Pocket squares

[Gurses]

Long story short I absolutely love pocket squares, but hate the prices. Will a startup handmade pocket square brand be any popular? I live in London and many of us love pocket squares, including myself obviously, so I was debating if it’s a good idea or not.

However, I’m not very competent when it comes to the physical part of the job. Regardless of that, do you guys reckon a startup brand would bring in any revenue? Drakes.com have some gorgeous handmade pocket squares, so how would I go around that in terms of business planning?

Again, I don’t even know where I can source good quality fabric from. I can purchase a metre of silk from some stores in London for around £20, creating like 3-4 pocket squares @ £20-30 each. I’m not naive enough to believe I can hustle with the likes of Drakes and others, but I think a brand that ONLY sells handmade pocket squares will be sufficient enough to have some revenue?

What’d you guys think?

PS: It’s 2:30am, I’m sitting here thinking about this…

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[Mr D]

Look around - are there any handmade pocket squares being made by other people? Look online as well as local craft events and shops.
An item people want can bring in revenue, whether it makes you enough for your time and effort is another matter.
Silk is easy enough to get and in some quantity, buy a chunk at once and you can maybe negotiate a little on the price. Or buy from a supplier wholesale in large enough quantity.

 

[Gurses]

Look around - are there any handmade pocket squares being made by other people? Look online as well as local craft events and shops.
An item people want can bring in revenue, whether it makes you enough for your time and effort is another matter.
Silk is easy enough to get and in some quantity, buy a chunk at once and you can maybe negotiate a little on the price. Or buy from a supplier wholesale in large enough quantity.

I have looked around. There's a few on Etsy that seems to be selling at a steady pace (some have over 100 reviews). There's a few brands here and there but nothing is really established in that sense.

But then there's the whole "why wilk people purchase from me" and not on Etsy or a brand like Drakes? Maybe the fact that ALL of my products will be handmade and done to a great standard (ofc this will take ages to perfect).

Furthmore, like you said, will it be worth the hassle to handcraft all of them? If one could make four pocket sqs from fabric worth £20, then sell the four pocket squares for 20 each, that's only 60 quid profit. Worth the hassle? Probably not.

On second thought the inventory will be the most challenging element, a profit of £1000 will mean over 62 handmade pocket squares... Right, this wasn't the best of plans now, was it?

 

[fisicx]

I had to google 'pocket squares' as I had no idea what they are.

But it could work for you but only if you can get the material wholesale (ie cheap) and did something different to everyone else (such as monograms).

 

[Mr D]

Handmade is one thing, making entirely by hand is another.
I have done some handmade stuff, I use machines and tools where I can to reduce time, improve quality or simply finish off.
Try one - see how long it takes you.

Sadly some people find that while they love making something as a hobby, making the same thing for a business is not as enjoyable.

 

[Remford]

Hi @Gurses,

I have long thought about a similar idea, I definitely think there is a market for it.

As others said, I would start by hand making (yourself or a local seamstress), establish a brand, presence and customer base. Then once things get rolling mass production can be outsourced taking the labour intensive side out of it for you. Then you can concentrate on designs, sales and branding.

There are lots of micro brands out there on instagram doing this sort of thing - I'd be interested to see where you go with it.

 

[TheConsulter]

Do a research of the market. What do the competitors offer? What make them stand out? I think that a handmade niche is good. You could also focus on a new type of design, which will make your pocket squares stand out. Also, make sure to create a strong brand name. Maybe you could sponsor a fashion blogger with a big following, who can wear your pocket squares on pictures. There are many things you can do and I hope this thread can give you many inputs. Regarding the material for the pocket squares, you should look beyond the "some stores in London". You should find a wholesale for the material, so you can get the lowest price possible. This is important for you because you want to make a decent profit for every sale.

 

[Deleted member 226268]

'Kin 'ell ...... Would anyone buy a Pocket Square for £ 60 ?

I can go to Pound-land and buy a small coloured hand towel for £1.

Would look just as neat and classy in the top pocket of my overalls.

 

[Mr D]

There is a market demographic who don't want to pay a pound for something if its available at much higher price.