3000+ Word Guide on How to Launch a Successful Clothing Brand + Interviews!

Welcome back, readers. In recent times, there's been a huge rise in popularity for clothing brands worldwide. Clothing brands are becoming a popular route for aspiring designers to get in the game. New labels are popping up every day & becoming popular worldwide. More & more people are developing an interest in fashion & streetwear.

With technology becoming more advanced, we have a unique opportunity that nobody has ever had before. 30 years ago, if you wanted to even learn how to launch a clothing brand, you would need the right connections, money, & resources. The barrier to entry for aspiring brand owners was much higher. The idea of launching a fashion label could only be a fantasy if you didn't have the resources.

But things have changed. In the 21st century, all you need to launch a brand is the internet, the skills, a little investment, and a dream.

But many people still don't know where to start when it comes to launching a clothing brand. If you're reading this, you might not know either. I for sure didn't, not too long ago. "So how do you launch a clothing brand?" you may ask. Don't worry, I've got you covered.

For about a month now, I've been working on a secret project behind closed doors. I reached out to clothing brand owners all around the world & asked them how they launched their brands. From newcomers to veterans in the game, I made sure to ask all the questions you might have about running a brand. With the responses I gathered from these brand owners, I created a guide on how to launch & grow your very own brand.

I've made sure to include the ins & outs of launching a brand and practical & creative advice. By the end of this post, you will know exactly how to launch & grow your clothing brand.

Before I begin, I would like to give a huge thank you to the brand owners who took part in this project. These are Shinna with Kinesis, Mitchell with ForHisGlory, Dan with Damn Good, Zee with ZOPE, & Syton with January! Please make sure to check out their brands & support these guys! They made this project possible.

Now with this intro out of the way, let's jump right into how to start a clothing brand!

Chapter 1: What does it take to launch a brand?

In the 21st century, you don't necessarily need to come from wealth to launch a brand. Anybody from all backgrounds is capable enough to start.

• "I grew up in several different refugee centers around different cities and countries, so it was different..." (Shinna).

• "I dropped out my second semester of college after I realized school just was not for me" (Dan).

The most common denominator among brand owners is their skills & hobbies. Brand owners tend to be creative. This doesn't mean that you have to be a painter or a world-class musician to be creative. It just means that you--as a person--have the desire to create something.

• "When I was little, I loved to write and draw, and I wanted to be a children’s author. I shifted to music, and I’m currently working on being an EDM artist—DJing in places and working on music." (Zee).

Another denominator is the ability to take risks. Starting any business is a risk in itself, but launching a clothing brand is a whole other risk. If you're planning to launch a clothing brand, you must be ready to take risks. If you're not ready to lose your money, time, & energy, then give brand ownership a little more thought. All risks, given thought, will pay off.

• "I think it was a pretty huge decision at first & I felt sort of nervous about it, but almost immediately my whole family knew it was the right thing to do." (Dan).

Chapter 2: How to develop the skills to run a brand?

You cannot start any business without having the skills to run one. With clothing brands being a business that relies on creativity & innovation, it's no surprise that having the necessary skills is vital. But it isn't just creativity that's needed; you also need general business skills to thrive in the industry.

• "I developed my ability to analyze design and see opportunities for improvement, which are key skills." (Syton).

• "My greatest skill is passion and not being afraid to ask for help. I asked lots of ... people what are they looking for. I wasn’t confident in my ability to get my ideas out of my head, so I looked for those who could help." (Mitchell).

Chapter 3: How to come up with the name?

Brand owners often find this part tricky. They put too much emphasis on the name and its meaning that they get stuck. Your brand's name is important--it defines your whole brand. Like Virgil said,

So take time when naming your brand. Ask yourself, what do I want my brand to represent? What qualities do I want my brand to have? Is my brand name portraying an idea/feeling or describing what it does? 

• "The name "January" might symbolize a fresh start—new beginnings, clarity, and the chance to do things differently. ... It could also be personal, since I was actually born in January! ;)" (Syton).

• "I looked through the Bible, and it was difficult, but I didn’t just want a name or a general word. I wanted an action ForHisGlory. ... The goal of my life is to glorify God in every way of my life so. It just made sense." (Mitchell).

Regardless, it is important to not let the brand name be the reason why your business is delayed. "If it’s broke, fix it." (Virgil). Don't be afraid to change your name or make corrections.

Chapter 4: What challenges might you face?

Every brand will face challenges during its journey, especially during the beginning. Your first drop might not sell; your manufacturer might not deliver on time; you might burn out, etc. The point is, you're not a superhero. Every business has a risk of failing. It's all about how you bounce back after facing such adversities.

• "I did everything with no experience, no classes no knowledge, but no income or budget either, so it was really just an idea for the longest time." (Shinna).

• "I’d like to say promotion has been the hardest part. Especially in this day and age, people aren’t sure what to care about when everyone is telling them to care." (Zee).

Things can get a bit more challenging as a brand owner when morale comes into play. For any religious clothing brands, a question of faith vs. business comes into play.

• "I believe there are some practices in business that takes advantage of people; I didn't want to do that. I didn't just want to run a business; I really want a community of bold people." (Mitchell).

It gets even more challenging when you're forced to deal with fraudulent competitors.

• “There are a lot of bot accounts that scam and all that stuff. Immediately it felt like we were being attacked, and we were, if I’m being completely honest with you." (Mitchell).

Chapter 5: How do you find the resources to start producing clothes?

There are plenty of ways to gain the resources to begin producing products. One way is to team up with friends & family to combine your skills & resources to run your brand.

• "My dad is a graphic designer & makes websites for a living, so he was a massive help with that stuff. A family friend let me use his shop to print everything. I packaged & shipped it all with the family." (Dan).

• "[In Ecclesiastes 4:10] Whenever somebody falls, they can pick you up. So, in areas where I'm not good at my business partner is better at, and in areas I'm not good at, he's not good at, I'm better at. So, it's kind of balanced." (Mitchell).

Whether you choose to build a team or go solo, it is still very important to do your own research on skills that you don't already have. You could choose to learn Photoshop, or study how manufacturing works, or learn more about the industry. It's vital that you advance your skills in the creative side & the business side of brand ownership.

• "My Photoshop knowledge came from a pirated version on my grandma’s old laptop; printing clothes just came from googling it and testing out different sites" (Shinna).

• "I learned from one of my parents about ... dropshipping ... I tried it once, and I didn’t like it. It didn’t feel right for me to sell things that weren’t my own. But then I heard about print on demand, which is like dropshipping, but it is your own stuff, which I appreciated. I learned a lot from using resources online and from talking to others." (Zee).

Chapter 6: How to stand out in the streetwear market?

Streetwear and fashion in general have become hugely popular in recent years. Because of this, there have been loads of clothing brands popping up every day to take a piece of the pie. As a result, it may seem that the fashion industry has become insanely oversaturated. You may think this means the end for upcoming clothing brands, but this simply isn't true. All this means is that you must stand out in order to succeed in the industry.

• "I try to be me; we try to be us. Making clothes that we would actually wear because a lot of clothes I wouldn't wear, I don't like brands that just throw stuff on." (Mitchell).

• "You got kids making fully rhinestone cut-and-sew ghostwash tracksuits, lol. A simple white tee graphic doesn’t hit the same as it did. I’m not trying to make unique clothes to stand out; I want to make clothes so people feel a part of something. I’m not following trends or staying up-to-date; I’m trying to make a new wave." (Shinna).

Chapter 7: How to begin expanding your clothing brand?

Setting up your brand is one thing. Creating products is another. But expanding your brand is a whole other level. One common denominator between brands that do grow and brands that don't grow is one word: networking. Networking means getting to know the right people & building relationships for mutual benefits. It can be hard to do so if you come from a background with low social capital, but with the internet, networking has become so much easier. It can put you in positions where you're working with your literal heroes or travelling the world, etc. If there's one thing you should take from this guide, then that is you must network to see your brand grow.

• "Something that recently happened that was a huge boost of motivation for us was talking to Ash Brannon. (creator of Surf's Up) we asked, kind of as a joke, if we could use Chicken Joe in an ad. Didn’t think twice about it until a few days later he responded. We talked for a little & he ended up letting us use it. Then he wished us well & sent a drawing. & that was just like unbelievable to us because that has been our favorite movie since we were kids.” (Dan).

Shinna went on to pursue a career as a designer as well as a brand owner.

• "I forced myself into this scene because it wasn't going to work otherwise. I used to be doing concept designs and fan-made covers as practice. I would always just reach out to artists and try to work with them. One project led to another, and before I knew it, I was cool with artists and managers. Some of my biggest projects were just as simple as a story reply asking to work for them. It's all networking. I live in the middle of nowhere; I still don’t even know how I managed to work with all these guys sometimes."

By networking, he was able to land gigs working with brands like Levi & JJJJound.

Chapter 8: How to look ahead for the future?

So far in this guide, we've covered how to start a brand and how to grow one too. But in the world of brand ownership, the goal is something that would probably surpass your wildest dreams. It's important to think big; it is entirely possible that your brand will become huge--and therefore, you must prepare for that. So think about where you see yourself and your brand in 10-to-20 years' time. Nothing is off limits.

• "I’d love to create a physical space—whether that’s a showroom or a flagship store—where people can experience the brand in person. But no matter how big it gets, the core idea stays the same: improving designs, prioritizing quality, and doing things the right way." (Syton).

• "I’m hoping to bring someone along with the ride as I build ZOPE up; it’s pretty hard to work solo for the long term. I’m hoping to grow more on my socials, and I’m hoping that ZOPE can establish a strong community." (Zee).

• "I wanna go into the music world and start a Kinesis-owned label, sign artists, and sponsor sport events. Kinesis will be 1 big empire. I can’t plan too far ahead; things usually go better than planned but almost never as planned, so I just work hard and see what happens." (Shinna).

Chapter 9: “What advice would you give to an aspiring brand owner who doesn't know where to start?”

As for my final question, I ask these five brand owners what advice they would give to an aspiring brand owner. But before I reveal their answers, I would like to give a huge thank you to the people who made this project happen. I want to give thanks to Shinna, Mitchell, Dan, Zee, & Syton for their insight with brand ownership. I also want to give a huge shoutout to r/StreetwearStartups--an awesome community filled with aspiring brand owners alike. And finally, I want to give a shoutout to you, the reader. I'm very glad you made it this far, & I hope this guide has helped you in your journey in launching a clothing brand.

• Syton from January, "Be patient and trust your vision. The right people will recognize the value in what you're creating, but it takes time. Don’t get caught up in chasing quick wins—stay focused on quality, ethics, and doing things your way. It’ll pay off."

• Shinna from Kinesis, "Your journey already started; if you aren't making any progress, then you don't want it enough yet. ... Everybody can be a leader. It's just we can't all be leaders and bosses at once; you have to learn from the smaller steps, discipline, the day you start your day job in a store to fund your brand you already started, the moment you think of a logo you already started. Your brand journey doesn't start after your first sell or big drop. I want to inspire the underdogs, those that think they weren't supposed to make it and those that think they can't even start because they aren't a rich white kid in LA with connections. People always say you can do everything you want because it's true; you just think it's corny until you live it. Take every setback like a man; it's only more backstory when you do make it."

• Mitchell from ForHisGlory, "Think before you do stuff. ... I really did struggle with thinking before I did stuff. I would really say do it and learn as you do, and learn, learn, learn, learn. There's a bunch of resources for free. You do not need to pay for people's courses for these things. Everything's free out there. Go to YouTube, ask questions, don't be afraid to reach out for help, but also like, invest in quality over quantity. I really do see a lot of brands coming out, but I don't see the quality that I'm looking for if that makes sense, but express your ideas, and remember you get better over time."

• Dan from Damn Good, "Just be yourself. Believe in yourself. Never give up. Find a way. And when you make it to the top, stay yourself, always. Any time I’ve felt like giving up or felt unmotivated, I’ve told myself, “Find a way.” That’s the only thing you can do. If you feel stuck, lost, or anything, find a way."

• Zee from Zope, "Start somewhere and embrace the journey. You don’t have to have a big store or have much, but even selling pens goes a long way. and embrace all the ups and all the downs. It’s going to be tough, but one day you’re going to look back and reminisce on all the times you had, good or bad. It’s a lot, but it might be worth it one day."

As always, thanks for reading. Stay true, stay laive.

Credits:

Source: VirgilFreeGame | Reddit