I am of the belief that no you shouldn’t. This industry is difficult to make money in for even the most knowledgeable person, it is almost impossible for the novice.
Now that I have said that, there are some of you that won’t listen. You have a burning desire in you to do this, so by hook or by crook you are opening your own brand. Far be it from me to discourage you from following your dreams. So here are some suggestions.
- Get a job in the industry and learn on someone else’s dime. Then you can start your business part time as you are learning.
- Take courses at a fashion school on subjects you need to know, such as: pattern making, fabric technology, design, marketing, accounting , etc.
- If you have a lot of money to invest, hire people to fulfill the functions you don’t know.
- If you don’t have any money, network till you find a mentor.
- Hire a consultant like myself to help you navigate the waters.
- Be prepared to do a lot of research on how to run a fashion business
- Make a business plan. This forces you to put together a blueprint for managing your business.
- Make sure that there is a desire for your product. There are a lot of brands out there. You need to be confident that you are bringing something special to the marketplace and there is an appetite for it.
While it may be near impossible, it isn’t truly impossible. People like Ralph Lauren, Steve Madden, and Sara Blakely started their businesses without prior knowledge and have gone on to have major success. So if this is something you are destined to do, I hope you will take some of my suggestions to aid you on your path.