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Starting a Clothing Business
Many students who take the Fashion Engineering program are thinking about starting a clothing
line. All these students are told that, although a few
people make good money sewing at home, it is better to
specialize in either manufacturing clothing or retailing
clothing. Even if you are making just one garment at a time for
one person, this is still manufacturing and retailing, and it is
just too many hats. However, there are many niche businesses
that, once one has knowledge of industrial skills, could be
started and kept home-based, even when the business becomes very
successful. Designing is done at home, work is contracted out.
The problem is sold over the net, and sold at wholesale trade
shows. Today, the internet and the phone make all this possible
on a global scale.
Students taking the Fashion Engineering program are required to write a business
plan if they want to receive the certificate of course
completion. They are not required to start a business.
But many do want to start a business. |
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Here are some of the business ideas
from the fall 2005 IFM class:
- start a line of clothing for
Muslim women
- commissioned sewing for
large women
- translating sewing
instructions into foreign languages
- designing and manufacturing
an upscale clothing line made from self-designed fabric
- producing pattern and
samples for small clothing lines who do their own
manufacturing
- designing and sewing dog
coats
- retailing a line of clothing
for ladies of the evening
- starting a sewing school
- manufacturing Victorian
costumes
- a mail order website selling
clothing to Spanish people living in the United States
- retailing a line of clothing
purchased wholesale for a target market (such as people
living in retirement communities)
- supplying boutiques with
novelty items like baby clothing
As you can see, the ideas for
starting a clothing business are practically unlimited.
There are excellent articles about all aspects of the fashion industry, including information about get rich scams that should be avoided on the shophotties.com web site.
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