Building a brand is a tough process. It is also an essential process. In fashion, branding is everything. When you’re building a brand, it’s essential to realize that building a good brand takes years and can be demolished in a matter of days. Here are five things that make a clothing brand good.
The five things that make a good clothing brand are:
- Having an Identity
- Having a Story
- Consistency
- Promotion
- Proper Brand Management
Having an Identity
The first thing that makes a brand good is having an identity. When I’m talking about identity, I don’t mean simply a name, I’m talking about what that name represents. Anyone can make clothes, and with the rise of e-commerce and sites like Etsy, many more people are. But rarely are the shirts or other clothes they sell, simply shirts. There’s an identity behind them.
Take Bass Pro-Shop for example. Their clothing lines have an identity. They’re clothes for rugged outdoorsmen who are constantly going camping, fishing, and hiking and need clothes that can stand up to the elements. Or Levi’s. Levi’s has established itself as the brand for people who need heavy-duty clothes for various kinds of manual labor. Harley-Davidson makes clothes for people who ride motorcycles and need protection from the hazards that may entail. Identity allows customers to know at a glance what your clothing line’s functions will be. Customers who have certain lifestyles associate brands with being essential to those lifestyles.
Identity can be more than about a clothing line’s functionality though. Some brands create their identity for things like hobbies. Stores like Hot Topic have clothing lines geared towards people who love certain types of alternative music or movies. Other companies produce clothes for sports.
Identities can be cultivated from the people who buy the clothes. Gucci is a clothing brand that is often worn by people in upper-class markets for example. Other brands may cultivate their identities based on age demographics,
Some clothing brands may aim for people who have certain values, religious or otherwise. It’s common to see clothes with religious slogans or verses from their scriptures. John 3:16 is a popular verse featured on many Christian-oriented clothing lines. Some clothing may go into political statements.
Sometimes, values don’t have to be overtly printed on the clothing lines. Some clothing lines pride themselves on where the clothes are made. A lot of clothing brands pride themselves on being made in the USA. Others make their values known by being fair trade and sustainable. Religious and other values are perfectly valid branding strategies but there is a downside: You have to uphold these values. If you brag that your clothes are made in the USA for example, you could face a major publicity nightmare if you aren’t making your clothes in the USA.
Having a Story
Many brands have a story they try to sell to their customers. Older brands like to talk about the history of their clothing lines. Brands that got their starts at America’s first clothing factories will play that up. Clothing lines that rely on an individual like an athlete to sell their clothes will lean into an athlete’s life story.
In your case as a new clothing maker, you’ll want to tell people why you went into business selling clothing instead of continuing your previous job. If you were inspired to make clothing for some reason, making clothing for a disabled family member that had trouble with conventional clothing, for example, explain that in your story, If you’re promoting a message of some kind, your story should include why you’re spreading that message and why it’s good.
Having your story down can be good for a few reasons. Since you’ll likely be selling your clothing online, you’ll have great material for an “About Us” section on your website. Secondly, a story can be good for attracting investors. As your clothing line gets bigger, there will also be chances to bring that story to the masses. There’s always the chance that someone may want to interview you for example. When clothing makers are interviewed by fashion publications, their stories often get brought up. So, it’s good to have a good story memorized
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Consistency
Most products trade on reputation. Part of what makes a brand good is its record of quality. Brands don’t last long if they don’t have consistent quality. After all, if a customer buys something good one time but bad the next time, he’s not going to risk a bad purchase a third time. Not when there are plenty of good clothes on the market.
As a new manufacturer, you can’t risk shoddy work. You have to get it right all the time. No one wants to buy a pair of jeans that can’t stand up to the rigors of manual labor or sports shoes that can’t handle a basketball game. In your case, this can be a problem because your clothes might be slightly more expensive than a mass-produced brand.
There are a few keys to making sure your brand is consistently making good clothing. First, you’ll need to do product testing. If you’re making work clothes, that means you’ll have to go out and work in them. If you’re making clothes with a special function for a niche market, you’ll have to run tests to make sure that function works. Clothing with special functions can be more expensive to buy so you have to make sure your function works,
Secondly, you need to check where your clothes are being made. Most small clothing makers have to contract their work to factories since they can’t make clothes in their homes. So, you have to research which factories make the best clothing. Unfortunately, you may have to rely on reviews from other clothing makers unless you can afford to go on multiple overseas trips. Even if bad clothing is the fault of the factory, customers won’t make that distinction so be careful when selecting a factory.
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Promotion
Your brand won’t be good unless you promote it. People need to know your product exists before they buy it. Big clothing brands get where they are because they make a concerted effort to be in the public eye as much as possible.
Thanks to the Internet, promotion is easier for small businesses than ever before. You no longer have to pay thousands of dollars for a commercial on your local TV station. You can easily get a famous influencer to help promote your clothes. Many are happy to do it for a sample of your clothing and a reasonable price (when compared to more expensive methods).
Of course, more traditional methods shouldn’t be ruled out. Paying a model to show off your clothes is still the standard method for promoting fashion lines. People like to see how the clothes might look when they’re wearing them.
The lifeblood of any small business is positive reviews, encourage your customers to leave positive reviews on whichever website you’re selling your clothes on or on Google. This will increase your views and allow you to reach more people.
Another way you can promote your brand is by engaging with your community. Every good small clothing line starts with a base of local customers. Sponsor a charitable cause important to your community. Cheer on a local sports team as they go to a championship. Communities are the backbone of any small business and if you want your community to embrace your brand, you need to embrace your community.
Above all else, have a good logo. You need to have a logo that is eye-catching and more importantly, memorable. You want your customers to see your logo and know that they’re your clothes. Make sure to have it displayed on your clothes and any associated merchandise.
Proper Brand Management
Keeping control of your brand is essential for making sure your brand is good. Clothing companies have to be careful what their brands are associated with. Especially with the quick reactions of social media. A brand that gets associated with something unsavory gets a quick and visceral reaction often long before the brand’s owners know anything about what happened or why the community is outraged.
This means making sure your brand is living up to the standards you market to your customers. You also have to keep an eye on your social media page and make sure you (or your social media manager) aren’t posting things that will get you in trouble.
You’ll also have to vet your employees like models and promoters. Business owners have gotten in trouble for
hiring someone who has gotten involved in something that customers find inappropriate. While big brands can weather this, someone who is building a brand doesn’t have that luxury.
The major folly to avoid is letting other people control your brand. Over the years, companies have let customers vote on naming products and have had to shut down those votes when they were overtaken by Internet pranksters and got negative media attention. Keeping control of your brand is how you build a good brand.
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Related Questions
What are some other pitfalls to avoid as I build my brand?
Avoid doing anything that harms customers. Having to do clothing recalls harms your bottom line and undermines customer trust. This is why you should always be mindful of safety when you design your clothing, particularly children’s clothing since these incidents are often the most newsworthy.
When dealing with influencers, who should I look for?
That depends on the top of clothing you’re selling but in general, you want someone with a reasonable-sized following and free of any major scandals.
To learn more about how to start your own fashion clothing line check out my startup documents here
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Fashion Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a designer or boutique owner at a craft fair, farmers market, retail location or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Fashion Business Boss: I want to help fashion business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.