Depending on who your target market is, where your shop is based and a whole list of other variables, there are a number of different ways and places to buy your clothes. Here I have listed a few doors that you can open and have a look into to create some new paths for your fashion buying.
Ex Chainstore Clothing
The first option I am going to talk about is the thing I know best. Ex chainstore clothing. I know that sometimes it is not entirely clear what “Ex Chainstore Clothing” is so I will do my best to explain it to you.
Big U.K. retailer such as Next or M & S place orders for clothing to be made in factories and these orders are often cancelled. Wholesale companies in the U.K. such as J & N Herz Ltd often step in and buy this surplus stock and are able to sell it at a vastly reduced price.
The clothing that you see in these types of retailers is often from last season or at worst the season before that, but all of the garments you will find are brand new and have never been worn. Sometimes you will find a style that is still on sale in the retailers themselves!
This type of clothing sometimes gets a bad rep, as people think that the clothes must be no good, or have something wrong with them. Take a look at this gorgeous dress for example, and you will see that some great products can be bought.
Have a look for yourself… www.ladies-mens-childrens-clothes.co.uk
Designing your own clothes
If you are lucky enough to be a skilled clothing designer, or you are simply quite good at using graphics programs such as Photoshop, then you can get these clothes made to your exact specifications.
Designing T-shirts
If you’re a bit of a wiz on photoshop and illustrator then its possible to come up with some great designs to print onto t-shirts. This is a pretty easy way of getting a unique product to your stores and is also pretty simple.
Often you can design a picture and send a .jpg file or a .psd file with a picture of your design to a t-shirt printer and they will be able to make as many or as little as you want.
If you are planning to do this you can get your t-shirts printed in your home country, which is often quite quick, or if you are feeling adventurous and are looking to save a bit more money then you may consider getting your t-shirts made in Asia.
In the U.K. there are hundreds of t-shirt printing companies who will be able to make as few or as many t-shirts as you like, but they might be quite expensive.
If you are going to have your t-shirts made in Asia there are thousands of factories that are based in many countries who specialise in making t-shirts. They will probably have an English speaking rep who will be able to communicate to you over the phone or via email. You will need to find out if they have the ability for you to email them a picture of your design and if it’s possible to make the t-shirt from there.
The other daunting task is organising delivery, but its really not that difficult. All you need to do is find a shipper in your selected country and they will take care of it for you.
Designing more complex garments
If you are a very skilled designer you will be able to design exact patterns and mock ups of what is needed. This is a more difficult task to undertake, but its far from impossible.
If you get in touch with some factories abroad, they will be more than willing to help you as they are happy to have your business.
Again you will probably be able to communicate with an English speaking rep who will tell you exactly what you need to provide them with, and for arranging shipping its simple a case of getting on that phone and speaking to someone. You will be surprised how helpful people will be.
Pre-designed Clothing
The internet is FULL of factories who are offering pre designed clothes whether they are brands you know or not. The place that you will have to look is Alibaba.com.
This is a huge Mecca of factories and exporters who have loads of designs that might tackle your fancy.
You should know however that there are also some people who are out to take you for a ride and they can be found on this site. If you are ordering clothing from here as with anywhere on the internet, keep your wits about you and don’t presume people will do what they say.
On a lighter note! Some of the clothing designs you can see on this website are to die for and are displayed and photographed so you know exactly what you might be getting.
Buying Known Brand Names
This is a slightly more difficult area to get your goods and can sometimes very much go with the saying “Its not what you know, its who you know”.
As with anything you may get your lucky breaks and meet someone in the right place at the right time. To make this happen for you, you must look in the right places and speak to the best people.
Trade shows are a great way to get to see products, find companies that are certified wholesalers of known brands and best of all networking. At these shows you will be able to speak to people who know the industry inside out and they will be able to tell you who sells what, and where to look.
Of course it is possible to get in contact with the brands directly yourself, but unless you are somehow already established with this brand, it can be hard to get to speak to anyone who has any authority.
As long as you keep in touch with people who know what they’re talking about and try and meet as many new people as possible, opportunities will present themselves.
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