It’s no secret that the fashion world is highly competitive and that it can be difficult for new designers to make their mark amidst more established brands. Yet, if you’re reading this, you likely believe that you have a product of value to offer your audience: perhaps a line of clothing that you believe capitalizes on the hottest trends or a feature that fixes a long-standing problem with a particular type of clothing (like pockets deeper than a single inch for women’s jeans or the like). Having something of value, you’re trying to rise above the mass of wannabe designers and make a concrete impact on the market, establishing an enterprise that will be viable for a long time instead of fizzling out after causing only a minor buzz.
Such efforts will take grit and determination on your part, as well as creativity and an understanding of the current market and fashion trends. Customers are notoriously fickle when it comes to the fashion world, and you’re unlikely to succeed as a fashion brand unless you provide customers with a product they love, a reason to purchase from you instead of your competitors, or some otherwise similar hook. Fortunately, if you’re looking for reliable ways to make your brand rise above its competition, you’re in the right place.
Read on for tips and tricks that you can use to make your clothing stand out on shelves, embed your brand in the consciousness of your customers, and accomplish even more.
The Proof is in The Product
Take a look at your current line of products. What about your current products can be utilized as a cornerstone of your marketing efforts? The things that make your products special, your proposed answer to a gap or a problem in the existing fashion community, should be plastered across every digital and physical platform you have access to.
You can also take steps to differentiate the actual products from similar products from other manufacturers, including elements like custom printed labels for clothing and brand-specific designs and etchings to further set your products apart. Often, the devil is in the details, and so paying attention to small things like making sure your clothing is outfitted with custom branded labels or even incorporating your brand’s mission into the design somehow with imagery that evokes your corporate mission (which we’ll talk about below under ethical marketing) can make all the difference.
Make Sure They Know Your Mission
Nowadays, customers want more from their brands: instead of just providing a product, brands are almost required to supplement that product with a cause, to reel in customers and make them believe that they’re spending their money on something bigger than themselves. This practice, which is becoming exceedingly popular, is known as ethical marketing, and using it properly can ensure a steady stream of income, increase your brand awareness, and help you develop a rabid base of frequent customers.
Popular methods of ethical marketing involve donating a portion of the proceeds from each item of clothing sold to a charity, getting the corporation involved in a cause publicly (like conservation or homeless shelter serving), and the like. You can also improve your processes and make them more eco-friendly, do some research into some of the damage done by previous fashion brands, and advertise yourself as an eco-friendly alternative to your competitors.
You can also choose to, as mentioned above, incorporate your charitable actions into your designs, selling clothing items that subtly reflect the cause you’re working with: perhaps you put an eco-friendly design on the market with a subtle environmental design or something like that.
From Every Mountain
If a tree falls in a forest, but there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound? Or perhaps the better question is if a fashion brand enters the market, but nobody can find its products anywhere, does it really exist?
Strive to get your products into every available avenue, creating your own website and listing them there as well as using platforms like Etsy for additional income. If you can get your products into stores, narrow down stores that will cater to your target demographic and hit up each and every one, doing your best to sell your product and get it into those venues. The more places you can get your product into, the better chances you have of getting eyes on your brand.
Making your mark in the world of fashion isn’t easy, but neither is it impossible if you approach the market with the right strategy. Try the tips listed above, being conscious of current market trends and consumer needs, and you may find that you outlast some of your would-be competitors.