Start An Apparel Brand 2024 -REAL ADVICE

I'm not a person who likes to write long, long paragraphs and over-explain repetitively, so, heads up: if you don't understand something here, just Google it, or even better, use ChatGPT!

 

Starting from the Start:

1. Find a topic you personally are passionate about

You can't sustainably build a business on a topic you don't personally care about. I don't care about gardening or embroidery, so I cannot force myself to make artworks or sales pitches on these topics. I love space and I've always been in awe of the vast universe, so, I can pour all my passion into the designs of the apparels.

 

2. Research business models, your investment capital, marketing strategies, inventory management, target audience, target demographic

It's exactly what I wrote. Understand each of these terms fully, in and out. Eat, breathe, speak about these topics and then get onto this. Again, search for these terms individually on Google, etc. and learn.

 

3. Register the business or not

Check with your state laws. In most cases, you do not need to register anything right away, and can work as a sole proprietor (individual on their own name), until a threshold of revenue, beyond which you will need to start collecting taxes on your products. After this, when everything picks up a momentum, then you can decide if you'd want to continue as a sole proprietor or register an LLC/corporation.

Beware that if it's a business name other than your own name, you will need to register it, otherwise anyone else can use/register the same name and you are not legally entitled to it. You can have very little legal protection for your intellectual property.

Logo registration is a separate entity all together, so, do your research on that as well.

That being said, you can still start building your brand before registering anything and experiment and observe how the organic audience responds to it.

Tip: When you finalize a brand name, keep in mind the social media handles/usernames. Instagram is the hardest to get, and a uniformity is always better for brand image, but don't stress out on a dot or an underscore in the username, that can always be fixed down the road.

 

4. To make the designs and artworks

Browse Pinterest, Instagram, Tiktok, already famous platforms in your niche to get inspiration. Compile basic ideas (phrases, graphics, colors). Write out some ideas.

I use Procreate to draw and complete the artworks. You can use Autodesk Sketchbook for a free software, and Adobe Photoshop as another paid master software alternative to Procreate.

Get the canvas resolution right with respect to your product and service for your design prints. Check the printing guidelines from your manufacturer, usually they suggest RGB profiles, non-semi transparent artwork/design and in vectors. The former two can be followed in Procreate easily. But, for converting your design to vectors, you'll need Adobe illustrator. Upload your design PNG in Adobe illustrator and vectorize it. Remove any extra elements. Save as PNG, with transparent background and scale 4x. 

 

5. Website Development

I prefer Shopify, but there are other alternatives too, like WooCommerce or BigCartel. I would advise against Wix however. Shopify and others are website hosting places. You make your website on their platforms and they maintain it, like the servers, security, payments, they keep it working.

Shopify is easy if you are some bits tech savvy. Learning curve of 1 to 2 weeks. Making time 2 weeks. I've built 3 websites on Shopify and 3 on Wix personally. Simple websites with good aesthetic work perfectly, you do not need fancy animations and features. 

Add the products, set up the shipping and you are good to go. Track your analytics.

 

6. Etceteras

You'll need to install Google Analytics to understand the traffic on your website. Also, set up Google Merchant Center to list your products for free on Google. They won't rank at the top, but will definitely show in very specific Google searches.

 

7. E-mail Newsletter

1000000% add a pop-up with an offer and extremely exciting text to make people join your newsletter. That's your personal asset. Social media platforms might disappear overnight, but e-mails and your mailing list is your own and you can promote, talk, share with your customers directly. But, hey! Don't Spam!

 

8. Social Media

Every platform has their own algorithms, their content type and audience demographic. Study that, and post content tailored to it. Organic traffic is the best traffic! Of course, advertisement on these platforms differs as well and you should research 10x more before putting a penny, because your wallets will bleed dry. Paid advertisement is gold only when done right or if you can afford it.

 

 9. Keep up with the trends, the climate, the calendar, and the competition.

 

10. Can't think of any other point. That's it for now! I'll be updating more and regularly, so join my e-mail newsletter at the bottom of the page and join the exploration. ;) 

 

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If you've read till here, check out Going Across Space Clothing:

Men's  /  Women's