HOW TO START
A FASHION LABEL
Whether you’ve just watched the trailer for ‘House of Gucci’ or starting a fashion label has been on your brain since your first trip to David Jones; you’re here because you’ve got a dream to realise. However, starting a fashion label takes more than aspiration. You need dedication. Perseverance. A masterful sense of style and passion for the industry.
Above all else, you need a plan…
So with your fashion dreams in mind, here are some of the most important steps you need to make if your goal is to start a fashion label.
Above all else, you need a plan…
So with your fashion dreams in mind, here are some of the most important steps you need to make if your goal is to start a fashion label.
IDENTIFY A NEED IN THE MARKET
A label won’t succeed on the vanity of its Founder. Evaluate the fashion industry as it stands now and consider: is there a niche in the current market that hasn’t been filled? It could be as simple as determining which products aren’t available in the market and filling the demand - but make sure you have a crystal clear vision for the brand. Fashion is much a business of aspiration, as it is about function. We’ll talk a bit more about this later.
CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN
No matter what, every business needs a plan. A roadmap to success that runs in parallel to your creativity, a rock solid business plan will help you maintain momentum, attract investors and spend your capital wisely. There are lots of basic templates online to help you develop your vision, mission statement, objectives, sales strategy and brand positioning. It might feel like a chore but trust us, it’s crucial.
COMMENCE THE DESIGN PROCESS
Onto the fun part. Commencing the design process should allow for unbridled creativity - the more ideas the better. Over time, you can refine what’s working and scrap what’s not. However, if you are looking optimise your time, strive for the industry best-practice ratio of basics (80%) to directional designs (20%).
Your basics consist of classic pieces like jeans, black blazers, crisp white shirt, basic tees, a black-tie-suit and a little black dress. Your directional pieces are designs driven by colour, unique design features and what's hot for the season. Use the Ustyler app to create your collection of timeless staples and statement pieces from the ground up.
Throughout the design process, try to keep an eye on potential production cost for samples and higher-quantity orders; consistent cash flow is imperative to the success of your label, so if you’re running on capital in the early stages of your label every dollar counts.
HONE IN ON A PRICE POINT
Finding the right price point comes down to two primary considerations:
a) What you believe your target market would be willing to pay* for a garment
b) What you can afford to sell it for to make a profit
These factors should be constantly measured against each other. So every time you have a new cost or something changes in the market that might impact your price point, refer to the above.
To help you hone in on the right price point, establish a spreadsheet with an itemised list of all of the expenses that are involved in constructing each design. This costing ‘bible’ will help you determine when you need to reduce the expense of fabrics, design features and / or additional components - in order to increase projected profit.
For example, if you’ve elected to produce a long-sleeve shirt from a silk linen which is making your design too expensive for the market, you could swap to a cotton linen - it has a similar look and comes with a much more affordable price point per-meter.
Or it could be that the garment is complex in design, you might need to minimise the design features to reduce the cost of construction.
Either way, your price point must cover your production cost - but be careful not alienate your target market in service of this rule.
Balance is key. Always base this on market research.
CHOOSE YOUR SUPPLIERS WISELY
From the moment you start speaking to suppliers, you should be evaluating their merits.
Carefully.
For example, some fabric suppliers only specialise in specific materials; so you should spend your precious time building connections with suppliers that have what you need.
In most cases, finding a strong fabric contact should be your first port of call. Then, it’s onto sourcing a quality manufacturer to cut, sew and make your designs. And that’s even if you choose to do the manual labour yourself in the early stages of your label, you’ll want a manufacturing partner in place. This is crucial as your demand increases and orders start rolling in.
If the supplier landscape feels a bit daunting (there are tens of thousands globally), stress not. You can always contact an agent with a huge selection of fabrics and components suppliers. Over time, you may come across the opportunity to go direct to the supplier to minimise on agents fees - however, this poses an ethical challenge, so search your soul on for the answer to that one.
Finally...
WARNING
Always ensure you request samples and pricing from their clothing productions to evaluate their quality standard.
No one wants a half-made dress.
DEVELOP YOUR BRAND
Once you’ve got your internal infrastructure in place, you’re ready to commence the planning of your public facing brand. That means it’s time to choose a name, logo, and a tagline (if required). Consumers love fashion labels with a story, so incorporate a narrative into your logo, brand name and website. Try to take on this task in tandem with the production of your garments, so that you can launch and start selling your designs right away.
START MARKETING
Time to get famous.
The best way to launch a new label is through influencers. But unless you have a huge marketing expenditure, it’s best to start with micro-influencers (less than 5k followers. Micro-influencers will often accept contra products in exchange for posting; whereas your macros will expect cold hard $$$.
There will come a time where you will need outside input. For example hiring a marketing executive or team to drive your brand comms. Like in any industry, there's the ‘good’ and the ‘not so great’, so ensure you do your homework, seek referrals and find the right person who marries well with your label.
SELL OUT (SORT OF)
