The clothing market is full of big names like Adidas, Puma, Nike, etc. But let’s not forget that sky is the only limit, so yeah, in this significantly expanded world of sports clothing lines, and you still have a chance to create a new hype. Sportswear and Activewear apparel is significantly in demand. According to the stats, the market share value will be $319.37 billion in 2022. Because of the increased participation of the public in a healthier lifestyle, the sports and fitness clothing line have outgrown significantly.
It is critical to map out your way to Activewear manufacturing. After that comes the whole process you are going to take to make it to the market. One thing that must remember is that people (your customer) buy with their hearts and affirms it with their heads.
So, creating hype and making your brand aesthetic is essential to adopting the right strategy. Because with the right approach, you are just a few steps away from seeing your brand running to the top faster than flash.
So, now that you are sure about starting your fitness clothing line, be it gym wear, Activewear, workout clothes, athleisure garments, etc. This article on “how to start a fitness clothing line” is all you need to consider to have a look at the whole picture.
Everything you need to know about How to Start a Fitness Clothing Line
Stepping into a market already fully covered by competitors and strong players is like stepping into a battlefield with no weapons. Well, it’s not that much challenging, don’t worry. Obviously, you might fall a few times at the start, which is expected in the clothing industry.
We have designed a comprehensive guide on starting a fitness clothing line to achieve the bare minimum risk and fall in the market. So, without further ado, let’s start this guide and explore what you need to do when starting your own fitness clothing line.
Conduct a Thorough Research of the Clothing Industry and Choose the Target Market
Getting into the market must remember that you are your competitors from the smallest to the biggest giants in the industry. And many competitors might be selling you are thinking too, but there might be a slight gap for you. A gap you can fulfill, you need to find a profitable niche.
Like every other business, it’s essential to analyze and understand the market you are diving into. Thorough research is a crucial element, and this helps you get all the information that you must know. Moreover, understanding the market and understanding your customer’s behavior is essential. Since the apparel and clothing business is all about looking fit and sound, it gives a proper idea that you’ll have to focus on the young customers who love to be appropriate.
Another essential and fundamental element is to understand and know your customers. This research comes under the market and industry research. If you are going to launch a physical store, then it’s essential to set it up in an excellent populated area so that your brand comes across the eyes of your audience. You need to understand various demographics to identify the target market.
- Age
- Transportation Access
- Income
- Employment status
- Personal presences
- Lifestyle
Remember that clothing is a widespread industry, and its consumer highly depends upon fashion trends, comfort, good-looking factor, and the functionality of the clothes.
Establish a Niche Market
Being a startup business, you will face cutthroat competition in the Fitness Clothing Line Business, so having a unique and profitable niche market is probably the best chance to make your brand successful in the market. Now is your opportunity to compete against leading brands in your market and build an unforgettable brand identity with your customers.
It’s a crowded market, so focusing on the different gateways is essential. You can stand out in the market by offering something new, unique, and problem-solving, like producing –highly comfortable sportswear.
You can design your clothes by having a great range of products. Customers can switch from one product to another product in just seconds, so having more options for customers is beneficial. Pick various types of fabrics and styles with new and trending designs, and then aim to make the best mix from them.
Take your aim towards the sportswear, Gym Apparel Line, and workout clothing line and study your target market. For instance, if your target market is the customer’s plays soccer, make sure you have sufficient inventory and up to trend clothing related to soccer.
A Well Build a Business Plan
Another essential element that you need is a well-built and robust clothing line business plan. Using your research findings, you can make up a business plan that defines your business strategy about how you will be working in the market and how your business benefits the customers.
Having a business plan increases your business’s scope and provides you with a new opportunity in the market. It is an essential part that can help you start an athletic clothing line.
Moreover, you can also get funds from banks for business if you have a strong business plan. It defines how your company creates and delivers values to the customers. Starting a business plan and modifying it according to the market trends is an integral part of the business.
Obtain a License
Obtaining a license is an essential part of your Fitness Clothing Line Business. Compared to the other steps mentioned above, getting a license to do business in the clothing industry is simple. All you need to do is fill out a couple of application sign couple of documents. You can contact the local license authority about the whole procedure of registering your business and making it legal to sell. Some of the licensing authorities might give you the permit without inspection, while some of the authorities require inspection.
As you will be employing staff, it’s essential to follow the process to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN). If it’s vital in your area, you’ll get a sales tax registration and other tax licenses from your local department of Revenue.
Related: How to trademark a clothing brand
All Set for Branding
After going through all of the steps mentioned above, you need to pick a brand name. Set a perfect name for your fitness apparel that reflects your business idea. Think about your business’s brand values, vision, mission, and images, and then name your brand accordingly.
Create a Logo for Your Brand
A logo is an integral part of your fitness apparel clothing line, create a logo and change your logo if needed. Make sure it is unique and stylish that the customer loves to wear.
Set Up an Online Presence
In today’s world, an online presence is a must for clothing business because a lot of customer loves to shop online, so you must build a functional and user-friendly website that customer love to visit and shop from.
Design Your Own Gym Wear
You can also design your gym wear, and it’s a new trend in the clothing industry. We offer you the service to design your own custom designs of gym wear and fitness. With ourcut and sew apparel manufacturing options, you can customize your clothes according to your style. We have a designer team here that can better shape your brilliant idea with freedom. You are free to use any fabric and add your colors and make it the way you want it. We are flexible to make any design that you want.
Legal Requirements to Start Your Own Clothing Brand
Before opening a business, there are a couple of legal requirements that you need to settle. Complying with the legal requirements allows your business to have a smooth and uninterrupted launch in the marketplace. First, you must register your fitness brand apparel in the city or state where you sell it. Initially, you need to clear the number of business entity types, sales entities, permits, and licenses.
- Selecting the legal entity for your fitness brand apparel
Business entities like S corporations, LLCs, or sole proprietors exist. Out of all, the easiest and fastest legal entity that matches your business requirements is the LLC or Sole proprietorship. Under the sole proprietorship, you will report your business’s tax return figures. Also, under the sole proprietorship, only you and your business will be responsible for any liability. However, you should remember that the quickest isn’t the best way for you. You must explore all your options and learn about each business entity. We recommend hiring an accountant with strong knowledge of different business entities.
You should remember that you need to split your business among different partners in the partner entity, as it’s an essential requirement for a partnership entity. In addition, your fitness clothing business will get imposed on different businesses, so it’s important to choose the right business type to deal with legal licenses and permits in the best manner.
- Collecting Your Business License And Legal Permits
From the launch of your business, you need to ensure that your fitness clothing brand meets all the law requirements and all the tax regulations of the city, country or state in which you are operating. Every city in the USA has their own business requirements to operate, so you must connect with a business administration unit in your US to know about all the legal permits you need to have to operate your clothing business. You can apply for any business entity through them by submitting all the documents needed, and then you can collect your business license and permits. And TADA, you are good to go.
Read more about: how to trademark your clothing business
How Can You Choose the Suitable Fitness Clothing Manufacturer?
There are several Activewear manufacturers with various levels of expertise in the market. If you are to start a fitness brand, you seriously need to pick up the proper sportswear manufacturer, as working with them will be long-term benefits for them. To help you spot an expert clothing manufacturer, here are some tips that can help you recognize a good manufacturer when starting a Fitness Apparel Line
- The manufacturer you are working with, must be professional
Since you are a startup in the industry, you can’t afford any risk. Connecting with an expert USA apparel manufacturer with years of experience in fitness clothing is essential. They can provide you with valuable quality with a brand and specification of your requirements and support to help you grow in the market. - Modern approach to clothes manufacturing
Certain types of advanced machinery and Equipment for sportswear manufacturing create unique materials designs. Different clothes stick to each other in fitness and Activewear through different processes, which is only done by various ranges of advanced machinery. Like here at Zega Apparel, we use advanced cutting machines to cut your clothes according to your needs perfectly. - Mock ups > tech packs > Sampling > bulk production
the heading shows the best practices of expert clothes manufacturers. After taking your order, they create mock-ups and tech-packs (a file containing all your cloth’s fabric, style, and measurement color details). After getting your approval, they made a sample and delivered it to you so that you can look at the quality you are getting.
You can make any changes if you want. They will apply those changes and then, after the approval of your sample, then go ahead with bulk production minimizing the risk.
Conclusion
So, by following the given procedure, you can start an athletic clothing line. We hope this article will help you with all of your queries and give you a proper idea.
We know starting a clothing business is not an easy task, but you are good to go with the guideline. Zega Apparel is passionate about helping the startup clothing business and holds years of expertise. Drop us a line to get a free consultation and a guide on starting your successful fitness clothing line.
