12-Tips-For-Sustainable-Fashion-Business-Success

So, you have finally made that big decision to start your own sustainable clothing brand which is quite amazing and we are more than proud of you.

Starting your own fashion brand company is an exciting journey which needs lots of research, planning and many more.

As a new clothing brand, you have to bear in mind that, they might be some tough competition with other trendy brands, so you have to bring your A-game.

Sustainable shopping has become quite popular amongst people’s clothing choices, just like sustainable brands are topping charts as the best apparel brand.

New brands have the opportunity to change the world by using eco-friendly materials. Sustain fashion by using sustainable fabrics just like top designer brands and other high fashion brands.

Congratulations on your journey to become a high fashion designer and starting your own sustainable fast fashion company.

It may seem confusing but the unfolding paragraphs will give you hints on exactly what you should know before starting your fashion company.

We are here to guide you throughout this intriguing journey of your as we look forward to seeing you build a successful sustainable brand.

In that light, we have put together 12 tips to help you get started.

Definition of sustainable

Sustainably definition and sustainably meaning mainly focuses on long term use and the possibility of recycling and maintenance.

When we talk about sustainable, it is all about long-term and the ability to maintain and reuse after a particular period of time.

Sustainability also means, preserving ecological balance by preventing the reduction in the size of natural resources.

Sustainable development is all about making use of eco-friendly materials in order to protect nature. Clothing sustainability is all about protecting the environment and its natural resources.

1). What Problem You Want to Solve?

People love to dress fashionably and follow fashion brands that have new fashion taste. So, what do you want your brand to be remembered for? This is one major question you need to answer before creating your fashion brand company.

How to start a fashion brand must be one of the main tough stages you will have to face as a fashion entrepreneur but it is not impossible and we are here to get you started.

Before starting your fashion brand, there are certain questions you need to answer. Some of these questions include; who you are working for, what are their type of wear clothes and the type of material you want to use for your clothing style.

2) Who is Your Target Market?

This is one vital segment new brands have to define before establishing their fashion company. 

To be able to clearly define this, there are some vital questions you have to be.

The questions include; who is your target market? How old are they? What are their likes and dislikes? What is their income level?

What type of clothes do they love? Doing this will greatly help you in your prototype and coming up with your own master piece.

I know the next question on your mind is, how can I achieve this? Actually, coming up with the data you need is not that difficult as well as it is not too easy.

What I will suggest you do is do a market research, look at how some trending brands, high fashion brands, top fashion brands and trending clothing brands go out about their branding and try to come up with yours.

Alternatively, you can do an online survey by asking questions from people who fall under your target market’s demography.

If your target market’s clothing choices fall under sustainable shopping then you will have to come up with a sustainable brand that suits their needs and not yours.

Your brand has to meet your market’s needs and expectations.

3) Start Designing

Now you have a prototype, it is time to bring your creations to life, so get to work and start designing. For new designers, your first collection is what puts your fashion company brand on the map.

It has to show creativity, uniqueness and what your brand represents.

Sustainable brands really make cool clothing brands, so keep that in mind when you start designing and sourcing your fabrics.

This does not mean that you have to go for the most expensive materials but you can go for sustainably source materials and create new fashion design and styles.

Will recommend you keep your designs simple especially of that is what your target market wants.

 

4) Ethical manufacturing:

We know you have this great design in mind and you cannot wait to show the world. One question you have to ask yourself before going on with the manufacturing process is its impact on the environment.

This is the reason why in order to protect the planet and reduce the effects caused by other manufacturing industries, fashion labels, new brands and new designers, should go for sustainable fabrics.

This way, we can ensure to start creating a healthier and safer planet. Let us all be the change we want to see.

5) Sustainable fabrics

When it comes to designing, will urge all up and coming brands who want to start a sustainable fashion company to go for sustainable fabrics.

Sustainable fabrics are made from eco-friendly materials hence they can be recycled and have less impact on the planet. Use the fabrics sustainably to avoid wasting the material.

Shop sustainably from fashion company Los Angeles because they go for quality sustainable fabrics.

Some of the sustainable materials that sustainable brands can make use of include; hemps, organic cotton and silk just to name a few.

These materials are also biodegradable which makes them a great choice for the environment.

6) Start Sample and Development:

The development part is the most essential segment when it comes to creating your own clothing line.

At the development phase, lots of details concerning your fashion brand needs to be established. It entails a lot of creativity, making of errors and trying to shape and perfect them.

It is at this phase that you start creating your samples and these samples are a semi-replica of your products.

Will recommend you come up with a minimum of 3 samples per style in order to aid you decide on any changes you have to make before sending the final sample for production. 

If any correction needs to be made, the pattern then has to be revised and the cycle repeated.

Find a good brand that provides services when it comes to sampling and development which can provide you with the amazing samples to bring your idea to life. 

7) Establish Collection Price

After deciding on which material to use, where to source for your fabrics and manufacturing cost, you must have an idea about your total cost of production.

Planning your total cost for production ahead of time will help you bring your fashion dream to life and keep your company running smoothly.

Once you have established your production cost now, is the time to cost or price your collection. Next, ask yourself some questions about how you will be selling or marketing your fashion products.

Some of these questions include; making a decision to sell directly to the target markets or diversifying and selling in brick and mortar shops.

If you are going to give out your collection of clothes at a wholesale price, you will have to double the cost of manufacturing and goods included in per unit of the clothing. If you produce a blouse at 10$ for example, the wholesale price will have to be 20$.

8) Logistics

Your logistics is another important aspect to focus on because it deals with the transportation of your products which you will need them to go out unharmed.

Considering to source for your raw materials in the same continent can actually help in reducing your shipping fee.

What type of shipping boxes are you going to use? How will the garments be transported to you in a safe way? How can you reduce the number of plastics used in your shipping as a sustainable brand? Figuring out these things will help you a lot with your logistics.

Keep in mind that with sustainable development, you will need to find eco-friendly packaging that goes in line with your brand’s ethics, vision and mission.

9)  Certifications

Look out for certifications when shopping for your sustainable fabrics.  This is a tip used by the best designer brands. Certifications always have this way of showing a manufacturer and supplier’s credibility.

They also help fashion brands and any fashion company select the best fabrics and factories to work with.

10) Build Brand Identity

You can start your own Fashion brand online and brand it professionally. This is what some trendy designers do and it is an absolute fashion company.

Branding is one thing that makes your sustainable fashion brand unique. The high fashion designers and best fashion brands have issues when it comes to choosing fashion brand name ideas.

Before presenting your amazing fashion brand company, you need to come up with a logo and name for your company.

You can come up with some rules concerning the overall look of your website in terms of structure, outlook and content.

Make sure all the chosen website colors match with how you want your brand to be represented on every social media platform.

Follow your local fashion brand that you love example a fashion brand Los Angeles or a trending fashion company in Los Angeles to get the best branding ideas.

11) Photography:

There is a popular statement that “A picture is more than a thousand words”. In the fashion industry you need to bring your A-game when it comes to photography.

You will need to get a fashion brand ambassador and other models with a director to do a professional photoshoot before you launch your collection.

Set aside a budget to make sure you get the best pictures that perfectly showcases the beauty of your designs.

These pictures will help to sell your fashion brand and if possible, do a short video teaser that displays some of your dresses. Make sure the videos and pictures are teasing, creative and stylish.

You can post the pictures, video teasers and snippets on all your business social media pages and urge your followers to like, share and comment so the post can reach out to even more people.

Doing this will help your collection to go viral and reach out to even more of your target market.

12) Grow Your Followers:

After looking at how much work you have put in just to come out with your collection, I believe you must be very proud of yourself and your team.

It is now time to show the world what your fashion brand is all about. The advent of technology and social media have made things even easier.

All you have to do is to create your business social media pages on (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and make sure it is well managed with at least 3 posts on a daily basis.

If possible, get a social media handler to get things done because this is an important part of your branding, marketing and advertising.

You need to build good customer relationship relationships by engaging in posts with your potential customers.

To make things easier, you or your social media handler can come up with a content calendar that says something important or worth trending about your fashion brand and collection.

Use a social media marketing tool to boost your content and grip the attention of a larger audience.

Also come up with newsletter topics that talks more about your fashion brand but just make sure there is some consistency when it comes to your target market.

Send out information and do some advertisement by collaborating with a local store or doing some broadcast media adverts.

Using several media outlets will help to spread more information about your fashion brand and probably get to your target demographics.

Sustainable Clothing Brand Frequently Asked Questions

What is sustainable fashion?

The fashion industry especially manufacturers who do not make use of biodegradable materials clearly has some negative impact on the planet.

But with sustainable fashion, it is different because clothes are actually designed, manufactured and distributed (packaging) in eco-friendly ways.

This greatly helps in improving sustainable development and creates a safer environment.

I believe every fashion brand wants to create and make an impact in the world, so push forward with your dream of making your sustainable brand a huge success.

Which fabrics are the most sustainable?

Sustainable fashion has introduced the world to amazing new fashion trends. Four main points make the sustainable fashion world and it involves;

  • ethical manufacturing,
  • sustainable manufacture,
  • quality and longevity
  • and a circular process (recycling, reused and “reworn”).

Some sustainable materials include;

Linen – Natural fiber that comes from flax plant and has been used over the years to make clothes. The clothes have a firm fit and are ideal for summer wears.

Wool and cashmere – Made from the skin of sheep and goat. They are used in producing high quality warm clothes.

Organic cotton – Organic cotton materials are grown without pesticides and aids in protecting the cotton itself. The material also contains closed-up water systems that aid in reducing water usage and wastage.

Where to source sustainable fabrics?

Choosing the right material to use in producing your designs is another crucial step and it is important that you take time when making a choice of your fabrics.

You have to be really selective and check out the quality, certifications and authenticity.

Another set of questions to serve as a guide when choosing the best fabric includes; comfortability, duration (how will the dress look like in 5 years), and how does the material drape.

SwatchOn, Lenzing, Offset Warehouse, Queen of Raw, Huston Textile, The New Denim Project are some amazing sites to look for sustainable fabrics online.

As an alternative, sustainably sourced fabrics can be gotten at tradeshows such as ;TEXWORLD USA, LA TEXTILE and DG EXPO.

If the above two sources are not sufficient, then connect with domestic farmers via organizations like Fibershed and Textile Exchange.

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Alejandro Esparza
Sustainable-fashion

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