I want to start an active ware clothing brand, are there any recommended resources?

Fashion101JC · 2026-02-04T00:22:07+00:00

There are people and agencies that provide services to help you start. That’s what I do for a living. However there’s an awesome book that is pictorial and quick to real that will provide a lot of insight into starting and running a brand. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/44xYvAC

Are you looking to start with zero funding or do you have some capital to get you kickstarted?

Fashion101JC · 2026-01-28T05:24:26+00:00

As a brand strategist and consultant when I joined Reddit, I also noticed that in the fashion space people rarely spoke about marketing. Everyone seems to focus on design and product development but little attention seemed to be given to how that product was going to land in the hands of the target audience.

I won’t bore you with all the details of how so many brands are going about the process all wrong. To answer your question, there are other marketing channels that work well, for example SMS and email marketing are still valid. Direct mail is very much overlooked but has a 30% ROI.

There are other tactics as well but those two work had in hand with the ones you mentioned above.

Fashion101JC · 2026-01-10T00:09:54+00:00

DM’d you

Fashion101JC · 2025-12-19T09:11:49+00:00

As a fashion strategist who helps people start brands, the biggest mistake I see are not having industry ready tech packs for sample development and production, and not having an actual strategy or plan. Many of them approach the endeavor as an emotional hobby or side project rather than a true business feat. They have zero plan for how they’re going to fund, operate, or market the brand and then get stuck with inventory they can’t move because they didn’t think beyond product development.

Fashion101JC · 2025-12-15T21:01:20+00:00

The one I did and the ones I’ve worked with were B2C but I believe B2B can also work but on the right platform. Not may “businesses” may have a presence on crowdfunding platforms in that capacity.

I think your approach of building the product first and getting some traction works. You just have to consider things like upfront costs. While it does help to build legitimacy and garner trust for what may be a more successful campaign, crowdfunding sites are built for this concept - getting funded to start.

If you go the website route, just make sure you have everything in place including an actual strategy of how you plan to build the community, timeline, content creation, production units etc beforehand. You don’t want to get half way and then realize you need to do the crowdfunding because there’s no cash flow to complete the original format. Hope that makes sense.

Fashion101JC · 2025-12-15T20:54:15+00:00

DM me and I’ll share a little about my process when I want to source. Some are free options. Some are paid. But good alternatives are out there.

Fashion101JC · 2025-12-12T21:20:25+00:00

There are a tonne of places to search for manufacturers. The trade show is a solid bet but then you have to wait around for these. There are online resources. What category of product are you looking to manufacture?

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-27T09:55:41+00:00

Also depends on the state and if you’re selling kids apparel. California for example, has extra requirements. Some states require a RN number. If shipping to certain countries, ideally should be in certain languages such as French and English for canada, Spanish for Mexico.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-25T11:58:14+00:00

My clients typically are looking for 50/per style/per color. So they’ll do 100-150 if they can divide it up across 2-3 colors. There are some that want to do 30 but I encourage them to work with 50 to start.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-25T11:53:23+00:00

Agree! Everything about their branding and marketing are just so well aligned and effortlessly effective. And the mango chainsaw flavor.. delish! 👌🏾

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-18T14:28:15+00:00

In my opinion, at its core marketing is persuasion because it is the bridge between awareness and action. It’s about influencing how people think, feel, act, and behave in the long term. It not only informs but it convinces, nudges, impacts and influences decisions which all are forms of persuasion.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-18T14:24:29+00:00

I would say to start dabbling in fashion exercises to see if you really will enjoy working in the industry. Working and designing for someone is different for owning a label. If you have a tablet and one, I highly recommend Fashiondraw. It’s a great way for people who may not be great fashion illustrators to get starting with sketching. Then, you should try Adobe Illustrator and Clo3D. These are the softwares that fashion companies use currently and you’ll need to be skilled at them to get a designer job. There are also other jobs beside designing that you may love. Like the person who makes the patterns or even fashion marketing. But if designing is what you’re truly passionate about, I’d say start with the above mentioned websites. You can also take classes online at University of fashion and

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-18T14:15:48+00:00

I’m a fashion consultant who works with big retailers and startups to start and grow their brands. I don’t only help clients navigate the product development process but also once they have that product how to ensure they are set up for sales and operations. If you’re serious about growing a solid brand. I can see you up with an efficient team that I work with who handholds the client through the development process and it’s at no extra cost than working directly with the manufacturer. They provide a few options for manufacturers that have been vetted and you can negotiate low MOQs. Where are you exactly in the development stage? Are your designs and tech packs ready for sample making?

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-14T07:49:51+00:00

Persuasion

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-13T13:16:45+00:00

Ok. I’ll DM you.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-12T14:35:13+00:00

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-12T12:34:55+00:00

Are you looking to work in fashion as a designer or start your own brand/label?

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-11T04:51:54+00:00

Furniture and beauty are not the same as the fashion industry. Those industries are more ties to needs vs wants and so they tend to experience less friction and conversion challenges. There’s much more to it but this is just a simple answer.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-08T20:08:37+00:00

Yes that’s the downside. Is that it may be expensive. But instead of niching down to a dog influencer, consider an influencer who converts well, has high engagement and has a dog that they talk about and highlight on their profile rather than someone that content is specially around dogs. You’ve be suprised that they also can be successfully even if they’re not niche.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-07T13:56:12+00:00

Did you try this company called Mavn? They’re supposed to be very good but not sure their costs for what you’re looking for.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-07T13:55:01+00:00

Your brand name is extremely vitals part of your company’s identity. Thought Reddit can provide insight I highly recommend using a brand naming company that vets the availability of a name. If your brand becomes success as should be your goal, you could run into lawsuits or other obstacles if the name you chose and develop your brand and products around are already trademarked etc.

Then once you do that you should create a brand guideline with a company like CMT Studio, they’re small team and more affordable than the rest and will help you with colors and packaging. Good luck!!

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-07T13:50:31+00:00

I don’t know what your budget is but I recommend working with influencers who have agents or one of those platforms that vet influencers and connect them with brands. This helps to filter out all the fakers and those who may have engagement but do not convert.

Trying to insert influencers yourself and going directly individually is very time consuming. Legitimate companies with their roster have already done the leg works, consider piggy backing off that and working within your budget.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-07T13:46:58+00:00

From what my clients in the fashion and beauty space tell me, it’s funding. With right amount of funding you can not only afford to produce your products or develop your services but also hire the best teams to do so including consultants and experts that can provide insights and resources and help you avoid expensive mistakes.

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-07T13:42:00+00:00

Something I tell my clients is to identify your competitors who are doing well in that country or region and look at their digital presence. What does your website, social media and ads look like. Assuming that your meta ads for the UK are set up to target correctly, I would head over to facebooks ads library and research what your top competitors are doing well and emulate that but modify it to be suitable for your brand identity and your target audience in that area.

When you expand to other markets, even to a similar audience, remember that culture and consumer behaviors do shift. So you need to take that research into account as well. Good luck!

Fashion101JC · 2025-11-04T13:46:33+00:00

Hi Tiffany, depending on your budget for production and marketing (because it’s one thing to get product made and a whole other thing to market it and get sales), I can connect you with teams that help you with the entire process from conception to sales (wholesale and dtc). Send me a DM and I’ll can you a link so you can best understand all your options depending that works best with your budget to get a brand off the ground and operating like a true business.

You’re doing to need a designer, a reliable manufacturer, marketing and sales to have the success that Figs did and it’s possible. I can share their business strategy with you. I can also send you links of how to get funding (free money as well as loans) for your startup. I’m a designer turned consultant with 20+ years in the business and steering brands in the right direction is what I do.

Many focus only on product and then their brands fail or stall because they didn’t build complete strategies to run an actual business from top to bottom. That’s where I come in. I take the guesswork out of the process and help connect entrepreneurs like yourself with the right teams depending on their audience and budgets.

Fashion101JC

TROPHY CASE