Childrens clothing start up advice

[soph7372]

Hi everyone - this is my first thread here!
I have a Fashion Design Degree so have always enjoyed sewing - recently my brother announced he was expecting a baby but wasn't finding out the gender. So whilst shopping out and about I was sick and tired of seeing just white/cream/grey clothes to buy, so as I know how to sew I thought about making my own colourful but still gender free clothing (think French style linen rompers etc). It had such good reception that I would love to increase my audience as I am confident that it is something that isn't seen often (through research and personal shopping) and will have a good price too (£13 ish, due to not having huge overheads).
However, other than creating a social media page, I don't really know how else to push this further - I am not aiming for the sky at the moment, just enough for a little bit of steady extra money to put back into the business to continue to grow (and then be able to be my full time job! *dreaming*)

Does anyone recommend any selling platforms - Ive tried Ebay but its not really the place for handmade clothing, Ive tried Etsy but its quite a saturated market but handmade products!
Also does anyone have recommend website platforms ? I'm pretty creative with graphic design so don't need help with the 'look' just the logistics of the hosting site.

Thanks so so so much in advance!!!

 

[makeyourbusinessbetter]

A few thoughts for you;

1. Try a multi-channel strategy – bricks and clicks – supply a few select shops and sell online too through a number of well-chosen sites

2. Not just the UK - 40% of clothing company Boden’s online sales come from the US

3. Other countries too - the US, Europe, Far East, Middle East, etc https://moneyinc.com/20-richest-countries-world/

4. Benchmark / role models - look at other businesses, not just clothing or baby clothing retailers, eg. Boohoo and JD Williams. What adverts catch your eye? Why do they catch your eye? Look for businesses which reflect a quality and a style that you want your own business to emulate

5. Check out the competition - what are their policies? eg. free delivery on orders over £x, free returns, etc. What do they do well? What do they do badly? What could you do better?

6. Be seen – it would be good if a Royal baby was seen wearing one of your rompers next year. Any item of clothing that the Royals are seen wearing often sells out in no time. Could you do something similar? https://www.makeyourbusinessbetter.co.uk/right-place-right-time/

7. Don’t price too low - you are making a handmade, quality garment. Price accordingly. What are your competitors charging for similar products?

8. Find the skills you need – website, digital marketing, social media – do your research, ask around, find skilled professionals you trust and can work with http://limetreeconsultancy.co.uk/

Good luck with your venture

 

[Mr D]

The two big marketplaces are amazon and ebay. Start with those and spread the products around.
Etsy is a pretty good marketplace if people are looking for handmade.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I would do it differently in that I would make up samples and then go for a high price by selling them under your brand to upmarket childrens shops which willincure a lot of travel finding the shops in the city's where most are and large towns

That way you can control your retailers, build up your name/brand and sell at a increased price

 

[soph7372]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for taking the time out to read and reply with your great advice. I really appreciate it. I have started a wordpress website and hopefully get somewhere with that.
I am going to try and reach out to high end shops which I hadn't thought of before, though I haven't had any labels printed yet, does anybody have recommendations to get branded labels/age ranges printed? (i have seen a few but MOQ is 800+)

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I suggest make up a seasons selection and sell the whole selection to the shop, could be only say five products each with x number of sizes and get them to order a few months prior to the next season so you have time to make up the garments

That way you can control the stock easily, don't have to fill up single orders when they have sold out , and just make enough for the first few shops. As you grow you can make more and be more flexible if you want

Nearly always a seamstress/ machinist around where you live who would be happy to make them for you in small batches

Premier shops will want on there terms and you get prestige but late payment and nothing else, small retailers pay on order and on your terms and far easier to deal with, but be selective as its your name / brand your selling

 

[Julia Sta Romana]

When you say social media page, does that include Facebook Marketplace and Pinterest market? I think your product would be a better in Pinterest. It would highlight your designs and there's less competition.

 

[Joe_davidson]

Ebay, Amazon, Social Media, Own website etc.

 

[OhhEnnEmm]

I'd definitely recommend you at least purchase a domain name for yourself even if you're only starting on eBay or Etsy etc.

This way, you can secure the domain name for your brand and even if unused for a while, you'll be aging your domain, which is good for SEO purposes when you come to create your site.

 

[ViktorijaS]

I would suggest to create an e-commerce website or ask someone else to create it for you. There are lot's of out of the box commerce tools you can use. Create a simple design. Create a brand, focus on excellent customer service and make your business successfull.

I love your idea. Good Luck!

 

[ViktorijaS]

Also, you can collaborate with starting fotographers (to reduce the cost) for taking some beautiful shots of little models with the colorful clothes you will make (if you have some friends or relatives who would be happy to help you).

 

[soph7372]

thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time out to reply to me! I am so grateful and very reassured to receive great advice. However, just one more question, I am aware that I will need to make a website moving forward which is fine, however my only issue is that as i am pretty small, I order fabric to order to allow customers to choose more prints (rather than just stock that I think will be popular) and it means I limit the amount of 'dead' stock I have. It keeps risk down to a minimal. SO on the website I am not sure what I would offer in regards to this? I wouldn't want to limit customers to certain designs and then have customers leave as they don't like the small selection ?
advice would be great! thank you so much