How to Start a Sustainable Fashion Brand
Congratulations and huge props to you for deciding that you want to launch a sustainable fashion brand! We need more brands that are genuinely doing good in the world so in this post, we’re sharing five secret strategies to launch a sustainable fashion brand.
If we haven't met before — nice to e-meet you! My name is Selina and I'm on a mission to transform the harmful fashion industry. Over the years, I have helped launch numerous sustainable fashion brands through my consulting agency Recloseted and our Launch Your Brand Program.
I know that starting a sustainable fashion brand can be difficult and overwhelming so I'm sharing my top five tips to help more conscious brands launch successfully in this blog post.
Tip #1: Know Your Why
Entrepreneurship is tough. There’s no sugar-coating it. Yes, it’s a rewarding and thrilling experience, but you need something to hold onto when things get hard. Inevitably, you're going to face challenges and difficulties. To help you through the ups and downs of building your brand, you need to know your why.
Why are you starting a sustainable fashion brand? Why does sustainability matter to you? What problem(s) are you trying to solve? What impact do you want to have on the world?
As cheesy as it may seem, knowing my why got me through the tough times while I built Recloseted. As you may know, my mission is to right the harmful fashion industry and use my knowledge and expertise to grow brands that deserve it. That sense of purpose was my anchor and kept me going, even when things got tough.
Think about your why. What will keep you going during tough times?
I find it's helpful to write down your why on a Post-It note and stick it on your computer, office desk, bathroom mirror, etc. Put the Post-It note anywhere and everywhere you can see it to remind yourself about your purpose.
Tip #2: Create Products For Your Ideal Customer
Over the years, so many slow fashion founders have reached out to us for our consulting services after they've invested thousands and thousands of dollars in production, are sitting on unsold inventory, and not making any sales. Unsurprisingly, these founders are freaking out and think that they have a sales funnel issue or need to redo their marketing strategy. However, the issue isn't their sales strategies or marketing campaigns —it's their products.
A lot of founders take a product-first approach vs. a customer-first approach. This means they design and create their products but don't involve and/or get (enough) feedback from their ideal customer. So when they finally launch, it's no surprise that there are crickets and no sales — they haven't created a product that solves a problem or is desperately needed by their target consumer. And in today's landscape, we cannot make products just for the sake of making products— that's wasteful and expensive.
Instead, identify your target market — who do you want to help and serve with your brand? After determining your ideal customer, spend time doing market research to know them inside and out. Get data and feedback directly from your customers about their pain points, struggles, and challenges. When you have a good handle on that, brainstorm solutions, co-create a minimal viable product with your ideal customer, and when you feel that your MVP solves their problem, then go into production.
Please take a customer-first approach and NOT a product-first approach. So many founders don't do enough market research and exploration work before they go into production so they end up in a sticky situation where they're out thousands in production costs and sit on unsold inventory. That's not the situation that I want you to be in. Building the brand of your dreams should be exciting — not a stressful nightmare.
Tip #3: Bootstrap Your Brand
I’ve helped launch so many fashion brands that didn’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to start their apparel line. If you’re smart with your money and maximize your budgets, you can bootstrap your brand to success.
The key is to determine what expenses are a necessity for your business (e.g. incorporation fees, certain legal documents, website domain name, etc.) and what expenses are a nice-to-have for your business (e.g. office space, company car, etc.)
I suggest making a spreadsheet or a list of all the necessary expenses as well as expenses that would be "nice to have". For your "nice to have" expenses, prioritize that list, and as you start making sales and breaking even, you can slowly invest in those items.
I often find that founders will spend money that they don’t have and burn through their cash. It’s so important to be scrappy when you first start your brand and only invest in items that will set your brand up for success.
Tip #4: Choose Your Production Partners Wisely
One of the most important business relationships you'll have is with the mills and production facilities that will help you bring your garments to life. You must select these partners wisely and ensure these companies are aligned with your brand's values.
Some Advice:
Create a Code of Conduct — If you're just starting, don't feel pressured to make a super fancy or lengthy document. Simply state your expectations around worker compensation, worker safety, payment terms, and anything else that is important to you and your brand. Note that this is also something you can continue to iterate and build upon as your brand grows.
Ask for Certifications & Validate Them — If you're sourcing organic cotton, ask if it's GOTS certified. If you're looking for proof that a facility treats its workers properly, ask if they're WRAP certified. Don't be shy to ask for proof and certifications. I also highly recommend you cross-reference the certification with the organization's website. Either call the certification organization or do an online search because I know brands that have been duped by fake/photoshopped certifications. Do your due diligence!
Trust Your Gut — If something seems fishy or feels off, don't ignore that. Ask questions, ask for references, and ask around in the industry. If it's possible, visit the mill/production facility to scope it out. If that isn't possible, do a video call.
Lastly, don't forget that these partners are an extension of your business. Make every effort to establish a good working relationship — meet their deadlines, keep them in the loop, communicate with them, etc. Treat your production partners like your business partners.
Tip #5: Focus Your Marketing Efforts
You have limited time and budgets when you first start your company. Therefore, I always tell brands to pick two — max three marketing platforms to be on. The key is to be on platforms that your ideal customer is active on — you want to ensure that you can reach them and build a genuine connection.
By focusing on two/three platforms, you can do a good job of growing these platforms, driving more traffic to your business, and when you get enough sales, hiring people to help with your marketing. When you can outsource and hire help, that's when you can expand past your initial two/three marketing platforms.
I want you to avoid "shiny object syndrome" — just because people are excited about Platform X and say it's going to "blow up", doesn't mean that you need to be there. If your ideal customer is not on that platform, don't waste your precious time and energy.
Bonus Tip: Get the Proven Strategies, Support, and Accountability So You Can Succeed
To truly succeed and have a profitable sustainable fashion brand, you need proven strategies, support, and accountability.
One of my former clients had a lifelong dream to have a sustainable fashion brand. She always talked about it to her family and friends. They always encouraged her to do it but years went by and she never launched her brand. She was overwhelmed, didn’t know where to start, and nobody was keeping her accountable. Finally, she decided that enough was enough and invested in working with us.
We gave her our proven strategies in a step-by-step process, supported her throughout our work together, and kept her accountable. Six months later, she had a launch party and made $3,500 in one night. She was in complete disbelief and said that working together had changed her life. If you invest in the right knowledge, support, and accountability, this can happen to you too.
If you’re ready to launch your slow fashion brand, I invite you to check out the Launch Your Brand Program.
