Breaking into the fashion world is by no means an easy endeavor. Not only is it a highly competitive environment from a creative standpoint but the logistics and legality of establishing a fashion brand, let alone making it successful, is a monumental undertaking. We aren’t trying to put you off trying. We just want to make sure you are informed before you start on this journey.

This guide has been designed to help you establish your own fashion brand. We will be covering both the creative and logistical aspects. Giving you a basic overview of all the things you need to consider to ensure your brand has the best chance of success.

Building Your Brand Identity

This is one of the more fun parts of the process. When you get to design your brand’s logo, slogans, and work on all the design aspects that will surround your brand. Colour schemes, website design, business cards. All the little things that will compile together to make your brand feel more alive.

One thing you need to be aware of is copyright infringement. If you don’t know what this is, it is the term given when someone produces something that is too similar to an early existing intellectual property. Most people assume it only applies to entertainment media. But it also applies to branding. For example you can’t simply call your fashion brand ‘Gucci.’ And it is also recommended that you avoid making your logo look too similar to another brand.

Once you have some preliminary designs and names for your brand you should consult a copyright law firm. They will be able to help you file your trademarks while also finding out if there are any other registered brands already using your suggested names or designs. It is also a good idea to make use of legal transcription services both during the design process and during any meetings with your copyright lawyers. This will help cover you legally while also giving you a clear record of everything that has happened during the trademark process.

Brick-And-Motar Or Online?

This is one of the biggest decisions you will have to make in the early days of your brand. Will you operate from a physical store or exclusively online? Now this decision doesn’t have to be permanent. You can start as an online only store and then, if you are doing well, expand to a physical location. You should always have an online store even if you are planning to have a physical store as well. The vast majority of people do their shopping completely online these days. So ensuring you have a robust online store is essential to the success of your business.

But let us look at the pros and cons of having a physical store. One of the biggest advantages is you are less likely to get returns when people shop in person. If people can try on your clothing in store they are less likely to end up returning it. Whereas a lot of online shoppers will buy a lot of items and then send them back once they try them on and realize it isn’t their style.

Another advantage of a physical store is the ability to launch exclusive items that are only available to in person shoppers. This will allow you to charge a slight premium on the items while also generating more hype. Exclusivity is a huge marketing tool in the fashion industry. So you should utilize it whenever possible.

The main disadvantage to having a physical store is the running costs. Rent, staffing costs, utility bills, repairs, insurance. All of this will eat into your profits. This shouldn’t be an issue if your store is in a busy location. But if you can’t guarantee enough foot traffic to cover your costs then you are better off not having a physical store.

Social Media

This is going to be the best marketing tool at your disposal. Maintaining an active social media presence on as many platforms as possible will be key to the success of your brand. And you should start your marketing long before the launch of your brand. We spoke briefly about generating hype earlier. Making posts about your brand and your upcoming launch will get people excited and should boost your initial sales by a considerable amount.

As your company expands you might want to consider hiring a social media manager. You will naturally need to shift your focus to maintaining your company and designing new clothes. But you need to maintain a consistent social media upload schedule. Having a member of staff dedicated to managing this will massively help your business.

Reddit is a known and trusted platform that is packed with information on any imaginable topic, both technical and non-technical.

As a fashion designer looking to stand out amongst others, you need to expand your knowledge and gain more insight into what the professional entails. You can access thousands of useful fashion tips and advice that will help enhance your skills and keep your clients happy.

The best way to access useful fashion information on Reddit is by joining one or more of some of the best fashion subreddits on Reddit.

Join us as we explore the most impactful fashion subreddits that will be great for both old and new fashion designers.

6 Best Subreddits For Fashion Designers

1. r/malefashionadvice

Reddit’s communities or subreddits are different from those on other platforms. They are more organised and regulated and can exist for a longer period. r/malefashion is one of the strongest fashion communities on Reddit, with all the right features. This subreddit, like many others on the platform, has stood the test of time. r/alefashionadvice was founded in 2009 and has, since then, grown immensely into a community with over 5 million members. The community is great for new fashion designers looking to gain more ground in male fashion. You can even get as much as a step-by-step introduction to male fashion.

2. r/sneakers

The fashion subreddits on Reddit are not only limited to clothes, they cover everything about fashion. If you are doubting that joining a sneaker community can impact your fashion designer career, you need to think deeper. In the fashion world, everything is interconnected. You cannot consider an outfit without thinking of the best footwear and accessories to combine with it. r/sneakers like the r/malefashionadvice subreddit, was founded in 2009. The community boasts of over 3.3 million members and this goes far to show the importance of sneakers in the world of fashion. Fashion topics are frequently shared by Reddit users, hence the need to ensure that you are well-grounded in the best fashion subreddits to avoid missing out on them. Important information

3. r/femalefashionadvice

This subreddit is the female version of the r/makesfashionadvice. It was founded in 2010 and has around 3.2 members. The community involves discussions on everything about female fashion. You can get any information you need by simply asking questions or from previous posts. Members of the communities can request brand recommendations, critiques, style inspo, fashion ideas, etc. If you are new to the fashion world, there is no better way to kick-start than joining a subreddit like r/femalefashionadvice.
Like other subreddits, the members of the community are guided by rules that have consequences if broken

4. r/frugalfemalefashion

One common attribute of the female fashion communities on Reddit is that they are often tight-knit. This doesn’t come as a surprise especially since it involves fashion. Fashion is almost like a universal language that everyone understands. r/frugalfemalefashion is a tight-knit Community that was founded in 2012, and It has around 1.1 million members. This subreddit is mostly about fashion on a budget, so if you mostly work with a limited budget, this is the best community for you. The best part about this subreddit is that members are allowed to post about active sales happening at the moment. This way, you no longer have to worry about missing deals.

5. r/frugalmalefashion

r/frugalmalefashion was founded in 2010, and like r/frugalfemalefashion, it mostly involves fashion on a budget. You can learn more about good sales deals that will have you or your clients looking luxurious on a low budget. Aside from the steady deals posted in the community, other fashion-related posts and discussions are also available.

6. r/streetwear

r/streetwear is one of the most popular fashion communities on Reddit. This may be because almost everyone wears streetwear. Streetwear involves casual outfits worn by all genders. r/streetwear was founded in 2011 and has over 4 million members. The community is not subjected to a particular gender, anyone can be a member. Most of the posts on this subreddit are visuals or images of casual outfits. As a fashion designer, you can get some inspiration from some of the outfits posted

Conclusion

One of the attributes that make a good fashion designer is having an idea about everything in the fashion world. So, if you are looking to excel in your fashion career, joining as many fashion communities as possible on Reddit, will be a better option for you.

There are other wonderful subreddits for budding fashion designers but these are some of our best picks. One of the best parts of joining subreddits for fashion designers is that you can connect with others and share useful ideas with them.