Private Label Clothing

Private Label Clothing―How to Gain a Chance to Create Your Brand Without Starting from Scratch?

Who hasn’t dreamt at least once of becoming a model or a fashion designer? Approaching the fashion business has never been the simplest task. The competition is as high as within any dream job environment. 

Yet, having your fashion brand now, in times of the internet and open market, seems doable for everyone. Undertaking a fashion enterprise has the potential to skyrocket your life satisfaction. Not to mention the content of your wallet. 

As with every middle or hard task, do it thoroughly and with patience. Every piece of extra knowledge is relevant. So here we go! 

Among many ideas to set your path in the fashion industry, one notes growing popularity―private label clothing. Let’s see what it is and what it entails.

An introduction to private label clothing

While the appetite for success grows while reading this, what private label clothing actually is? Should we give it a try? 

Below, we’re breaking this subject down for you in detail.  

white label clothing

Image source: Pinterestingplans

First things first: what is private label clothing?

Owning a private label fashion clothing brand means buying products manufactured by someone else, and putting your brand’s name on it. 

This way, by personalizing generic clothing, its qualities, such as:

    • style, 
    • quality, 
    • the final feel of the clothing, 

all depend on your choice.

By expressing your uniqueness and originality, you can charge more for your product. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

To make your product become recognizable as yours, you’ll need custom woven labelslike these offered by Super Label Store. They come in many shapes and fabrics and are:

Super easy Easy to use online configurators help you design your label and order in minutes
Super quality Premium quality from start to finish
Super custom (100%) Your work will be 100% unique 
Super low quantities From big and small businesses to individuals, everyone can order even a small quantity of woven labels by Super Label Store. If you’re not a private label wholesale clothing business but rather a small to middle-size brand, you’ll appreciate this feature.

There are several fabrics available to create your custom woven label by Super Label Store:

    1. taffeta 
    2. damask
    3. satin

Read more about their characteristics heredifferent types of woven labels

private label clothing inspiration

Image source: Fashionmenow

Why does private label clothing work?

Private label is an expanding sector of sales. Specialists from SmallbusinessChron asked on 11th November 2020 ‘Why Private Labels Works’. This is what they came up with: 

‘Forbes reports that 1 in 4 products sold in America is a branded private label. […] Usually, private labels are either cheaper than the competition, or they’re a distinct product, comparatively priced, that’s unlike anything found elsewhere. […] Private branding is essentially like a company is saying to their customer, ‘Hey, we know you like a deal. This is a great product at a good value. You can only buy it here, and we stand behind it.’

How to start your own private label clothing line?

If you want to find clothing to sell in your retail boutique or online shop and earn on it, you can choose from six options listed below (blog MakersValley). 

    1. buying wholesale clothing brands
    2. cutting & sewing private label clothing yourself
    3. manufacturing your private label clothing 
    4. dropshipping
    5. importing clothing made by fashion designers (i.e. “going to market”)
    6. jobbers

We’ll pay attention only to our favorite ones: private label clothing, manufacturing your line or cutting and sewing it.

Private label clothing is a huge department of sales, which includes brands such as Amazon. Target and Walmart are not far behind when it comes to the plenitude of private-label lines of various kinds.

As we read on Hawhorne Search:

“Amazon’s private-label fashion business still has a long way to go before it becomes a more meaningful part of the company’s sales. Within its private-label portfolio, clothing represented only 1% of first-half sales, compared with a 55% share for electronics, according to 1010data.”

If you’re a seller using Amazon (and not THE Amazon itself), you’ll probably need to learn a few tricks. Check out these proven nine steps to 8-figure success with private labels shared by Greg Mercer for BigCommerce

    1. Brainstorm product ideas
    2. Consider specific product attributes
    3. Conduct market research
    4. Research product suppliers and manufacturers
    5. Finalize your logo, design, and packaging
    6. Determine your fulfillment strategy
    7. Decide on your manufacturer
    8. Create your Amazon listing
    9. Optimize your listing to increase sales

Startupbros underline on their website that whether it’s wholesale private label clothing line or retail, there are a few things to know when starting a private label clothing brand:

    • product research
    • choosing the right private labels manufacturer
    • considering shipping cost, shipping time, smallest order quantity;

private label wholesale clothing

Image source: Okchicas

What’s the difference between white label clothing and private label clothing?

Small Business Trends asked Brian Cairns (CEO of ProStrategix Consulting in NY) what differentiates white-label clothing and private label clothing. The expert claims that the line between them is subtle. It’s easy to confuse them. 

Anna Plachkovaa digital marketing manager obsessed with e-commerce―also shares her knowledge (Sellbery). 

Let’s see the differences mentioned by these experts gathered in a shared table below.

Private label clothing White label clothing
A brand sold only in one retailer (for example Equate, Walmart) A generic product, which is sold to many retailers (like generic ibuprofen, Advil)
You can customize everything You can customize only packaging
private label products can send all the specifications of goods to their producersother retailers can’t sell similar items not unique and exclusiveproducers offer the same goods to different sellers
For private label products, you can often charge a higher price. “The key advantage of white label products is economies of scale,” Cairns writes. You’re free to sell your goods and services to a wider market of your choosing.
Mostly physical items such as clothingproduced by manufacturers and resold under retailers. Considered to be something non-physical (services or software). Distributed to retailers who resell them as their own.
Stabilitythere’s usually a long-term contract or relationship with a large retailer. White labels take a standard product and apply different branding. A unique marketing strategy is crucial to make it successful. It doesn’t mean it needs to be costly. Digital marketing is cheap nowadays. 
Private labels are better if you make a unique product and want to cut down the cost. Calloway Cook Founder Illuminate Labs writes: “Outsourcing the manufacturing to a contract manufacturer is cost-efficient. And quality can be ensured through third-party testing.” White label seems a quicker solution for some products.
Private labels collaborate with the brands more in-depth with custom: 

    • ingredients, 
    • formulations, 
    • packaging, and 
    • SKU’s.

Private label products allow flexibility, longer lead times, and more customization.

Derek Du Chesne, Chief Growth Officer of EcoGen Laboratories, explains: ‘White-label uses our stock formulas and stock packaging to have it readily accessible. It’s a turnkey quick-start solution for brands that need products ASAP. White label products have a good history in their respective market and low minimums with short lead times’. 

measure for private label clothing
Image source: Blog Makersvalley

In other words: 

White label refers to a marketing or manufacturing process whereby one company creates a product or service, which is then rebranded by another business to make the product or service look like it is their own”.

Whereas: 

A private label is a group of goods which are delivered directly to you from the producers. These items are marketed under their own brand and must be sold as exclusive items”.

Super Label Store―the private label clothing creation process easier than ever

We learned about private label clothing and white label clothing. We got to know the motivations and ways to create a private label clothing line. Setting up the enterprise is still ahead of us. 

What is the general view of the situation on the market, and what’s our place in it?

Opportunities are countless: from starting a private label fitness clothing, a t-shirt business (learn how to start a t-shirt business in 8 steps here) to a wholesale private label clothing line. The question is, where to start? 

blog private label
Image source: Hawthornesearch

Launching your private label clothing line

Startupbros believe that the whole process boils down to four simple steps:

    1. Find a successful private label product idea
    2. Find a private label manufacturer
    3. Build a strong brand
    4. Sell your product

Did you come up with the idea for your private label clothing brand? It’s time to look for private label clothing manufacturers. 

MakersValley lists these advantages of finding a quality clothing manufacturer (instead of wholesalers):

    • You can offer unique products that customers can’t find on Amazon
    • Small batch order production (Super Label Store will let you produce even the smallest quantities of custom woven labels)
    • You’ll have 100% product control―this one doesn’t need explanation and we love it!
    • You can call your business a ‘slow fashion’ (sustainable fashion)―it requires a time investment on your part (finding a quality private label apparel manufacturer, making your first garment sample, production order, shipping products)
    • It increases your retail profit margins. You buy your products at the manufacturer price, instead of paying the manufacturer price plus the wholesale distributor’s commission. 

Since private label clothing no minimum sale is a well-known rule, even an individual fashion freak will triumph. The same goes for the right manufacturer, no matter if you’re looking for a private label clothing manufacturers USA or in Europe. 

What if you wish to make just one dress, not only one of a kind but literally one piece of it? Will your wholesale manufacturer let you buy only one piece of clothing? Pay attention to finding a great manufacturer and you’ll win both the battle and the war from the start. 

private label dress
Image source: Pinterest

Manufacturers are crucial for private label growth. They make products from scratch in large quantities and sell them at wholesale prices to merchants. If you (as a private label clothing line owner) work with a manufacturer (private label supplier) with some regularity, they are mostly open to making slight changes to the product to meet your standards/needs. 

Private label clothing and sewinga never-ending adventure

Some of us are already in love with sewing. Others would do everything to avoid it. If you’re the latter―skip this part. We’re going to spend some time with this indisputable queen of the whole fashion industry. 

How to start a sewing business from home?

During this time of the year, or, not to beat about the bush, during the whole last year and a half, we’ve all been homebound. On this occasion, some of us took up cooking as a hobby, some finally met the real side of their partner, others started to sew! What about figuring out the next step about it? How to start a successful sewing business from home?

What if there was a way from sewing hobby to a successful sewing business?

Super Label Store is responsible for the creation of custom woven labels and many other custom products for clothing. Their customers are DIY/clothing crafters at home, textile/sewing fanatics, (small/starting) clothing brands, fashion designers, hotels, bars, and hospitality businesses. 

They are happy to share some sewing-related discoveries in the written form as well. Let’s crack these 12 steps from sewing hobby to the successful sewing business:

Practice soul searching Meet yourself―with different lifestyles that we choose to pursue, running a business is not for everyone. Study your time and needs. Decide on the number of hours that you want to spend on your fashion business to come. 
Make a business plan How do you want to run your business? How much money, time, and effort are you willing to sacrifice? Put your ideas down on paper. If you need funding from other sourcesstart by crafting your business plan before. Your business plan is going to be one of your most important documents.
Learn from the pros Meet an accountant and a lawyer. Discuss your business plan with specialists in the industry. Business registration, taxes, and the likes are relevant and never to omit.  
Gain customers Remember that customers will come back if what you offer them is right for them. Send them emails and create social media posts to keep them updated. Offer them special incentives from time to time. Make them come back and teach them to be loyal. Who knows, you can even get referrals from some of them.
Keep your intellectual property away from plagiarists  It concerns every new invention. It’s so easy to steal intellectual property on the internet. Talk with lawyers specialized in your niche. Some rules apply to one industry and don’t to another one. If you elaborate on any of these sewing business ideas in your creative and unique way, be sure to patent it and don’t let others use them.
Record everything Write down everything that you do that relates to your new business. Make a list of the costs. Your sewing machine, expenses on manufacturers and vendors, clothing materials, electric energy―write down everything that you do. It will help you later when you have to talk with business partners or present tax documentation. 
Make researches Be sure not to be a beginner not only in practice but also in theory when you’re launching your new enterprise. That will not earn you customers! Make enough research on your sewing hobby and brand-making to appear like an expert.  Another research that you need is the one that concerns places open to selling your product.
Sort the finances Some people keep their business and household finances together. Such an approach isn’t helpful. You should have a separate bank account for your business. All the income should go there. This will help you track the situation and keep finances as clear as possible.
Make a growth plan Watch this part with care―growing your business should be your ultimate goal. When you start to make sales, don’t spend money on your dream car or crazy holiday trip. Invest in the growth of your brand. Think about what will happen if you have too many clients and the demand for your products will rise? Be ready for this moment, plan it. 
Make use of the internet A strong online presence is the most important part of marketing these days. Equip yourself with a website and all the available social media pages. Make people see you everywhere (unless you’re a luxury brand―then stay rather hidden). 
Never over-reach When you grow at a rapid rate some traps appear. Overbooking clients, producing too many products, reducing the quality of the materials ―it can happen to every inexperienced small business owner; These things will make you lose customers. Mind that they will never come back. So stay focused on growing at a stable rate, and never give up on the quality of your product.
Be as honest as possible Try to stay honest whatever happens. What does it mean? When you’re forced to make tough choices, go with your heart. There is a golden rule: the moment you start taking out of your capital, your business might start to die.

wholesale clothing private label
Image source: BlogMakersValley

In other words, why not turn your favorite hobby into something that makes you a living? Learn about sewing fabric and don’t forget to check these 13 sewing hacks before you hit it big.