How Much Does It Cost To Start UK Clothing Brand
How Much Does It Cost To Start A UK Clothing Brand ?
245. It doesnt have to cost a fortune to launch a fashion brand in the UK. The aim should be to keep costs as low as possible to start with at least.
Around £2000 would be a bare minimum to start a fashion brand in the UK, It is possible to start with less. Or even no money at all with certain business models.
Realistically though, £5000 – £20000 would be a good aim for startups. We dont recommend spending much more than this, unless you have a very special or unique type of product, or you have expert advisers and good experience.
If you would like to understand how to set up and run a fashion business, we run a short one to one Fashion Startup Workshop , conducted by our senior fashion business consultant, Emile Carr.
Startups On A Limited Budget.
The London Pattern Cutter is a premium service provider for small to medium sized fashion brands on a limited budget.
Our aim is to provide the same high quality services that the big brands have access to, but at a fraction of the cost.
Unlike the big high street brands, our clients do not have money to burn. They cannot afford to pay for three or four samples for each style. They need to nail it first time, every time.
Our services revolve around excellent advice and excellent pattern cutting. The pattern cutting and sample development are the secret key to success for the startup clothing brand.
We ensure that we get all the information we need to get each style right first time round, saving a fortune in startup costs.
We dont need extensive tech packs, or fancy sketches from our clients. We can make our own tech packs. Just trust in us to get all the information we need no matter what your level of experience.
What Are The Costs Involved ?
You need to be aware of what costs you will incur in getting your brand started. These are the main stages that you may need to pay for in the sampling and manufacturing process.
Your specific costs can vary significantly, depending on your styles and quantities, but we suggest keeping the volumes low at first, unless you are confident in producing a larger volume.
Remember that you will not necessarily need to pay for each of these services every time. Patterns and grading for instance, may be used again and again. Not all styles necessarily require tech packs.
Remember too, that there may be other costs involved, depending on how you run your business :-
- Fabrics
- Patterns
- Samples
- Grading
- Tech Packs
- Production
Affordable Prices.
We believe that we are unique in the UK, as we offer a comprehensive variety of services to new fashion brands, along with relevant fashion industry classes, workshops and mentoring – All under one roof. And at affordable prices.
Help For New Brands.
We welcome new fashion brands. We work closely with you to ensure that you learn everything about running your fashion business, while you are actually producing your own designs. You can pay us to do everything for you, or you can do it yourself.
If you choose, we can teach you every step of the way about each aspect of running your business – As and when you need it.
Pricing Structure.
If you prefer to use freelancers to provide your fashion industry services, there are three main pricing structures you may encounter. It is important to understand what you get for your money and how each pricing structure works.
Hourly Rate.
Most freelance pattern cutters, graders and sample machinists favour using an hourly rate, as they need to be know how much they will earn for the work they do. It is easy to under price a job, especially if you dont know the full details.
Although this works for the freelancer, it is not so popular with the client, who also needs to know how much the job will cost. What seems like a simple job can escalate to cost far more than anticipated.
Fixed Price.
Most of our clients appreciate open, honest pricing. They want to be given a fixed price for any given service, and to know exactly what they are paying for.
They need to be able to manage their budget, and dont want to pay an hourly rate, with no idea of the final total.
We dont give a comprehensive list of prices, as each and every project is different. While we do have some guide prices, we need to understand exactly what you want from us before giving you an estimated price, or a quote.
Once we understand exactly how you work and what you need from us, then we are happy to cost your project.
Monthly.
Some fashion industry services, such as mentoring and consultancy may be charged on a monthly or yearly basis. This can be more cost effective than paying on an hourly basis.
Mentoring and consultancy tend to have a higher hourly cost than pattern cutting, grading or sampling, because the adviser needs to have a vast range of knowledge encompassing all of these skills.
VAT.
Startup brands need to be aware that, while most fashion freelancers providing services to startups, don’t charge VAT, bigger factories providing multiple services, may well do.
Sometimes it is more cost effective to use freelancers. Sometimes it is cheaper in the long run to use a more comprehensive service. We try to suggest the most cost effective option for your brand.
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