HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL READY TO WEAR BRAND

 HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL READY TO WEAR BRAND

I recently got contacted by some persons who intend to start their ready to wear brand and had no clue on how to go about it. 

I will share the response I gave to them here so you can learn and apply to your business.

Someone wants to start a ready to wear brand. Let's call her Jenny (not her real name)

Jenny has absolutely no idea about sewing. 

She simply knows how to spot beautiful outfits and rock the living daylight out of them. 

A friend asked her to go to Aba and buy fabrics at cheaper rates and off she went. 

She found some beautiful styles and asked her tailor to make them in bulk. Oh, she knows her fans, family and friends. She knew they would buy. 

Finally, she collected the dresses and managed to sell a few pieces. The other pieces remained with her as souvenirs of her failed attempt at building a ready to wear brand. She never sold any. 

Sitting back, she kept wandering what she did wrong. 

Most of the people that bought from her still owe her. Some of her friends even claimed they were just trying to help her build a budding brand and yet, they didn't pay. 

Some people in her office who honestly wanted to buy to "support" her new business said she didn't have their sizes. 

Las las, Jenny was frustrated. She had put in all she had into this business and now she was left with nothing. 

Meanwhile, on the other end is Suzy.

Suzy is an undergraduate who loves fashion. 

She wants to build a ready to wear brand so she seeks council from an experienced brand. 

First, she decided who her target market was. 

Secondly, she contacted a fashion illustrator to make clear sketches of the front and the back of the outfits that the kind of people she wants to produce for would like. 

Oh, Suzy doesn't know how to sketch to save a soul. 

She contacted a clothing factory that makes outfits for ready to wear brands and had them produce a sample of each of the designs. 

She got some of her friends to model the outfits in a nice photo studio, posted them on her business page and ran Facebook ads to them. 

Between Jenny and Susy, who do you think would do better?

To be continued. 

Dress designed and made by EREX

Eberechi Igwe