Launching a kids’ clothing fashion business can be an exhilarating endeavor.
However, before you start calling manufacturers to make your custom designs come to life, you should take some time to plan and ensure you set your business up for success.
You need to know how to launch a kids’ clothing business.
Know What Kids and Parents Are Shopping For
The first step to launching a children’s fashion business is to know what kids and their parents are shopping for.
A survey from Bizibl found that quality and durability are the most important factors when buying for their children.
While adults shopping for clothes for themselves may focus first and foremost on styles, prints, and occasions, the primary focus when shopping for kids’ clothing is different.
Kids — and the parents and caregivers who are shopping for their clothes — prioritize:
- Quality: Parents already constantly have to buy clothes as their kids grow in and out of sizes. They want to avoid cheap sweatshirts and pants falling apart in the washer after one or two wears.
- Durability: Whether they’re playing at home, running outside on the playground, or enjoying snacks at school, children’s clothes need to hold up for their daily adventures.
- Comfort: The last thing kids want to worry about is restrictive, itchy, or just plain uncomfortable clothing. They want clothes that encourage movement and go with them as they run and play — not hinder it.
- Practicality: While kids have occasions where they may need a dressier outfit, on the day-to-day, they need clothes that allow them to explore the world. Kids need clothes that fit their daily activities, whether doing cartwheels on the playground, running in the backyard, or playing inside at home.
When launching your kids’ clothing fashion business, you can create fun, playful designs that kids and their parents gravitate toward — but ensure you’re prioritizing the most important factors first.
Create Thoughtful Designs for Your Ideal Market
As you start brainstorming designs for your children’s clothing business, consider who your target consumers are and the kinds of clothes they’re shopping for.
- Are you selling directly to consumers or other retail businesses?
- Will you sell baby clothes, toddler clothes, children’s clothes, or a mix?
- Will your business be online-only, in-person, or a combination of both?
- What are the defining characteristics of the kids wearing your clothes and their parents who will likely buy them?
- What colors, fonts, and elements convey the branding of your clothes to parents and their kids?
Consider all these factors as you design your clothing and decide what you’ll sell in your store. Then, you’re ready to get started on all the logistics that come with launching your own business.
Write a Business Plan To Set Yourself up for Success
Although it may seem tedious, a business plan is essential to launching a successful kids’ clothing business — and any business, for that matter.
It forces you to think about all aspects of your business, from materials expenses to projected income in the coming years.
Some of the many things to put in your business plan include:
- Definition of your business: Lays out the ins and out of what your business is, what you’ll sell, and your branding
- Goals: What you want your business to accomplish, both financially and in people- or product-oriented terms
- Market: Include market research on the potential for your specific products and the current saturation and competition
- Costs: Details all expenses, including materials, website domain registration, storage fees, rent (if you have an in-person store), and more
- Projected income: As you crunch costs and expenses, this lays out how much of a markup you’ll sell products for and how much profit you can make
In addition to helping you prepare for the logistics of launching your brand, a business plan shows banks or investors that you’ve spent time laying out what to expect and what’s realistic for your company. Therefore, it is hugely beneficial if you need a loan or investment to launch your kids’ clothing company, and it makes institutions or individuals more likely to give you funding.
Find Manufacturers or Suppliers To Meet Your Kids’ Clothing Business Needs
Once you’ve completed a well-thought-out business plan, you’re ready to find a manufacturer or supplier to bring your clothes designs to life.
Some brands with intricate designs or a specific vision may want to work directly with a manufacturer, allowing you to choose the material, create custom fits and shapes, and customize all the details of a garment. However, some businesses may find this is not the most affordable option — especially considering the high minimums many manufacturers require on each color, size, and style created.
Instead, many kids’ clothing fashion businesses find it easiest to work with a wholesale supplier.
A wholesale supplier sells blank quality clothing in bulk that you can sell in your store. Some will even do private-label orders, where you can sell the same kinds of goods with your label and customize different elements with your designs.
You can choose from t-shirts, sweatpants, kid’s hoodies, and other wholesale designs in hundreds of colors. Then, opt to sell them blank or customize them with screen printing, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, or embroidery. Therefore, allowing you to sell quality goods to parents at affordable prices while keeping styles fresh season after season.
Plus, some wholesale suppliers will even do a dropshipping method, giving online businesses a hands-off approach without worrying about housing a physical inventory.
Start Your Kids’ Clothing Business on the Right Foot
Once you’ve found a manufacturer, you can start marketing your brand and selling your clothes!
Launching a kids’ clothing fashion business can be very exciting — yet overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. With proper planning, identifying your market, and working with the appropriate manufacturer or supplier who can give you quality goods at affordable prices, launching your kids’ clothing business can be a fun, straightforward process.
