Start A Kids Clothing Line
How To Start A Kids Clothing Line.
254. Do you want to start a kids clothing brand ? Or baby wear brand ? Are you completely new to the clothing business ? Dont know where to start ? Want to you work from home ?
Starting a childrenswear or baby wear brand is in many ways easier than other genres. But there are some significant differences, and legal and safety requirements that you need to be aware of.
There are some potential pitfalls that do not occur so much in other areas of fashion. It is especially important to understand what these pitfalls are, and how to avoid them.
We have Childrens wear experts who can provide all the services and advice you need to get your new childrenswear business up and running, while teaching you everything you need to know with our one-to-one How to start a childrenswear brand workshop.
Online Video Course.
We have created an online video course for anyone interested in how to start a clothing brand in the UK. The course consists of nineteen chapters. It is available to download to study from home in your own time. Just email for details.
This online video course was created by senior fashion business adviser, designer, and entrepreneur, Emile Vidal Carr. He has over twenty years experience in the fashion industry, running his own businesses and helping UK startups. He is also author of The Fashion Formula.
Working From Home.
For most startup businesses it is best to keep costs as low as possible. Working from home is by far the cheapest option for most startups. Although there are drawbacks with working from home, the advantages for a startup far outweigh the disadvantages. The most important thing is to ensure you have a space set aside for your kids wear business.
Kidswear Sizing And Grading.
Sizing and grading are areas for potential problems when you start a kids wear clothing line. You need to use specialist Childrenswear pattern cutters and graders. While the big childrenswear brands will have access to the very best knowledgeable professionals, smaller brands will not have access to that same knowledge.
There are very few pattern cutters or graders who understand children’s grading, so you need to be very careful before finalising your sizing. Where possible it is advisable to provide the graders with reference garments in a range of sizes, similar to your own designs.
Starting A Baby Clothing Business.
If you are starting a baby clothing business, the same basics mostly apply to baby wear as apply to kids wear generally. The same general rules apply with sizing and grading, except that you may have to take consideration of a nappy allowance. And remember that a babysitter head size is almost adult size, so you need to adjust neck openings accordingly.
Using Foreign Clothing Factories.
Using foreign factories for production of Childrenswear can be particularly problematic if you are relying on their patterns and grades. People become too confident in the factories ability to understand UK sizing requirements and to be able to provide accurate grades.
Not only do these factories generally not have graders who understand childrens grading. They also tend to have little idea of UK sizing. What is considered to be correct sizing in China for instance, would be totally wrong in the UK.
If you are using offshore factories to produce your Childrenswear clothing line you would ideally need to get your patterns, samples, tech packs and size charts made in the UK first. Your factory will still have to make their own sample for you to approve.
It may be cheaper for the factory to provide the actual pattern grades, but you would need to provide them with a professional tech pack along with a size chart. The factory would need to provide you with samples in the smallest and largest sizes for approval before starting production.
Regulations For Kids Clothing.
Another area to be aware of is the special regulations required for childrenswear that are not required for adult clothing. These regulations cover both the fabric composition, and the garment construction.
The Childrenswear Startup Workshop.
The Childrenswear startup workshop is conducted by Emile Carr, who has many years experience within the clothing industry. He runs his own fashion design business, and has advised hundreds of small business over the years. Please email for more detailed information.
EMAIL [email protected]