How to start your own clothing line. How to create a fashion brand: Expert advice for beginners


How to create your own brand - choosing a name and logo, registration stages. Get 7 tips on how to open your own clothing brand + 4 ideas for successful advertising.

By opening a brand, an entrepreneur patents not only his company’s logo, its slogan and product features.

A brand is something more: all the emotions, associations, customer feelings associated with a product or service, positive and negative reviews, happy and disappointed consumers.

How to open your own clothing brand?

This is the question that this article will answer.

You will learn all the intricacies of the process of creating a new trademark, how to come up with a brand name, and register your creation with Rospatent.

How to come up with a brand name?

Brand development begins with the task of coming up with a brand name.

The consumer evaluates not only the graphic design of the company logo.

He is also interested in the semantic content contained in the title.

An entrepreneur must be creative.

The brand name is reflected in the success of all marketing operations!

How to come up with a unique name for a brand?

“In any project, the most important factor is faith in success. Without faith, success is impossible.”
William James

Think about what will be special about the product being produced, determine the competitive advantages of the product.

Let us remember again that target audience– young people who buy absolutely everything on the Internet.

By following these marketing steps, your clothing will very soon become a market leader.

The following video tells how a young girl created her own clothing brand.

Watch and be inspired:

How much money does it take to open your own clothing brand?


Let's move on to dry, precise calculations.

Entrepreneurship in any form does not tolerate financial mistakes.

For the convenience of arithmetic operations, let’s take the monthly production of a batch of 1,000 units of product by your enterprise as a sample.

The cost of producing one unit is 450 rubles. (fabric + tailoring), selling price – 700 rubles.

Let's start by calculating the initial investment in production:

Monthly investment:

Monthly income from the sale of branded clothing will be 700,000 rubles.

With such indicators, the payback of a successful enterprise selling branded clothing will be 1 month.

Do you want to test yourself as a designer and entrepreneur?

Your own clothing brand is the ideal solution.

The business quickly pays for itself and brings a stable income.

If after reading the article you still have a question: how to create your own clothing brand, all that remains is to personally try it in practice to understand all the intricacies of entrepreneurship.

All that is required to implement the project is persistence and belief in one’s abilities.

Are you ready to pay this price for success?

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In this article we will look at the question of how to open a clothing store, what is needed for this, an example of a business plan for opening it.

The profit of a clothing store - boutique - will directly depend on the type of product sold - “luxury” brand clothing, exclusive, economy class, etc. For example, the markup on luxury clothing will be up to 100%, and on items for the middle class of consumers – up to 200%. In any case, this type of business is quite profitable.

Boutique business is perhaps the most profitable both in Russia and in Europe and the USA. According to experts, the annual turnover of funds in this industry is incredibly high. New ones are being built all over the world shopping centers and shops selling everything from cheap Chinese consumer goods to expensive glamorous exclusives.

Business plan

We present to you for free ready-made example a business plan for a clothing store that will help you start your own business in the trade sector. With this example, you can estimate your future expenses and income when running a business.

Plan implementation scheme:

  1. registering an individual entrepreneur;
  2. choosing a supplier;
  3. rent (buy) premises;
  4. we hire staff;
  5. we sell the goods.

How to open a clothing store

So, let's look at information on how to open a clothing store from scratch, point by point.

Choosing a format

It is necessary to decide what format the boutique will have - mono-brand (sells products of only one brand) or multi-brand (respectively, several companies and brands).

The first case is preferable if you plan to work under a franchise or under an agreement directly with the manufacturer. Although such a clothing store is losing a certain segment of customers, nevertheless, by selling an already promoted brand, it has a chance to earn the favor of the buyer.

The multi-brand format is more dynamic and flexible. The owner himself chooses the assortment of goods and its price category. As a rule, such boutiques offer clothes for different budgets, which attracts visitors.

Franchise store

Franchise agreement

Buying a franchise is a common way to start your own business. Sales specialists believe that only an entrepreneur who already has experience in the fashion industry can build his own clothing store from scratch. So, the franchise agreement - good option, if you have not had the opportunity to try yourself in this field before.

By purchasing the rights to sell a well-promoted brand, an entrepreneur is 80% sure that his business will do well. Why 80% and not 100? Because a lot depends on the location of the clothing store and the specifics of the market (city, country). The system into which the new boutique is included has been working for a long time and brings profit to its owners, and these are certain guarantees.

In addition, along with the product, the entrepreneur receives recommendations on its implementation, personnel selection, and marketing policy.

How to choose a franchisor?

To do this you need to answer a number of questions:

  • Which price segment clothing boutique;
  • profitability of the franchisor's store (sample finances);
  • what are the advertising costs for this brand;
  • who makes up the competitive environment of your clothing store;
  • how unsold goods will be returned to the supplier;
  • what is the franchisor's strategy and the degree of its penetration into our market.

The downside of a franchise is its cost. The price for a brand of a domestic manufacturer will cost about 50 thousand dollars. Brands from foreign manufacturers are two to three times more expensive.

Choosing a retail space

There are a number of recommendations on where it is more profitable to open your own clothing store from scratch. For example, experts advise not to save on the space of a boutique, because the number of sales directly depends on the square footage of the sales area. IN small store the buyer feels as if there is too little choice of clothing.

One of optimal options clothing store locations are shopping centers focused on the sale of clothing. It is believed that, despite competition, sales levels in trading floors higher than in stand-alone stores.

When choosing a location for a clothing store, the following are taken into account:

  • image of the outlet;
  • competition in your market segment;
  • intensity of pedestrian flows near the store;
  • the level of financial and economic development of the region;
  • availability of other outlets, cafes, bio-toilets, parking in the neighborhood.

Trade inventory

To organize a clothing store you will need the following equipment: racks, shelves, a stand, several mannequins, cash register, hangers, fitting room, mirrors. Furniture elements and their price will depend on the style of the boutique's interior.

Store design

Image influences the flow of visitors. In branded clothing stores concept appearance processed by design and marketing specialists. But even if you don't pretend to unique design of your store, repairs and preparation of the premises for work will still have to be done.

Product suppliers

As a rule, owners of multi-brand boutiques purchase from distributors of certain brands or travel to buy goods abroad (Türkiye, Bulgaria, China, Europe, America). Having decided on the assortment, you need to choose the best supplier, taking into account the ratio of quality and price.

Work staff

Personnel play a significant role in trade. Shop fashionable clothes– is no exception. Selecting good sales consultants is another component successful work. In addition to external data and the ability to communicate with a client, an employee must understand fashion, have a sense of style, and be able to choose what suits the client.

The number of sellers depends on the size of the clothing store and the assortment sold. Most often, a salesperson's salary is piecework: a fixed rate plus a percentage of sales. The staff of a large store also includes a director, manager and accountant.

Advertising and Marketing

Business risks

Main risks when trading clothes:

  • Unpredictability fashion trends . The dynamics and variability of fashion can ruin a clothing store: today the product is popular and quoted, but tomorrow it is no longer there.
  • Insufficient demand. To prevent this problem, it is important to work on creating the image of the outlet.
  • Shortage or overstocking of goods. Newbies in business often face this problem. The fear of “half-empty shelves” results in excessive purchases, and as a result, the ruin of a clothing store.

Approximate costs

So, how much does it cost to open a business like this:

  • Franchise – from 45-47 thousand dollars.
  • Rent commercial premises– from 1.5 thousand dollars/month.
  • Equipment for a clothing store – from 3.5 thousand dollars.
  • Repair – from 5 thousand dollars.
  • Advertising – $500-1000
  • Purchase of the first batch of clothing – from 10 thousand dollars.
  • Salary – from 3 thousand dollars/month.
  • The total initial cost of opening a clothing store from scratch is from 70 thousand dollars.

Business income

Trade margins can range from 50% to 200% or more.

In this situation, the payback will be from one and a half to two years.

One idea and inspiration is not enough to create a brand; it is necessary to focus on a well-established mechanism, continuous flow and excitement among consumers. Own products cannot be called a brand unless the product is widely distributed and brought to the attention of potential buyers.

Idea and original idea you have. Now evaluate the prospects of your chosen direction. The most profitable products are clothing everyday use, practical, modern, high quality and tasteful. Think about how you will differ from your predecessors and competitors, what the assortment concept will be. Analyze current and last year's trends, even fashion shows from 10 years ago. Do not rely on “star” buyers, but on ordinary people who want to dress fashionably, beautifully and with high quality. The first steps are very important, on which the presentation of the brand and its initial assessment by the consumer depend. A good product does not need constant advertising, although in the first stages everything is just the opposite - create a bright and flashy advertisement, but at the same time present the viewer and listener with some useful and sweet information. The brand name and logo are 35% of success. Your “name” should be known and remembered. This can be a union of a surname and a name or several names. You can also follow your own title development algorithm. Throw away primitive names and simple ideas. People who will buy your clothes should proudly answer the questions: “What kind of dress, where did you buy it?” Develop sketches for the annual collection. You shouldn't run production process on the joys of success. Don't be afraid of bold decisions and non-standard combinations, as long as it is within reason and suitable for people. Agree, watching fashion shows of famous couture, you don’t always come across successful pieces that can be worn in everyday life. Find a good fabric supplier and assemble your own team of professionals. Create small production, where you will personally control the process and evaluate each copy for the first time. Sew a full-length collection within acceptable dimensional limits and in sufficient quantity. Don't focus on the "trial collection". If you make a splash on all the advertising boards and crowds of people come to you, then they may be disappointed - do not allow this, otherwise you will collapse. Expand the scale advertising campaign on all sources. Instruct distributors to hand out advertising flyers, create some excitement. Competent specialists We have long noted a trend - people want what is inaccessible or limited. Launch a discount system, create your own promotional products: umbrellas, bags, pens, calendars, cups. Remind yourself from time to time with advertising posters on the streets and videos on TV.


Gradually create a network of branded stores and increase the level of service. Give your clients attention, care and nice gifts (but not too often, they will get used to it). Your main task is to promote your own brand, and then you can consider that you have managed to create your own brand.

Don't forget to update yourself regularly, add some holiday and color to the lives of your clients, and you will be loved and recommended. Don't forget to monitor the quality of products and service. Expand and don’t let yourself be forgotten.

Elena Fimina told in an interview with Kontur.Zhurnal how to solve the problem of personnel shortage, work on the principle of small circulations and expand into the regions.

Idea

My sister and I have been working in the fashion industry for over 10 years. In 2002, a store of the Spanish brand Mango opened in Chelyabinsk. At that time, nothing like this existed in the city. On a competitive basis, we got a job at Mango as sales consultants and gradually rose to the management level. During this time, we understood how a fashion business is built, how clothing collections are created and promoted, we understood the intricacies of merchandising, the work of a showroom and the factors influencing successful sales. Since my sister worked specifically with the Spaniards, she learned all the nuances of promoting fashionable clothing.

I started making clothes more than five years ago. At first it was a hobby, although I studied individually with specialists high level in the field of clothing production, studied technology and the intricacies of design and modeling. Gradually, I became more involved in the process, and when my sister gave birth to two children, they became a source of inspiration for more serious works and collections.

One day my sister and I came up with the idea of ​​creating a children's clothing brand. FiFi. We started with a starting amount of 100,000 rubles, but the experience in the industry that we managed to gain helped us a lot. The first collection was sewn at home, using home-based seamstresses.

In fact, we immediately determined who our client is: progressive mothers different ages who understand fashion, know trends, and love to dress their children stylishly and tastefully.

Investments

Participation in the SKB Kontur competition is our first attempt to attract investment for business development. An investor saw our video and offered financial assistance. At that time, we refused, because we were not satisfied with the conditions, and decided to develop on our own.

On regional level We participated in the federal program “You are an Entrepreneur.” They were also interested in our project, but we realized that it would be difficult to obtain financial support, since this program is more educational.

We have now submitted an application to participate in the “Made in Chelyabinsk” competition and are waiting for its organizers to contact us.

Production details and difficulties

Clothing production is a very long and painstaking process. It all starts with the emergence of an idea, we determine what exactly we want to do. Then sketches are drawn, and at the next stage materials are purchased. Next, the designers work - they develop patterns. During the construction of a model, many changes are made and something is necessarily rejected. But that's not all.

Seeing the result, we begin to discuss how we can present and present the finished collection. We choose a location, invite photographers and create a photo shoot with child models.

It is very difficult to organize a production process in Russia. One of the most pressing problems we are faced with is the personnel shortage: there are neither competent designers nor seamstresses in the country.

Of course, there are specialists who are 50-60 years old, but they are no longer in the ranks, and it is almost impossible to find young professionals. You have to spend a lot of time and effort on training, and efficiency suffers as a result.

In sewing production, the speed of performing a particular job plays an important role. For example, in order to mass-produce a children's dress, you need to calculate how much time it takes to sew one model - in minutes and seconds. In this way, it is calculated how many hours and days the entire batch will be sewn. And people of the old school simply cannot work quickly. But we involve them in another work - design, since they competently make patterns and think through sketches taking into account the fabrics that are available to us.

Solving the problem of personnel shortage, we attracted specialists from the Department of Light Industry of the South Ural state university. We invited the best of them to work with us, and now they advise us and also train our employees. The company currently employs seven seamstresses.

Another problem is fabrics. Production in Russia is barely working, factories are fulfilling some strange orders using old equipment - they have a very hard time, people work for pennies. But even those factories that are still functioning do not always produce what we need. For example, in Yekaterinburg, there is a wool producing plant. Tyumen produced similar fabrics, but, unfortunately, the plant recently closed. We buy some things from Russia, but basically, of course, we bring everything from abroad, most often from Italy. As long as the euro exchange rate was more or less stable, there were no problems with purchases. Now the situation has changed - we have become more careful in choosing fabrics: when drawing up estimates, we have to calculate how affordable things will be for the consumer, although, of course, we would like to buy more original and expensive fabrics.


The principle of small circulations

We produce small collections - ten models each. The collection is built on the principle of a capsule, where each item complements the other. By doing this, we increase our turnover, because people like to buy things in sets. At the same time, we have models that we sew constantly. As a rule, this is a holiday assortment, basic models, the so-called “commercial”.

When a collection comes out, we can add to it along the way if we see that there is good demand for things. Elegant dresses remain a top seller - they are in demand all season long.

Over the course of its existence, the FiFi brand has gained its own fans. We are working to expand their circle. But we don’t fight for our client—he finds us himself.

In Chelyabinsk, during production, we have a showroom where our clients can come and try on things. Two months ago, the FiFi brand entered the Moscow market: it opened in the capital new store“Children's shelf”, where our models are presented among the things of Russian designers.

In order to promote the brand, we are actively working with the social networks Instagram, VKontakte, and are also developing our virtual store on the Fair of Masters website. From experience, I can say that social networks are in many ways more effective than stores, because they reach more potential consumers - people see our products from different parts of the country and even the world. We receive orders not only from Russia, but also from abroad.

In the next five years, we plan to launch a franchising business to increase the number of distribution points for our products. We plan to sew clothes in production in Chelyabinsk and negotiate with regional stores so that they represent our brand. Such stores will place orders for certain models from the catalog before the season and receive the required volumes of products.

Instructions

Decide what exactly you will release. The narrower the niche, the easier it is to promote your future brand. For example, make luxurious wedding dresses or inexpensive classic men's suits are more profitable than just women's or men's clothing.

Evaluate the offerings on the market - there may be gaps in it. Don’t make a product for yourself – think about what will be in demand by the audience. Please note that repeating the success of an entrepreneur who is already exploiting some original idea, most likely it won't work. Find your own twist.

Write detailed business plan promotion. Determine how many collections you will produce, what materials you will work with, and how many staff you will need. Obtain permits and register your trademark.

Find an investor. Production clothes requires constant financial injections, and if the circumstances are successful, you should count on the payback of the business only in a year or two. Having selected an investor, enter into an agreement with him, which must be checked by a lawyer. Don't limit yourself to a verbal agreement - if a disagreement arises, properly executed papers will help resolve it.

If you are starting a business with a partner, sign an agreement with him that will outline the rights and responsibilities of all business participants. Clearly indicate the rules for distribution of profits, responsibility for errors, etc. important points.

Don’t rush to rent an office – this is an extra expense. Seamstresses and cutters can work from home, and it is also more convenient for managers to control the process from their home office. Conduct meetings with potential buyers and suppliers on their territory.

Conclude agreements with suppliers of fabrics and accessories. Do not limit yourself to one, even a reliable partner. Constantly study the market in search of new, more interesting and advantageous offers.

Tightly control the production process. The problem of many beginning entrepreneurs is unstable quality and disruption of pre-agreed deliveries. Make sure that models from new collection were always available to order at the right amount.

Many people dream about beautiful life with equipped housing, good car, holidays at expensive resorts and about your own business, who would work to fulfill our desires. How to start a business from scratch?

Instructions

Start starting a business by looking for a business idea. A good business idea is the foundation of an organization successful business. You can come up with it yourself or copy it from a successfully developing enterprise. The main thing is that the business idea answers the question: what need of customers or clients are you going to satisfy so that they pay you money? Moreover, you must be able to satisfy this need better than your competitors. If you cannot answer this question for yourself, then it is better not to start your own business. He will be doomed to fail.

Find investments to start a business. Finding funds is an integral and most difficult part of starting a business. In order to search for investments, you will need a business plan, i.e. a description of your business idea and its rationale, supported by . Without it, they are unlikely to even talk to you. To draw up a competent business plan, you can contact qualified specialists or try to draw it up yourself, after first studying the relevant literature.

Start looking for investments to start your business. You can contact one of the banks to get a loan or try to find private investors. Also remember that recently the state has been helping the development of... Participate in a business plan competition and receive an interest-free loan or non-repayable amount of money to finance your business.

Correctly calculate the staff and their remuneration. Remember that you are the owner of the business and part-time general manager. You must receive income from your business and resolve issues of its development, and the current activities should be carried out by the executive director along with the staff you have recruited. Therefore, the first person you should hire is the CEO. Find after him the right person who will be responsible for your organization’s financial flows and cash desk. On initial stage business development does not necessarily require hiring an expensive specialist. Outsource accounting functions. This will save your budget and time. After filling key positions with properly selected employees, supplement the staff of your organization based on the goals pursued and the availability of free finances.

Manage your business through meetings, which you can hold several times a week. Remember that the meeting time should not exceed 1 hour.

Please note

Starting a business: how to prepare. The world experience of successful entrepreneurship is quite extensive and its analysis allows us to identify an approximate algorithm for successfully launching a business. It's about not about big business, for which dizzying mergers and acquisitions and the usual formation of subsidiaries are more relevant.

Useful advice

Calculate a basic business plan for a couple of A4 pages? For them it is no easier than going to the moon. By the way, if they do start a business, then they will conduct current financial management in the same way. That is, no way. It’s better to sink a few million into a stupid business and suffer with it for 5 years. This is easier than entrusting your business idea to someone before you even launch the business and start investing.

Have you decided to open your own? production and make sure it works like a clock. How can a novice entrepreneur organize and launch production?

Instructions

Find out which product groups are in greatest demand and by whom. Monitor what you are going to do. Develop a business (independently or with the assistance of specialists). Describe the production process, provide a complete description of the product and cost and income calculations. If you are going to attract investors, attach to your business plan a schedule for reaching the break-even zone and loan repayment schedules.

Register with the tax authorities legal entity. Get an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Roskomstat codes. Open a correspondent and current bank account. Come up with a name for your company and register it with Rospatent.

Find a premises for your production in accordance with technological process. Check all communications and, if necessary, reinstall or convert them. Renovate the premises. Invite representatives of sanitary and fire supervision, get positive conclusions. Conclude an agreement for waste removal and sanitation of premises.

Buy everything necessary equipment, preferably from the manufacturers. Conclude agreements for its service. When choosing equipment, you will also need expert opinions that the technology you choose will meet all the requirements for organizing production.

Purchase raw materials. Conclude agreements for its further supplies. Start establishing distribution channels as well. Hire qualified personnel. Release a trial batch of products. Receive all certificates of quality and compliance (if you are opening a food production).

Among the huge variety of modern designer clothing brands, there is one undisputed leader, whose products are the most popular in the world. This is the Italian fashion house & Gabbana, which has won fashionistas and fashionistas their devotion and eternal love for D&G branded items and accessories.

History of the house

The founders of the Dolce & Gabbana brand are Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who met in the 80s. Domenico came to get a job in Stefano's atelier, as a result of which two years later they joined forces, opening a studio that provided consultations in the field of fashion. Initially, fashion designers worked under proper names, however, for the sake of economy, they created a single brand, under which they later opened fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.

The show of the first collection of fashion designers took place at the end of Milan Fashion Week, held in October 1985.

The achievements of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in the field of fashion are many points, but the most significant of them are: the transformation of black dresses into mega-sexy outfits, the introduction into fashion of frayed torn ones, thin waists and tops peeking out from under the jacket, as well as the transformation of a simple bra into a chic lingerie accessory. It was the house of Dolce & Gabbana that became the trendsetter for transparent slip dresses and exquisite lace stockings.

Popularity of Dolce & Gabbana

Today, Dolce & Gabbana is considered the most famous brand, bringing Domenico and Stefano millions in profits. However, fashion designers also learned dark side such popularity - every year they lose millions of dollars on counterfeits, which huge quantities create various underground enterprises around the world. However, this does not affect the demand for branded products from fashion designers, who, in addition to clothes, also produce shoes, various accessories and their own perfume line.

The first men's collection of the Dolce & Gabbana house immediately received the prestigious Woolmark Award.

Real popularity came to Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana thanks to the pop icon Madonna, who came to the Cannes Film Festival in a luxurious corset from fashion designers. Then six hundred and fifty European, American and Australian stores bought their collection of long black dresses with hoods and sleeveless, which significantly strengthened the house’s position in the fashion market. The final success of the brand was secured by the appearance of such celebrity clients as Dolce & Gabbana such as Woody Harrelson, Sting, Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and many other Hollywood celestials.

Video on the topic

Floristry is a fun and creative activity. Even a novice florist can decorate the interior of a room by creating a collage or tabletop composition.

Instructions

Creative floristry is a non-standard approach to creating ordinary items. A novice florist can easily create a simple but very original collage. In order to make such a collage, you will need a base. Make it from an unnecessary cardboard box. Cut out a rectangular square with a hole inside. This is good to do with a sharp stationery knife. The base is ready.

Then wrap the workpiece decorative paper. Do this so that the color of the cardboard does not stand out in the future. Then take some color-matched raffia and wrap it around the frame, applying glue periodically. Special attention pay attention to the corners.

For florists, this option for creating the basis for a floral collage is easier. You will need a rectangular square of cardboard. Wrap it in decorative paper, then wrap it in raffia, leaving some space.

It is interesting to know that 31-year-old Kardashian is looking for several brands to distribute the denim line among her followers on Instagram. She herself states: “We are all good, regardless of our figure and heritage. Our figures are very different, but we all strive for perfection. These clothes will highlight all your advantages and hide your flaws. Some people call it the 'new silhouette', but I'm just thinking about the body you were given."

The casting is held for those who live in the USA, as well as those who want to become the “face” of this project. Such girls will have the opportunity not only to work with Chloe, but also to be part of general process pattern design, helping designers create the best pair of jeans. To be considered for the project, you must be over 18 years old, provide a photograph full height and fill out the form. If you are very interested in the project and you like fashion, but you don’t have the appearance at all, don’t despair! You may be considered for behind-the-scenes work, which will allow you to learn new fashion and design secrets.

The socialite definitely picked the right time to launch her denim brand as we all know how trendy it is, especially this year. Cool jackets, ripped jeans, mini and maxi skirts made from stunning denim can now be afforded by girls and women with a non-standard figure. Cause now when it comes to perfect couple When it comes to jeans, many still face certain difficulties in finding a design that is both comfortable and on-trend. Hopefully, Khloe's denim creations will truly fill this gap in the fashion industry, resulting in her personal sexy style being forever infused with the latest fashion trends.

While this isn't actually Khloe's first foray into the denim fashion industry (anyone still remember the Kardashian Kollection that Khloe created with her sisters?), her new denim line seems to be quite something other. From positive Instagram posts to Khloe's media coverage, everything confirms that Khloe is ready to do something on her own that has nothing to do with her sisters' business in any way.