The initial step in creating a fashion brand is concepting, and it is considered to be the most crucial. The concepting stage is where you lay your foundation and start to build the brand identity, discover your design point of view and purpose, establish your design aesthetic, and determine who the consumer is that will be purchasing your goods. You can look at multiple websites, chunky textbooks, or old business plans of those before you, but we want to lay it out- plain and simple- so you can hit the ground running.
1. Establish your brand name:
Those starting a brand usually already have the name in mind when they start, but that may not always be the case. You may have the idea for a product or service, but don’t really have a name to bring it all together. No matter the case, the brand name is important. It’s an overall image of what you are trying to sell. It’s how consumers can identify you. It’s what you will be known for. Think very wisely.
2. Find the niche in the market that has a demand:
This is also a very important step. And like we mentioned earlier, you may already have an idea of what your product/service is and that’s what gave you motivation to start the brand. But, if that’s the case, you may want to reflect on your decision and make sure it’s the right one. As a brand, you don’t want to be providing something that is already easily accessible in the industry. If you aren’t offering something that is considered new/inventive, rare, or something that we just need more of, how can you expect consumers to shop with your brand versus your competitors?
3. Determine your target market:
Determining your target market may come to you a little easier after you have found that niche with demand. For example, if you wanted to create stylish “mom jeans” for millennials, your target market would be surface pretty quickly. A good exercise for establishing your target market for your brand is to create a target persona, or your ideal customer? Create that person’s profile by asking yourself questions related to your customer’s age, location, career, income, education, hobbies, interests, and perhaps personality or specific persona traits. You’ll be creating a very distinct visual of your perfect customer in no time!
4. Develop your brand identity:
Think about who you are as a brand and how you want customers to identify you. You need to find your voice! And there is a lot to think about while doing that. Some of the ways you can achieve this is establishing or developing some of the following examples:
- Mission Statement
- Logo Design
- Social Media Presence
- Website
- Email Marketing Introductions
You don’t have to have a PhD in business or marketing to get your brand off the ground. If you have the motivation, the good ideas, and the drive to narrow down and prepare your business plan for execution, you have what it takes to conquer the concept stage of building a brand. Just remember that no matter what you do going forward, make sure the concept of your brand is integrated in everything you do.