Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

The very first thing you need to do is identify and define your primary target audience and learn everything you can about how they make their purchase decisions, where they shop, who/what influences them, what they want that they can't find today, and as much as you can about what they like and dislike about the lines available to them today.

If you don't start with that kind of market research, you'll spin your wheels for weeks or months without knowing if you have any chance of success or not.

After you've done your end-user market research, do the same thing with the retailers who serve that market today. Ask them what it takes for a designer to make it with their customers, how they make their decisions about what lines to carry, how much influence their sales people have on a customer's purchase decision, etc.

Until you've interviewed at least a dozen of each (end users and retailers), and analyzed what you've learned and what it means for your business, all the other things on your list are a waste of your time. Don't worry about the manufacturing or the materials or the sewing. They are not the central issues just yet.

Good luck. It sounds like you're embarking on an exciting journey.

Hi Nazminhamid,

You didn't say if you have any experience in the clothing industry or not.

If you don't, it is probably a good idea to get some before you embark on your entreprenurial journey.

You will learn what vendors you should have relationships with, what equipment to buy, what kind of people to hire, how much to pay them, how to price your products, where to get exposure for them, in short, everything you will need to help you get going in the right direction once you launch your business.

If might take longer to do get your own business going if you do this, and you might not like that, but in the long-run it will be time well spent.

Good luck, I hope that helps.

lik every1 else who wants to start a clothing line, you really should read the other questions and answers about it that have been posted on this website.

- click the Search Questions link on the right
- enter the keyword CLOTHING
- browse through the results that sound like you

And best of luck in that typing class! ;]