How to Start a Sustainable Fashion Brand - 5 Secret Strategies to Succeed
Launching your slow fashion brand can be quite overwhelming at first but fret not! I am here to share my tips and secrets on how to succeed.
TIP #1: Take A Customer-First Approach
Think of this situation: you sink tens of thousands of dollars into production and you're super excited about your product. You have always dreamt of starting your sustainable fashion brand so when it's time, you tell your friends and family about it and get their buy-in. Come release day, you hear nothing but crickets. Nobody wants to buy anything and you're left with your cash tied up in these clothes that aren't bringing in revenue.
This is a stressful situation that I don't want you to be in. Taking a customer-first approach would help you avoid this situation. This is a process that I always teach to our clients and I'm going to give you a sneak peek
Focus on ONE ideal customer
When you cater to the masses, you sell to no one. Don't try to target a bunch of people.
Being generic would result in people not being able to resonate with you.
Pick one customer to start with and then you can grow out and expand later.
Don't look at it as leaving money on the table but rather, look at it as being intentional with your brand and figuring out how you can best support this one person.
TIP: Focus on someone you feel compelled to help. You're going to try to bend over backward to serve and support them so you need to feel a connection with them.
Figure out what their pain point(s) and problem(s) are
You have to dig deep here and ensure you are solving a relevant problem. To do that, here are some guide questions you can ask:
What is something they're struggling with?
Where is the gap in the market that you can fill?
How can you make their lives easier?
Brainstorm a solution
This is the time to be creative and think about how you can solve this problem.
Co-create your solution
Go out and talk to a lot of your ideal customers and see what they want.
Make the solution
Once you have enough data, then you can go make the solution.
Remember that your customers will be at the centre of your business so it's best to take a customer-first approach rather than a product-first approach. This makes sense since your customers are your lifeline and they're the ones giving you money and funding your business.
We cannot make a product for the sake of making a product anymore. We need to put intentional products out there that add value to our ideal customers' lives.
If you're currently in your head and feeling stuck, I highly recommend you go out and talk to your ideal customer. It will get you inspired and moving forward. Once you hear their problems, your wheels will start turning!
TIP #2: Keep Everything Simple
Once you've narrowed down the product that you're going to make, my next secret strategy is to keep it simple when it comes to designing, sourcing, and producing your products.
Product
Start with 1-2 products
If you did your research and followed the customer-first approach, you'll be able to co-create something that they will be excited about so make sure to put all your eggs in that basket and make it the best possible product.
First launches are very important because it builds a reputation and branding which produces repeat customers so make sure your launch products knock them out of the park.
Design
If you're not a designer, do not try to do this yourself.
Sketch out and create mood boards then work with a professional patternmaker and designer to get the necessary items made
Make sure you do your due diligence by asking for referrals, portfolios, etc.
With the design process, it's important to collaborate with them when it comes to the commercial viability of your product. A good designer will help you with cost savings for production and materials.
Beware of predatory pricing! (If it's a topic that you'd like me to dive into more, you can send us an email!)
Material
I highly recommend that you just use 1 material for your 1-2 product(s) because that way, you have cost savings and hit minimum quantities.
It's also best to involve your designer with the material since it can affect how the product is designed.
Ask for swatches/samples from mills and play around with the fabric — stretch it out, get rough with it, and wash it.
Production
I highly recommend that you keep it local for your first run so you can get more experience.
We have had clients that went international, but they were working with us and had warm intros so it was more trusted.
Throughout the whole process, think about how you can simplify it. Yes, it can really be overwhelming and a lot of people get stuck and give up here. Let’s take the step to ensure you are intentional so that you can be successful and launch with $20k+
TIP #3 Start Building Your Community At Least 8 Months Before Your Launch
My next secret strategy is to start building your community at LEAST eight months in advance so that when you launch, you aren’t selling to just your friends and family.
Think of your ideal customers and talk to them. Find out which platform(s) they are on and you would want to be there. Do not waste your valuable time and resources if they are not going to see your promotional material.
For example, if your ideal customer is a 9-5 executive female who’s 40+ years old, it probably makes more sense for you to be on platforms she’s already on. Most likely she'll be on LinkedIn and emails, but probably not Tiktok.
Or if you’re a sustainable bridal brand, you likely want to be on Pinterest. Brides-to-be are always on that site trying to find inspo for their wedding.
Keeping it simple applies here too. I always recommend to our clients to pick ONE social media platform to grow. You have limited time and resources when you're starting so focus on growing one platform so that you can do it well. If you spread thin and can't make quality content, people won't follow you.
Another important thing is to grow your email list. Email lists are marketing real estate that you own.
"I don't have products yet so what do I post?"
Post your behind-the-scenes. People love seeing something come to life and this way, they're more engaged and invested in your progress and would want to support you when it's released.
You don't have to be super secretive with everything so you can do sneak peeks of the material you're picking out as well as the production partners you’re working with.
Just start making content and don't overthink. Have fun with it!
TIP #4: Plan Your Launch ASAP
Along similar lines to building your community at least eight months in advance, you need to plan your launch at least six months out.
With our clients, we have a super detailed workback schedule that will automatically spit out what they need to accomplish and when so they can stay on track. This is helpful because there are a lot of elements that go into a launch and you want to make sure that when you do finally launch, you can enjoy it and you don’t burn out.
Sit down and brain-dump everything that you need to do for the launch. Get the website up, do a photoshoot, create your marketing materials, invest in advertising, contact influencers, plan your launch party, etc. List it all out and create a schedule for when you can work on it.
It’s important to have a cohesive plan and make sure you’re marketing and promoting your launch for at least a month to maximize sales.
I know that it can be overwhelming but if you create a plan, stick with it and it'll get done. I see a lot of people try to 'wing' it a month before their launch and they get so stressed out and end up falling through the cracks.
The key to a successful launch that makes $20k is to work behind the scenes to make it happen and intentionally strategize.
TIP #5: Know Your Why
I'm not going to sugarcoat it but running a business, especially a sustainable product-based business, is challenging. If you know WHY you're doing this, it can anchor you and push you to keep going even when things are tough.
I always tell my clients to write down their whys on a Post-it note and then stick it everywhere. It's important to be reminded why you are doing this!
Personally, my mission is to transform the harmful fashion industry. I love nature and I’m so devastated by the negative impact our clothes have on the planet. This is my Post-It note and I stick them on my computer monitor, bathroom mirror, and all over my office. This is the daily reminder to keep me going!
If you want to take your learning to the next level, check out our Launch Your Brand Program which supports aspiring sustainable fashion founders from idea to profitable brand that makes $20,000+ at launch.
