Today, streetwear is widely accepted and loved by young people because of its exaggerated and bold designs and rebellious and unrestrained styles. Streetwear is based on a democratic and countercultural mindset. In addition, streetwear brands often introduce new products with relatively cheap prices and aesthetics that are close to the real world, so this kind of clothes is more promoted by social media, thus leading a growing trend of customized street clothing.
There are two elements that matter the most in the streetwear industry: uniqueness and creativity. Uniqueness means that we can design clothing based on individual preferences, styles, and personalities, making the clothes unique. Everyone’s body shape and aesthetics are different, and customized streetwear can ensure that the clothes fit everyone’s body perfectly, showcasing their unique style and charm. Therefore, uniqueness is very important in the streetwear industry. Creativity is the soul of the streetwear industry. With the development of the times and the progress of society, people’s requirements for diversification and personalization of clothing are increasing. So, creativity is of great importance in the streetwear industry.
Now, you might be wondering how to create your customized streetwear brand. Don’t worry, this article will guide you through the whole process.
Understanding the Customized Streetwear Market
Before you start your own brand, you should have a basic understanding of the customized streetwear market. Here’s a brief overview of this market.
Streetwear clothing swept the world in the 1990s. It originated from hip-hop fashion in New York City and surfing and skateboarding culture in California. It combines elements of sportswear, punk, and Japanese street fashion. It typically centers around casual and comfortable items such as jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, and sneakers. Enthusiasts following some specific brands will try their best to purchase limited edition clothes. Since 2020, the epidemic has affected the streetwear industry. Raw material prices have risen, supply chains have been disrupted, offline stores have been suspended. An increasing number of people begin to purchase their clothes online. At the same time, due to epidemic prevention and control policies and quarantine policies, more and more people are working and studying from home. So, people are pursuing comfort in clothing. However, with the weakening of the impact of the epidemic, the recovery of the economy and life, and the improvement of people’s living standards, streetwear has gradually become a popular daily item among consumers and can lead the fashion trend.
The next thing to do is identifying target audiences and market segments. In the streetwear industry, you can identify target audiences and market segments according to the following five aspects.
1. Age group
The streetwear industry has different target markets for different age groups, such as children, teenagers, adults, and so on. Based on the clothing category and brand style, target markets for different age groups can be determined.
2. Gender
The target market of the streetwear industry can also be divided based on gender, such as women’s clothing, men’s clothing, unisex clothing, and so on.
3. Region
Different regions have different consumption habits and fashion trends, and target markets can be divided based on region.
4. Income level
The streetwear industry has products in different price ranges, and target markets can be divided based on different income levels.
5. Customer needs
Target market choices can be made based on customer needs, such as sportswear, casual wear, fashion wear, etc.
Then, you have to gather information about your competitors and analyze market trends. There are several well-known brands in the streetwear industry, such as Nike, Addidas, Supreme, Kith, etc. You can analyze the style of their clothes. By doing so you can grab the trends of streetwear market and get inspirations for your own brand.
Creating Your Custom Streetwear Brand Identity
Brand identity means brand equity and image. We should use all the methods that can be used to establish and consolidate brand equity and image. The contact between brands and consumers, as well as the brand experience of consumers, can influence and change consumers’ perception and attitude towards the brand. In order to create your custom street wear brand identity, the first thing to do is defining your brand’s mission and vision. By defining your brand’s mission and vision, we can develop brand identity that can impress consumers and differentiate from competitors at the levels of products, enterprises, people, symbols, etc. Together with the core values of the brand, we can form a rich brand identity. A successful brand must have a rich and distinct brand identity. After scientifically and completely planning brand’s mission and vision, the core values of the brand can be effectively implemented and integrated with daily marketing and communication activities. Therefore, the marketing and communication activities of enterprises can have standards and directions.
The next thing to do is developing a unique brand name and logo. When developing your brand name, you need to pay attention to the following three points:
1. Your brand name should be in line with the brand’s core positioning.
Each brand has its own positioning and value orientation. The brand name must conform to the attributes of the enterprise and express the positioning and value of the brand.
2. Your brand name should be different from competitors.
Porter, a master of strategic management, believes that the competition of enterprises must achieve differentiation. At present, many countries have come to a large-scale production era. The result of large-scale production by enterprises is that we produce products with no significant differences. If there is no differentiation from competitors in naming, the brand will be submerged.
3. Your brand name should meet the personality of target customers.
Today, streetwear has a high consumer demand all over the world. Compared to traditional clothing, streetwear has more individuality and uniqueness, which can meet young people’s pursuit of unique style and quality. So, we need to learn about our customers’ needs and personalities and design clothes accordingly. Therefore, brand names need to meet the personality of target customers.
When designing a logo, we need to pay attention to the form, color, and font of it. There are several steps you should follow in designing a logo. Firstly, before you design, you need to conduct market research to understand industry development trends. Through market analysis, more comprehensive and in-depth guidance can be provided for logo design. Secondly, brand positioning is a crucial part in the process of logo design, which directly affects your brand culture, brand image, and market competitiveness. Only by determining the brand positioning can we better carry out logo design. Thirdly, creativity is extremely important in logo design. You need to select the best trademark form, color, font, and other elements and come up with a unique logo. Finally, after you design the brand logo, don’t forget to submit a logo registration application to protect the intellectual property rights of it.
Finally, you should create a brand story that resonates with your audience. Brand stories can help consumers better understand the brand’s history, culture, philosophy and values, thereby increasing brand awareness and loyalty. By telling the brand’s story, consumers can more easily empathize with the brand and establish long-term brand relationships. In addition, a good brand story can make consumers trust the brand more and generate a good reputation for the brand. By telling brand stories, consumers can gain a better understanding of brand value and influence, thereby enhancing brand trust.
Designing a Customized Streetwear Collection
Now you have completed all the preparation work, you need to come up with a customized streetwear collection. The first thing to do is designing. You should find a satisfying designer or simply design the clothes on your own. If you decide to find a designer, there are several things you should consider. On one side, he or she should have professional knowledge in clothing design. On the other side, the designer should have a deep understanding of different domestic and international streetwear brands so that he pr she can learn from these brands. Besides, the designer’s attitude towards work is something you must consider. You don’t want to hire someone who is not passionate about his or her work.
When you finished designing, the next thing to do is selecting appropriate fabrics and materials. When doing this, the following three factors need to be considered:
- The style of your design: Different clothing fabrics are suitable for different styles of clothing. We need to choose the appropriate fabric based on our own design in order to maximize the performance of our design.
- Feelings: The feeling of wearing different fabrics on the body varies a lot. At this time, we should try to choose the most comfortable fabrics as possible so that our clothes can be chosen by consumers.
- Prices: This is an important factor to consider because consumers consider price factors when buying clothes. Some fabrics are very expensive, which can increase the cost of clothing. However, if the clothing is often worn or has a classic style, a higher price can also be accepted by consumers.
The last thing you need to consider is sustainability and ethics. Sustainable development has become a global focus. Today, many brands in clothing business in both developed and developing countries have adopted the idea of sustainable development and make their efforts. For instance, you can choose eco-friendly materials for your streetwear brand to show your awareness in sustainable development.
Production and quality control
Now you have entered the mass production phase. At this stage, you need to control the quality of your products. You can start by finding a reliable manufacturer. Finding a reliable manufacturer will be very beneficial to your business. The reasons are as follows. First of all, a good garment manufacturer can help you reduce your garment making expenses, which will help you make more profit. In addition, a qualified garment factory can increase efficiency, allowing you to complete your work in less time. Lastly, a good garment factory will provide high quality products, which will attract more customers to buy your garments and gain a good reputation for your streetwear brand.
In addition, you should have a general understanding of the production process. You don’t need to know every specialized production step like an expert, you just need to have a general understanding of the production process. During the production stage, you should always keep in touch with your manufacturer to know which step of your order has been carried out, and if you find problems or have questions during the process, you can communicate with the manufacturer in time and ask them to make adjustments. Because there are many details in garment production, only by controlling the production process can you ensure the quality of the garment. By doing so, you can avoid unnecessary rework and do not have to waste a lot of time and money to copy the clothes.
Marketing and Selling Customized Streetwear
Now that you have finished production, the one thing you should do is selling your customized streetwear. You should start by developing an effective marketing strategy. When doing this, you have to consider two things, your brand positioning and your target customers. You need to understand your brand positioning. For example, if you are a high-end clothing brand, you need to collaborate with some well-known celebrities or models to attract high consumer groups. Besides, you can use survey questionnaires to predict which groups are most likely to purchase your brand’s streetwear and develop appropriate promotional strategies.
Next, you need to use different social media and influencers to promote your streetwear. As we all know, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are three most widely used social media. You can create official account to promote your customized streetwear. Besides, Tik Tok is extremely popular among youngsters. You can hire models wearing your designed clothes to shoot videos and post it on the software. It will help you gain popularities among young people
Finally, you should establish online and offline sales channels. Nowadays, people tend to favor the brands with excellent after-sale service. As a customized streetwear brand, you must establish online and offline sales channels to deal with customers’ requests and complaints. You can make adjustments according to their feedbacks and gain a good reputation among customers.
Legal Considerations and Compliance
There are still a few things you should do for legal requirements. First, you should register your customized streetwear brand. To begin with, you should look for the requirements and prepare your documents accordingly. Then, you need to send your documents to apply for registration to relevant institutions. Next, you have to wait for relevant institutions to conduct preliminary review of the application and make their decisions. After that, relevant institutions will register your brand and announce to the public. Finally, you need to obtain your brand registration certificate.
Second, you need to understand intellectual property rights. Intellectual property rights refer to the exclusive rights enjoyed by the rights holder over the intellectual labor achievements they create, which are generally only valid for a limited period of time. Various intellectual creations, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, as well as logos, names, images, and designs used in business, can be considered intellectual property owned by a certain person or organization. The main categories include: patent rights, trademark rights, copyrights, etc.
Third, you have to comply with regulations and industry standards. Industry standards are standards formulated for technical requirements that do not have national standards but need to be unified within a certain industry across the country. When starting your custom streetwear brand, you need to make sure that your company do not break the regulations in this industry and meet the industry standards.
Start Your Streetwear Brand
This article describes the basic steps to creating a custom streetwear brand. We hope this article encourages aspiring streetwear entrepreneurs to create a custom streetwear brand. If you have any questions about starting your own brand, please feel free to contact us, as an apparel manufacturer with 15 years of experience in apparel manufacturing, we have helped countless brands design and produce their apparel products and we look forward to being your partner in taking your apparel brand to the next level.
