When working with a first time brand, it is important for a factory to know whether or not they are ready for the process. Here are some tips!
Launching a successful brand, from the ground up, is a roller coaster of trial and error for new designers. Emerging designers, especially those new to garment manufacturing or the fashion industry, have great ideas but often need direction in streamlining their processes so that they are developing pieces that will help build a foundation that will grow their brand.
As a manufacturer, we have found the most successful brands begin by thinking of their collection with the bigger picture in mind; so all decisions will shape a brand in a way where resources are spent thoughtfully and strategically. We have found most new designers have a clear idea on their marketing, styling and aesthetic for their brand. But while developing a marketing campaign is important, it is only one portion of the development a brand needs to make in order to be successful.
When meeting with emerging designers, we have listed below the key points we make sure to cover in our initial consultation. These points can guide the meeting so that it is easier to determine if the client is ready to proceed to manufacture:
Target Market
All brands, large or small, have a target market. Building an ideal consumer, determining their age, income, their buying habits, all these details help paint the picture of how a brand will fit into the retail landscape.
By finding the customer, it helps determine how a designer will sell their garments. Will they be selling directly to the customer through an online website, or through traditional retailers like department stores or specialty stores? Finding who the competitors are, the brands the designs would hang in a store next to, will help narrow down the range of retail costs. This research helps determine how much the designer can realistically sell at retail and, in turn, will translate to finding the fabric, trim and make costs for each garment.
These target retail and make costs are important to manufacturers because they are integral in determining the construction of a garment. Without the framework of general pricing, it is difficult to determine if a manufacturer has the right tools to be able to finish the seams of the garment, or if the design details can be reproduced for mass production.
Mood Board
A mood board, or collection of materials that invoke the ideas and concepts of the brand in colors and fabrics, will help build a collection so that resources are spent developing garments that are cohesive. Therefore, whether a designer is developing one garment or a full collection, they can take a look at the longevity of the pieces they are invested in developing to see how this garment fits into the full picture. Investing time, money, and resources, it’s best to build a plan so that a designer isn’t putting their energy into making a sample that won’t help build the brand.
We always urge new designers to take their time make mood boards to build their library of reference images and determine their design aesthetic. With a clearer picture of their look and feel, they can better translate their designs to their manufacturer, and in turn, help develop samples that are true to their design.
Design Development
If for example, a designer plans to make t-shirts to build capital in order to design a full collection later, we often urge designers to take a step back to see if these t-shirts will still be able to sit with the full collection. If the designer is looking to use the t-shirts as a starting point, we want to make sure that the costs and resources used to develop make sense in the bigger picture. In this example, the designer is planning on designing a new t-shirt silhouette and wants to make the t-shirt in a specialty fabric. But after reviewing their finances, they only have the budget to design a graphic image that’s printed on an existing blank t-shirt body. This is then a decision the designer needs to make based on their resources. If the t-shirt will be the cornerstone of the collection, it can make the most sense to proceed in the development of a new garment and make plans to find a sample room or factory with the right tools. If the t-shirt is for marketing purposes, the best decision may be to find a printer who will offer full printing services.
While we cannot make this decision for designers, finding the right factory is integral to the success of their brand. There are manufacturers at every price point available, each with different skill sets and specialties, but if a designer chooses a factory that will not be able to deliver the sample they need, their resources will be exhausted on unsellable samples.
Sourcing Materials & Costing
Sourcing can be overwhelming, between the myriad of different fabric contents and weights, it can be difficult to narrow down the right fabric for each piece in a collection. It helps to know ballpark retail costs to determine fabric costs and make costs. For example, a designer is planning on selling a shirt at retail for $85. If one yard of fabric costs $30 and the fabric yield for one shirt is two yards, $60 is already utilized in fabric costs, leaving only $15 for cut and sew (make costs) and no room for margins and markups. This fabric may need to be changed or the price point needs to be revised in order to be able to sell this to the target market.
It is easy for new designers to lose sight of their original designs when they are introduced to new and innovative fabrics and trims. During design development, we urge emerging designers to keep in mind that their price point is determined by their target customer’s retail costs. While we are always open to new ideas and we try to make their designs as cost-effective as possible, we, as manufacturers, cannot change what their retailers will accept for wholesale costs. It is often up to us, as the factory, to remind clients what is possible in the scope of their project.
Based on our own experience, these are some of the key topics that we have identified to be extremely important for emerging designers to think critically and strategically in executing each of these steps. We take great pride in guiding emerging designers through the process, which sometimes feels like the labyrinth, and look forward to helping them lay the foundation to launch a great and successful brand.
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