This is a guide to starting your fashion brand and clothing line Branding

In this post, we’ll provide expert advice and valuable tips on how to launch a successful clothing line and fashion brand.

Our experience in the fashion industry has provided us with the knowledge and expertise to guide you every step of the way from concept to launching your clothing brand.

We’ve worked with brands like SaintPerry, Herschel, Lululemon and more.

In addition to working with the brands listed above, we have first hand experience in starting a clothing brand, scaling it and selling it. As the founders behind a luxury activewear brand Strongbody Apparel, we understand the challenges and nuances of building a clothing brand that resonates with consumers. Fashion branding is crucial in creating an image of your fashion business that goes beyond just the products, incorporating storytelling and creating a brand identity that resonates with customers on a deeper level.

If you’re ready to take your fashion aspirations to the next level keep reading.

This guide will set you on the path to becoming a fashion industry leader.

Here are some tips to help get you started on launching your clothing brand:

Know Your Audience: Before you even think about the design of your clothes, you need to have a good understanding of who your target customer is. Ask yourself questions like: What age group are they? What do they like to wear? Where do they shop? This will help shape the look and feel of your brand.
Brand Story: Once you know who you’re targeting, it’s time to create a story for your brand. What inspired you to start this fashion line? Who are the people behind it? How will it be different from other brands out there? Having a clear narrative will help give your brand a strong brand identity and make it stand out from the others. This is crucial for competing with other clothing brands in the market.
Logo Design: An effective logo is one of the most important elements of a successful brand. It should be eye-catching, instantly recognizable, and visually communicate your story. Finding the right graphic designer to bring this vision to life can be tough - make sure you take your time and do lots of research!
Social Media Presence: Social media is essential for a successful fashion brand in today’s digital world. Create pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest and start building your following. Share high-quality photos of your designs, engage with followers regularly, and use hashtags to reach more people.

Over several years, Meghan and Quincy, the founders of The Branded Agency, managed to grow their luxury ativewear brand Strongbody Apparel into a million-dollar business and get their products distributed in more than 200 stores globally, including 50 Equinox fitness locations.

Meghan, Quincy, and Strongbody Apparel have been featured in major media publications like Bloomberg (Gym clothes that don’t stink, thanks to crab and shrimp shells) Dragons Den, where they accepted an investment offer from a millionaire, Joe Mimran the Founder of Club Monaco (Strongbody Apparel Dragons Den) and much more!

A quick google search for “strongbody Apparel” and you’ll find hundreds of features from Gear Patrol, Uncrate, Cool Hunting, Cool Material, GQ, Real Men Real Style, and more!

So, if you want to save yourself time, money, and energy and avoid certain inevitable pitfalls, keep on reading! and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when we create more awesome blog posts like this one.

Do you need help branding your clothing brand?

Allow us to divulge the secret to branding a successful clothing line.

Are you prepared to learn about the intricate steps involved in building a strong and cohesive brand for your clothing line?

Look no further.

Our team of experts will provide you with valuable insights and advice on how to strategically and creatively brand your own clothing brand.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us and schedule a consultation call to learn more about how we can help you achieve your branding and marketing objectives.

Checkout our post on creative branding and growing your business.

Branding A Clothing Line

As a successful case study, Strongbody Apparel exemplifies how to brand a clothing line with purpose.

The founders, Quincy and Meghan, were inspired to create their line when they observed a gap in the market for tailored yet functional activewear.

With an eco-friendly approach and a commitment to quality, the brand was launched in 2012 and received positive feedback from customers and the community.

As a continuation of their vision, Meghan spearheaded the launch of Strongbody Apparel's women's line, with the same emphasis on style and functionality.

To generate buzz and acquire new customers, the brand strategically planned a giveaway campaign, offering 1,000 free pairs of leggings prior to the official launch. This savvy marketing tactic effectively generated excitement and anticipation for the product.

At The Branded Agency, we understand the importance of creative branding and marketing strategies to achieve a successful launch and sustained growth.

Let us help you take your startup clothing line to new heights with our strategic and creative branding services. Contact us to discuss your goals and vision today.

Here’s a blog post on Kickstarter Hacks 2021 to learn more about different ways to start branding a clothing line using Kickstarter. It’s no cakewalk!

"We're excited to guide you on your branding journey. Schedule a complimentary consultation with us to discuss all things branding for your business, including launching and growing your clothing line.

As we previously mentioned, Strongbody Apparel serves as an excellent example of successful clothing line branding. Co-founders Quincy and Meghan are now part of The Branded Agency team, using their expertise in branding and marketing to help businesses thrive in the digital landscape.

Drawing from their experiences, we've compiled the top three pieces of advice for clothing line branding, which we'll share with you shortly. Remember, we're here to help you achieve your branding goals. Don't hesitate to reach out and let's get started!"

Branding A Clothing Line Advice

Branding a clothing line is no easy task. At The Branded, we’ll guide you through it and even offer you free advice on your new clothing line!

Branding a Clothing Line: Tip 1

The foundational step in branding your clothing line within the fashion business is establishing your brand positioning.

Without a clear and compelling brand positioning, your brand will lack strength and likely struggle to succeed.

Creating a strong brand positioning can be a challenging task that requires a deep understanding of your target audience’s demographics, psychographics, geography, and behaviors.

Understanding your customer is key to ensuring your brand positioning aligns with your target audience.

To achieve this understanding, thorough research is required to answer critical questions such as:

What is your unique value proposition, and how does it differentiate you from your competitors?
How does your product compare to your competitors in terms of quality and price?
Does your product solve a problem for your target audience?
Why does your brand need to exist, and what is its purpose in the market?

Establishing your brand positioning in your industry is a critical step in building a successful clothing brand.

To get started, you’ll want to have a general idea of the product you want to sell and conduct thorough research on your target audience.

Creating a primary buyer persona will help you consider the needs and preferences of your target audience when developing your brand positioning.

It’s essential to utilize primary and secondary research methods to gather all necessary information and create a comprehensive customer profile that includes demographics, geography, psychographics, and behaviors of your target customer.

You can learn more about how to create a customer profile here, buyer persona

To successfully brand your clothing line, the foundation of your brand should be established through brand positioning.

Without it, your brand will lack strength and potentially fail.

Understanding the demographics, psychographics, geographics, and behaviors of your target audience is key to creating effective brand positioning that resonates with your audience.

To begin, research and answer important questions such as your unique value proposition, how your product compares to competitors in terms of quality and price, if there are consumer problems your product can solve, and why your brand needs to exist.

Once you’ve created a buyer persona, use a word Mindmap to brainstorm descriptive words, feelings, actions, and complimentary words that can inspire your brand positioning.

Next, conduct a SWOT analysis of your direct and indirect competitors to identify potential opportunities and positioning strategies for your clothing brand.

Using this information, create a Brand Positioning Map that shows where your competitors fit in relation to quality, price, innovation, and niche.

Now it’s time to craft your brand purpose, mission, vision, unique value proposition, core message to the consumer, brand pillars, key messages, and tagline.

If this seems overwhelming, our brand strategists are here to help. Book a complimentary 15-minute call with one of our experts to receive guidance and support.

Branding a clothing line: Tip 2

The fashion and apparel industry is notoriously difficult to establish a brand in, due to the complex knowledge and experience required in areas such as finance, manufacturing, design, operations, and distribution.

Seeking creative input from fashion designers can be invaluable, as they are familiar with the target audience and often have great ideas to make a clothing brand stand out.

Unless you possess prior business acumen within the industry, coupled with multifaceted skills in the aforementioned areas, the learning curve will be steep.

Therefore, it may be worth considering finding a business partner who has complementary skills or financial backing to aid in recruiting and hiring the talent necessary for your venture.

To ensure the success of your business, it is imperative to gain a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the industry, create a business and marketing plan, and acquire sufficient capital for your launch and growth.

Even if you believe that you have raised enough capital for a small collection start, it would be wise to reconsider, as unexpected expenses are likely to arise.

As a result, gathering as much information as possible, creating an effective business and marketing plan, and taking your time are all crucial.

The Branded Agency can assist you in navigating the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey by creating a comprehensive business and marketing plan for your new clothing line.

It is important to remember that the most challenging parts of creating, launching, and growing a clothing brand are the timelines, economics, and operations.

For instance, if you intend to sell your products wholesale, you must source your fabric, notions, and materials eight to twelve months in advance.

Your first set of samples will take two to three months to create, and you will likely need to refine the design and alter the fit, subsequently ordering another set of samples, which may take an additional one to two months.

Afterward, you will need to plan and execute a photoshoot, create lookbooks and line sheets, and prepare for your first tradeshow.

By this point, you may have invested between $30,000 to $100,000 over the last eight to twelve months without generating any revenue. Upon attending the tradeshow, you will take orders, which are likely to be for delivery four to six months later.

Wholesale customers usually request Net 30-Net 90 payment terms, so you will need to finance the product’s manufacturing personally and may not receive payment until one to three months after delivering the product to your customer.

While there are options to have manufacturing financed using a “Factoring agent,” this is a costly solution and may adversely affect your margins, particularly as a small startup.

However, it is crucial not to let these factors discourage you.

At Strongbody Apparel, for example, we had no prior knowledge of t-shirt manufacturing when we began.

It took us two years of designing, testing, and creating small production runs before we felt even remotely confident.

Therefore, patience is vital, and it is advisable to learn from others in the industry to save time.

It is worth noting that trends often shift during the prolonged production process.

Trend forecasting may be beneficial, but only if implemented before the production run is initiated.

Failure to do so may result in a loss of capital, momentum, and confidence, as you burn cash faster than you generate revenue.

Fortunately, as experienced entrepreneurs, The Branded can offer guidance and provide branding and marketing services that could be the deciding factor in your brand’s success.

Branding a Clothing Line: Tip 3

In the fashion industry, it's often unnecessary to reinvent the wheel.

Rather than investing time and resources in designing and producing a new product, consider modifying an existing product through "Deconstruction."

Additionally, partnering with a manufacturer who offers existing styles that can be altered to meet your needs is an excellent way to get your clothing line off the ground quickly and efficiently.

Always keep your brand goals, business plan, and brand positioning in mind when creating your clothing line.

Branding a Clothing Line: Tip 4

The fabric you choose is a critical component of your clothing line's success.

Before making a purchase, take the time to investigate all aspects of the fabric, including how it reacts to washing, drying, heat, and stretch, as well as its durability and resistance to pilling.

Thoroughly researching these factors can save you time, money, and headaches down the road.

At The Branded, we understand the nuances of the fashion industry and are passionate about helping our clients with their branding and marketing needs.

If you're looking to scale your clothing line, don't hesitate to get in touch. We'd be happy to discuss how we can help you achieve your goals. we can chat about scaling your clothing line.

Branding Services For Your Clothing Line

If you've made it this far, we know you're interested in branding and marketing your new clothing line.

So, partner with us, and we can help you get to where you want to be.

Yes, branding is crucial to your growth. But, branding strategically with the right creative agency is also the key.

That's where we come in!

Need a little bit of information about The Branded? Well, our goal is to help you grow, scale and make more money.

As a full-service branding and marketing agency, we specialize in helping startups and small businesses. We are always ready to tackle the next project and challenge. Here are our services:

Marketing

Marketing Campaigns
Copywriting
Buyer Personas
Email Marketing
Content Strategy
Content Marketing

Branding

BraBrand Strategy
Brand Identity
Brand Positioning
Brand Voice
Brand Naming

Website Design

Website Development
Subscription Service
Website Management
SEO

Design

Campaign Creative
Industrial Design
Logo Design
Packaging

Yes, we can do it all for your new clothing line!

Branding A Clothing Line - Why Is Branding Important?

It might have come across your thoughts, and you might have asked “Why is branding so important?”

Branding is the way to go because it’s what differentiates your brand from the others.

Fashion branding encompasses various elements that contribute to establishing a fashion business's image in the eyes of the public. This includes mission statement, company values, brand voice, origin story, and visual style guide, emphasizing the critical role of branding in the fashion industry and how it informs every aspect of the business.

Having a strong brand positioning makes the biggest difference in brand perception.

Another thing to note: creating a brand identity is also an important factor. You need this, especially in the fashion industry.

Your brand is the public face of the company, right?

Aiming to create a brand that encapsulates the best and most important aspects of your company is ideal.

You can actively shape your brand by brand building, too. Brands can stand out and spark a connection with their audiences by establishing a unique identity. In short, getting your brand right is the key to success for any company. Get in touch with us, and we can talk more about branding strategies.

Branding A Clothing Line - Guidelines

Here are some guidelines for branding a clothing line that you should consider.

Emotional Branding

Branding a clothing line is a huge task. It is vital for a clothing brand, like many businesses to generate strong emotional connections with its customers.

Several research studies mention emotions as an important sales and retention factor. Brands that feel like a part of their lives get loyal customers. Emotional metrics are equally important to the success of growing businesses, too.

This key source says emotion is a key driver. Emotional decisions directly affect customer loyalty, advocacy, lifetime value and customer spend.

Learning from well-known companies that have already won the hearts of their customers is the best way to understand the importance of emotion-based branding. Take, for example, Nike with their “just do it” tagline. A lot of their campaigns touch your heartstrings.

Nike adverts have trained their customers to be emotional brand ambassadors by utilizing heroism techniques. Let's look at a quick example. Their narrative plays like this: Against all odds, a hero challenges an opponent far greater than himself and begins from humble origins. Nike uses the hero concept, creating an emotional marketing story. Perfect to sell for their consumers. Who doesn't feel that way?

Online Presence

Utilizing the digital world to create an online presence for your clothing line is not only smart but necessary in today’s world. Fashion brands use social media to showcase their collections, engage with consumers, and share their brand story. Where will people find you? How can you represent your brand and showcase your brand identity? How will people learn about your brand?

These are important. Creating a website for your clothing line, social media marketing, and other online tactics will greatly increase your bottom line! As a Digital Marketing Agency, we’ve created social media guidelines for our clients and it was proven to be more helpful in more ways than one! Take a look at our client, Keoch. We’ve created a social media guideline for them, amongst many other of our creative and strategic assets like a brand identity guideline

Where to Sell

Make sure to do your research on where you want to sell. Is it at a department store? Possibly a mom-and-pop shop, maybe even online, or all of the above. This is part of your business plan and marketing plan as well.

Branding a clothing line is a huge task in itself, and you don't want to leave out any single detail of importance.

Depending on the business model you use, your branding plan will vary. Normally, people gravitate towards the classics: an e-commerce shop, a brick and mortar store or a mix of both, which can work for most companies (depending on a lot of things, of course). Another idea would be to sell your products in a boutique that carries and promotes many brands at their store.

Branding A Clothing Line - Contact Us

In conclusion, building a successful clothing line is a challenging endeavor that requires a lot of knowledge, expertise, and careful planning.

From understanding financials, manufacturing, and distribution to developing a brand positioning and marketing strategy, there are numerous aspects to consider.

To help you navigate this complex journey, The Branded Agency offers a range of branding and marketing services to assist you in creating, launching, and growing your clothing line.

With our help, you can save time, reduce costs, and improve your chances of success.

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help you better understand how we can assist you:

What are some common mistakes to avoid when starting a clothing line?

One of the biggest mistakes is focusing too much on the design and not enough on the business side of things. It's important to have a solid business plan, financial projections, and marketing strategy in place before launching your clothing line.

How can The Branded Agency help me with my clothing line?

We can assist you with a wide range of branding and marketing services, including developing a business plan, creating a marketing strategy, designing a logo and visual identity, producing photoshoots, and more.

How can I ensure the quality of my clothing line's fabric and materials?

It's essential to thoroughly research and test out different fabrics, notions, and materials before making any purchases. This includes testing their durability, washing and drying process, heat resistance, and stretch, among other factors.

What’s the first step in branding my clothing line?

The first step in branding your clothing line is to define your brand positioning. This means doing market research to understand your target market’s demographics, psychographics and behaviors. What makes your brand different from the competition, what’s your brand story, what’s your logo and brand colours that reflects your brand personality? A clear and strong brand positioning helps create an identity that speaks to your audience.

Why is social media important for a clothing brand?

Social media is important for brand recognition and to engage with your audience. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest increase visibility and allow you to interact with customers, get feedback and build a community around your brand. Showcasing your products and brand story through high quality photos and videos will enhance your brand image. And targeted ads and promotional campaigns on social media will attract new customers and drive sales.

How do I tell my brand story for my clothing line?

Telling your brand story means being honest about your reasons and the journey of your brand. Share stories that speaks to your target market’s values and lifestyle. Include the origin of your brand, the people behind it and its mission and vision. Consistency of voice and message across all marketing channels is key to building an identity that speaks to your audience.

How important is a unique selling proposition (USP) for my clothing brand?

A unique selling proposition (USP) is important as it sets you apart from the competition. It clearly communicates what makes your brand special and why customers should choose you. A strong USP will strengthen your brand’s position in the market by highlighting unique features or benefits, boosting marketing campaigns and attract and retain customers. It’s a key to a successful clothing brand.

How do I use social media for my clothing line?

To use social media for your clothing line, share content regularly such as product photos, behind the scenes, customer testimonials. Partner with influencers to increase your reach and credibility. Use interactive content like stories, polls and live videos to engage with your audience. Use relevant hashtags and jump on trending topics to increase your visibility. Consistent posting and strategic use of social media will boost your brand’s presence and customer engagement.

How do I identify my target market for my clothing brand?

Identifying your target market means understanding their demographics (age, gender, income level, education, occupation), psychographics (interests, lifestyle, values and attitudes), geographics (location, urban vs rural setting, climate considerations), and behavioral patterns (shopping habits, brand loyalty, purchasing frequency). Research and create detailed buyer personas to tailor your brand positioning and marketing strategies to your target market.

How do I stay competitive in the fashion industry?

To stay competitive in the fashion industry, keep up with fashion trends and industry news. Get customer feedback regularly and incorporate it to your products and services. Try new marketing strategies and platforms to reach more audience. Keep your product and brand messaging high. By being innovative and responsive to market changes you will keep your brand competitive and relevant in the fast paced fashion industry.

So if you're ready to take your clothing line to the next level, don't hesitate to contact The Branded Agency today. We're here to help you build a successful brand that stands out in a highly competitive industry.

Let's Talk Branding

Featured