I want to create my own brand of clothes to sell online. How do I start?
Spend some time creating your game plan first before you even create your online site. Most first time sellers end up quitting after a few months because they don’t see the online sales come in after they build their online site.First of all, find out who you’re going to be up against as in your competitors. This will give you an idea on the amount of work and effort you’ll need to put in to sell your own branded online of clothing.The bulk of it would be on marketing and getting your brand out there via organic search and social media without spending on any ads until you’re making profit.You may only want to hold a certain number of stock for your clothing to test the market as compared to having a lot manufactured and then facing the dilemma that they’re unable to sell. Offer limited quantity first and if response is good, you can notify buyers of incoming stock later for them to purchase.List down all the categories and products that you plan on selling and have good product images with models. Clothing sells best when customers are able to see it being worn in real life by models.Determine who would be your target customers. Wholesalers? End users? Both?Work out your costing in terms of monthly subscription fee for ecommerce service provider. If you’re looking for one that does not charge extra for features that you’ll need, consider InstanteStore.Get a domain name that is short and easy to remember. Bear in mind a lot of shoppers these days prefer to browse, shop and and buy online.Make sure your online purchasing process is easy and straight forward.Pick a good payment gateway and check their transaction fees.Offer free shipping for customers who purchase above a certain amount and pick a sensible courier service.Ask for feedback from family and friends to test out your site before you launch it.Reward customers for giving you positive reviews and feedback.Selling online is a learning journey. Give yourself a year to work on it as there’s plenty to learn and tweak along the way.Hope this helps.
Whats the best way to wash Victoria Secret PINK clothes?
Victoria Secret does not sell good quality clothing, I am afraid. You are paying a premium price for their clothing line but most of the money you spend is to pay for their expensive advertising campaign and those models who make more money in a day than most people make in three months or more. Laundry detergent is different from laundry soap. The soap is milder and therefore it does not strip the color out as much as detergent does. Use Ivory Snow or Delft soap flakes. Wash your clothes inside out only in cold water by using a large load with a medium amount of clothing to avoid excess rubbing inside the wash cycle. Either dry inside out or partially dry and allow to dry the rest of the way on hangers. Or vice versa - dry partially on hangers and finish drying and fluffing in the dryer. Never dry clothes in sunlight. This is about the best you can do other than call the VS customer service line and read them your mind. VS clothing is made overseas for very little money. By the time it gets to the USA, the prices skyrocket to pay for those fancy store fronts, the store displays, the models and the extensive advertising campaigns in exotic locations and all of those glossy catalogues they inundate their mail order customers with. So in the end, all you get is cheap clothing, sorry to say. And, I really do not mean to rag on VS but that company is a prime example of illusions of quality.
How much do clothing samples typically cost from a manufacturer?
First, I don't know if you're looking for samples to preview for a store you own (either online or brick and mortar) -which is what a manufacturer would provide OR if you're wondering what samples cost from a sewing contractor. Since I'm a sewing contractor, I can answer it both ways.First, a manufacturer (a brand) generally won't sell samples. Those will be shown to you via a wholesale show or by a road rep. There are exceptions, this post on wholesale minimums explains what those are: What should my wholesale minimums be? This would also be useful for you to understand why nobody will lend you samples: Do not ship samples to anyone who wants them!As for samples you order from a sewing contractor, I've seen all kinds of crazy stuff. One prominent but highly dubious (in the trade) site claims that the patterns and samples for a style average about $5,000! Boy, I wish I could get that! Instead, I'll read off some amounts from recent invoicing I've sent out to customers:Customer ordered 100 (complex, with zipper etc) yoga pillows: $750. His pattern and sample cost $100 (my minimum).Customer ordered a complex tee -CB seam with an open vent. Including a 45 minute business consultation, $181.05 for sample pattern, cutting, sewing and shipping. Customer ordered patterns and 3 sets of samples for a hoodie type garment and elastic waist trouser -$354.95, incl shippingCustomer ordered a simple hair product pattern and sample, again, a minimum order: $100.Customer ordered pattern and sample for a unique style of button down shirt (back vent, french seams etc). Also a half hour consultation. Pattern, cutting, sewing and shipping was $213.21A children's shoe product- we made two rounds of patterns (to include grading) and two sets of samples. To include shipping, $148.25These are single items. I am working with a customer now with multiple styles in development. Hers are all complex, requiring advanced skills. Garments are lined with multiple marking groups etc. We're also providing all the materials for the samples. I haven't billed her yet but thus far, her tab is $1,136.10. For this, we've made the patterns and done cutting and sewing for 2 lined dresses, 1 lined jacket (sewn scallops all around), one suit coat, a pair of trousers and a lined vest. Hope this helps!
How long would it take to hand sew medieval dresses?
If we are going to be historically accurate it helps to know if you already have the bone needle and thread ready, as well as the fabric..Let's assume you have all your supplies ready..Tunics were the thing, for men women and children.Some variation of this basic pattern was what would have been worn, with added undergarments, chemises and leggings.So how long would this take to hand sew?Well let's take away the cutting time as you can cut as few as 5 times to make a tunic (2 arms, 2 sides, one neck hole) even if you want a flared bottom without gores..Hand sewing isn't easy, but we can pretend you have done this before you know that you need to be careful with your stitches, otherwise you get a really wavy seam, sleeves could take about 10 minutes per-side with a simple running stitch Backstitch would take a bit longer.. say 15 minutes per sleeve.The sides would take 30 minutes at minimum with a very large sloppy seam. More likely 45-60 minutes if you were going fast but were being semi careful.Take those times then at least double them to hem and finish. Realistically you can make a dress-like sack, in about 2 hours. To make a garment that will be more than a cover, one that you can work in and not worry about popping seams, or having fall apart the first time you sit, or pick something up? 3-5 hours, could be more if you want something complicated or something with a bit of style.Most seams will be sewn more than once so all times get doubled at minimum. the first seam is really to hold the fabric together, the second seam is to finish the garment, and give the seams strength. Sleeves= 60 minutes (per sleeve)Sides= 90 minutes (per side)Hems= 60-120 minutes (depends on fullness)Cuffs/collar= 60 minutes per minimum= 9 hours. upwards of 12 if you are being careful.
How hard is it to make your own clothes?
Reasons why it’s not hardConsider that 100% of clothing is handmade by a person. Even mass-produced garments from a factory are made by human beings using sewing machines and assembling garments by hand, just in specialized configurations.It’s “unskilled labor,” meaning that a person could get a job working in a clothing factory with no education and no experience and be productive with very little training, the equivalent of working at a fast-food restaurant.Sewing is a common Western hobby so it’s easy to find high-quality materials, patterns, and equipment at normal-people prices. Even cooking becomes more expensive, more quickly, than making clothing as a diy endeavor.Colleges are amazing and offer courses on everything from patternmaking to CAD to sewing machine use & repair.Or, starting can be as easy as looking up “how to make a pair of pants” on Youtube.Reasons why it is hardMaking clothes might involve basic/simple skills, but I think most people are shocked to learn how long and involved the process of making a garment can be. I make shoes by hand and it takes 25–45 labor hours per pair, now that I know what I’m doing.The work of assembling clothes can be physically demanding—even manipulating fabric while sitting at a sewing machine can be taxing after a while. After a couple weeks of hand stitching I need a massage.Like with everything else, practice matters a lot. I think many people (myself included) go into the process of learning a new skill expecting, if not great, at least decent results and are disappointed by how bad their first products are.Most people (myself included) care a lot about their clothes and are pretty intolerant of defects; if I rip a hole in a shirt it’s going in the trash. People therefore tend to be less tolerant of and more discouraged by those first crappy garments.For most people, making clothing doesn’t scale the way many other hobbies do. You can bake some cookies for yourself or a huge batch for a party. You can plant a few flowers, or you can tend a whole garden. But most people don’t want two of the same dress, or even two similar dresses, which creates some cost & labor inefficiencies.Sometimes it’s hard to find good ideas within your skill level, and even then sometimes your ideas end up sucking.
Men, what article of clothing that women seem to love do you find ugly?
Bras @ April don't believe everything you read.What if it said to wear a pig snout?
How hard is it to sew a pair of pants?
The sewing's pretty easy... it's the fitting that's the hard part, and most of the problem is with the crotch curve. You've only got one more seam to a pair of pants than you'd have with a 4-gore skirt. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2706906070049590158sRJJHI shows some examples of pants patterns... take a look at the "negative space" where your lower body fits in each of these... they were made with very different body types in mind. The McCalls pattern (center top row) was done for someone who is paper-doll thin -- this is what it's likely to produce on most people: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/anatomy_of_a_camel_toe_pt1/ To help you pick a good pattern, try putting one leg of the best-fitting pants you own inside the other, so you can see the whole crotch curve, and then lay the proposed pattern over the finished pants that fit you pretty well. Finding or altering a pattern to that curve will minimize the number of changes you're going to have to make. I'm going to suggest you try Butterick 5222 for a first pattern, and follow the fitting tips in the instructions when you get a muslin basted together. I think it'll take most of the mystery out of pants for you. Make a muslin (a practice garment made of fabric that you'd use for these pants if it weren't cheap and ugly
How long should it take an experienced tailor to make a men's dress shirt from scratch, assuming they have the measurements and materials?
A lot depends on the details in the shirt. the basic sewing the shirt will take about 2–3 hours. finishing details would take up some more time as the shirt would need to have fitting to check for the placement of buttons.the button holes would then need to be sewn which takes up more and hard to estimate without knowing how many as it varies by the type of shirt. then once they are done comes the sewing of the buttons which could be done by machine or hand. and could be another couple of hours.final estimate would be at least a day of actual time involved by the tailor but expect to get it about a week.
What are all of the things a tailor can alter?
Quicker to identify the things a tailor cannot alter:A tailor cannot typically make the sleeves longer or the jacket or trousers or skirt longer except by a small amount (maybe 10mm if the hem was generous to begin with).A tailor can usually make a skirt smaller because there is excess material in the skirt and excess material in the waistband.A tailor can sometimes make a top or blouse or shirt or jacket or dress smaller but not always. Once the fabric is cut for a larger person’s armhole measurement, this cannot always be reshaped for a smaller person’s.A tailor can sometimes make pants smaller but not always. Once the fabric is cut for a larger person’s deep crotch, this cannot be reshaped for a smaller person’s shallow crotch measurement.In order to understand armholes and crotches: consider this: take a defined piece of cloth 30cm x 30 cm. Now cut a hole out of it that has a diameter of 15cm. Realise your mistake and try to reconfigure it so that the circle you cut out of it now only has a diameter of 12 cm.