Monday, October 22, 2018

BUSINESS & FASHION

By Claire Hastings


How to Establish Your Fashion Label

Photo courtesy of Pexels



It’s a long way from simply selling clothes to establishing a loved brand with a loyal consumer base. Coco Chanel didn’t become famous overnight, and the path from obscurity to the highest fashion ranks is a long one, no matter what your design preference may be. Many modern brands have started out of sheer need for a particular product, while others offer a new take on an old concept and still manage to appeal to a large portion of the population.

If you’re wondering how you can turn your fashion dream into a reality and a profitable career path, let’s take a look at the several essential steps you need to take in order to make your way to fashion stardom!


Define your brand

Of course, you can always test the waters by simply trying to sell a few odd products here and there, but if you’re aiming for long-term success, you should focus on branding your label

Standing out in the fashion world is tricky business on its own, so make sure you understand what your brand stands for and what you wish to provide the world in order to find a way to help your audience understand it, too. Do you wish to create limited, custom-made collections? A simple line of tees that goes with the athleisure vibe? Make your choice and start branding!



Photo courtesy of Unsplash



Learn about your customers

How well do you understand your market of choice? The current style trends are dictated by a wide range of factors, from haute couture designers, celebrity choices, all the way to general social tendencies, such as the current rise of sustainability awareness. Get to know your target audience and other brands that serve a purpose similar to your own, and then find a way to distinguish yourself from them.

If there’s a market gap you can fill, all the better, but even if you’re going to offer an existing fashion garment with your unique twist, you still need to find the right people who will appreciate that “edge”. Read up on your customer base, take a look at the brands that resemble your own idea, and what strategies they use to find and engage their customers.


Use tech to your advantage

Chances are, even if you do plan to own a physical store or a fashion studio, you’ll want to spread your wings into the online selling realm. What that means is that you should simplify as many procedures as possible, since your digital and offline stores will come with a whole slew of complex issues to begin with. 



Photo courtesy of Unsplash



To make the most of your online presence, you can utilize fashion ERP software in order to automate as many steps in your digital game plan, from your merchandising, inventory, all the way to tracking your revenue stream. You can use various e-commerce platforms to make customer experience more appealing, or even incorporate analytics platforms that help you source issues and return causes to reduce the number of unsatisfied customers. 


Get the word out

While you’re crafting the ideal business plan, try to think of the best ways to market your products as soon as possible – sometimes even before you launch! In fact, certain brands benefit from this anticipation and suspense, as many fashionistas out there get curious about a future product after getting only a glimpse on social media. You can, however, start creating content that you’ll distribute on your website and social platforms alike, in order to increase brand visibility and get chatty with your customers.

Learn where your customers spend most of their time, what platforms they use, and at what times they like to hang out there, so that you can time your posts well and make the most of your creativity. Publish images, talk to potential influencers, write interesting blog posts, and get as many reactions as possible! 



Photo courtesy of Unsplash


Learn on the go

As you perfect all of your efforts, you may start feeling more confident in your skills and expertise. They might be exceptional, of course, but you should keep your eyes open for more opportunities to learn as you develop your label. Why? Simply because there will always be other designers who have done it before you, and their hands-on experience can be useful in your own fashion endeavors.

Look to existing, even competing brands, to see what you can learn from them. Take online courses, visit fashion shows and follow relevant fashion bloggers in your sphere, to see how you can update your clothing line and create an even stronger bond with your audience.


Trends may come and go, but fashion labels endure. Invest time, creativity, and funds into creating a line that will stand the test of time, and you will be able to build a career path in fashion to last you a lifetime.





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