Starting a clothing line

[HisPiffness]

Has anyone attempted anything along these lines that would care to share some info about it? I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who is curious about the process of how one goes about doing this.

[Kodak]

Go to fashion school.

[cmykhustla]

go to Hypebeast forums, pretty much free fashion school

[Egpt]

go to Hypebeast forums, pretty much free fashion school

ahahahahahah

[thomas_highstreet]

damn man.. your heading straight for the red zone

[sidneylo]

Whatever graphic you decide to pull from Google Images, make sure it's ironic or else no one will buy it. Remember. Ironic.

[cmykhustla]

also make sure you use a halftone on your ironic image, that way you only have to use one ink color!!! Save $$$!!

[sidneylo]

Don't forget the red box thingy that Supreme invented with the sexy Futura medium bold italicized font!!!!!!

[michaeljkrell]

A lot of hard work and 0% credit cards...

[Charlie Delta]

You'll need something catchy to start with, something that nobody has,

something clever and witty that people will remember you by,

something so original that other people won't be able to copy it because everyone who sees it will straight away point at you and say "he did that first!"

Something like "CLUTHING"!!!

[sidneylo]

Something like "CLUTHING"!!!

Vitalence, even.

[HisPiffness]

I realize that this topic invites easy jokes about screening t-shirts with all over prints, but maybe I should have been more specific. Two things: I'm inquiring more about clothing that is harder to produce, and requires real designers and outsourcing to factories, etc. Secondly, I am not a designer myself, and I was wondering if anyone had more experience with the business end of this (i.e. funding, marketing, etc.)

[holotekor]

yes, people on this site have started clothing lines, but you are better off taking some business/entrepreneurship classes than asking people on sf.

[London]

My best advice short of going to school, is to get a job or intern at a real 'brand' to learn the business before starting your venture. Developing a mentor relationship with an experienced person in the business is helpful as well.

[homi29]

i agee with london

but geez everyone on here needs to tone down the hate just slightly.. it seems like people are also too focused on rep (ie if its a well known posted doing his thing), he'll receive less criticism.

just musing

[Le Dirte]

i agee with london

but geez everyone on here needs to tone down the hate just slightly.. it seems like people are also too focused on rep (ie if its a well known posted doing his thing), he'll receive less criticism.

just musing

Hallelujah! What the hell happened to SuFu being a place full of uncritical, helpful individuals?

[ChadM]

It depends what kind of line you want to start. If its a typical "streetwear" company with just t-shirts and maybe jeans or something, it would be a little easier to do. You can easily just get shirts printed and there are some compaines in the US that do low-run denim manufacturing. If you are thinking about a high fashion line, thats quite a bit harder and requires a lot more capital, aka a lot more risky. Even if you're an amazing designer, its hard to produce a profit, especially within the first few years. You also need quite a bit of start up money as many US manufacturers have mimimum order numbers(if you are small, its a lot easier to produce in the US...in my opinion). I would almost go as far as to say that you need to have another reliable source of cash flow, due to the fact that its really hard to get off the ground. Sorry if this sounds optimistic, but I've done a bunch of research and its seems to be the harsh truth.

Look at a brand like Cloak, they had a following comparable to Dior Homme, yet they shut down. Someone mentioned fashion school, but in my experience, fashion school is only a resource...you can't teach good design, but it can lead to some connections in the industry. If you are really interested in starting your own line, just do the research...good luck.

[ilovespaz]

don't do it, it'll ruin your life --

[Fabulaz]

Sorry if this sounds optimistic, but I've done a bunch of research and its seems to be the harsh truth.

You mean pessimistic.

I have nothing further to contribute to this thread.

[Servo2000]

It depends what kind of line you want to start. If its a typical "streetwear" company with just t-shirts and maybe jeans or something, it would be a little easier to do. You can easily just get shirts printed and there are some compaines in the US that do low-run denim manufacturing. If you are thinking about a high fashion line, thats quite a bit harder and requires a lot more capital, aka a lot more risky. Even if you're an amazing designer, its hard to produce a profit, especially within the first few years. You also need quite a bit of start up money as many US manufacturers have mimimum order numbers(if you are small, its a lot easier to produce in the US...in my opinion). I would almost go as far as to say that you need to have another reliable source of cash flow, due to the fact that its really hard to get off the ground. Sorry if this sounds optimistic, but I've done a bunch of research and its seems to be the harsh truth.

Look at a brand like Cloak, they had a following comparable to Dior Homme, yet they shut down. Someone mentioned fashion school, but in my experience, fashion school is only a resource...you can't teach good design, but it can lead to some connections in the industry. If you are really interested in starting your own line, just do the research...good luck.

First off, no, they didn't. They were being sold in comparable retailers, but in smaller numbers at lower prices, and they weren't making any money either off of profitable perfume lines / accessories either. Secondly, they more than likely shut down because of contract disputes with Plokhov, as they were more than likely financially stable and were actually gaining in popularity. I think he already knew he had a fall-back plan with Versace, so he was able to bow out of unfavorable agreements with ease (pure speculation).

[phoore]

I want to be a pro-wrestler.

[Faqir]

Don't forget the red box thingy that Supreme invented with the sexy Futura medium bold italicized font!!!!!!

Check out Barbara Kruger

[ChadM]

I didn't say anything about where Cloak was sold, or what was sold by its side, just that its following was comparable to that of Dior Homme. Sure, DH sold more, Its distributed all over the world in large quanities, while like you said, Cloak was sold in smaller numbers.

[wEstSidE]

Check out Barbara Kruger

this is a very good point. not brought up often enough. i love how supreme is laughing at us for buying their stuff. it's very similar to irak ubuy.

[eastcoastrider27]

Don't forget the red box thingy that Supreme invented with the sexy Futura medium bold italicized font!!!!!!

No ones thinks you're cool because you know who Barbara Kruger is.

I swear, every time you get an opportunity to do it, you drop her name, or reference her in some way.

[plongin]

Has anyone attempted anything along these lines that would care to share some info about it? I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who is curious about the process of how one goes about doing this.

I realize that this topic invites easy jokes about screening t-shirts with all over prints, but maybe I should have been more specific. Two things: I'm inquiring more about clothing that is harder to produce, and requires real designers and outsourcing to factories, etc. Secondly, I am not a designer myself, and I was wondering if anyone had more experience with the business end of this (i.e. funding, marketing, etc.)

ok here's some things that you could do:

1. email bobby hundreds; cause he sends out this interview thingy he did that basically depicts how he went about starting up the hundreds (processes etc)

2. information about branding : http://www.stlrcga.org/x909.xml , http://www.commercialexploitation.org/news/articles/brandmtvstyle.htm

basically what the other dude said was right. you gotta know your target market and its demographics, and you gotta do a lot of research.

either that or print a few t shirts and hope to god that people go crazy over them enough for you to print a 2nd line with crap like mike tyson wearing your tee on your tee and have the world think its dope.

[andewhall]

In all seriousness, some form of fashion school or practical training course for patternmaking and construction is the best start. When I was a young fella I started a skate/street, whatever label...was very green and inexperienced, dealing with pattern makers, getting ripped of for crappy work, lousy small factories etc. If you can knock out your own patterns and production samples you will save lots of money and have the cuts your truly want. Fashion school was the best thing I ever did, headed in to basically learn how to cut patterns and garment construction etc, but learnt alot more, good tips on drawing, industry standards, business etc.

If all else fails, print t-shirts with guns, money stacks, knuckle dusters, skulls......haha.....no don't

[werdtoyourmoms]

log offline

[sidneylo]

No ones thinks you're cool because you know who Barbara Kruger is.

I swear, every time you get an opportunity to do it, you drop her name, or reference her in some way.

Who's Barbara Kruger?

[Guest jmatsu]

Has anyone attempted anything along these lines that would care to share some info about it? I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who is curious about the process of how one goes about doing this.

save some money. use that money to buy "samples." get similar modified versions of those samples produced for cheap (in sweatshops or 3rd world factories) to make your label's samples. aquire media exposure (best way is either by bribery or sexual favors) and retail accounts. there you have it.