Starting a clothing line is an exciting venture. However, the thought about how much money you need might feel overwhelming. Do not let your creative soon-to-be entrepreneurial side become discouraged. There are options available to you to start your clothing line with no money.
Traits you need before you start a clothing business for free are dedication and enthusiasm for your brand, investment of your own time, and a commitment to learning and growing.
Tools available on the internet will be a great resource for you. Utilizing social media to develop a following will let you grow your customer base. Continue reading for ideas on starting your own clothing line with no money down!
Dedication and Enthusiasm for Clothing and Fashion
The first question you need to ask yourself is – how resolute are you to pursue a project from start to finish? Remember, projects do not typically follow one straight easy path. Usually there will be difficulties along with twists and turns along the way. You need to be ready to enjoy successes and learn from missteps.
Many designers have fabulous ideas, but they are not able to persevere through long hours and disappointments. When you are tired and discouraged, will you be able to write another blog post, sketch a unique pair of pants, or learn a new app? Great! You are still in!
Your enthusiasm for design, clothing, and/or the fashion industry will be an important motivator for you. In your work area, post inspirational sayings that will keep you focused. Sketches of your favorite designs should be displayed encouraging you to keep creating. Clothing that you have made can be added to your motivating exhibit.
One last check, only you know what is truly in your heart. Starting a clothing line is not for anyone who is looking for instant fame and fortune. It is for those who believe in themselves. Creating a clothing line is for those who know their clothes will enhance the lives of others. With that passion and belief, this journey will be an amazing adventure for you.
Personal Investment of Time
Another term for personal investment of time is sweat equity. You hear this phrase used frequently on renovation projects. Investments of your time, physical work, and mental labor are all needed to successfully launch a clothing line. In the early days of your venture, your sweat equity may not be rewarded financially. However, with a successful business, you will eventually reap the rewards of your time and energy.
Before you invest your time, take an inventory of the current structure of your days. Get a blank calendar. Fill in what you are doing each hour of the day. If it varies week to week, then do this for a few weeks. Examine where you spend your time. What can be eliminated from your current schedule? Where are you going to
add the hours for your clothing line? Are there parts of your day where you can make better use of your time?
Grab another blank calendar. Fill this one in with the changes you made from your current schedule. Be sure to create time slots for your new venture. Also, do not forget time for family and friends. A work/life balance is important. Most people are more creative when their lives have time for fun along with meaningful work. Time for stretch breaks and walks or workouts might be a positive addition for you as well.
How to start an online clothing business from home
Commitment to Learning and Growing
While it may feel you do not have the time for learning and growing, you do. This is part of the time you allocated for your business. There are many tools available for you. Learning about and effectively utilizing these resources are key components of starting your clothing line without any money.
Research
This should be one of your first steps before you decide on your clothing line. Research can be done for free. The ability to use a computer and the internet is all you need. Your local library is a great resource. Take notes as you research, you will need to refer to them later.
First, be sure you are up to date on current trends in the industry.
- What type of apparel is selling?
- Who is buying it?
- How is the clothing being sold?
- What material(s) is the clothing made from?
- What colors are or are not being sold?
Second, take the type of items that you are planning on selling.
- Who are your competitors?
- Who is buying your competitors clothing?
- What materials are they using in the construction of their clothes?
- From whom do they source their materials?
- Who sews their garments?
- How are they selling the clothing?
- What is unique about their items?
- What will be different about what you design?
- What is their pricing structure?
Third, it is important to read and research fashion magazines and other trade publications. In these sources, you will find information about other designers, their success stories, and current trends.
Fourth, another source for your research includes family, friends, coworkers at your current job, and neighbors. You can utilize social media to ask questions of these actual shoppers to determine what influences their decision to purchase clothing.
- Is price the most important factor?
- Is the quality of material significant?
- Does fair trade or other ethical sources factor into decision making?
- What is the most significant component of the fit of a garment?
- Is there a preference between online and physical stores?
Acquiring Potential Patrons
Starting with the group of family, friends, coworkers at your current job, and neighbors that you included in your research, you need to develop a fanbase. This fanbase will transform into your customers. There are several different and free methods to communicate with potential patrons.
Developing your loyal following before launching your clothing line is a key component to starting a fashion business without any money. Once your product is available, you already have customers. You need to create a timeline of when you will have some of your clothing available before you start your communications campaign. People will not want to wait months and months for your product; they will lose interest.
Social Media
Many platforms under the heading of social media can be accessed for free. Before you begin utilizing the power of social media, you need to develop a plan for how often you will update your platforms. Map out ahead of time what you plan to show and write about for each post. Your commitment to your brand can shine through these communication tools.
Before you launch your brand’s social media sites, check out your competitors. Notice what their feeds look like. Colors, wording, and visuals are all important parts of your message. On most social media, brevity is a key component. Here is where you can make sure that you clearly communicate your brand’s vision.
Also, any links to sign up for email blasts and eventually ordering through your website or store, need to be clearly shown to customers. Periodically log in yourself and double check that all the links between platforms are working seamlessly.
Developing a list of emails for your marketing is important
Emails will be delivered to your future customers’ inboxes. These do not require sophisticated algorithms to ensure they show up in the internet searches of clients. You can offer discounts or other services when people sign up for your emails.
Keep your emails focused. You do not want your customers moving your emails to spam. Provide useful information on clothing along with updates on your brand. You can also use this means of communication to obtain feedback as you develop your line. Make your emails something for customers to look forward to receiving.
How to Start Your Small Clothing Business from Home
Related Questions
What is print on demand?
Print on demand is a method of order completion. For clothing lines, you design the images that will be printed on various clothing items. If it is for leggings, the print on demand business stocks leggings; you create a design. They print the design when you have sales.
What is drop shipping?
Drop shipping is a partner in your business who maintains the inventory for your sales. The drop shipper ships product directly to your customers. You work with the drop shipper on products that will be available. The order is processed through your business, but it is filled by the drop shipper.
Do all clothing designers attend school?
No, not all designers attend formal schooling to create their own line of clothing. However, participating in fashion design classes can provide a competitive advantage for you. There are classes you can join online to reduce your expenses. Other courses in business can also be beneficial.
What are some factors that could affect the sales of a clothing line?
There are internal and external factors that can affect the sales of your clothing line. External impacts can include economic conditions, competitors, current trends, and/or changes in legal regulations. Internal effects can be aspects such as your available time, design, promotional ideas, and/or the availability of supplies.
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.