Starting your own Clothing Brand....

aFRESH20 · July 13, 2005

Question what are some things you should know about starting your own Brand of clothing or starting your own company period

woejozney · July 13, 2005

uhhhh...make good cuts....too many brands got good shit and i fucked up by the cut, especially tees.

Geowu · July 13, 2005

yes... you want to be a designer, tailor, executive? Myself I would like to learn tailoring and do the cuts and fabrics and so on... I pay lots of attention to detail.

marine_corpse · July 13, 2005

first and foremost, be original. if you're going to pimp your gear to the public then let 'em know your shit is one of a kind. too many labels out there, including established labels, are rehashing the same boring graphics and are too gimmicky. for example, if you're from NYC don't start a label because you're from NYC. it seems like a lot of people do this because they think it'll give them street cred when in fact the vast majority of these NYC labels are pure garbage. quality is important but originality speaks volumes, in other words, don't bite.

my personal favorite is the label by Fergus Purcell, aka Tonite. some people might not dig his shit and find a lot of it tacky but he does have some interesting graphics. in fact, of all the t-shirts I own his tees are the ones people comment on the most.

if they move, kill 'em.

neawts · July 13, 2005

Quote: too many labels out there, including established labels, are rehashing the same boring graphics and are too gimmicky

Exactly. There are so many labels out there. Certain 'connections' will get you in the door fast (witness MTTM), but there is room for something unique or at least tasteful.

Uh, as far as actual info about starting a brand or company...well, someone else should know.

bobbyhundreds · July 13, 2005

Everyone will have a different reply. There's no real 'school' for this - the ones who succeed either have a lot of $$$ to start with AND/OR do something completely innovative and fill a void AND/OR put a LOT of relentless work into it --- but most are just in the right place at the right time. It's like movie stars - everyone's an actor and waiting tables, but for some reason Tobey Maguire gets picked to ride Seabiscuit.

I'm no expert - and not really in the position to give advice, but I've had the chance to grill some of the people who have established reputable brands. Aside from the things mentioned above, I've been told that it really comes down to marketing. Be creative and market yourself differently - make yourself stand out. Concentrate on having a theme, and not being too gimmicky. Decide if you wanna $ell out your brand from the get-go and blow out all your $, or whether you want to stay hungry for a few years to build longevity.

Last but not least, make sure you're allocating your $ properly. This isn't fun-and-games (well, some of it is). This is business. <Dubya>It's hard work!</Dubya>. People above me have mentioned making sure your clothes have solid cut-n-sew, but you might be some kid in high school with a couple hundred bucks to start with. So figure out if you wanna put all your $$$ into manufacturing your own stuff, or whether you're just gonna go with some blank t's downtown to start out with and raise awareness of your brand.

Anyways, these are just some of the basic things that I've been blessed with over the years. Have fun.

thehundreds is huge.

www.thehundreds.com

aFRESH20 · July 13, 2005

cool i just got lots of info.....so how long does an average brand last starting out..?? what are some brands that are out now that might not last or might last...

Yakboy Equals Nurturer · July 13, 2005

Quote: Everyone's an actor and waiting tables, but for some reason Tobey Maguire gets picked to ride Seabiscuit

That's a great line.

FRESH · July 13, 2005

a good name is also key; try not to make it to similar to another.. *_* aha

http://www.designwrk.com/

Jack Paar · July 13, 2005

Its all about $$$ if you have it you can do anything. You need $$ to make $$. Skills and designs are a thing of the past. Connects are good too but it really all boils down to $$. Its an expensive ego trip/hobby. If you are not seeing any $$ by your 4-5 year mark you should call it quits or start over. (before you're in too deep)

Edited by Jack Paar on Jul 13, 2005 at 05:19 PM

Cue · July 14, 2005

i know quite a few people that have started little companies with (almost) no cash and made it.

the things they all have in common are: drive, a dream, and the ability to work like fuck. none of them have been in it for the glory or the money (although that has come), they all believe in what they do.

andewhall · July 14, 2005

Well said Bobby HUndreds. The best thing I did was go to Tech and learn pattern Drafting and garment construction. Invaluable knowledge learned. I don't know it all, and learning everyday and am more based on the design/manufacture side not the business side of things. A few things I have learned the hard way are:

Good cuts, employ good pattern makers if you an't doing it yourself, sample and alter untill its sweet! Source good quality fabrics, there is alot of shit cloth out there. When getting your garments cut and sewn make sure you get a production sample from the factory/out worker before they make up the bulk....you don't want to get lumped with a whole lot of crappy made garments. And if they do a crap job you have your production sample to compare too and give them shit about it. Get stuff done in bulk if possible, will be cheaper per unit, garment construction/screens etc. Be well organised and supply people doing things for you with the alot of information to get across to them exactly what you want. Learn all you can off other people in the biz, get training, work hard out and beleive in yourself. Dont be scared to fuck up heaps along the way, you learn heaps from it.

Im a bit lost on marketing and the business side of things. Stuff I am trying to figure out myself. Some other cats will be anle to help you here no doubt

aFRESH20 · July 14, 2005

wow well said andewhall and bobyhundreds......very well said.sound slike you guys have learned alot..

Jack Paar · July 14, 2005

That was then.. this is now if you are starting right now in 2005 its all about the benjamans baby! Everybody wants to play this game, so step it up a notch. If you dont get your cash and plans together from the get go, the only thing you will be working hard for is to get out of debt. ASS KISSING never hurt anyone either.

aFRESH20 · July 14, 2005

yeah thats true..money does run the world....thats why i thin kits improtant to surround urself with people of similar goals..and its never hurt to have some rich friends..either..lol..

Persia · July 14, 2005

Bravo Bravo Bravo. Great Advice from Hundreds, Andewhall and Marine

Don't let Mama slap you.

www.mamaclothing.com

pxl · July 14, 2005

Hey

i started my own line almost 1 year a go ( http://www.perplexandlola.com )

It is harder than it seams, but its possible. We are doing well right now !

1: Before you start--- meet with the retailers you would like to sell . Ask what are their budjets for a new line. Don,t ask just 1 ask at least few they will all tell u something different.

2. Plan your operations and production accordingly. Keep you overhead as low as possible.

3. Make sure you have money to assume production and overhead custs for at least 3 seasons ahead. Collecting your money its very difficult.

4. Stay focus on your branding and be consistent. Your line has to evolve but not change drasticly.

5. Your business has to look stable othrewise the makers & the retailers will not deal with you.

6. At the end of the day your product has to sell. The retailers will not support you --- they don,t give a dame

7. Talk to everyone you know about your project, you don,t know from where help might come.

8. hold on onto your stock as much as u can. Your better off giving your clothes away to cool people to wear. Word to mouth is the way to go

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 05:50 AM

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 06:27 AM

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 06:30 AM

MyMindSpray · July 14, 2005

i agree with most of the above...however, i think the most important thing is to stick with it...set out a vision from the jump...know what you want to do...not just a couple of runs down the line, but your overall vision...after that, stick to it...stand by it...you'll see highs and lows, but if you maintain consistency, and keep pushing, your product has a chance of seeing daylight...

mrmax · July 14, 2005

Being able to spell business will also help.

pxl · July 14, 2005

Quote:
Being able to spell business will also help.

--- Original message by mrmax on Jul 14, 2005 06:01 AM

Good one :-)

sorry I sound like an idiot in Eglish,

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 06:29 AM

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 06:44 AM

KING CHOCOLATE · July 14, 2005

or "budget" "cuts" "otherwise" and oh how appropriate "DAMN"

Just kidding Pxl. People get the point. Don't worry about typos.

KING CHOCOLATE IS BACK

foulphil · July 14, 2005

also don't spend all the money you earn on weed.

back then they didn't want me, now i'm hot they all know me.

mrmax · July 14, 2005

Quote:
Quote:
Being able to spell business will also help.

--- Original message by mrmax on Jul 14, 2005 06:01 AM

Good one :-)
sorry I sound like an idiot in Eglish,

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 06:29 AM

Edited by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 at 06:44 AM

--- Original message by pxl on Jul 14, 2005 06:12 AM

haha no your english is excellent. I didn't realise that it wasn;t your first language. I feel a bit of a dick now!

chadler · July 14, 2005

what if you have only a few thousand as capital? is it possible to get started with so little? i would assume that big stores will probably not buy from an unknown brand, so i guess consignment stores are the way to go?

Cue · July 14, 2005

you can start small and build up ... guh, kids these days, want to start big ... blah blah

powerglov · July 14, 2005

You can start off pretty well that way.

1. Just do a couple of designs in fairly low quantities and sell to your friends.

2. The rest will sell through word-of-mouth if the product's any good.

3. Put ALL the money back into the company.

4. Repeat until you have a decent customer-base/awareness level and coincidentally, a bigger budget.

Then develop a small catalog and try to push to stores.

Unless you already know the ins and outs of the industry, have a SOLID plan, and have something really special, theres no way you are ready to go retail right away. There's alot to learn along the way.

aFRESH20 · July 14, 2005

i agree i think its good to start off small......DO you think its good to have different names for your company in case the first one doesnt work>>>??

aFRESH20 · July 14, 2005

hey PXL excellant advice.......