I have a great idea for a fashion product – how do I start?
Written by Katrina Oro
In the world of fashion, where creativity and innovation intertwine, bringing a fashion product idea to life has the potential to leave a lasting mark on the industry. Whether you’re an aspiring designer or simply someone with a great idea, knowing where to begin can be the most difficult part of creating a product. With suggestions and questions to consider, this guide will aid your journey towards transforming your vision into reality.
Start With Confidence
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the idea of developing a product. There are countless possibilities and avenues to explore, not to mention the challenges of building your own business! If you have an idea for a fashion product, but don’t know how to start, here is a quick look at the points we will be covering:
- Do some research
- Develop a brand identity
- Sketch idea(s)
- Work with a pattern maker to create prototype(s)
- Make a tech pack(s)
- Find a factory
- Determine your sales channel(s)
- Create a market strategy
- Finalize product development
- Create a manufacturing and distributing plan
- Launch and promote
- Monitor product performance
Completing each task can be a lengthy process, but you can find everything you need on Fashion Index including coaches, consultants, and full service agencies to help you every step of the way!
Find Your Niche
Before diving headfirst into the process of creating your product, it’s crucial that you lay a strong foundation through thorough research. First, identify a gap in the market or a specific need that your product can fulfill. Assess the size and potential of the market. Determine who your audience is and how you plan to reach them. By understanding the market landscape, you are able to refine your ideas to meet the demand of your intended target audience.
Who is Your Target Market?
Next, consider the following questions: How will you sell the product? Where will you sell it? How much can you sell it for? Conduct research on the price range of similar products in the market. This analysis will help you gauge the viability of your product. Wrap up your initial research by creating a rough budget for development, production, marketing, and distribution costs to ensure the financial stability of your venture.
Budget For Success
Developing a budget plan gives you an estimate of launch investment as well as allows you to allocate funds across the plan, instead of unintentionally focusing on a few specific ones. Too often, new brands over spend on the product development stage and run out of money to market the product.
Be prepared for cost overruns throughout the process. For example, shipping costs may increase outside of your control. As you progress through each step, you’ll be able to adjust your budget to reflect more accurate cost estimates.
Craft A Consistent Brand Identity
To successfully launch your idea into the market, it’s essential to develop your brand's identity. Start by defining your brand’s values, as they will serve as the principles that shape your company’s culture and resonate with your target audience.
What sets your idea apart from other products? Are you focused on sustainability, inclusivity, or something else? Who are the individuals your product is designed for? Understanding your audience will enable you to create a brand that speaks directly to their desires.
A compelling brand name is also helpful in establishing a distinct identity. Consider names that reflect your brand’s values, and keep in mind pronunciation and memorability. Ensure that the chosen name is available as a domain and on different platforms to more easily market your brand. The most powerful names are short and succinct.
Once you have a brand name, design a logo. Logos should capture the essence of your brand. When making a logo, think of the colors, typography, and graphics you are going to use. By developing a strong identity, you are laying the groundwork for building a recognizable and cohesive brand.
3D Pattern, Image courtesy Alison Hoenes Design
Detailed Sketches To Build Your Dream
Now, you can start visualizing your idea by sketching it out. If you don’t have confidence in your ability to sketch, consider enlisting the help of a professional designer to bring your design(s) to life on paper.
When sketching, focus on capturing every detail of your garment. Think about how it will fit and function. Consider how the seams will be finished and where, if any, there is topstitching or reinforcement stitching. How will your garment be constructed?
Determine where linings, interlinings, and interfacings will be incorporated to provide structure. Where will buttons, zippers, or other fasteners be placed? Explore the possibility of other details like embroidery, beading, studs, or other embellishments.
Strategically placing these details helps to add visual interest to your design. Remember that your sketches are the blueprint of your product. It’s important to take time to refine your sketches which yields a more accurate depiction of your design.
Prototype Readiness
Moving past the sketches, it’s time to create a prototype of your design. Collaborate with a pattern maker, either traditional or 3D. Working with a 3D pattern maker will allow you to see a digital representation of your product. This will help you evaluate its look and functionality and even allow you to make alterations before cutting any fabric.
Prototypes can be made using available fabrics that are similar to your desired material. It does not need to be in the final fabric as it is a representation of the look as you continue to collect fabric options.
When selecting final fabrics, consider factors such as price, durability, quality, comfort, and aesthetics. Once you have a prototype in hand, think about how it aligns with your initial vision. Do the proportions, details, and silhouette match your expectations? Prepare clear comments on what you would like adjusted with notes and images. This could involve the fit, construction techniques, or addressing design elements.
Throughout this process, be as communicative as possible with your pattern maker. Providing them with clear and specific feedback about the prototype will allow them to make any necessary changes and ensure that your design translates well from concept to reality.
Image courtesy Apparelmark
Building Your Tech Pack
Once you are satisfied with your prototype, the next step is to make your technical package (tech pack). Tech packs serve as detailed specification sheets that communicate your design to manufacturers, providing them with all the necessary information to turn your vision into a finished garment.
When preparing a tech pack, be sure to include all details like colorways, fabrics constructions, bill of materials, garment measurement, size range, grading, hang tags, and labels. It’s important to be specific in order to ensure accurate execution. Flat sketches and technical drawings are also helpful in providing manufacturers with an idea of your desired outcome.
Having a complete and detailed tech pack before seeking cost estimation will allow manufacturers to provide accurate production estimates. Many pattern makers will help you create the tech pack for your designs.
Choosing The Right Manufacturer
With a completed tech pack, you are ready to find a factory to manufacture your product. You can start by researching factories that produce products similar to yours. Look for manufacturers with good reputations and extensive experience in your specific product category to confirm that they possess the expertise needed to develop your product.
While assessing factories, you should also consider their production capacity. Evaluate whether or not their capabilities align with the volume of products you anticipate to produce. It’s crucial that the factory you choose is scaled to accommodate your projected production needs without compromising quality and time.
In order to obtain accurate costing, share your prototype, tech pack, and projected volume with the factory. Remember that cost is not the sole factor in choosing a factory. Quality, reliability, location, and the ability to meet your requirements are just as important, so be sure to take time to evaluate possible manufacturers.
Sales: Getting Your Product To Consumers
Determining your sales channel is also an essential part of the process. Evaluate the different options available to reach your intended customers effectively, whether it be boutiques, big box retailers, or ecommerce.
Boutiques can be an ideal sales channel for products that cater towards a specific niche. Boutique owners often curate unique products/collections they want to sell in their stores, making them a great channel for small to midsize businesses. Collaborating with them will provide you with the opportunity to tap into their established customer base and gain valuable feedback.
Big box retailers have a more broad reach and offer access to a larger audience. However, they are harder to get into, have very specific shipping requirements, tend to chargeback for errors, and ask for markdown money at the end of a season.
Partnering with retailers who share similar values to your brand can provide exposure and opportunities for growth. Because they have established distribution networks (brick and mortar and/or online presence) and marketing strategies, they can bring more visibility to your product.
Ecommerce platforms like Shopify offer the advantage of reaching a global audience and provide a convenient online vending experience. Selling through this type of website can give you control over branding and customer experiences.
Consider the pros and cons of each channel. Choosing a sales channel that resonates with your brand and target audience can maximize your product’s visibility and drive sales growth.
Marketing and Promotion
At this point, you need to build a market strategy to begin the process of launching and promoting your product. Figure out the most effective way to reach your target audience. Will it be through social media, collaborations, or influencer partnerships?
Once your platform is decided, develop a marketing plan that includes product promoting, branding, pricing, distributing, etc. Clearly define your brand's unique selling points, as well as a compelling story to connect with your audience. Craft engaging content that showcases your product’s features and benefits.
In terms of pricing, be sure that your pricing supports profitability while remaining competitive in the market. During this process talk to others in the industry. You do not need to reveal your ‘secret sauce’ but building a network will further the validation of each step.
Nested Pattern; Image courtesy The Chicago Pattern Maker
Sizing And Samples
You are ready to finalize the development of your collection with size range (size run) samples and sales samples. Sales samples will be the vehicle for you to sell. These will usually be made in a sample room rather than on the production floor but will give you the ability to generally assess the quality from the facility and ensure it meets your standards. The sample is the tangible representation of your vision and will typically represent all colorways of your collection.
Distribution: Getting Product To Retailers
Create a manufacturing and distributing plan. Work backward to establish a production timeline to hit key milestones and deadlines. Check in with your manufacturing partner to make sure that production is running according to schedule.
Coordinate the logistics and distribution channels so that the process of getting your product to the hands of the customers is smooth. Determine the most efficient way to ship your products and consider factors like the carrier, shipping costs, and reliability, and delivery timelines.
Before the production phase, establish quality expectations including documentation review, checking components, and random audits of the final product. Review for any flaws or inconsistencies and report findings back to the manufacturer. To gain further insight, you can seek feedback from industry professionals or trusted individuals.
Manufacturing small lots will allow you to gain customer feedback and make adjustments for future orders. Remember, maintain clear communication with your manufacturing partners. A meticulous approach to production will help to deliver a final product that meets your expectations.
When it comes to the warehousing, and the picking, packing, and shipping process, establish clear guidelines and procedures to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Consider using a third party logistics facility, 3PL. They have many services to make it easy including tracking systems to monitor packages, or providing customers with real-time updates on their orders.
Simultaneously, think about what your packaging will look like. Packaging plays a vital role in creating a positive brand experience, so be sure to develop packaging that aligns with your brand identity and reflects the aesthetic of your product. By developing a comprehensive manufacturing and distributing plan, you are able to enhance customer experience and build a strong reputation for your brand.
Product Launch
Get ready to launch and promote! Launching your product is an exciting milestone and setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.) goals will help guide your efforts and measure your success. Identify key objectives that you wish to achieve, whether it be hitting a certain number of sales or gaining more exposure to your brand.
When coming up with a launch strategy, utilize marketing techniques that build excitement for your product and drive sales. For instance, use social media platforms to preview your product and generate anticipation among your target audience. You can share behind-the-scenes clips or create engaging content.
Hosting a launch party could also be a great way to introduce your product. This provides potential buyers with an opportunity to experience the product and engage with your brand. The launch phase often sets the foundation for your brand’s success, so don’t stray away from investing time and resources in creating a compelling launch.
Image via igmmudala.org
Performance Tracking
Lastly, monitor your product’s performance. You can do this by tracking sales, analyzing customer feedback, and assessing your marketing plans. This data will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your strategies and help you make decisions on optimizing your sales and promotional activities.
Celebrate your wins! Actively seek feedback from customers through surveys, reviews, or social media engagement. Pay attention to both positive and negative feedback if you really want to gain insight on how to improve your product.
Based on this critique, adjust fit, size range, pricing, product offerings, marketing campaigns, or distribution channels to better meet your customer’s needs. Flexibility is key to success in the ever-changing fashion industry. By consistently monitoring your product’s performance, you are cultivating a thriving brand.
Bringing an idea to life can be an exhilarating, yet challenging journey. By following a well-rounded approach, you move one step closer to success in a competitive industry. From conducting research to developing a brand identity to planning different strategies, every step is significant when it comes to turning your idea into reality.
Remember to be communicative, open to feedback, and responsive to change. You have the potential to make an impact, but you can’t do so without taking the first step.
For more information, visit Apparelmark, Alison Hoenes Design, and The Chicago Patternmaker on Fashion Index!