Starting my own business... fashion?

So... trying to inject some excitement into my life... watching the Apprentice and Sir Alan Sugar keeps saying you can wake up in the morning with a hundred pounds and come back with two hundred pounds.

I know that is not entirely true and the shows are set up to some extent. But I want to try it. I am quite creative so I am thinking of something (physical) I can make and sell.

My ideas so far are doing paintings or making clothes. This is my plan:

1) But a cheap sewing machine £50
2) Buy some material £20
3) Turn it into some clothes.
4) Rent a market stall £??
5) Possibly buy a collapsable table to put the stuff on.
6) Sell the stuff on the stall.

I would like to make at least £50 profit per day. Is this achievable? Other ideas could be making and selling cupcakes. I would like to hear from people who have any experience doing this. Or just peoples general thoughts. Thanks. :smile:

Reply 1

wactm

Honestly, I dont imagine there is any money in low end fashion design. You need to build a name for yourself in the indie community of small fashion companies.

Do tshirts. Set up your own silk screen printing rig (maybe £50-80) and make some cool Tees. Some examples of successful small indie clothing companies are Rebel8 and UGMonk.

Reply 2

noobynoo

Original post by wactm

... low end fashion design....

Exactly, mine will be designer one-off designs. Selling 5 items of clothing with £10 profit on each one is surely achievable?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 3

wactm

Original post by noobynoo

Exactly, mine will be designer one-off designs. Selling 5 items of clothing with £10 profit on each one is surely achievable?

Maybe if your stall is in central london but then you would need to making more than £50 in a day. I recomend using the internet. Start on etsy or big cartel and go from there. If you get a decent following then you should approach some shops to distribute your stuff.

Reply 4

unsolvable

Killer Strawberry did it so I don't see why you couldn't if your products we're good enough/appealed to a certain market. When he first started he had a tiny stall with about 5 different shirts on in Camden Market, then upgraded to a store in the market. I think hes back to a stall again but it shows that it can work.

Reply 5

jabed786

I think this really depends on your location. Got to think of the 4 P's! Price Place Product Promotion.
I think its much easier to trade in London where people like quirky individual kind of stuff (Reminds me of Zoe from Junior Apprentice and her vintage clothing stall).

Reply 6

noobynoo

Is there anything else I could make and sell?

Reply 7

Maker

I think its great you want to make a business. However, fashion is very tough and fickle and there are huge amounts of cheap imports.

Reply 8

every cloud

Have you ever actually made any clothes before? It's actually a lot harder to make quality garments than you might think, and you won't be able to get a quality finish with a cheapo sewing machine. Considering the costs of decent fabrics and findings I thinkyouwould have to look at a higher profit margin than that to make it worthwhile. Have you considered where you would find the patterns? There could be copy-right problems if you use commercial patterns, and pattern drafting from scratch is quite a specialist skill. I would stick to accessories if I were you, as they are areguably easier, and are more saleableeven if they are querky, whereas querky clothes would have a smaller consumer base. Good luck though :smile:

Reply 9

Tony_Soprano1

yep it can be done! if your really good at fashion design. Market stalls you need to pay rent so take it into perspective. And any unknown costs. But come up with a couple of ideas before you commit maybe take out some market research.

Reply 10

Spinnerette

Fashion is very tough. Eh my hairdresser brought loads of stock rented a shop and said she'd be retired in 15 years. hahhhhhhh, she had 90s style clothes on sale, too much stock to house and no one would ever go in the shop. her business folded in 5 months and now she's trying to be a mobile hairdresser. She's no longer my hairdresser because her sister wouldn't let her come back.

Lol Fashion changes very fast, and quickly, top designers are always 2 years in advance of the market

Reply 11

Maker

You should consider going to your local Enterprise agency for some advice and ideas before starting a business. They offer free unbiased advice on the nuts and bolts of starting a business such as working out if your business will actually be viable by looking at your costs and profits and the boring stuff such as registering with HM Customs and getting a business account with the bank.

Without knowing where you are, its difficult to offer any specific advice. But in most parts of the country, there are business opportunities such as home tutoring.

Reply 12

hippieglitter

I'd start on-line, maybe on eBay, once your on-line business is going smoothly and making profit you can move onto a market stall or small shop. But tbh I don't know about anyone else, I may just be snobby, but I never have and never would buy clothes from a market stall. According to a business advisor in Marie Claire, it will be 3 years before you break even and 5 before you start making a profit and that is only IF you are successful. I'd advise doing a bit of market research first, see if there is demand for what you want to do.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 13

hippieglitter

Original post by noobynoo

Is there anything else I could make and sell?

Jewellery? Jewellery is really easy to make.

Reply 14

noobynoo

Original post by hippieglitter

I'd start on-line, maybe on eBay....

But I don't like posting things. :frown:

It takes more time to wrap things up and post them than it does to make them in the first place!

By the way, by means of market research, what is the latest home-made thing that people have purchased?

Reply 15

every cloud

Do you have a pic of something you've made that you can post? Then perhaps people can tell you if they'd buy it, how much for etc.

Reply 16

Spinnerette

Original post by noobynoo

But I don't like posting things. :frown:

LOL that's not market research hun. We're not even your market

It will be cheaper to post things and be a business on ebay or etsy than selling out of date clothes via a market stall.

Last home made thing was a handmade necklace. You're in a very tough market.

Reply 17

hippieglitter

Original post by noobynoo

But I don't like posting things. :frown:

How should I know? You need to create a survey of relevant questions, go out into your local town/city and ask people, you could even post a copy on here and get people to answer it.