Fashion brands don’t quietly enter the market. They launch. How well that launch goes determines the brand’s future or lack thereof. One big thing about launches is that they take a lot of preparation. You only get one shot at a product launch so it’s essential to do it right. Here are some tips on launching your fashion brand.
To best present and launch a fashion brand:
- Develop Your Design Skills
- Research Your Target Market
- Gather Capital
- Decide How You Will Be Selling Your Brand
- Tailor Your Advertising to Your Market
- Build Hype
- Launch Your Brand
- Manage Your Brand at All Phases
Develop Your Design Skills
You might have a good idea of what you want to design but having a good idea is only step one. Getting a design from your head to market takes a degree of skill. Some people might have an innate talent but many who want to become fashion designers have to work at it. You can learn through places like YouTube or services that offer online tutorial videos. However, formal instruction has a lot of benefits. As you learn how to design clothes, as well as the inner workings of the fashion industry, you can get direct feedback as you learn the various exercises. For people who learn better through direct feedback, this can be invaluable. You also get a lot of opportunities for networking that you wouldn’t get by learning from home.
Once you’ve learned how to properly design a product, along with the quirks of the fashion industry, you’re ready to start designing.
Research Your Target Market

Once you have your design skills raised to a level where you can make something that you can sell, you can start your market research. There are a few different ways you can go about this. Find a need in the market that isn’t being met. For example, clothing that is accessible for people with fine-motor disabilities is hard to come by. This can be a market for you if you’re looking for one of the many untapped markets.
Or you can look into something more conventional and try to put your spin on it. Look at what the fashion trends are. Bring something to the market that meets the needs of your customers while also not being identical to all the other brands. Buy fashion magazines and visit fashion websites because that’s where all the information is.
Whatever you decide, the next step is to research the buying habits of the customers you want to reach. Someone who shops for outdoor clothes has different needs from someone who shops for luxury brands like Gucci. They’ll have different price points for example.
Once you have an idea of what customers you want and what they want, you can make use of this information.
Gather Capital
Once you have a design on paper or better yet, a prototype of your design to present, the next thing you will need is money. Launching a product takes a considerable amount of capital. Unless you are independently wealthy, you will probably need business loans and/or investors. In that case, you’ll need a business plan to present to them. The first question most of your potential investors will ask is what your business plan is. Your investors will need to know how you’ll run your business, who is in charge, and most importantly, how they’ll get a return on their investment. A business plan answers those questions, among many others that you’ll need to answer not just for them but for yourself. You need a business plan to guide you on a path to success.
There are several possible sources of capital. You may be able to get help from family and friends. There are investor groups in many cities and towns that like to help small businesses. Banks may be willing to give out loans. If you have made connections in your local fashion industry, you may be able to find potential leads to potential investors.
You shouldn’t expect to get investment on the first try though. A lot of people are skittish around new businesses. Don’t let rejection get you down. Every pitch meeting is an opportunity to improve.
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Decide How You Will Be Selling Your Brand

There are a few ways to sell your brand. Each has different pros and cons; Getting your clothes in retail stores allows customers to try on clothes before they buy them. However, getting on store shelves is difficult. There are a lot of major brands competing for space on the shelves. They also have rules that might harm your finances. At the end of the season, retailers will expect you to buy back any unsold stock. Thrift stores allow you to sell clothes cheaper but if you’re looking to make a luxury brand, it probably won’t be a good fit.
Starting a boutique of your own can resolve the issues of having to deal with retailers. After all, you’ll be the one in control. However, that also means you’ll have additional costs to consider. Brick-and-mortar stores aren’t cheap and require someone who has experience running a boutique.
Going purely online does have its benefits. You don’t have the expense of starting a boutique and you don’t have to deal with the contracts of retail stores. However, the online market is also crowded. Etsy and Amazon have multiple people setting up their storefronts. You can opt to start a website of your own but there’s no guarantee that it won’t get drowned out by the many other sites that are already out there. You’ll need to do even more aggressive advertising.
Choosing the right platform to launch your product line is essential.
Tailor Your Advertising to Your Market
Part of doing market research is learning what advertising will persuade your target market. People who like wearing expensive clothes like feeling like the rich and famous. Younger people are especially into following trends. Older people and people with specialized needs will respond well to advertisements showing off how a fashion brand can serve a function.
You also have to consider how and where you’ll advertise. A lot of fashion advertising is now being done by online influencers of various types. They are much more affordable than celebrities or supermpdels. They’re also more accessible. Younger people may be more easily influenced by online influencers. People who need specializd clothing may also be reached by influencers. Many people who need specialized clothing often turn to the Internet since it’s not available in stores.
You will also need to write your advertisements in a way that appeals to your chosen market. This may mean consulting with a marketing professional.
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Build Hype

Once you have built up a marketing apparatus for your fashion line, it’s time to build hype. Use any influencers that you have established contracts with influencers and models, it’s time to start building hype. Have people model your clothing and explain its benefits. In fashion, pictures are everything so you need to spread them to build hype.
You also need to spread your story. Tell people about how you got your inspiration to start your brand and how you got to where you are and where you want to go. Invite customers on your journey. In fashion, the story is an important component of a brand. Gather e-mail addresses of interested customers. Keep them informed of the progress of your brand to keep them interested so they’ll want to buy your products on launch day.
The best way to build hype is to use simple, but flashy words. Instead of saying, “We’re going on sale this Christmas,” say, “We’re launching on Christmas!” The word launch creates excitement and anticipation.
Launch Your Brand
After all this preparation, it’s finally time to start launching your brand. This is the time you’ve been waiting for. Start the launch period two weeks in advance. Offer some discounts or some other special offer. Make sure you have enough stock to cover customers at launch. If you have to, use a first come first serve system. Do not accept money for product you do not have in stock. More than a few product launches, in fashion and other industries, have been marred by overselling.
That said, reassure customers who didn’t get in on launch day that products will be available soon.
Manage Your Brand at All Phases
Brand management at all phases is key to a good launch. Do everything you can to keep your press positive. This means that you’ll have to do careful management of your social media pages and any interviews you or your team might do. You’ll also need to make sure you aren’t overpromising and under-delivering. Companies that are found to be overpromising tend to have things leak out. You’ll also want to address problems promptly to show that you are responding to the needs of your customers.
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Related Questions
- Can having previous experience in the fashion industry help my brand?
Yes. Getting investment can be helped by showing you have experience in the fashion world. If you can get the blessing of previous designers you’ve worked with/for you can use that as a potential selling point.
- What are some other ways to manage my brand?
Stay out of the news unless you want to be there. Keep your customers’ data secure. Make sure your manufacturing process stay within the law. If you’re promoting certain values, make sure you’re sticking to those values. When you’re a small business, there is such a thing as bad publicity.
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.