Free guide
How to launch a clothing brand from scratch
Most brands do not fail because the design was wrong. They fail because the first run was bought before the numbers were counted, and the second run was financed by the unsold units of the first. This is four decisions, in the order they have to be made.
What is inside: four chapters
- Before you spend anything. What a first drop really costs, which costs are fixed and which scale, and the two numbers that decide the plan before a garment exists.
- The product. Weight, fit, fabric and decoration — and why the blank is the decision that costs the most to reverse.
- The numbers nobody talks about. Landed cost, fees, ad spend per order and returns: the four lines that turn a profitable unit into an unprofitable run.
- Launching without inventory that sinks you. Sizing the first run so being wrong is survivable, and what to reorder first when it works.
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Questions
Do I need a finished design before ordering samples?
No. You need a reference garment and a decision about fit and weight. Artwork can arrive after the blank is approved, because the blank decides how the print will look and how it will age.
How big should the first production run be?
For most brands: one style, one or two colourways, a complete size curve, 100–300 pieces. Below 100 per colour and style you are at a different price point and usually a worse landed cost.
Is it cheaper to buy blanks and decorate locally?
Sometimes, for one-colour prints in small volumes near the printer. Once decoration is multi-colour or the run passes roughly 100 pieces, doing both in one factory usually wins on landed cost and on accountability.
What fixed costs should be counted before launch?
Samples, product photography, labels and packaging, and the first ad test. These sit outside the unit cost, and they are the usual reason a plan that looks profitable per unit loses money on the first run.