I can definitely help you with techpacks if you need help.

10. MANUFACTURING

You should look up when tradeshows happen and try to attend them so you can experience how hectic it can be networking your way through vendors, manufacturers, and other brands.

Producing merch locally can get expensive, so finding factories overseas could lower your cost. Get in touch with me as I’ve worked with countless international vendors in Southeast Asia.

11. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT + PRODUCTION

Now that you have approved your sketches, fabrics and trims, you’ll want to designate a vendor to produce your proto samples.

After a few rounds of sampling, once you’re satisfied with everything, you’ll then go into production.

Check out our services and what we can offer.

12. LINESHEET

A linesheet has all the information you would need for every member of your team to know about the collection.

This includes sketches and colorways, fabric content and fabric weight, style codes, season and delivery, categories, trims and washing, any reference images, vendors, wholesale cost and retail price, etc…

13. LOOKBOOK + PRODUCT SHOTS

You will want to work with a stylist to help make sure all the garments in the collection are steamed, ironed out and pinned if needed. Stylists will also help with finding accessories, shoes and jewelry to complete your looks.

Find a fashion photographer that can shoot lookbooks as well as take product shots, so you kill two birds with one stone.

If you need help with creative direction for lookbooks and product shots, you know what to do!

14. E-COM + RETAIL

Create an online shop with Shopify or any similar e-com platform and start uploading all your product shots with retail cost. You might also want to be in touch with buyers or merchants to get your products in their stores or websites.

15. OFFICIAL LAUNCH

If you decide to have an official launch, make sure all steps 1 through 14 are checked off. You might also opt for a soft launch just for friends & family, which will help promote your brand.

Last but not least, having a pre-order sale could help you figure out the sizes you need to order and which products your customer gravitate towards.

16. MARKETING + SOCIAL MEDIA

Create a marketing plan and social media strategy. Schedule in advance content to be posted every 2-3 days, as well as have a calendar view of what you will feature on your feed. Make sure you keep track of which days and hours you get the most traction and revise your calendar posting accordingly.

There are branding agencies that specialize in brand awareness and digital campaigns. You should be in touch with them to create a successful online presence. I have worked with a couple agencies so if you need help I can refer you to them.

17. ADVERTISING + SPONSORSHIP

Create a list of KOL’s (Key Opinion Leaders) to send them your marketing samples in exchange for content.

Perhaps also look into paid advertising to help promote your brand to the right audience and get more traffic to your page.

18. COMMUNITY + FEEDBACK

Build a community of loyal customers as your brand grows and take not of the feedback received. Listen and interact with your customers and do giveaways and keep your community happening.