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Starting up your own clothing label requires a multitude of know-how. It can’t hurt to do your homework from the beginning. The fashion industry and clothing business surely isn’t for those who come unprepared.

You either come with all guns blazing, or stay away – unless you’re looking forward to burning your investment. The fashion industry is a place where you should constantly evolving – through not just adaptation, but learning.

I’ve been in the business since 2007! LTL “Living that luxury” – a clothing line dedicated to empower and inspire through design and impeccable quality. It’s been 4 years of experience, so yes, I have accumulated some golden nuggets on how to start a brand.

A couple of pointers I’d like to share with all up and coming designers.

1. To become a successful fashion designer isn’t about knowing the “technical end” of designing. You need to develop a holistic strategy.

The following skills should exist as part of your foundational character:

Creativity, business savvy, social/networking skills, discipline, and commitment.

In fact, you may only spend 5-10% of your time designing. The rest is on marketing, visiting factories, managing relations.

Most importantly, it comes down to handling both the arts and commerce side of things. Don’t operate at a loss. You want to profit at least 30% for each piece of clothing .

Starting up your own clothing venture can at times feel like a gamble, but those who believe, play smart, will preserver, and thrive rewardingly. Again, the clothing business is not a walk in the park – it’s just like any other competitive marketplace.

2. Focus on one product at a time. I started solely on t-shirts, before diving in to polo shirts and jewelry. To me, t-shirts are the bread and butter to your brand if you’re in the street wear market. The costs are lower, and it has a higher re-use rate.

All it takes is one killer t shirt that everyone goes crazy for. Just like music, all it takes is one sensational hit single for an unknown artist to start a career.

At the end of the day, it comes down to locking in more sales.

Give all your attention and energy to creating a distinct t-shirt. Areas of focus: The visuals (Graphics), the technical execution, creativity in material fusion etc.

Don’t sweat about expanding your collection so you’ve got a garment for every region of the body. Wait for the right timing. Stack your chips slowly, then reinvest when you are comfortable financially to do so. This game is not a race (with other brands and designers).

3 . Practice discipline. You have to expect criticisms. Expect a lot of comments and responses which you may disagree with. Accept the critiques gracefully. Always stay humble in the clothing business, and appreciate the fact that you must be doing something right if you’re getting people’s attention!

Not every design you release will fly like hot cakes. Accept that. The key is to keep churning out more designs to see “what sticks”. Eventually, a design will stick and take you to new places.The more shots you take, the more shots you will make.

More timeless tips on how to thrive in the fashion industry in part 2.