Apparel Search › How To › Start a Clothing Line
Apparel Search How To
A practical, step-by-step guide for new designers and brands, from the first idea to your first production order.
Starting a clothing line is part creative project and part manufacturing and money planning. The brands that get through their first season usually do a few things well: they know their customer, start small, understand their costs and plan their timing. This guide takes you through the steps in order, and links to the Apparel Search guides, directories and free tools that help at each one.
Decide what you will make, who it is for and why they would choose you. Be specific: the customer, the occasion, the price level and what makes your clothes different. A clear idea makes every later decision easier, from fabric to factory to how you sell.
Look at similar brands, their price points and where they sell. Decide whether you will sell directly to shoppers, to retailers or both. Then plan the money before you spend it: what you must pay before you earn anything, and when cash comes back.
Estimate your upfront and production costs with the Collection Break-Even Planner, and see how much cash an order ties up with the Import Cash Flow Planner.
Most new brands do better with a few well-chosen styles than a large range. Pick a coherent group of pieces, sketch flat drawings of each and decide on fabrics, colors and sizes. Fewer styles also mean smaller total orders and less risk. Our guide to range planning with data goes deeper.
A factory builds from your tech pack, so each style needs one. It brings together your sketches, materials, measurements and construction details.
Follow our step-by-step guide to creating a tech pack, then build yours with the Tech Pack Builder.
Choose a factory that makes your kind of product and works with brands of your size. Prepare your spec, build a shortlist, ask about minimums, samples and lead times, and compare quotes. Read our full guide to finding a clothing manufacturer, and browse the CMT factory directory and small-batch manufacturing guide if you are starting with small runs.
Work out what each style really costs, including materials, labor, freight, duty and fees, and then set prices that leave you a profit after your sales channel takes its share. Our apparel costing guide and wholesale pricing strategy guide explain the thinking.
Build each style up with the Garment Cost Sheet, find what you can pay a factory with the Target FOB Price Calculator, and add freight, duty and fees with the Landed Cost Calculator.
Expect more than one round of samples. Review each against your spec, fix fit and construction problems, and approve a final pre-production sample before bulk production begins. Get your size chart right at this stage too. See our guide to creating a size chart and our explanation of pre-production samples.
Work backward from your launch date to schedule sampling, fabric, production, inspection and shipping, and leave a buffer for delays. Plan how goods will be packed and shipped.
Plan your dates with the Production Timeline Planner, and see how cartons load with the Carton & Container Load Calculator. Our collection launch logistics guide covers getting goods to the right place on time.
Your labels, packaging, photography and website all shape how the brand feels. Decide where you will sell, and make it easy for customers to find the right size. See our guide to custom branding for apparel.
After launch, look at what sold and what did not, by style, color and size. Use it to plan your next order and your size curve, and to decide what to reorder or mark down.
Measure results with the Merchandising Metrics Calculator, split your next order with the Size Curve & Order Splitter, and plan purchases with the Open-to-Buy Planner.
It varies enormously with your product, quantities and approach. Rather than relying on a general figure, list your actual costs (samples, patterns, materials, production, shipping and marketing) and use a planner to see what you need and when.
No. Many founders work with designers, patternmakers and factories. You do need to be able to describe what you want clearly, which is what a tech pack is for.
Many new brands do, because it limits cost and risk and makes it easier to learn what customers want. Factory minimums may shape how small you can go, so ask early.
Requirements depend on where you are and what you sell, so speak with qualified professionals such as an accountant or attorney. This guide does not cover legal, tax or regulatory topics.
Allow many months from first sketch to delivered goods, and more if you are new to the process. Work backward from your launch date with a timeline planner and build in a buffer.