How to Successfully Launch a Clothing Line

Starting your own clothing line is not easy, but with work and dedication, you can launch a successful clothing line. You will first and foremost need to have a passion for the fashion and design business, but also understand the business, legal and marketing aspects as well.

1. Pick a name for your business. Brainstorm ideas for a while and be sure to jot all of them down. Set your list aside and clear your head for awhile. Come back to your list and choose the one that really stands out. 


2. Perform a search to be sure the name you picked isn’t already chosen by another business. If the name is available, you will need to register it with the United States Patent Office along with registering your business name with your city clerk as DBA or LLC.  


3. Write up a business plan. A business plan outlines where you want your business to be in a specific amount of time and what your plans are for getting there. If you are planning to obtain funding through a bank or investors, you will need to have a business plan in place. The business plan should include how much start-up money you will need, who your target market is, when you will start turning a profit and what your business structure is.


4. Locate a fabric contractor in your area, if possible, who would be willing to assist you in producing your clothing line.  For example, if you are starting a t-shirt line, you will need a screen printer, whereas a collection of dresses will need a seamstress. 


5. Begin designing your clothing. When you create your sketches, the layout should include intricate detail that shows clearly where everything should be placed. 


6. Take your sketches to whoever is producing your clothing line. They will first create a sample for you to be sure that is exactly what you want so that changes can be made if needed.


7. Purchase a domain name with the name of your clothing line. If the name is not available as a ".com," you can try other endings such as ".biz." Make you website professional with photos of some of your images, your contact information and a bio about you. You will need to create a virtual shopping cart and set up a merchant account so customers can place their orders with credit cards if they so choose.


8. Advertise your new clothing line. Send out a press release to your local newspaper.  Purchase ads on websites that deal with your target market. Network with others in the same line of business that you are in and get ideas from them.