Children’s Designer Clothing
Got an eye for design? Find your niche in creating standout clothes for babies and kids.
Startup Costs: $10,000 – $50,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Franchises Available? Yes
Online Operation? Yes
THE BRIEF
Calling all design mavens. It’s time to profit from your great fashion sense 鈥 and听sewing skills 鈥 by starting a business designing and manufacturing children’s designer clothing. Your first step is to assess the market and see what’s missing. This is the secret to identifying听a niche: Is it modern organic baby clothes? Gender-neutral leisurewear that’s perfect for听school or lounging? One crucial thing to keep in mind is that clothes for little ones need to be completely safe. You can听assess your offerings听with this tool from the听. You also need to figure out how you’ll market your products. The traditional route is to visit local children’s boutiques to see if they’d be interested in carrying your line. But you may want to bypass brick and mortar and sell听your products exclusively through your own听website and/or on auction sites. Local craft fairs may also be a great outlet for your wares, particularly when you’re just starting. Overall, it’s essential to听spend time upfront thinking through听why you created your brand.听Having an authentic story will help you stand out in a crowded market and attract more loyal shoppers.
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ASK THE PROS
How much money can you make?
A children’s fashion designer听makes, on average, around $64,000, according to Glassdoor.com.听
What kind of experience do you need to have?
The biggest key is curiosity: “I learned about the clothing business by asking a lot of questions. Everywhere I went I asked a million questions about fabric, what鈥檚 involved in sourcing the materials, how it’s woven 鈥 every aspect of it. That鈥檚 how I learned. I would get three bids for everything and ask questions until I found the right vendors to do what I wanted to do: make simple, incredibly soft clothes for babies.鈥 鈥斕齈aige Lauren, creator of PaigeLauren organic baby clothes
What’s the most important thing to know about this business?
“There needs to be a constant flow of new items to keep听customers engaged, and there needs to be the right kind of PR. When I think of influencers, I don’t want听people with three听million followers who just take a picture of something and move on. I want real moms with a thousand followers who really love these clothes.” 鈥 Paige Lauren
The Market
Parents and grandparents of young children
Needed Equipment
A sewing machine