Creating a custom clothing shop online?

19 replies
Anyone have experience with this or know anyone that does. I want to create custom t-shirts and all that and have an online store. Something that looks like ed hardy and all that high end stuff, it will be expensive because i want to use the best material and all that. Also besides having an online shop how else could i get exposure, thanks.
#clothing #creating #custom #online #shop
  • Profile picture of the author jtripp
    Hey,

    I have my own children's clothing line that I design and create so I may be able to answer some of your questions. You can checkout my site at Define Me Clothing

    What do you want to know?

    Jennifer
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  • Profile picture of the author Ernie Lo
    You could try things like Youtube videos, myspace groups etc, create a viral buzz around your brand of clothes.

    sounds very exciting good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author harrysidhu
      hey jtripp do you do this full time and what kind of income do you have if you dont mind sharing?
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      • Profile picture of the author jtripp
        I have a couple of personalized product lines and I run them all together full time. I started selling the clothing in December, 2008 so it is still very new. Right now almost everything I make is going back into buying more blank garments (I plan to start offering other lines for moms, dads and other baby items like blankets and bibs).

        It is definitely an expensive venture to take on (relative to writing an ebook for example). Just buying the garments alone cost me around $3,000 and I only go up to size 4T. It will be at least another $3,000 to get what I need to offer other lines.

        I've been successful at getting my clothing into several online boutiques as well as one catalog. So far those partnerships have been the best source of sales although my website is starting to get out there. My big push over the summer will be getting my product reviewed online and offline as well as working on SEO for my site.

        Have you been to T-Shirt Forums I spent alot of time there when I was planning my business and found it a great source of information.

        As for CafePress, I considered them seriously but was turned off by a few things...

        First that they don't use your name on the invoice/packaging and obviously not on the garment itself, so everyone who orders from you will know it came from CafePress. So building your own brand is nearly impossible with them.

        And they also offer only a limited selection of garments. For me, offering a wider variety of styles and colors really sets me apart from the competition. And I ordered the best quality I could find so my customers rave about how nice my products are.

        Feel free to ask me any other questions you have!

        Jennifer
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        • Profile picture of the author harrysidhu
          do you produce all the clothing by yourself, and do you have a big like assembly line or is it all at home and do you use silk screening and what else do you need because im going to have really intriquit designs like the designer stuff out there. Also how did you go about getting your clothing into stores and all that and hows the money form that?
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  • Profile picture of the author Doctor Ken
    This is the easiest way to order custom clothing I've ever seen. I like that idea........
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    • Profile picture of the author edhan
      My daughter is working with some of her classmates to import some t-shirts and shorts from overseas as well as custom clothing. She is thinking and planning to setup a website to sell them.

      She and her friends are basing on word of mouth among fellow students to get the news out. Since it is still in the planning stage and yet to hunt for a good domain name, etc. I do believe there is alot of potential in this as it is the trends in schools where teenagers want to buy trendy clothes.
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  • Profile picture of the author jtripp
    I have the clothing printed for me at a printing facility using Direct to Garment (DTG). Because everything I do is personalized, silk screening is not an option. For every name I would have to have a new screen made which obviously wouldn't make sense. Silk screening is also not a very good option if you are going to have alot of colors on each print because you pay extra for every color.

    The DTG is amazing because I just have one garment made at a time so I don't have to invest thousands in having them preprinted in every size and color combination. And it feels like part of the shirt so it is very soft and does not crack, peel or fade.

    Since my only designs are personalized ones right now I do not wholesale to stores. But I have not had a problem finding online stores to carry my products because they are unique.

    Hope this helps,
    Jennifer
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  • Profile picture of the author hangtimenino
    Be careful, with posting your designs online, because if they are very unique, they may not be after you have posted them online.There are so many copycats out there, and with out proper protection, you might end up looking like the copycat.

    Have fun!
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  • Profile picture of the author gb4biz
    Harry, PM me and I'll give you the source that prints all of ___ ___ tees. The design your
    asking about would best be done as a process print, sublimation Transfer or DTG print, with Process requiring decent volume. Hope this helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author harrysidhu
      is it better to outsource my designs to printers or do it all my self i wouldn't mind doing it all myself its fun lol
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  • Profile picture of the author jtripp
    Sorry I disappeared. Was away for a mini-vacation this weekend.

    I think that DTG would be perfect for that design. From my research it would also be the least expensive option because you would need so many screens created it would make for a high per print cost with screenprinting.

    Sublimation is another option but can only be done on a blend shirt. If you plan on offering poly/cotton blends only then you should look into that. For me I do everything 100% cotton because that is what people want for their children.

    As for printing it yourself, I do know that a good quality DTG machine is $15,000+ so you have to consider how much you want to spend upfront. They can apparently also be very finicky and need regular maintanance to avoid becoming plugged up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lindsay Brynn
    I have considered doing this in the past too. Stay away from cafepress though - I believe their materials are pretty poor quality. Though I haven't made a t-shirt there since 2005. It practically fell apart after one wash.
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  • Profile picture of the author nido123
    Well, nice article buddy... Someone will love to read this infor if I tell her about this. She's really interested in this subject. Thanks again...
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  • Profile picture of the author Rich Lowe
    Hi,

    I think there is a real need for this because here in the UK people don't want whats so called in "fashion" and the standard of the clothes is really awful these days.

    Would you make jumpers too?

    Rich
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark F Hall
    Check out 10ShirtsFor99.com

    They do FULL COLOR printing on the front, back, sides and sleeves with no screen, set-up or art charges.

    They have lots of options and upgrades. Including an option for 1 shirt, and an option to get the shirt free.
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  • Profile picture of the author netcatapult
    sound like a great venture... when you are ready I may be able to help you with the web development aspects as I have developed online t-shirt designers and design your own type product websites.
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