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| Photo Credit:I.G @grass_fields |
If you enjoy and excel at sewing, you may dream of running a sewing business from your home. You may be confused how to start a home sewing business or if it is the right decision for you. By taking the time to determine your ability to run a successful home sewing business and then thoughtfully setting up your company, you can start earning money doing something you love from the comfort of your home.
Venturing into the Sewing Business, Consider the following:
The Garment industry is a very lucrative and profit oriented business but needs a lot of skill, passion, hard work and patience to succeed. You also need the necessary skill to excel in this fashion business. If there’s a major determinant of whether you’ll succeed or not, it’s the level of your ability and creativity.
The Garment industry is a very lucrative and profit oriented business but needs a lot of skill, passion, hard work and patience to succeed. You also need the necessary skill to excel in this fashion business. If there’s a major determinant of whether you’ll succeed or not, it’s the level of your ability and creativity.
Assess your abilities as a seamstress.-: Before you begin planning to establish a home sewing business, you first need to honestly assess your abilities as a seamstress. Taking an objective view of your skills can help you decide if starting a sewing business is the right option for you.
An excellent way to assess your skills is to compare your work to other seamstresses in your area. Is your work comparable or better? You can’t expect to be successful if you can’t compete. Do you frequently have people asking you who sewed your clothing? If so, this might be a good sign that your skills are in demand, especially because word of mouth can be a powerful advertising tool.
Finance-: How much will it cost you to start a clothing line? How would you get funding for your business.
- Do you have all the capital you need to start your clothing line?
- If you don’t, how do you plan to raise the needed funds?
- Do you have a good credit rating to be able to borrow money from financial institutions and if you don’t, what is your back up plan?
Location-: You also have to carefully consider the location where you intend to set up your business to determine if it’s the right one for your business.
Competition-: Do you have what it takes to compete with the existing brands?
Tax-Policies-: Are the tax laws in your country favorable for your business?
Rent-: Are costs of renting a business premises in that place favourable to other places?
Suppliers and customers-: What is your relationship to your suppliers and customers?
If you are able to answer these questions in the affirmative or positive direction, then you are ready to start.
Starting a Clothing Line
- Get in the right mindset
- Understand the fashion industry
- Write a business plan
- Build a Brand
- Register your trademark
- Create a bank account for your business
- Design your Clothes
- Find a Manufacturer
- Advertise your clothing line
- Register a domain name and create a website
- Talk to retailers
- Develop affiliate programs
- Manage your business
Your sewing kit should contain the following items as a Tailor or Dress Maker:
- Sewing Machine
- Embroidery Machine
- Weaving Machine
- Needle Threader
- Assorted Sewing Machine Needles:
- Extra Bobbins for Sewing Machine: Having extra bobbins means that you won’t have to re-wind your bobbin each time you switch thread colors.
- Regular Presser Foot: A regular presser foot is suitable for most sewing projects.
- Walking Foot: A walking foot is needed when sewing heavy, thick or stretchy fabrics.
- Zipper Foot: A zipper foot will make attaching zippers much easier.
- Fabric Scissors: Fabric shears are used to cut fabric only. Using them to cut paper will dull them and make them unusable.
- Embroidery Scissors: Embroidery scissors are handy to have close by when sewing. Their small size makes it easy to trim loose threads.
- Paper Scissors: Paper scissors should only be used for cutting paper (such as patterns).
- Marking Pencils or tailor’s chalk: Fabric marking pencils are made of a special lead that will disappear after being washed.
- Straight Pins: Straight pins are used to hold two or more pieces of fabric together as you sew.
- Seam Ripper: used to carefully take out stitching errors.
- Seam Gauge Ruler: Also called sliding gauges, they are used to accurately mark seam widths, or other short measurements.
- Measuring Tape: Use your tape measure to take body measurements, and measure lengths of fabric.
Other items are:
- Assorted Hand Sewing Needles: Hand sewing needles come in many different lengths and thicknesses. The size you use will depend on your project and preferences.
- Iron & ironing board: An iron uses very high temperatures (and sometimes steam) to press fabrics flat and remove wrinkles. An ironing board provides a safe surface to iron on.
- Ruler: A ruler is often easier to use than a measuring tape for small measurements. It also can help you draw a straight line if needed.
- Thread to match your fabric: Different fabric types and weights require different types of thread.
- Pencil & Paper: Used for making notes, and creating patterns.
- Pincushion: Many tailors find it easier to keep their pins in a pincushion, rather than a box, as they can be grabbed quickly and easily. Pincushions come in many shapes and sizes. Tabletop pincushions sit on your table, while wrist pincushions are attached to your wrist like a watch.
To market and sell your designs:
- Racks: There are different types of racks that you can use to display your products in a boutique or at home.
- Slat wall: To hang clothes on the wall to save space.
- Mannequins: Mannequins are better for displaying clothes and attract buyers because they are able to see, to an extent how the clothes would look in reality.
- Hangers: Select high quality hangers. Also consider investing in customized hangers with your brand name on it as a way to promote your business.
- Labels and Tags: You would also need labels with your brand name on it and price tags.
- Packaging materials: Packaging goes a long way in advertising your business, using a branded paper-bag will sell your brand.
Don’t quit your day job. Be patient and wait for the right opportunity before quitting your current job. Setting up your business will come with upfront costs in materials and equipment. It can take also take a while to develop a customer base or get in with a cleaners or department stores for consistent work.
Resources: wiki how & NigeriaHeartBeat
