I’ve always wanted to start up a mens clothing business. Mostly just casual mens shirts. Not really a store at this point, more online based and distributing to big menswear retailers. I’ve always had ideas in my head about designs and stuff, and logo ideas. I’m at a point in my life where I could probably make it a reality. I used to own a business along time ago but this is a complete 360. This is a long shot but does anyone know what it entails and how I would go about it? Obviously I would need someone to print my images on the shirt, but is that all? All help appreciated.
Re: Mens clothing business
Good luck. Just don't sell bow-ties...I don't like em. Or ties much for that matter. Or suspenders. Or that silver round thing with the tassels at the end. There now...I'm sure my input gave you some marketing direction. You're welcome!!!
Re: Mens clothing business
Great idea. There is always a market for this kind of stufff, though its going to be extremely competitive. The retailers themselves are operating in cut throat environment, so you will have to struggle a bit to ensure you get your products manufactured in the best possible prices without compromising the quality.
Last year a couple of my friends put together some investment in a similar business. Initially they got cheap stuff from China , used local printing options and sold them to the football loving crowds here in the UK. But the business didnt do extremely well and they decided to instead target the retailers directly. The big retailers have supply chain teams that work on acquiring the stuff they need. The prices they quoted for my friend's wholesale offers were extremely low.
Now they are trying to develop their own brand of sports shirts online. The trick is to constantly try and find a way to reduce the fabric / stitching costs .. They found someone in Bangladesh who could provide them good quality fabric + stitching , they provide the designs for printing and get them all done in Bangladesh and then ship the products over to the UK. Its working out fine for the moment..
Re: Mens clothing business
Good luck. Just don't sell bow-ties...I don't like em. Or ties much for that matter. Or suspenders. Or that silver round thing with the tassels at the end. There now...I'm sure my input gave you some marketing direction. You're welcome!!!
Lol!
I'm just doing shirts, but thanks for your helpful input as always redvelvet :)
Re: Mens clothing business
Great idea. There is always a market for this kind of stufff, though its going to be extremely competitive. The retailers themselves are operating in cut throat environment, so you will have to struggle a bit to ensure you get your products manufactured in the best possible prices without compromising the quality.
Last year a couple of my friends put together some investment in a similar business. Initially they got cheap stuff from China , used local printing options and sold them to the football loving crowds here in the UK. But the business didnt do extremely well and they decided to instead target the retailers directly. The big retailers have supply chain teams that work on acquiring the stuff they need. The prices they quoted for my friend's wholesale offers were extremely low.
Now they are trying to develop their own brand of sports shirts online. The trick is to constantly try and find a way to reduce the fabric / stitching costs .. They found someone in Bangladesh who could provide them good quality fabric + stitching , they provide the designs for printing and get them all done in Bangladesh and then ship the products over to the UK. Its working out fine for the moment..
Yeah, i'm trying to figure it out and see if it's worth while. I see independent menswear shops all over london which go outta business pretty quickly, not that i'm planning to have a shop. I think you're right though, it's all about cost and finding shirts at the right price and then finding someone to print on them at a cost which is affordable. Hmm. It's something I gotta think about. I probably won't end up doing it the more I think about it even though it's always been a dream, I might just make my own shirts and wear them myself instead of going down this route.
Re: Mens clothing business
I think @Sentry one of the key elements in this business is to have a strong marketing plan. If you can manage to market yourself and win small contracts from groups , it can bring you more money then selling to retailers .. there is more margin for making money in smaller contracts in this business ..
The friend I mentioned , last year made several attempts to see the logistics heads of various sports centers and football clubs and the sole reason was to get bulk orders for sports shirts / uniforms.
They approached as many schools and Martial arts clubs too .. that worked really well for them.
Re: Mens clothing business
I think marketing shirts alone is gonna be hard and i’m not really interested in having different types of meanswear. The more I think about it, what shirt only brands are massive? Not really that many, none that I can think of anyway. So it’s probably a dead end. I have other business ideas where I have a clear marketing plan, i’ll probably end up going with that instead. Thanks for the advice though, it was appreciated and helped me gather some thoughts 