How to start a fashion brand - 5 simple steps towards your first collection!

Great start! Congratulations on beginning this journey to create your own fashion brand - I can guarantee that you won’t shop in the same way ever again!

1. Define your customer; envision who you will be targeting. What will your customer be like? How old will they be and what would they be willing to charge for a garment made by you. Is colour important to them or is organic material a selling point for them instead? It is important to understand who will be the person at the receiving end before finalizing your first collection as design aspects may shift according to information found in this research stage.
2. Finalize your collection; your first collection should be a representation of the whole brand. What will your brand be known for? What will be the denim to your Levi’s? If your brand creation developed from a creative idea or a solution to a wardrobe problem then ensure this is the clear focus of the collection.
3. Start small:Your brand does not need to offer bags, accessories, outerwear, dresses and every possible garment in the first drop. Focus on what is important to your brand and choose garments that will highlight your brand’s strength, whether that be fabric choice or fit. We recommend starting with 5-7 garments but that can change depending on what type of brand you are. For instance, if you are designing reusable diapers than one garment would be enough, however, focus on expanding through colourways. Once your designs are ready, create tech packs for each garment - these will be sent to your manufacturer!
4. Manufacturing decisions: Will you be sewing these garments yourself or will you be outsourcing to a manufacturer? If you are outsourcing you need to consider if you will be choosing a full factored production or a CM (cut, make, trim)  production. What is the MOQ (minimum order quantity) of the supplier you choose? Will you sample and do production with the same manufacturer? If this is overwhelming, please contact us for the advice
5. Spreading the word: Perhaps you have a following on social media you are planning to share the collection with or will you need to develop a marketing plan to reach your audience. Be careful not to rely on your friends and family to support your first collection as often it provides a false sense of success and the second collection will not be received as well. Create engaging and organic content to reach authentic customers and ensure you go above and beyond with these first customers to make them return customers! 

This is the start of your fashion brand journey, there will be plenty of road bumps ahead and be open to change each step of the way! Keep your eyes peeled for more detailed guides to the design and manufacturing process on FIBR!