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How to Start a Clothing Line from scratch?

Article By Michael J. Harper – Co-author of the Official 3 Book Course on Starting a Clothing Line which consist of The Official Step by Step Guide to Starting a Clothing Line, The Reality of Owning and Operating Your Own Clothing Line and How to Effectively Sell Your Clothing Line to Retailers.

Many people have always asked my partner and I, “How can I start my own clothing line?” There really wasn't a simple answer that we could just reply with. Despite what some may have people to believe, starting a clothing line is a special business model. Sure the normal business model of registering your business as a D.B.A. or LLC apply and opening a bank account apply but there is so much more to the formula. In this article, I will go over some of the most important points.

The name of your clothing line is everything. Choose a name that best represents you now and where you would like to go in the future with your clothing line. The next thing or even the first thing you should do at this exact moment is get your web site name for your clothing line. Web sites names are going super fast so get your today’s for as little as $10. We recommend the service below because they are one of the cheapest on the internet when it comes to getting a domain name. Use the link below to see if your name is available. If it is, Register it now!

• Next, do a search trademark search for your name. If it is available - register it with the United States Trademark Office (about $325).
• Go to your city clerk office and register your business and then open a bank account in your business name.
• Now you should be thinking about what type of clothes you want to make first. Do you want to start with T-shirts, jeans etc. Keep your scope limited at first until you build a name for yourself.
• Buy a fashion design program like Digital Fashion Pro to lay out your fashion designs with (www.DigitalFashionPro.com - Demo Video). Get all of your fashion sketches together and figure out which ones you want to produce first. Show them to friends and family and see which ones people like the most. Next you can use your professional sketches to give to a seamstress, clothing manufacturer, or screen printer who can make your designs for you. (Read article on fashion design software and the fashion design process)
• Next decide how you want to get your clothing made. Do you want to mass produce or just produce a few to see how things go. Producing locally or within the US. is your best bet for small production runs. Use the internet to find contractors or by contractors listing to help you.
• How much money does it cost to start a clothing line? The answer to this question is different for everyone. First you should make your business plan and determine how much money you need to get your line off the ground. To do this, you should find out how much a production run will cost, advertising etc. Coming up with the capital to launch your clothing line can be tricky depending on your situation. Keep this in mind; banks traditionally don't give loans for clothing lines because it is an intangible business. Banks will loan you money if you have collateral such as a house to put up. The Official Guide Book offers creative ways to finance your clothing line plus a better understanding of exactly what it will cost you to get started.
• Now that your clothing is being made it very important that your contractor / manufacturer delivers you quality goods and on time.
• Branding. As a clothing line owner, you have to think about new ways to brand your line everyday. It is important that you give consumers and store owners a reason why they should choose to support your line. Make sure you stand out. Being different and unique is a good thing in the fashion industry.
• Now that you have goods on the way. Begin taking orders for these items if you haven't already. When my partner and I started our line, we would go to summer festivals, church festivals etc. and rent booths to sell our line. One summer we made over $15,000 selling T-shirts. T-shirts are actually an excellent way to market your line. Sell your items to any and everyone you know. People will see them wearing it and ask how they can order. Make sure you offer deals if people buy more than one. This is called building a local selling network. Once you have a network that loves your clothes you can always sell them your new releases. Make sure you maintain a contact list of all of your customers. This is good for cash flow.
• Where can I sell my clothing? First think about putting your line in local stores. Make appointments with them to go in and show the buyer your line. After getting your line in stores locally and learning how things work you can then move on to thinking about national distribution.
• How to Market a Clothing Line? Marketing is an essential step in the success of your clothing line. People must know you exist. Make sure you have a professional looking web site first and foremost. Make sure you put out a press release about your line. You can also advertise your line online and in magazines etc. One thing you must have is post cards. Make sure you blanket your city with post cards that advertise your clothing line. The important thing is to build buzz and momentum surrounding your clothing line. Contact your local radio stations and see if you can get them to interview you. You can also think about attending local and national clothing trade shows like Magic International (www.magiconline.com). Attending clothing trade shows that will put you right in front of clothing buyers is the way to go to distribute your line nationally.
• Management. Manage your money, your orders, production, delivery and everything else about your line to perfection. Believe it or not, this is where most new clothing lines falter. Resources like www.startingaclothingline.com was created to help fashion entrepreneurs develop solid strategies to advance their fashion lines and ideas.
• The thing about starting a clothing line is that you must have the passion for it. Sleep, eat and breathe it. Nothing feels better than seeing others wearing your creations. Making money off those creations feels even better. Make sure you have adequate price points on your merchandise that will allow you to make money via wholesale and direct to consumer. Also see this article on how to keep your clothing line going after you have started it.

About the author: Michael J. Harper is the co-founder of www.startingaclothingline.com – a web site specializing in resources that help ordinary people start their own fashion lines successfully. Link to this article: http://startingaclothingline.com/html/how_to_start_a_clothing_line_f.html

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