Start a clothing line/ready-to-wear business with zero naira.
For a starter: A guide to starting a clothing line with less or zero capital.
Starting a clothing line with zero capital can be challenging, but it's not impossible.
Before I get right into the tips, I will first of all love to share a proven short story about a lady who established a successful global clothing line without money and experience.
The story tells that anyone who wants to can start a clothing line/business without money. Yes! With zero capital.
Here is a story of Fatima, and how she successfully established a global clothing line called "HER WARDROBE HER MODESTY"
Fatima was a talented/gifted sketcher from her childhood. While she was a child, she always put and sketch her ideas and designs of dresses on paper. Often, she created a dress using paper.
As a child, she had had a bunch of sketch collections dumped on her little shelf, plus some handmade clothes she sewed using thread and needles. (Most of them are purposely sewn for her toys).
She kept sketching as she grows older, until one day when she was already in the university (i.e, her early days of the university) when she sketched a collection of long dresses known as Abaya, snapped them one after another, and posted it on her social media platform, which was then Instagram (Instagram is likely to be the number one platforms for fashion trends)
Her followers reacted. And they clapped in amazement. Their reactions excited her, and for that reason, she never skipped posting her sketches on her timeline.
Within a short period, Fatima was known for that, because of her consistency. Each time she posted, her followers wished she was a fashion designer. Some imagined and wished the sketches could be brought to reality, while some stole her design for their start-up project.
As time went by, Fatima decided to turn her passion for FASHION into a profit/Business (even though so many big brands had requested to work with her but she had turned down their requests, because she wasn't ready. She pictured it when she was ready, as she also pictured the capital it would require before it came into reality. So she said to herself "I will wait until I have the money"
She kept sketching and posting until one day again, she sketched a collection and two of her followers (ladies) commented that they can pay any amount of money to have one of those dresses sketched if she could give them exactly as it was sketched.
That comment was a great opportunity that changed her life forever. Not just that, it has shaped and molded her way of thinking and her ability to see opportunity in everything around her.
At first, Fatima thought it was impossible. "How can I possibly bring this to life when I am not a Tailor and had never had any sewing experience before? So how?" She questioned herself.
One side of her mind whispered "This is a purpose you're born with… so you can do this. It's possible!"
Fatima quickly believed that, she then thought of a way. Shortly after, she went online and sent a DM to those ladies asking if they were serious about what they said earlier. Before they could respond, she'd gone offline, brushed herself, and went out of the hostel to her tailor, who lived a few meters away. She told him she was there for a project she would love to partner with him, as she showed him the sketches and they discussed and negotiated.
Fatima didn't go back to the hostel after she left the tailor's shop. She went to the market and sourced fabrics and materials that would be suitable for the project. Thereafter, she went back to the hostel, sat on her bed, carefully went through all that she had written and calculated, and then finally she priced the dresses in a way that she'll make a decent profit.
She logged in to her i.g to check if the (interested) ladies have replied to her. Alas! They've already dumped a message in her DM. She read with excitement, and then she replied to them stating the amount of the dresses.
They paid fully.
And the dresses were well delivered to them.
The feedback got, excited her. It motivated and gingered her to think BIG.
The little profits earned made her start making moves. She did some research about how she can build her empire.
Later, she invested in herself using the profits earned by taking an illustration course.
After a while, Fatima launched a collection again, stating that her followers can pre-order… this is where her clothing line journey began.
Now the tips.
It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be like Fatima. Or, you must know how to sketch, or how to sew. Once you have made up your mind, do a market research.
Know what your audience wants, use your browser or go to fashion designers' pages, download and save the kind of dresses they might likely be interested in… post on your social media platforms. Create an advert content that states "pre-order or order now"
Find a good and trustworthy tailor and agree with him.
Once you've gathered good numbers of orders, go to the market, source for good/quality fabrics, and take it to the tailor.
Make sure the tailor keeps his/her promise.
Keep yours as well.
Once the dresses are ready, package them and distribute them to those who have ordered the dresses.
Save up! Save the profits earned.
Marketing!
Now, if your dream is to build a clothing brand, then you need to know well about marketing. for, it is the most important part of all.
There are many marketing strategies for a fashion line. Reach out to me via ganarious98@gmail.com to know more if you want.
Building a brand.
Start small. Expand, and stand out.
You might also want to check the TOP 10 HUSTLES SUITABLE FOR WO.EN, IN 2023
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