The Guide to Launching Your Own Fashion Brand

The most important thing you should consider is to work on a product that is, novel, different, arousing an urge to buy. To do this, you will have to spend many hours on the internet, searching, looking for trends in other countries, studying the target audience and spending many hours without sleep, until you find a niche market to which you can offer that differentiating product. It is totally a mistake to launch a low-cost clothing brand and try to compete with giant brands such as Zara since you will never be able to compete in production prices, even if your product is of a totally different style. 

In this regard, we shall take into account recommendations from Numan Ataker. He is the founder of the luxury fashion brand, John Paul Ataker. Numan is the pioneering figure behind the brand’s success today. He turned the brand into a major market player, having flagship stores in both Istanbul and New York. 

His recommendation is that you study the market a lot until you find that timeless and differentiating product. Do not get carried away by trends, as these are temporary and some cyclic. Once you have the product, the steps to follow are the following:

• The brand. You should think about how you want to call your brand, and for this, you can check whether or not it is registered in the trademark office. And, do not forget to check that the domain and social networks are also free.

• Logo design. If you handle the Vector Illustrator program, maybe you can do it yourself. Otherwise, our recommendation is that you order the design from a professional so that the result is an easy to view logo and memorization in the mind of the consumer, as well as clearly identifiable. Once you have the brand logo, the next step will be to register it, you can do it yourself, and it will be much cheaper than commissioning it from a lawyer.

• Collection design. At this moment, let’s try to be realistic, and envisage a collection of at least ten pieces that define the style of the brand.

• Choice of materials. This is one of the most important parts. You should look for suppliers to work with and, most importantly, the prices. We do not initially recommend working with excessively expensive materials since the brand is not known and the first collection will hardly be sold as this is firstly necessary to launch the brand and make it known.

• Sample preparation. Now is the time to look for a workshop that can develop that first sample; they must make the first base patterns and make the first sample with the selected fabrics. If it takes you a long time to search for workshops, which in many cases will ask you for minimums for production, you can choose to have a designer or seamstress make that first sample, the important thing at this point is to have the sample to be able to photograph and communicate the brand.

• Photography. Once the preparations are over, you have to organize a fashion shoot. You will need images to be able to communicate and promote the brand on a website and social networks. This will help you connect with future buyers and test the market revealing whether or not the brand was received well. Find a model, a studio, makeup artist, hairdresser, a photographer, and we recommend a stylist, as this person will be responsible for completing the look with shoes, accessories, as well as ironing the clothes and adjusting them to the model so that the photos are perfect. Take this opportunity to take photos of the designer of the brand, because, at the time of launching, you will need them because the media always want to know who is behind a brand. This, also, is a more humane way to connect with the audience. Photographs should be taken in a studio, and we also recommend outdoors.

• Web. With all the photographic material, it is time to commission a web designer to create a web page. You will need, in addition to the photographs, all the texts of the history of the brand, as well as product descriptions and the conceptual inspiration of the first collection. If you manage well by writing, you can do it yourself, although it is recommended that you order it from a fashion journalist or brand launch expert. This person will also take into account what should be done when writing the strategic marketing content and when communicating and promoting the brand.

In this regard, we shall take into account recommendations from Numan Ataker. He is the founder of the luxury fashion brand, John Paul Ataker. Numan is the pioneering figure behind the brand’s success today. He turned the brand into a major market player, having flagship stores in both Istanbul and New York. 

His recommendation is that you study the market a lot until you find that timeless and differentiating product. Do not get carried away by trends, as these are temporary and some cyclic. Once you have the product, the steps to follow are the following:

• The brand. You should think about how you want to call your brand, and for this, you can check whether or not it is registered in the trademark office. And, do not forget to check that the domain and social networks are also free.
• Logo design. If you handle the Vector Illustrator program, maybe you can do it yourself. Otherwise, our recommendation is that you order the design from a professional so that the result is an easy to view logo and memorization in the mind of the consumer, as well as clearly identifiable. Once you have the brand logo, the next step will be to register it, you can do it yourself, and it will be much cheaper than commissioning it from a lawyer.
• Collection design. At this moment, let’s try to be realistic, and envisage a collection of at least ten pieces that define the style of the brand.
• Choice of materials. This is one of the most important parts. You should look for suppliers to work with and, most importantly, the prices. We do not initially recommend working with excessively expensive materials since the brand is not known and the first collection will hardly be sold as this is firstly necessary to launch the brand and make it known.
• Sample preparation. Now is the time to look for a workshop that can develop that first sample; they must make the first base patterns and make the first sample with the selected fabrics. If it takes you a long time to search for workshops, which in many cases will ask you for minimums for production, you can choose to have a designer or seamstress make that first sample, the important thing at this point is to have the sample to be able to photograph and communicate the brand.
• Photography. Once the preparations are over, you have to organize a fashion shoot. You will need images to be able to communicate and promote the brand on a website and social networks. This will help you connect with future buyers and test the market revealing whether or not the brand was received well. Find a model, a studio, makeup artist, hairdresser, a photographer, and we recommend a stylist, as this person will be responsible for completing the look with shoes, accessories, as well as ironing the clothes and adjusting them to the model so that the photos are perfect. Take this opportunity to take photos of the designer of the brand, because, at the time of launching, you will need them because the media always want to know who is behind a brand. This, also, is a more humane way to connect with the audience. Photographs should be taken in a studio, and we also recommend outdoors.
• Web. With all the photographic material, it is time to commission a web designer to create a web page. You will need, in addition to the photographs, all the texts of the history of the brand, as well as product descriptions and the conceptual inspiration of the first collection. If you manage well by writing, you can do it yourself, although it is recommended that you order it from a fashion journalist or brand launch expert. This person will also take into account what should be done when writing the strategic marketing content and when communicating and promoting the brand.