How to Start a Streetwear Brand
What does it take to start a streetwear brand? What do you need and how can you get to where other brands are?
These are the FOUR things I always tell people when they ask me these questions.
1. HAVE A VISION.
Have a BRAND MESSAGE. Let you and your voice speak through your brand, you can do this through a blog, like I did with my “The Meaning Behind the Brand” Blog. Make it your own. You are important, you have an important message, and if you are thinking that way, then many many other people are thinking that way, too. Stick to the message, carry it out, and show the world what you can do.
2. Research, research, research…
Do NOT be flimsy with your research. Do NOT push this off or put it to the side. Do AS MUCH research as possible. Watch youtube videos, read articles (like this one!), study other brands, and keep pushing through. Never stop learning. Never stop creating. This industry is evolving constantly, so it is very important to continue to learn.
I would say the two most important things that I have learned are the ability to learn from other brands and the ability to learn about materials. When you know what you are working with, you can really make anything. When you know what you are working with, you can be certain that you are going to make an insanely amazing product that will blow your brand up.
As a tip for researching other brands, check out AVNT, they have a lot of dope content about other up and coming brands and what they are doing.
As for fabric and material, start by googling, “high quality heavy-weight cotton material” or type in “material with a high GSM” and look through the pages.
3. MOCK-UPS
Make your mock-ups AMAZING. Spend a lot of time LEARNING how to make mock-ups look realistic and look clean and professional with Photoshop. Learn basic Photoshop, I used Youtube videos for mock-up techniques. The more professional your mock-ups are, the more likely people are to feel comfortable with your brand, and the easier it will be to get your products made because better mock-ups means that the manufacturers will have an easier time creating the products.
4. Marketing and the Follow-Through
Study how other brands have marketed and add your own twist to it. Follow-through with DMs and e-mails. Kick ass with sales. Good customer service is absolutely key!
Your brand is in YOUR HANDS. It is what YOU do with it. Have a vision, carry it through. Do A LOT of research on everything from how to start the brand, to material, to mock-ups, to following-through with sales and good customer service. You are the only one that can take your brand to the next level, so take that shit to the next level.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.