I know that if you are reading this you have always dreamed of having a fashion business. Yet, for some reason you went into another field. Maybe your parents talked you out of it or you just were afraid. Since it the idea has stayed in the back of your mind as something you really want to do. Well, here are my tips to get started.
- Decide what your company name and entity is.
- Open a bank account and start building a relationship with your banker.
- Figure out what your product is and what sets you apart from your competition.
- Focus on a category. For example: Dresses only – not dresses, sportswear, and shoes at the same time.
- Also focus on mens or women’s or children; again not all at the same.
- Focusing on a specific market is important when you first start otherwise you will need a lot of money to make different lines and market them.
- Develop the story behind your brand.
- Make a line plan for the different styles.
- Find a great pattern maker
- Find fabrics and/or materials you can buy wholesale.
- Design or hire a designer to develop silhouettes.
- Get samples and do fittings on the samples with your pattern maker
- Develop a great website
- Find a factory that can produce your product
- Get prices from the factory
- Put together a plan on how you are going to sell your product.
- Figure out a marketing plan to build brand recognition.
- If you are going wholesale consider getting sales representatives.
- You can also open your own showroom and sell direct to stores.
- Make sure you have a line sheet.
- Make sure you have order forms
- Look into trade shows and see if they are right for you.
As you can see there are a lot of moving parts plus more than I can list. If you need help figuring it all out contact me for a free consultation.
