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The U.S Small Business Administration states that 30% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 50% during the first five years, and 66% during the first 10. The SBA goes on to state that only 25% make it to 15 years or more.
Creating a Quality Shirt to Sell Italian-made shirts have come down the runways of Gucci, Versace, and other luxury clothing lines since they began. The Made in Italy reputation for quality makes these shirts beautiful works of craftsmanship, as well as design genius.
Working for yourself sounds great, but entrepreneurship is no easy business. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, about 1 in 12 small businesses close every year. While the reasons for most of the closures have shifted from the sales-driven to the personal, beginning your own fashion brand will always pose a certain risk. However, with risk comes reward, and if you’ve always dreamed of designing your own collection and starting a clothing line, you should plan for success by knowing and avoiding the most common mistakes that fashion entrepreneurs make.
Fashion merchandise buyers work on behalf of retail clothing stores to purchase the fashion products featured in stores. While typical buyers interface directly with wholesalers and clothing manufacturers, the increase in private label fashion and influencer marketing has shown that there is opportunity for independent fashion designers to turn fashion merchandise buyers into a customer niche.
Small batch production is a craft as old as time. For centuries, artisans have cooked up, assembled, and delivered quality handmade clothes and other products from their homes, and in Italy, from the factory floors of family-owned clothing manufacturers. Italy stands out among industrialized nations for excellence in garment and accessories manufacturing and tailoring. It’s unique reputation for craftsmanship has already passed the test of time, and according to recent reporting, it will survive many years longer. Both observations and studies back up the claim of the Ires-Institute of Economic and Social Research of Piedmont stating that, "...Italy, famous for its high quality products and its unparalleled Made in Italy...craftsmanship becomes a great opportunity…[and] a formidable tool for growth and innovation.”
Starting your own clothing line is exciting! But if you’ve never done it before, knowing how to get from point A to point B can be confusing and overwhelming. One of the first things you’ll need to do to start selling your own clothing line is to find a manufacturer who can make your designs at a cost that you can afford and in a quantity that you can actually sell to customers.