What is Private Label Clothing?

Private label clothing production gives fashion retailers achance to create their own brand without having to design their own product from scratch. This is great if you are looking into starting your own private fashion clothing line but you’re uncertain about covering all the ‘fashion design’ aspects of it.

The way it works is that the private label products are manufactured by one company for sale under another company’s brand. They are often positioned as a lower-cost alternative; however, some private label brands have been positioned as more ‘premium’ brands. These products often have a generic style but they can easily be modified with your brand label and tags; this is usually completed in the manufacturing process. Unlike well-established big fashion businesses, with private labelling, you are investing in a service that produce and deliver the clothes to you. This makes the process a whole lot easier and quicker.

By investing in private label fashion products, you still have control over the look and style of the product, however there are still may careful considerations you will need to take.

A current major private label apparel is Amazon. It alone sold 5 million items in apparel on Prime Day (in July 2018) and used its discounts to increase the sales of private labels. With this successful example, it shows that quality private label clothingis a great option for both small and big scale fashion businesses.

Benefits of private labelling also include:

1. It has more profit to it. A labelled item will always sell better than a generic non-labelled piece.
2. You have complete control over your business. Customers are loyal to brands, not products. Therefore, if you have a good marketing strategy, customers will be loyal to your fashion brand.
3. Customers prefer private labels. Private labels are generally cheaper but the quality is the same. This gives your fashion label plenty of scope and room for growth.
4. Once you have paid the manufacturing costs, the shelf prices are completely your decision.

On the other hand, there are still some risks you to need to consider when starting a private label, and it is important that you research everything before starting your own fashion private label. Some of these factors include:

1. The quality. You do not want to label a product that has poor quality as you will build a bad reputation and will make no sales. To avoid this, you need to ensure you are working with someone trustworthy and has a good reputation.
2. You want to work with someone who can fit within your timescales as you don’t want someone who does not meet your deadlines. Making the right choice comes down to researching thoroughly and looking at their reviews.
3. Once you brand your fashion item, it is your full responsibility. Although this may seem great, you need to think about the risks that come with it. For example, if you end up selling something that is dangerous or faulty, you are the one who will get into trouble for this. To ensure this does not happen, make sure you have all T&Cs signed in black and white with your
4. Consider legal obligations. These include trading rules, trademarks and patents; you do not want to get into trouble with patenting someone’s fashion designs. This can even come down to the wording you use as it can be a subject to copyright. Researching thoroughly once again and doing your legal checks should stop you from falling into any problems.

The bottom line is, building up your own private label is a great way to differentiate your product. You have full control of your fashion brandand can truly focus on engaging with your customers. Focusing on your brand story and asking yourself ‘what do I want my brand to stand for’ throughout the whole process will help you fulfil a strong, reliable and successful marketing plan. It is a step up from re-selling and gives you the opportunity to get your fashion brand established. To find out more about marketing and how to build a good fashion brand story, check out our recent article: ‘How to Create a Brand Story’.