How to start a clothing brand

What must a clothing label say?

Two FTC rule sets cover garment labels. The Textile and Wool Rules require three disclosures, and the Care Labeling Rule adds a fourth:

Details that trip up first collections:

• Fibers under 5% are listed as "other fiber" unless they have a functional purpose at that level, such as spandex added for stretch. Wool must always be named, at any percentage.
• On a garment with a neck, the country of origin goes on a label at or near the inside center of the neck. Fiber content and your name or RN can be on that label or on another conspicuous one, such as a side seam.
• Care labels must stay attached and legible for the garment's useful life, and you need a reasonable basis for every instruction. You cannot write "Dryclean only" unless you have evidence washing would harm it.
• You may use the ASTM care symbols in place of words, as long as they meet the rule's requirements.

Do I need an RN number?

No. The FTC says you do not need an RN to do business; it is simply a way to identify your company on labels instead of printing your full name. Each company is assigned only one, and it cannot be transferred. The FTC lists the benefits: buyers can find you through the RN directory, it takes less space than a company name, and it helps with record-keeping.

If a factory labels garments with your brand's RN or name, make sure the goods really go to you. The FTC warns that if goods labeled with a retailer's name or RN are sold to someone else instead, the label must be removed and replaced with the name or RN of the company actually distributing them.

What do I have to say when I sell clothes online?

The FTC requires country of origin in mail order and internet advertising too. Each product description must say whether the item was made in the U.S.A., imported, or both:

• "Made in U.S.A." only if all units are made completely in the US of US materials.
• "Made in U.S.A. and Imported" for US manufacture from imported materials, or part made in the US and part abroad.
• "Made in U.S.A. or Imported" when some units come from a domestic source and others from abroad.

The description must match the label on the garment. If you also print "Made in USA" in your branding, it has to meet the FTC's general Made in USA standard.

Which safety rules apply to clothing?

The CPSC's Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles applies to clothing and the textiles used to make it, and bans dangerously flammable ones. It excludes some items, such as hats that do not cover the neck, face or shoulders, gloves up to 14 inches long and most footwear. Two kinds of fabric are exempt from testing to support a guaranty: plain-surface fabrics weighing 2.6 ounces per square yard or more, and fabrics made entirely of acrylic, modacrylic, nylon, olefin, polyester or wool. Fabrics outside those two groups, such as lightweight plain weaves or a cotton fleece, are the ones to ask your fabric supplier about.

Children's clothing carries more rules:

• Sleepwear has its own, stricter flammability standards: 16 CFR part 1615 for sizes up to 6X and part 1616 for sizes 7 through 14, with exceptions for items like tight-fitting garments.
• Drawstrings: the CPSC treats children's upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 with drawstrings that do not meet ASTM F1816-97 as a substantial product hazard.
• Certification: a product designed or intended primarily for children 12 or younger needs a Children's Product Certificate based on tests by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory.

How do I plan and price the first production run?

Keep the first collection small. A few styles in a few colors let you learn sizing, fit and demand before you commit cash to stock. Then:

1. Prepare a tech pack for each style: flat sketches, measurements by size, fabric and trims, and your label content from the sections above.
2. Approach manufacturers with it and ask for minimum order quantities, sample costs and lead times; see how to find a manufacturer.
3. Approve a fit sample and a pre-production sample before the run, and check the labels on them.
4. Cost each style per unit: fabric, trims and labels, cutting and sewing, freight and duties, packaging, then your channel's fees, and set a price that leaves a margin at wholesale if you plan to sell to shops (pricing guide).