Wear it, or Share it: How to Market a Small Apparel Business at a Young Age

Welcome back to The Finished Product everyone! We have spent a lot of time on sneakers and backstories the past few weeks so I wanted to turn things around and provide some insight on how to market a small apparel business at a young age!

HUSTLE, Heavrin. "Silk-Screen Press", Joshua D. Heavrin

As a young entrepreneur it is always hard to get a business started especially in the clothing industries where there are tens of thousands of brands. Looking into almost ever way possible to advertise and promote until you find the answer, but the answer can be quite simple.

A line of apparel is not something out of this world, a line of apparel is something that people want to wear simple as that. Majority of consumers look for a tailored brand that fits a specific brand image or message they hold true in themselves or it can be the simple fact that it looks appealing visually to a consumer, and on a consumer.

HUSTLE, Heavrin. "Vets" Joshua D. Heavrin. A design worn and built to raise awareness towards homeless veterans in Chicago, November, 2019.

So how do you market a personal apparel brand and business? WEAR IT! The most important step is to wear your own brand and represent who you are and what you have created. Wear it to school, the gym, on a trip, anywhere you can think of that will catch peoples attention. Not only you, but have some of your close friends and family wear a few samples of the merchandise as well, because then people will notice a lovely domino affect of the brand catching a consumers attention at different times and in different locations.

Amidst the beginning of Covid it was hard to advertise any business. Julian Jumpin Perez, a renowned Chicago DJ with a 97,000 Following on facebook hosted live streams to bring the party to your home. Raising money and awareness for people in need at that time I was able to connect with him to create this hoodie to advertise and promote his facebook streams!

The second most important step in promoting a small apparel business is to utilize the tools of modern day society. The most influential tool today is digital marketing, which is the usage of social accounts, the internet, and any online based digital technology. What this is going to do for your business is generate traffic so you can review your audience and see what is working and not. Sharing updates, videos, and pictures, anything that may pertain to a potential consumer, are essential components to growing a business. The more you share content, the more people will respond and this is again due to a domino affect of drawing in more attraction.

Everything starts small, but not everything has to end that way. By representing and wearing your brand and sharing it digitally, you will gain feedback or engagement. Last thing to remember is that all feedback is good feedback, even if you don't see it at first. Take it from someone who has gone down the same path and figured it out a little later in my career and this is why I love sharing personal knowledge with you all on these industries!

Thank you again for tuning in to The Finished Product and I hope those young entrepreneurs out there take this advice and follow it to the fullest.

HUSTLE:

How U Survive Through Life Everyday - "The true meaning behind what you do and accomplish."