Starting a clothing brand & getting it into shops.

[oliverbanks]

Hey Forum,

I currently sell clothes and underwear on ebay, making just enough money for an eighteen year old lad to live on. After having a bit of pressure piled on me to 'get a job' I've turned my attention to creating a clothing label.

I've come up with what I feel is a good name for the label, and after doing a bit of research others seem to like it too. It is fully aimed at the male population, age range 14 - 24.

I figured my first process will be to get the prototypes created, and have already made enquires. I usually pay just under £2 for the plain underwear I sell on ebay (buying them in sizeable quantities of course) but for a sample/prototype of my own label one (the very first) piece of underwear is going to cost me £50.

Once the sample has arrived I guess I should set up appoitments with local shops and try to sell them my product in the hope that they'll place an order.

However, I'm a little stuck on what the buyers at these shops will be looking for; do they want a brand that is completly different to all the others on their shelves? will they want me to explain how I am going to market my label?

Basically what I'm asking is, from a buyers point of view, what will he/she want to know and look for in my presentation? and do you think I should try and create something completely different to all the other types of underwear on the market at the moment, or keep it plan and simple...

Thanks
(also made this thread in the general section of the forum before realising that it is far better suited to this category, sorry!)

 

[Doodle-Noodle]

I think your plans are probably way too ambitious for you at this stage: selling ready-mades on eBay is a completely different thing to creating your own label and trying to market it to shops.
If I were you I would try and get yourself a position with an already established label (even if you offer to work for free) and find out as much as you can about how the fashion industry works and what shops/potential buyers would expect from a new supplier.
It's great that you have plans know what you want to do, but don't throw money away at the moment, you aren't ready.

 

[Esk247]

Agree with Doodles.

Control the inner beast (entrepreneur) and try to get some experience, even part time, in a similar area to see how everything works. You need some more experience first or you may end up sinking.

You can still keep the ebay shop on the go for a bit. Just make sure you declare all your working arrangements to the tax people and you should be ok e.g. part time work and running a little business on the side.

You won't be able to answer the retailers questions, it takes a bit of experience and confidence to go and have a meeting with a buyer or shop owner. Some may like the fact you're a young business person starting out, or they may think you're too inexperienced to get involved with at the moment.

The other risk is that you're so eager to get your first order you under sell to get the signature and end up not being able to fulfill the order. Take it slow, learn and grow.

 

[SBOnline]

As the others say, starting out can be tough so gaining as much experience as possible is essential.

When I started out on my own I called and wrote to more than 300 businesses offering my time on a free or small payment basis. I was lucky and had a couple of people come back to me with opportunities and learning more about my industry was certainly an eye opener.

Have the courage to offer your time and be prepared to learn for nothing and you will pick more up than you expect!

Good luck for the future.