Have you always dreamed of launching your own apparel brand, but have no idea how to start? Launching an apparel brand is a very complex process, so it is no surprise you may be unsure of the proper approach to take that won’t waste your precious time or money. Perhaps you have conducted some research or watched a YouTube video on how to successfully launch a clothing line. After that, you thought it was easy enough to do and attempted to launch on your own. Or maybe you just became too overwhelmed by the entire process and decided to give up and never took the first step.
No matter where you are, one thing is certain: we don’t want you to become one of many aspiring fashion designers who have tried to launch on their own only to come across dishonest fabric vendors, pattern makers, and sample makers, who not only took advantage of you, but took your hard-earned money. So many fashion start-ups have had to learn the hard way and we want to protect you from getting into this situation, so we have outlined the top four reasons why every emerging fashion brand should hire an apparel launch consultancy.
1) Save Money and Time: Launching an apparel brand is a complex process full of detailed intricacies that are not user-friendly to the newbie. When someone decides to launch their own apparel collection, they are not just launching a line, but creating an actual business — from deciding on a business name, business structure, and crafting a business plan, to developing a brand identity that is cohesively presented via your logo, website, social media channels, and packaging/presentation, to identifying your target customer, sourcing the fabric/trim, identifying your price margins, costing your line correctly, preparing for your “coming soon” campaign, having all the right marketing tools in place, creating a successful selling strategy that is specific to an emerging fashion brand, gowing your social media accounts, and the list goes on.
There are a number of steps that have to be put in place to successfully create an apparel brand and when you hire an apparel launch consultant, you are hiring someone who is an expert at launching a collection and can walk you through all the steps. When most people try to launch a line on their own, they either underestimate the number of steps involved, skip important steps, or hire dishonest vendors – all leading to wasted time and money.
2) Learn as You Launch: The purpose of an apparel launch consultancy is to teach you how to launch your line and to guide you through each step in the process. Consultants exist because they get great joy out of mentoring, guiding, and educating their clients step-by-step through the process, knowing they are helping them to avoid potentially critical mistakes.
3) Gain Access to Insider Resources: Most apparel launch consultants have trusted resources that they can tap into and share with their clients. These resources can range from fabric and trim suppliers, sample makers and factories, label and packaging resources that are both emerging fashion brand friendly and carry low minimums. In some cases, the resources provided are the same resources used by the top names in fashion, which is an exciting perk for any fashion start-up.
4) Have Your Own Team the Process for You: With so many different moving parts that all have to occur at just the right time, it becomes essential to have a consultant manage the complex process of launching an apparel line for you. With a consultancy by your side, you never have to worry about what step comes next or get stuck when an issue arises that you have no idea how to fix (i.e: a fabric quality control issue or a sample fit issue). Typically the consultancy will have a team of people working with you at each step in the process, with the founder of the consultancy overseeing the entire process, as well as being involved in certain steps. With an apparel launch consultancy as your trusted launch partner, you can be rest assured your launch will be in great hands.
If you are interested in launching your own apparel brand, but would like an apparel launch consultancy to help you with your launch, please visit Launch Your Collection LLC at https://www.launchyourcollection.com.
Author Bio: Lisa Springsteel Dupré is the author of the book, Becoming a Fashion Designer (Wiley) and the founder and president of Launch Your Collection LLC, an apparel launch consultancy that helps fashion start-ups to develop, launch, and grow their apparel brands through purposefully crafted launch packages.
Website: https://www.launchyourcollection.com
