[continued] Press releases for your clothing line are a must. Do not depend on others to write for you for free. I’ve had this tossed at me numerous times and to be honest, its the quickest way for a successful person to ignore you.

Asking for freebies from a person who is successful makes no sense because it benefits them probably nothing and they already have a stressful lifestyle maintaining their own business and bills. Why would they add to that stress trying to work for you? Writing a press release for your clothing line is not hard and the only excuse to not create them for yourself is laziness.

A press release for your clothing line should be interesting to readers and publications that might pick it up. You want to write about things important to your clothing line and use keywords throughout the release that your target audience might Google search or browse for on a news site.

The launch of your clothing line, new milestones, announcement of new collections and events, are a few things you should easily be able to develop a press release for. Remember to mention your brand name throughout the press release as well because it’s important to beat your brand name into the reader?s head.

Getting advertisement space for your clothing line in publications on-line or off-line will not be cheap. Again, expecting something like this free will be pointless. If a web site webmaster is a fan of your clothing line they may trade off ad space for some clothing, but this will rarely happen today. Most web sites ask for a flat rate per 1,000 impressions (better known as CPM) of your banner advertisement or give a monthly rate. Monthly rates are better in my eyes typically because you have room for negotiation. If you purchase 2 quarters of ads in advance, those sites will usually give you a lower cost per month for paying up front.

[continued] Do not ask for a multi-month plan which you pay the discounted rate each month. It shows your lack of seriousness to many and may get you ignored by a publication that could have done great things for your clothing line.

My favorite aspect of business is the promotional tactics. Giving away free clothing always brings people to your web site. Having a weekly giveaway planned into your budget might help you build a good e-audience. People will return to your site like it’s a gambling habit they can’t shake trying to win free clothing. Random giveaways in person also work. Don’t be afraid to visit places locally and abroad where your target audience are known to be in the open. If you can legally hand out free items, why not do it? It may help your brand catch on and take the attention of local store owners.

Last, remember all of these costs for your clothing line with additional spending money without hesistation. Create a nice budget that you can operate your clothing line under and do not look like a ‘joke’ asking for everything free. It never hurts to ask questions but know your limits. If you do not have a non-business relationship with a person its best to not pretend you do. Do not try to persuade someone into doing something for free. Your motives are usually obvious in business to a person who’s successful in the clothing industry because to be successful you have experienced a lot already.

A last mistake I have seen with many clothing line owners is once they get into the fashion industry brushing shoulders with celebrities, they think they have made it. Clothing designers and brand owners that feel entitled to something because they have seen a little progression and gotten above the other new clothing lines. Do not stop treating the clothing line work different from your first days, dreaming of success,or you will start falling downward. Do not get caught into the models, image, and other vices that can attach themselves to you being around the industry.

If you want to succeed, you must continue looking for ways to improve. Nothing can ever be perfect, therefore you should always be looking for things to change about your clothing line. Progress very rarely comes without change. That is about rare as an all white Zebra or something most people just will not see, in short. 

Executing the above mistakes I have seen clothing lines fail. However, many will still go on to commit these actions because of improper planning or forgetful memory. Most that do not take heed to other’s experiences, there is a high chance your clothing line will fail just like those observed by the person speaking.  Not much changes since everything, including fashion, recycles itself.

There are exceptions to every rule but the majority will fall to these flaws. I give you the knowledge of operating a clothing line I have in hopes to push you away from these fatal business flaws. How to start a clothing line is not an easy question to answer but with these steps, it will help with your success guaranteed.

Beginning tip, one thing to keep in mind when you start a clothing line is you must plan and communicate well with others. For your clothing line you must get additional information beyond this site. Just as anything else, the fashion industry changes and therefore it is a must you use this Sojones.com resource as well as the forum, google, and other web sites to plan your vision right.

Speaking in numbers, I would assume somewhere near 90% of clothing lines begin and end within the first three years for different reasons. To avoid this, read the clothing line beginner related topics below and try to match information with your new clothing line intents.

Sometimes we jump too fast looking to make a buck instead of doing what we love. To start a clothing line successfully I would 1st and foremost recommend you have a passion for fashion!

Marketing and product placement for your new clothing line is not hard to get. It does take money to make this happen regardless of what any clothing brand owner out there says. Nobody does things free today so thinking for a second you will be financially successful without spending money, is a second you have failed.

The basic start to promoting your clothing line’s marketing plan should be word of mouth. Telling every person you know about your clothing line is a simple, yet great way to drum up a few sales here and there. It may not be huge profit, but in business all profit is good profit.

Next, you will probably want to look into building public relations with sneaker, fashion, gadget, music, and/or whatever target audience web sites you can get low-cost press or advertisement on. With web sites such as Sojones, Kicks and Chicks, Nice Kicks, and other similar web publications you can start a reception of nice sales weekly, if not daily through your clothing line?s official web site store.

More than likely, to even get on a reputable fashion site or sneaker blog you will have to submit samples. Expect the expense of samples in your business plan.

“How do I start a clothing line?,”  is a question we have viewed and assisted with in the Sojones fashion forum community over and over again since established in 2002. Numerous clothing line help related topics have been posted by aspiring minds wishing to be the next LRG, Gucci, Rocawear, FUBU, Dolce & Gabanna, ARME, or just successful in fashion generally.  Clothing Line Help on-line has been created to give everyone access to an ultimate resource of useful clothing line information. 

As you may know, very few will excel to the point of these clothing brands mentioned. However, a clothing line owner should also be aware individual success is not solely determined by financial gain or competitor numbers but instead goals reached by your clothing brand.

Clothing line advice is needed by most fashion brands in their early stages. Anyone can start a new fashion line but very few of those will be successful. With over 8 years experience in the Urban and Hip-Hop fashion industries, I (Rodrick Rainey) has decided to help those interested in starting a clothing line successfully by giving honest, blunt, and experienced views and facts on important clothing line creation topics. I hope my experience and communicated knowledge will help those wishing to start a clothing line excel beyond their pre-set goals.

Why am I qualified in helping you start a clothing line? My experience in the fashion industry as a career extends back to 2002. I have consulted with over 100 urban and hip-hop clothing lines and sneaker brands to help improve their sales and strategies. I have inhaled the knowledge given from news in my target markets, relationships with multi-million dollar clothing line owners/executives, and old fashioned trial and error. Being the first Urban and Hip-Hop fashion site on-line, my career has been the fashion industry and promoting clothing lines. I’ve seen lines come and go with the wind, recieving the wisdom of their successes and failures.

Look for updates within each week! If you know friends that need help on how to start a clothing line, pass the site to them. 

As the founder of the first Urban fashion and Hip-Hop clothing site, Sojones.com I’ve had an amazing life working in fashion and watching it grow.   Hopefully thatwisdom I can share to help make your clothing line a success!

Enjoy the Clothing Line Help web site and remember anything is possible if you remain dedicated to your vision. 

If you lack vision, look towards another field.