Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a clothing line. Online selling of apparel is a great opportunity. There are always clothes people need, and fashion trends change constantly.
There is a lot of competition with this opportunity. It’s crucial to stand out in a saturated market when starting a clothing business. We have outlined a methodical way to start your clothing business.
Contents
- 1 Select a clothing product you want to sell
- 2 Select a business model
- 3 Create a business plan
- 4 Start your business
- 5 Get your logistics in order
- 6 Get ready to launch your business
- 7 Make and implement a marketing strategy
- 8 Learn, test, and iterate
- 9 Shopify allows you to start your own clothing business
Select a clothing product you want to sell
One product might be a tee. Or you could launch a whole line, perhaps niching into an category selling vintage clothes or an online shop. It doesn’t matter what your approach is, it’s important to choose the right product idea that resonates with your target customers. It’s not enough to create clothing that people love. You also need to make it compelling enough to get people to buy.
- Video: How To Validate Your Product Ideas
- 100 T-Shirts: A Different Method to Validate Your Business Idea
- 12 Top Products to Sell in 2021 (and How to Market Them).
- 12 Strategies to Find Your First Profitable Product
- Product Ideas: 17 Places To Find Profitable Products (2021).
Select a business model
There are many business models that you can use to start a clothing business. Each model has its own advantages and challenges.
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Print on demand
Print-on-demand is a business model that allows you to outsource manufacturing and order fulfillment. The print-on-demand service will create a printable design and place it on your clothing product. Once an order has been placed, the company will ship it to you. Print on demand is a low-risk business model that doesn’t require any inventory investment. However, it has lower profit margins than other clothing businesses. These are additional resources that will help you to learn more about printing on demand for your clothing company.
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- 21 Free TShirt Mockups and Photoshop Templates (2021 Update).
- Top 10 Print-on-Demand Companies (and How To Choose One) (2021).
- 10 Best Products for Print-on-Demand [2021 Data]
- The inspiration for Her LGBTQ+ Lifestyle brand was a dog
Dropshipping
Dropshipping can be another option. You promote products and sell them on your website. However, a third-party dropshipper holds stock and fulfills orders on your behalf. Dropshipping is similar to print-on-demand, but it doesn’t require printing. These resources will help you learn more about dropshipping.
- The Ultimate Guide To Dropshipping
- How to start a dropshipping business (2021 Playbook).
- Where can I find the best dropshipping suppliers in 2021
- 10 Essential Dropshipping Business Ideas for Beginners (2021).
- How to find a profitable dropshipping niche for your business
Make
You can also make your own clothing by hand if you prefer a hands-on approach to your clothing company. Either you have the skills to sew from scratch or hire a professional designer. To find creative and inspiring professionals that can help you bring your vision to reality, browse Shopify Experts.
Manufacturing
You can still have control of your product, but not the ability to create it yourself. Manufacturers can help you bring your clothing designs to reality. It is particularly helpful to work with a manufacturer if your growth goals are clear. If you hand-make every item, it can be hard or impossible to keep up. It is important to communicate your growth goals to suppliers in order for them to be able handle it.
- 13 Top Product Sourcing Apps to Find Products to Sell on Shopify (2021).
- How do I find a manufacturer or supplier for my product idea
Learn more:
Create a business plan
Your clothing brand’s business plan is a guide. It helps you identify your goals, the challenges and roadblocks that you may face along the way, as well as the resources needed to make them happen. Not only is it useful for you, but for your partners, investors, lenders, and for future generations.
- How to Create a Business Plan That You Will Actually Use (2021).
- Business Plan Template for Entrepreneurs (2021 Blueprint)
Start your business
Before your business can be considered “legit”, there are several steps you need to follow.
Name your clothing company
When people learn about your clothing company, their first impression is of your business name. Your name should be memorable. Different brands have different requirements. It’s possible to be very simple or more playful with something more literal and creative. The Outrage, Phenomenal, are two t-shirt companies that support social causes. They are named after people who are passionate about social issues and extraordinary women who stand up for them. This is just one way to grow your clothing business. You have many options for creative names.
- Free Company Name Generator
- 7 Steps to Create Your Own Brand from Scratch
- Are you stuck on a name? This is how to choose a memorable domain name without breaking the bank
Create a logo
Your logo is the visual representation of your clothing business. Although you can hire a designer to create your logo, many clothing businesses launch their logos themselves. You can play with fonts, colors and graphics using our Hatchful creator. It can be used to create your logo ideas and share them with a professional when you are ready to invest.
- Top 10 Paid and FREE Logo Makers Online in 2021
- 7 Steps to Create a Memorable Logo (We Design One From Scratch).
Your store is built
Now that you have the brand and the clothes you want, your website is the place where it all happens. Although it may seem daunting to build an online store, you can create your own Shopify store with customizable templates and themes–no programming required.
- A Quickstart Guide for Beginning Developers: 9 Steps to Building a Website from Scratch
- How to Start an Online Store. (Watch Us Make One) (2021).
- 8 Best Website Builders For Businesses [Ranked] (2021).
Choose your sales channels
You can sell clothes online directly from your website. To reach more customers on different platforms, you can add additional sales channels. You can also sell on other channels such as Etsy and Amazon, wholesale, retail, and social media. It all comes down to identifying the channels that your customers use.
- Get New Customers Faster With Shopify’s Sales Channels
- Shopify’s Google channel lets you reach the right customers at the right moment.
- Shopify and Etsy: Three Makers Use Both to Grow Their Business
- Fashion and Social Selling: Multi-Channel Strategies From Top Brands
- Connecting ebay to your Shopify Account–Sell
Get your logistics in order
Fulfillment and shipping are both the most exciting and least important parts of any online business. These logistics are what ensure that products reach their destination, which is the customer’s address. You need to ensure that your order fulfillment is more than just shipping.
- A Beginner’s Guide To Fulfillment Services [Explainer] (2021).
- Common Shipping Problems and How To Address Them Head-On (2021).
- The Beginner’s Guide To Ecommerce Shipping & Fulfillment (2021).
- Dropshipping Fulfillment – Understanding the Supply Chain (2021).
- A Short Guide to Shopify’s Shipment Services (2021).
Get ready to launch your business
Now that you have a plan for success and the foundations to get there, it is time to put everything in order and launch. Before you launch your online store and allow customers to place orders, there are some steps that you should follow.
Make and implement a marketing strategy
After your online store is up and running, you can start to drive traffic to your site. To market your store, you need to do research, plan, execute creatively, and analyze data.
- A 3-Step Guide to Building Effective Marketing Plan
- 11 Most Recent Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Company (2021)
- How to Create an Email List That Builds Your Ecommerce Company
- Clothing Photography 101 – Take Beautiful Apparel Pictures (2021)
Register for a free webinar
Marketing 101
Are you struggling to increase sales? This free course will teach you how to make your first sale.
Learn, test, and iterate
It’s easy to grow your business online, which is a great advantage. You can run some tests to find out what works and what doesn’t so that you can optimize your store or campaigns for more sales.
- How to find and plug leaks in your conversion funnels–Conversion (2021).
- 9 Custom Reports from Google Analytics by the Experts (and how to use them)
- A Complete Guide to A/B testing: Expert tips from Google, HubSpot, and More
- A Scientific Way to Test and Generate Business Ideas
- Product Line Extensions – How to Test Them before Investing In Inventory
- Better Fulfillment Decisions with Order Analytics
Shopify allows you to start your own clothing business
Shopify allows you to sell designer clothing, vintage items, and everything else in between. You’ll be supported every step of your journey with helpful resources, intuitive tools and dedicated customer support.