18 Tips For Starting A Successful Clothing Line (2024)

We've interviewed thousands of successful founders at Starter Story and asked what advice they would give to entrepreneurs who are just getting started.

Here's the best advice we discovered for starting a clothing line:

#1: Ellen Hamilton, founder of Chemo Cozy:

We chatted with with Ellen, founder of Chemo Cozy ($3K/month). In our interview, Ellen says:

My advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting out is simple: make sure you have a mission. No matter what the product or service, figure out what your mission is and use that as your guide to moving forward.

Read the full interview ➜

#2: Ray Li, founder of Sene:

We chatted with with Ray, founder of Sene ($40K/month). In our interview, Ray says:

It is not about how smart you are, it’s about the grit to stick it through the darkest and loneliest times.

Additionally:

The theme is - take your time to work with the right people. In the early days, if you bring on the wrong person, it can kill the business.

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#3: Robert, founder of Skunky:

We chatted with with Robert, founder of Skunky ($0/month). In our interview, Robert says:

Invest your time and finances, nothing comes without some sacrifices and that's the beauty of it. You have to be ready to give it your 110%.

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#4: Kyle Bergman, founder of Swoveralls:

We chatted with with Kyle, founder of Swoveralls ($100K/month). In our interview, Kyle says:

Normal sweatpant overalls did not exist online after a quick google search, nor in any stores that I visited. So I made them.

Additionally:

Every entrepreneur gets incredibly lucky at one point or another. Could be simple timing, or could be a blissful ignorance of the enormous risks that are not recognized, and therefore unknowingly avoided by chance.

Further:

Fail early and fail often. I didn’t get into Business school the first time I applied. My first Kickstarter campaign didn’t reach its goal. My second crowdfunding campaign was late being delivered to customers by 3 months.

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#5: Johanna Denize, founder of Clever Travel Companion:

We chatted with with Johanna, founder of Clever Travel Companion ($50K/month). In our interview, Johanna says:

When work is fun it is hard to separate work from life.

Additionally:

Our first product was underwear, so my husband and I bought several, wore and washed them over and over until we found the best quality.

Further:

There is nothing you cannot do yourself if you need to and there is no one right way to do anything.

Also:

You do not need a lot of money to do it. You need to work hard, though.

Additionally:

Another mistake is not believing that you can do it and thinking it is rocket science. It certainly is not.

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#6: Julian O'hayon, founder of Blvck Paris:

We chatted with with Julian, founder of Blvck Paris ($100K/month). In our interview, Julian says:

Focus on what you are good at. When we started Blvck Paris, we quickly realized that we couldn’t do everything and we should really focus on what we can bring and what we are both goods at. That’s why we decided to outsource the operational side of the business.

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#7: Connor Curran, founder of Local Laundry:

We chatted with with Connor, founder of Local Laundry ($50K/month). In our interview, Connor says:

The power of TikTok has opened our eyes. We’re documenting, recording, and capturing everything we do in the business to help share our message with as many people as possible.

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#8: Paul, founder of Ishihara Design:

We chatted with with Paul, founder of Ishihara Design ($1K/month). In our interview, Paul says:

In marketing the human element is really what makes it all work. I used to do giveaways monthly, sharing all the UGC on social media.

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#9: Kyle Bergman, founder of Swoveralls:

We chatted with with Kyle, founder of Swoveralls ($100K/month). In our interview, Kyle says:

Biggest ongoing lesson continues to be managing customer expectations from a supply chain standpoint.

Additionally:

I do believe in going slower-ish is the fastest way to get where we want to be.

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#10: Kyle Bergman, founder of Swoveralls:

We chatted with with Kyle, founder of Swoveralls ($100K/month). In our interview, Kyle says:

Some days, everything might be going your way - it’s like you can’t miss! On other days, it may feel like your world is ending, but when you understand that the difference in those days most likely has very little to do with specific actions you’re making at the moment, you can start to trust the rollercoaster that is entrepreneurship.

Read the full interview ➜

Part of

Starting A Clothing Line: Everything You Need To Know

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