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Branding Fundamentals for the Fashion Industry

Adam Torkildson

It started somewhere back in the 19th century when Charles Frederick Worth became the first fashion designer in the world by labeling his garments. This was the origin of what today is a multi-billion-worth fashion industry.

Being a part of this exciting world is a challenge for both the experienced and the newcomers. Take a look at these branding basics if you’re going to start a brand in fashion:

Build a Strong Brand Image

Of course, fashion design is about how people experience their clothing and brands are much more than a name or a logo. The brand design itself should be strong enough to be memorable and meaningful for new customers, especially for emerging brands.

Focus on planning how to relate to consumers. Save time using an online logo maker for your brand logo design that reflects perfectly what your brand is all about.

If you have absolutely no clue on where to start, let me point out a few fashion logo must-haves:

  • Readable. Use a typeface that reads well. Avoid handwritten fonts or those who are extremely light.
  • Simple. Unless intricate design fits your brand’s aesthetics, choose simple elements to represent your concept. It’s easier to remember and looks better when printing or embroidering it.
  • A logo says a lot about your brand, if it resembles one that already exists, consumers may think you’re a knockoff brand.
  • It’s all been done before, but a logo might become a pattern or a piece of clothing, so be creative and think about all the possibilities for it.

You can get some inspiration behind a name’s meaning, a word that really represents your message or something in another language.

Besides creating a logo, you should work on a slogan that defines your brand in a few words. My advice on this is to stay away from common phrases and clichés and keep it as simple as possible. Also, try to use it on specific materials such as packaging, website and business presentations, not on every piece of content you create.

Find Your Own Voice

Why are famous fashion brands so different from each other? They’ve found their own voices and personalities, then planned accordingly.

This can be only achieved through hard work and a lot of effort put into marketing and deep research, so be sure to take time to do your homework and define a personality that speaks for your brand.

To define your voice, you can start by listing your core values and create messages based on them. Then create a statement for your brand, this is your mission, what you represent and the way you operate on a daily basis.

Make a First Impression That Lasts

Work on a compelling message so customers relate to your clothing, create an experience for them right from the very beginning. It will work for the first impression they make when wearing your brand.

This message –textures, materials, colors, copy, logos– has to be consistent between the product itself, the packaging, the shopping experience, and the social media content. According to Gail McInnes, editor-in-chief at The Pull Magazine, branding must be established from the start and be consistent through language, imaging, print, and written material.

Be Relevant Online and on Social Media

Brand your content, if you’re making an effort to update your presence on social media, create original assets that reflect your brand’s personality.

All the effort you put into good content will translate to good performance and sales growth. A great piece of information to keep in mind is that by 2020, the equivalent to 1.7 MB of data per second will be created for each human on Earth. This is an overwhelming content production!

That huge amount of data means you’ll be competing to get seconds of your consumers’ attention, so having a compelling voice and up-to-date content will work in your favor. This is vital to new fashion brands and your way to make an impression on your target.

Build Lasting Relationships with Customers

One of the reasons why top fashion brands are still relevant to their customers after a long time is the strong relationships they’ve built with each other over time.

Fashion brands must adapt to market changes and to consuming habits, and make an extra effort to meet regular customers’ new needs and wants. Fortunately, social media and online surveys are a quick way to know what they’re up to.

Online giveaways, special offers and loyalty programs can work for you. Remember the relationship with customers should go beyond transactions, especially because fashion is an essential part of their living. Here are some things that can help you build a loyalty program:

  • Consider there are 52 micro-seasons of fashion, at least in the fast-fashion industry.
  • Word-of-mouth referrals –get discounts if customer’s close friends shop too, for example– could work if millennials are your target, this is the way they discover new fashion.
  • Create personalized rewards, people like to be seen and heard, and perhaps a loyalty card won’t be attractive enough.
  • Birthday rewards and seasonal gifts always work well if they involve an experience besides getting a special price, like a nametag or seasonal design.

Fashion is an exciting yet extremely competitive field, brands come and go every day and those who succeed are the ones that keep a cohesive brand message and push their branding further to be innovative and unique. If you make a real effort to build a strong core for your brand, it will overcome momentary trends and stand on its own after a while.

Also, careers in fashion branding are now evolving and adapting to the digital age. The timing is perfect for those wanting to try new things and experiment all over digital media because famous brands are redesigning and reinventing their aesthetic for the sake of being attractive for new generations.

Is your brand ready to jump into this industry or are you still working on the basic stuff? Do you have any advice for fashion entrepreneurs? Share your thoughts in the comments below!