You are a fashion designer or a fashion enthusiast, and want to start a clothing brand! But not just any brand - you want to build a sustainable clothing brand. You being a conscious consumer yourself want your customers to have fair faith when they purchase your products. So, how do you get started?

Having gone through multiple research platforms, do you still feel confused about the process? Don’t worry, this article will take you through a stepwise process of creating a product line, and by the end of this article, you'll be all ready to launch your own brand. Even if you're just a beginner or already have a brand set up, this article will help you know the process in detail.

So, let's get started!

1. Brainstorm

This is the most crucial part and you might need to sit down with a pen and paper to jot down all your thoughts and queries. Your brand is going to be a reflection of you, hence it's important to be clear what image you want to present to the world.

Here are a few simple questions you might want to answer and write down:

-What does sustainability mean to you?

-Do you want just your clothes to be sustainable or the entire process of development to be ethical and sustainable (these two have completely different meanings)

-Why do you want to have a sustainable brand - what is your story behind it?

-What impact do you want to leave behind with your brand?

You can also answer this detailed questionnaire to help you decide where you are on your sustainability journey.

Once you're done with these questions, you will already start getting some clarity.

2. Research Step

If you have penned down thoughts about your brand, you're already in the second step of the process, which is Research. Alright, so what do you research?

Well, here are a few tips-

- Existing sustainable brands

See how some brands give transparency to their consumers, and what makes them reliable? (But be cautious of the greenwashed brands, you do not want to go down that road)

- Materials

Study why some materials are considered Sustainable over others? What is the difference between organic and non-organic fabrics? What are the materials available in the market that you can use? Here is a list of some newest eco-friendly fabric options in the market that you can read about.

3. Time to Take the Action Step

Once you have clarity on your brand image and have researched sustainable options available in the market, this step will all be about finalizing the product line and its materials. You would need to partner with a clothing manufacturer who understands your vision, and brand image and would be ready to join you in this journey.

If you're just starting off with a small batch of products, not all manufacturers may be willing to collaborate, and even if they do, there is going to be a constant push for more orders.

- Customization

Ask your manufacturer how much customization they can offer on your product.

- Minimum Order Quantity:

Often abbreviated as MOQ- minimum order quantity is the order quantity per design you're confident to sell? This is not an easy question to answer at the beginning, so make sure your manufacturer can offer customized MOQ as per your requirement. Your manufacturer should be capable of producing small as well as large order quantities. You do not want to start with a very small set up at the beginning such that once your brand grows big they are unable to produce large quantities.

Zeddwork Studio Pvt. Ltd. is one such manufacturing setup where your order quantity can be easily customized to your needs

- Transparency

You're creating a sustainable brand that is transparent to its customers. Some of the questions you want to ask are- Who is making your clothes, and under what conditions? Have you seen the behind-the-scenes of your cloth's journey? Collaborate with a manufacturer who works with transparency - you could request them for factory visits or video calls, images, videos of the process.

The journey from farmer's field to customer's wardrobe is a long way, and you should be able to see the entire journey from start to finish with your manufacturer.

At Zeddwork Studio Pvt. Ltd., you can ask for videos of the production process of your garments. We would be happy to capture the journey of a product for you.

Your customer should have the freedom and right to trace back the clothing history, and here at Zeddwork Studio, we offer just that.

(To know more, please connect with us and we'd be glad to talk to you and understand your needs in depth)

- Materials

What materials are being used in your garments, and where are these raw materials procured from? Is your manufacturer able to give you certified organic materials? (Although a certificate is not the only way to authenticate the fabric is organic, there are more realistic ways, more about this when we connect?)

4. Time to hit the market

With all your research and queries answered, you're now all set to launch your brand. But wait - what about designing and sampling products? You do need to have your designs ready, which is easy if you're a designer. But it's not really necessary to be a designer to launch a brand.

There are several options to design your product line- you can either outsource these projects to an independent freelance designer or connect with your manufacturer’s in-house design team for assistance. Some manufacturers also help you in the process of designing, right from sketches to brand building.

Zeddwork Studio is one such place where a team of fashion and graphic designers can help you create customized designs for your brand.

Being a sustainable clothing brand you should design a clothing line that is supposed to last longer. Our fabric research team helps you curate the materials you should be using for your brand - from recycled materials, and eco-friendly materials to organic materials.

Once all your paper sketches and designs are final you want them to be converted to actual samples, where your manufacturer comes into play. This part is called Sampling- where you have an actual product developed.

At Zeddwork Studio, your first samples are basically made free of cost*, because we understand this entire brand launch is a big investment on your end and we want to be helpful and budget-friendly in the whole process. We are known for our personalized services, product quality, and transparency at each step.

We wish you all the best on this exciting journey!

(*only if in case the initial samples developed are not converted to order, we would request sampling charges to fairly compensate our workers )