Is A Clothing Brand Still A Bad Idea?

[envykyro]

Hey guys, i understand the low barriers to entry for a clothing brand however i have found a big gap in the market in the UK.

my product has its own Unique Selling Point and when i have the feedback to my friends they said they NEED the product.

my idea has only been published in the USA and even there thier “style” is very basic.
i am looking to build a high value brand selling my clothes that solve a big problem for UK market


yes I’m gatekeeping yes it’s because i’m afraid someone will do it faster than me

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Hey guys, i understand the low barriers to entry for a clothing brand however i have found a big gap in the market in the UK.

my product has its own Unique Selling Point and when i have the feedback to my friends they said they NEED the product.

my idea has only been published in the USA and even there thier “style” is very basic.
i am looking to build a high value brand selling my clothes that solve a big problem for UK market


yes I’m gatekeeping yes it’s because i’m afraid someone will do it faster than me

If someone might do it faster than you, then aren't you wasting precious time by asking questions that can only be answered when you act on your idea and find out?

New clothing brands get started every day. Some succeed. Others fail.

How can you test your idea today?

How can you find out if someone will actually buy it given the chance to do so right now?

 

[envykyro]

If someone might do it faster than you, then aren't you wasting precious time by asking questions that can only be answered when you act on your idea and find out?

New clothing brands get started every day. Some succeed. Others fail.

How can you test your idea today?

How can you find out if someone will actually buy it given the chance to do so right now?

i’m wasting my time reading books on brand value whilst doing deep research on fashion design and learning how to market it. i’m writing a basic business plan before i start making designs that way i can be 100% prepared.

i could test my idea today by making a very basic concept and showing it to my friends who are real and they tell me the brutal truths.
all of them said they love it and they need the product as it’s solving a big problem rather than it being every other clothing brand

lastly i could make a video of a sample on tiktok and see how they respond before i waste £5,000 however right now i am forming the very basic blue print

 

[Lex DeVille]

i’m wasting my time reading books on brand value whilst doing deep research on fashion design and learning how to market it. i’m writing a basic business plan before i start making designs that way i can be 100% prepared.

i could test my idea today by making a very basic concept and showing it to my friends who are real and they tell me the brutal truths.
all of them said they love it and they need the product as it’s solving a big problem rather than it being every other clothing brand

lastly i could make a video of a sample on tiktok and see how they respond before i waste £5,000 however right now i am forming the very basic blue print

Anything less than a sale is nothing. If you're gonna do a thing, do it.

Your first post makes it seem like someone could start this up overnight.

If they need £5,000 to start it up, they aren't starting it up overnight because few people dive in with a £5,000 investment, even when they think an idea is worth it. Take yourself for example...

Either this can be started up overnight for less than £5,000 or it can't. If it can't, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of people doing it faster than you. If it can, then why are you talking about spending £5,000 in the first place?

Make a mock design. Get it in front of people. Ask them to buy it. If nobody buys, then you might have your answer. If people buy, then you know they'll buy 100% for sure and you have a path to cover the £5,000.

Anything less than cash in your pocket is nothing.

 

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[envykyro]

Anything less than a sale is nothing. If you're gonna do a thing, do it.

Your first post makes it seem like someone could start this up overnight.

If they need £5,000 to start it up, they aren't starting it up overnight because few people dive in with a £5,000 investment, even when they think an idea is worth it. Take yourself for example...

Either this can be started up overnight for less than £5,000 or it can't. If it can't, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of people doing it faster than you. If it can, then why are you talking about spending £5,000 in the first place?

Make a mock design. Get it in front of people. Ask them to buy it. If nobody buys, then you might have your answer. If people buy, then you know they'll buy 100% for sure and you have a path to cover the £5,000.

Anything less than cash in your pocket is nothing.

thank you so much for the feed back. thank you soo much i really really appreciate this.

 

[Devilery]

Friends' opinions mean nothing, positive or negative. People giving you money for your product is the feedback you need.

Build a landing page, create mockups of your clothing, and try to sell it. That's how you decide if the idea is worth pursuing without a massive upfront investment in terms of money or time.

 

[monnffffiiiiiii]

Clothes and food businesses are the best businesses one could ever create.

 

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[Odysseus M Jones]

Clothes and food businesses are the best businesses one could ever create.

*Worst

 

[envykyro]

*Worst

why do you think it’s bad if we have a unique selling point that nobody else has ?
if they NEED my product ehy is it bad ?

the people in the industry for uk clothing right now in terms of value and the type of people that wear it from best to worst is :

1. Trapstar (quality is terrible horrible customer service and bad shipping times)
2. Cortiez ( literally can’t even get it it’s so rare and even if you do it’s way too expensive)
3. Nike / primark / Bohoo (weed smoking tiktok addicts , nitty, drug addicts , lower value)

 

[monnffffiiiiiii]

*Worst

- Reasonable barrier to entry
- Will always be needed
- Cannot be "killed" by technology
- Success rests primarily on marketing skills
- Can be sold online and offline
- Can be sold worldwide
- Easily scalable
- High margin in luxury
- Minted countless billionaires and millionaires
- And in the case of food, you can use the origin of the product as a unique advantage (Eg: Champagne).

See, unlike you and your dumb comment, I am actually backing up what I am saying rather than criticizing without bringing anything to the table.

Clown. Also, you're blocked.

 

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[Felix Nachem]

Actions before ANSWERS. Don't make a business plan, test your idea!! And then make a process path.

"it’s jumping off a cliff and learning to fly on the way down."
~MJ DeMarco

 

[Ing]

Don’t write! Make a seamstress make your clothes. Ask a friend to wear it and make a video. Upload to tiktok. Look, what happens. Than write it here!

A friend did the same with niche clothes. 1st year 1m rev, 2.4, 3.year 8 m. A brand everyone in that niche knows.

 

[Ing]

Anything less than a sale is nothing. If you're gonna do a thing, do it.

I like that!

 

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[Antifragile]

I’m a part owner of a new clothing brand. We are struggling.

Clothing must be either
- small niche (think never much over 7 figures). Which is honestly nothing for industry that helped create plenty billionaires…
Or
- massive dominance in your area

We’ve found it very difficult to find funding above $50mm valuation.

But VCs are lined up for $500mm and up. Because after that, it’s going public.

In short, there is a missing middle. Very hard to bridge. You may get stuck with a small niche and a 7 figure business.

Beware.

 

[Antifragile]

- Reasonable barrier to entry

Huge barrier because world class business already cover most of clothing needs.

- Will always be needed

And it already is supplied. By big companies.

- Cannot be "killed" by technology
- Success rests primarily on marketing skills

You’ll need to do as well as Nike or better … good luck with that.

- Can be sold online and offline
- Can be sold worldwide
- Easily scalable

Not easily scalable.

That’s the problem with online forums. You talk like you’ve done it. But you haven’t done shit. You are talking out of your a$$ based on what you think it’s like. Not what it actually is like. Your generalizations are flawed

- High margin in luxury

Big brands dominate it, try competing with LV, Pravda etc. They crush you.

- Minted countless billionaires and millionaires

- And in the case of food, you can use the origin of the product as a unique advantage (Eg: Champagne).

Local grocery stores dominate already and you aren’t breaking into that space. So nope.

See, unlike you and your dumb comment, I am actually backing up what I am saying rather than criticizing without bringing anything to the table.

Clown. Also, you're blocked.

Omg. Lol

 

[Xeon]

Is this another one of those "streetwear brands" where you slap an edgy logo on some hoodies and tees?

The thing about "clothing brands", is actually not the product itself, but the hype/story/cause associated with the brand.
And you better have Nike's or Adidas's annual ad budget for use monthly to sell and broadcast that hype/story to the world/UK. This includes paying 6 or 7 figures for hundreds of influencers each to drum up the hype and then sustaining that long-term until people latch on (or not). People will buy clothes and merch.....only if you're a TikTok/YT/IG influencer who has built a big and loyal audience.

Of course, if you're selling clothing not based on brand but purely function (e.g: a light cotton t-shirt that can withstand bullets), then it's a different story.

Clothing industry is a bloodbath. Used to be, currently is and always will. Every pre-teen and her plush toy teddy bear are selling their clothing brand nowadays.

 

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[monnffffiiiiiii]

Huge barrier because world class business already cover most of clothing needs.


And it already is supplied. By big companies.

You’ll need to do as well as Nike or better … good luck with that.



Not easily scalable.

That’s the problem with online forums. You talk like you’ve done it. But you haven’t done shit. You are talking out of your a$$ based on what you think it’s like. Not what it actually is like. Your generalizations are flawed

Big brands dominate it, try competing with LV, Pravda etc. They crush you.



Local grocery stores dominate already and you aren’t breaking into that space. So nope.


Omg. Lol

Everything you said applies to every business and industries, and *you* appear like you don't know anything about neither the food or clothing industry.

"Big brands dominate". Thanks for the tip!

At least you're really good at finding obvious reasons why something would not work.

Can't take this away from you.

Edit: you must be popular with the losers.

 

[Saad Khan]

Not sure if I like seeing @Antifragile's joust for the 2nd time on a 2nd thread in the same day.

You might be spending too much time on the forum. I spent an hour going through @BizyDad's and @Antifragile's ramblings earlier this morning

 

[Salman Nazar]

If someone can do it he is going to eat his chunk and you are going to eat yours. Because there is always space for you in market.
But one must need to be an action taker.

 

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[Eurojanek]

- Cannot be "killed" by technology

I wouldn't be so sure about that.
In shoe wear business, the technology even today is sufficient to get rid of shoe wear production altogether. By abundance of cheap 3D printers on the market one could easily create software store with shoes. Anybody can buy a 3D model feed it into 3d printer at home, even customize it, maybe even 3d scan his own feet and add that to the model for better comfort and a few hours later have the shoes of his dreams ready.
Yes I know, the rubber or foam are not that easy to print, but one may sell prefabricated blocks, that can be carved at home either by milling or hot wire forming, then the rest printed on top of that. Or you could print the mold first, fill it with foam or rubber solution.
Adding to that: if the shoe wears out, you could print just the part that needs replacing, clip it into place and keep going. Don't like your outer design anymore, want to change the colors, do the same.
Similar with the direct to garment printers and semi-finished products as blanks for T-shirts, hoodies and so on.

 

[JAJT]

Something I've been coming around to (a little slower than I should have been) is the vast difference between building a brand, and selling products.

Brands represent and "speak" to a very specific type of person.
Products are just things anyone can use.

For example, fashion companies that sell t-shirt products don't appeal to me. They are just 'things'. I already have t-shirts and I can get them anywhere from anyone and I just don't care. There is no shortage of t-shirt companies and none of them are getting my business.

That being said, there's a t-shirt brand I SERIOUSLY looked into buying from recently called "True Classic". Their entire brand and advertising angle is t-shirts that fit and look great on "dad bods". Tighter in the shoulders and chest, looser in the stomach. Makes you look fitter AND thinner. As an almost 40 year old father with a bit of a dad bod (I'm working on it!) this advertising jumped out and related to me in a second. This wasn't just a t-shirt, this was a t-shirt made FOR ME. The reviews they get are pretty terrible so I never ended up buying, but they are clearly a clothing company that has a VERY strong brand that appeals to a very specific customer.

If you're going to start a clothing brand - a funny picture or good quote might sell a few shirts, but you'll have a lot better chance if you pick a customer and design something made specifically to them. If that's what you have with your unique selling point - go nuts!

 

[Spenny]

Friends' opinions mean nothing, positive or negative. People giving you money for your product is the feedback you need.

Thank you for this. Friends have a conflict of interest. Hard cash is the way to go.

Clothing is definitely brutal. Its already convered here so I won't beat a dead horse.

 

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[Vigilante]

I had an idea once. To the LAST person, every single person I talked with told me it was a brilliant idea.

I convinced iHeartMedia to give me $50,000 in consumer perception advertising FREE, an office, sales support, and other iHeart stuff.

We launched the company. I had ads running non-stop in the marketplace on the largest radio stations in Minneapolis for a month. Media, interviews, and tons of favorable press. You couldn't get a bigger launch.

NONE of the people who told me it was brilliant ... bought the product. Not one. None of my friends. None of my extended family. Nobody. We sold maybe a dozen in the first 60 days, after blowing through $50k in advertising to generate less than $400 in sales.

Your friends will tell you what ever you SELL them on. Have them PREORDER and then I will know you have something special. Real cash.

I looked at the apparel business once, from an importing perspective. It was a pain in the a$$ (which was good). The barriers to entry are HIGH for a real company (not a tee shirt company, that's not a company.)

Some of you (not the OP but some of the low value posters here) drive real entrepreneurs away. Many of you might be surprised that @Kak's family has an investment in a sector that would have benefited this poster.

Anyway, in the famous words of Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie Jerry McGuire, have your friends"SHOW YOU THE MONEY."

 

[Antifragile]

Everything you said applies to every business and industries, and *you* appear like you don't know anything about neither the food or clothing industry.

"Big brands dominate". Thanks for the tip!

At least you're really good at finding obvious reasons why something would not work.

Can't take this away from you.

Edit: you must be popular with the losers.

The reason groups like YPO vet their members is to avoid having a room full of unqualified wannabe entrepreneurs giving out advice and pretending they actually know something.

You can’t do that in a forum setting. This is a platform for all to learn and open to all replies. But the same problem still exists. People like you, with opinions like assholes (you know, full of shit) get to post. It is up to the reader to decide if you are legit. Experienced entrepreneurs know you aren’t. But new and especially teenage folk here might be temporarily fooled.

Worse yet, people like you are most likely to create newsletters and spew out same nonsense. It’s quite a tragic outcome of the internet era.

But I’ll end on a positive: give it another 5-10 years, and after you are frustrated at the personal lack of success, with pressure building up and nothing to show for it: you change. You’ll get a new lease on life. Good luck.

 

[Vigilante]

I had an idea once. To the LAST person, every single person I talked with told me it was a brilliant idea.

I convinced iHeartMedia to give me $50,000 in consumer perception advertising FREE, an office, sales support, and other iHeart stuff.

We launched the company. I had ads running non-stop in the marketplace on the largest radio stations in Minneapolis for a month. Media, interviews, and tons of favorable press. You couldn't get a bigger launch.

NONE of the people who told me it was brilliant ... bought the product. Not one. None of my friends. None of my extended family. Nobody. We sold maybe a dozen in the first 60 days, after blowing through $50k in advertising to generate less than $400 in sales.

Your friends will tell you what ever you SELL them on. Have them PREORDER and then I will know you have something special. Real cash.

I looked at the apparel business once, from an importing perspective. It was a pain in the a$$ (which was good). The barriers to entry are HIGH for a real company (not a tee shirt company, that's not a company.)

Some of you (not the OP but some of the low value posters here) drive real entrepreneurs away. Many of you might be surprised that @Kak's family has an investment in a sector that would have benefited this poster.

Anyway, in the famous words of Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie Jerry McGuire, have your friends"SHOW YOU THE MONEY."

This was the company :

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-u7kjp3RJ4

 

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[Beijing]

- Reasonable barrier to entry
- Will always be needed
- Cannot be "killed" by technology
- Success rests primarily on marketing skills
- Can be sold online and offline
- Can be sold worldwide
- Easily scalable
- High margin in luxury
- Minted countless billionaires and millionaires
- And in the case of food, you can use the origin of the product as a unique advantage (Eg: Champagne).

On the other end of things, it's a brutally competitive marketplace with often thin margins, dominated by massive companies with deep pockets that have hundreds of millions for marketing, wide-spread distribution (that they will not want to share), established shelf-space, brands reputations, international low-cost manufacturing and supply chains already set up, and every intention of absolutely destroying every competitor, big or small.

Unless OP's unique selling point is something he can protect with a patent or impossible to reproduce methods, his hard work in creating a product will be very appreciated by the giants who create a product with exactly the same selling point once he's established that there is a market for it, and crush him into oblivion.

Anything less than a sale is nothing. If you're gonna do a thing, do it.

Make a mock design. Get it in front of people. Ask them to buy it. If nobody buys, then you might have your answer. If people buy, then you know they'll buy 100% for sure and you have a path to cover the £5,000.

Anything less than cash in your pocket is nothing.

Don’t write! Make a seamstress make your clothes. Ask a friend to wear it and make a video. Upload to tiktok. Look, what happens. Than write it here!

A friend did the same with niche clothes. 1st year 1m rev, 2.4, 3.year 8 m. A brand everyone in that niche knows.

Your friends will tell you what ever you SELL them on. Have them PREORDER and then I will know you have something special. Real cash.

Exactly.

you must be popular with the losers.

This is how you handle the fact that someone had a different opinion than you?