Creating a textile and accessories brand: essential steps

So, you’ve done your ​market research, fine-tuned your business plan, laid the foundations for your positioning and brand identity, and identified your core target… Your textile and accessories brand is ready to launch!

At this stage, you’re probably thinking about your product ranges, and about which partner to choose for high-quality blank products to decorate and sell to your customers.

Fortunately, you don’t have to make the pieces yourself to create a ready-to-wear and accessories brand.

Established textile and accessory suppliers sell No Label or Tear Away blank items, i.e. items without a brand label or with an easily removable one, allowing them to be decorated with your logo, motifs or slogans.

At TopTex, our job is to provide these products! Since 1994, we’ve been helping textile brand creators to design their clothing and accessories ranges.

We work with many new and established brands. So we’re well aware of the challenges facing these professionals, and we wanted to share our experience in this area as well as a few tips.

Here they are!

Imagine something different that’ll win over your target audience

To introduce the subject, we need to quickly touch on the essential steps ahead of the official launch of your brand.

The textile distribution sector is highly competitive, so it’s essential to think about a clear positioning that sets you apart. From affordable basics to plus sizes, 100% eco-friendly ranges, premium collections and sportswear, the options are endless! By quickly establishing the characteristics of your product offer, you’ll simplify the task when it’s time to refine the final selection for your customers.

What’s more, your strategy should revolve around your customers: they’re the ones who’ll be buying your products, so you need to know them inside out to offer them products perfectly geared to their needs and expectations.

This (excellent) knowledge of your target is crucial, as it’ll guide you when choosing your ranges and during the regular renewal of your offer (seasonal collections, capsule collections, limited editions, etc.).

Next, to personalise blank textiles and accessories, you’ll need to spend some time on your visual identity.

Your graphic world should be eye-catching, coherent, modern and, crucially, always in line with your customers’ preferences.

Starting from a blank canvas, you can add your own touch – think geographical lines, minimalist motifs, textured embroidery – to create your brand signature.

For example, a trendy boutique can offer basics in natural colourways (linen, beige or camel): the Native Spirit brand is an interesting option in this case. The pieces can then be decorated with a logo in bouclette embroidery, or flocked with inspirational words like “Love”, “Kiss”, etc. Let your creativity do the talking!

Understanding and incorporating trends into the product selection

There’s no getting away from it: the textile industry will play a key role in the transition to more sustainable practices.

Parameters such as the choice of materials, product traceability from production to distribution, and the reasonable management of supplies and stocks must be taken into account as consumers purchase ever more “consciously”.

Of course, trends and fashions are, and always will be, the deciding factor. These evolve rapidly so you must stay one step ahead to keep your customers happy.

The latest fashions include loose and oversized cuts, stylish and comfortable homewear, and neutral hues. Social media and fashion events define certain ‘rules’ to be taken into account, and offer a goldmine when anticipating future trends.

One thing’s for sure, having your own brand of clothing and accessories means you have to be constantly on the lookout. You’ll need to stay up to date with material innovations, new trends, and eco-friendly labels and certifications to remain competitive and avoid being left behind.

Defining product ranges and collections

Anything is possible and, crucially, nothing is set in stone! You could start with timeless, eco-friendly feminine basics. Imagine coherent looks and complete outfits, then incorporate seasonal products, and gradually add in more original products in limited quantities.

Product ranges are structured around 2 main factors:

• range width: i.e. the number of different products on offer
• range depth: different sizes and colourways for each model

The trick when building your clothing and accessories offer is to strike the right balance between a range that is broad enough to satisfy customers, but not too broad to dilute your sales, financial and marketing efforts.

The best way to do this is to start from your positioning and define a common thread (timeless basics, 100% eco-friendly pieces, top-of-the-range smart clothing, streetwear, etc.).

For inspiration, here are a few examples of TopTex products for different positionings and audiences:

Timeless basics for women

Eco-friendly clothing and accessories for the whole family

Stylish pieces for elegant outfits

Streetwear items for a trendy, casual style

In terms of range depth, best practice is to first focus on the most common standard sizes, and add to them as you go along, based on your customers’ requests and your sales history.

Whatever your strategy, choosing the right partners and the right supplier of blank textiles and accessories will be crucial. Opt for a well-established market player, with in-depth expertise and a wide range of products. They will be able to guide you on trends and best practice, and their many products will allow you to gradually develop your offering.

Most importantly, make sure that your partner offers a wide enough variety of No Label products or ones with Tear Away labels. These products only have a size tag and do not have brand or tear-away labels.

This is a major plus because your logo will appear on the garment (flocked on the front of a t-shirt or the back of a sweatshirt, or embroidered on the pocket of a denim jacket). But being able to personalise the collar label with your brand means you can design products 100% customised to your image.

There is also a regulatory label, indicating the composition, origin and washing instructions. This can be torn away in some cases.

TopTex offers some No Label and Tear Away products:

Manage your logistics to stay competitive

Logistics are essential when you set up your own clothing brand and want to sell your products to the right people at the right time!

Your customers need to be able to find the model and size they need at any time. This is why it’s so important to choose an experienced, well-established supplier who’ll be able to provide you with the best possible support and respond quickly when you need them.

For example, you’ll regularly analyse your sales history to understand which items are most popular, anticipate stock shortages and frequently restock the items most loved by your customers. Therefore your partner must be able to guarantee almost permanent availability of products and, ofcourse, rapid delivery of your orders.

The ready-to-wear sector is also linked to certain milestones, such as major sports events, fashion weeks, sales, and innovations in materials or cuts. Once again, working with a textile distributor able to help you prepare for these important moments gives you an undeniable competitive advantage.

At TopTex, we know that the fashion world is extremely competitive, and that certain key success factors will help you master this market. That’s why our teams work hard every day to keep our customers as happy as possible. Working with TopTex means:

• over 30 years’ experience in the textile sector and in supporting players in this market

• over 40 brands and almost 3,000 items of clothing and accessories to decorate

• efficient stock management and meticulous logistics with 2 semi-automated platforms and shipping within 24 to 72 hours

• a strong commitment to CSR to offer ever more eco-friendly models

• a fluid and intuitive customer interface, with digital solutions to make it easier to retrieve order forms, track deliveries and restock popular items

• experienced professionals constantly on the lookout for new products to bolster our catalogue of products geared to the market’s changing needs

In a nutshell, the most important thing to remember is that we are committed to offering you the best possible service so you can concentrate on your job as a brand creator.

Identifying your positioning, building your product ranges and getting your physical or online store ready are all essential when creating a clothing and/or accessories brand.

And don’t forget communications and marketing!

You’ll need to promote your brand and your world, and you’ll need to do it through the right communication channels. There are a number of strategies available – social media, geolocalised digital advertising, influencer campaigns, collaborations, capsule collections, etc. – based on your budget, your target customer and your sales objectives.

You’re now ready to create and develop your brand!

If you’d like us to help you build your ranges, contact our specialist advisers and let them guide you!

Consider this: at TopTex, we ensure a wide variety of ranges, allowing us to offer products geared to multiple styles, positionings and audiences, including men, women, mixed groups, adults, kids and babies, for all seasons. We restock frequently and ensure efficient logistics to give our brand-building partners absolute peace of mind.