Irish denim company.....am I mad? any thoughts at all would be cool

thegraham

Hi Guys,

Thinking about a start-up. Irish Denim company, goal would be to produce High-quality, affordable designer products. Would start the business on Instagram, have a shopify website. Would like the "company" to be ethical if at all possible. The hardest part will definitely be sourcing the denim.

Any feedback at all would be appreciated.

BuboBubo

Fashions change a lot. At the moment skinny type jeans which look like 4 alsation dogs fought over them are in fashion. If you were to make these types of jeans, they would probably be out of fashion by the time they are produced.

What is your market? Teens? Young adults? Yumny-mummies? Plus sized? Over 40's? Classic or high fashion? There's a lot of high end labels out there to compete with.

Denim jackets? May date quickly unless a very classic style. Handbags? (Actually I'd love a good sturdy denim handbag for everyday use, as I like to wash stuff and unwashable handbags are filthy things) Shirts - again, these come and go fashion wise, in various colours and styles.

You'll need a designer, fabric (which you'll need to source) and a shop floor with machinery. Marketing, advertising, etc etc...

You need to research a lot of stuff. I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide.

Axwell

What background or experience have you in fashion, clothing, retail, running a business? Your poll and the question of is this a ridiculous idea is impossible to answer without knowing about you and your experience.

thegraham

BuboBubo wrote: »

Fashions change a lot. At the moment skinny type jeans which look like 4 alsation dogs fought over them are in fashion. If you were to make these types of jeans, they would probably be out of fashion by the time they are produced.

What is your market? Teens? Young adults? Yumny-mummies? Plus sized? Over 40's? Classic or high fashion? There's a lot of high end labels out there to compete with.

Denim jackets? May date quickly unless a very classic style. Handbags? (Actually I'd love a good sturdy denim handbag for everyday use, as I like to wash stuff and unwashable handbags are filthy things) Shirts - again, these come and go fashion wise, in various colours and styles.

You'll need a designer, fabric (which you'll need to source) and a shop floor with machinery. Marketing, advertising, etc etc...

You need to research a lot of stuff. I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide.

Thank you, Appreciate the feedback even if I've provided barely any info..

thegraham

Axwell wrote: »

What background or experience have you in fashion, clothing, retail, running a business? Your poll and the question of is this a ridiculous idea is impossible to answer without knowing about you and your experience.

I have worked in a Small (but successful) clothing store in Dublin, also worked in several very successful Irish craft shops, including one set up by my mother which I was a part of from day one... so I have more than enough retail experience.

I would say I'm limited in detailed fashion knowledge. I am hugely passionate when it comes to what I wear and always buy ethical clothing. I'm a huge believer in Quality over quantity. Where I might run into difficulty the the design process, I have conceptual ideas of what I would like the jeans/hats/bags etc to look like but the actual professional design/measurement process intimidates me slightly.

Still short on info but maybe that helps a little.

Thanks!!

Mrs OBumble

Didn't Diesel do this already?

Bandara

I hate the fact that you included a poll ridiculing your own dream more than words can express

thegraham

Bandara wrote: »

I hate the fact that you included a poll ridiculing your own dream more than words can express

That in itself is validation that it isn't a ridiculous idea, thank you!

two wheels good

Hiut Jeans, based in Wales may be a company worth investigating.

the_syco

thegraham wrote: »

High-quality

thegraham wrote: »

affordable

thegraham wrote: »

ethical

Pick two.

Bandara

thegraham wrote: »

That in itself is validation that it isn't a ridiculous idea, thank you!

Your very welcome

If it is your dream and can look in the mirror and say honestly to yourself can do it, and you are prepared to do everything to achieve it. It is there for you.

You might not get rich, you might not ever get close to seeing the top of the mountain. But you will have a fire and a respect inside yourself that money or success cannot provide.


Allow me to use my second favourite quote ever, this from the great Rocky Balboa...

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done"


Good luck to you Graham.

jimmii

No

Is it mad? Probably. Could it work? Don't see why not. If the business is well run, you create something that people are looking for and then find a bit of luck then you might be able to make a living from something like that. The key is do you have the desire to make this work and do you have enough money to give it a chance? What sort of turn around time would you be hoping for? Seems these days the successful fashion start ups are the ones with a really quick turn around time that can bring out a design while it's still relevant and not be hoping it's a look that is still in demand in 6 months down the line.

bigpink

Look at the success of Poco jeans

jimmii

No

bigpink wrote: »

Look at the success of Poco jeans

Helps when you are already a known name and have a ready made audience to market at. This sort of thing is as much a social media game as a clothing game.

super_furry

You need to figure out what will make them Irish aside from being manufactured here and just what aspect of Irishness you're going for.

littlevillage

super_furry wrote: »

You need to figure out what will make them Irish aside from being manufactured here and just what aspect of Irishness you're going for.

You wouldn't be able to manufacture here due to cost and skills shortage...soo you would just be a design house or labeler....and thats already being done.

Paul Costelloe and John Rocha are both Irish fashion houses that make denim products (not exclusively denim products but you get the picture)

Dunness Stores is an Irish chain of department stores that buy in generic Asian denim products and label them as own brand.

antoinolachtnai

I would go and talk to a load of people.

You hear a lot about people who succeed with these businesses but you don't hear much about the people who fail and the disasters that happen.

For example: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/quin-donnelly-suspend-trading-in-trademark-row-1.587837

What really happened here is that the designers weren't in a position tofinance their own business (which basically means the cost of buying fabric and manufacturing capacity to produce the finished product and get it onto shelves). The manufacturer stepped in to provide some form of finance, but that decision led to a major dispute and ultimately to the demise of an outwardly successful business producing an excellent Irish product.

I don't mean to be negative, but you need to know a lot about what you are at to get anywhere at building a fashion business. Texture, colour, style, materials. There's a lot to it, even before you come to the commercial side, which is all about manufacturing, marketing, positioning, access to retail space, brand awareness and the rest of it. Can you build a famous brand on the basis of instagram and shopify? Probably, if you have a great fashion sense and access to great photography, and can afford to finance the manufacturing. Can you build a long-term, successful business on it? I would say, probably not.

thegraham

Bandara wrote: »

Your very welcome

If it is your dream and can look in the mirror and say honestly to yourself can do it, and you are prepared to do everything to achieve it. It is there for you.

You might not get rich, you might not ever get close to seeing the top of the mountain. But you will have a fire and a respect inside yourself that money or success cannot provide.


Allow me to use my second favourite quote ever, this from the great Rocky Balboa...

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done"


Good luck to you Graham.

Thanks for the words of encouragement, and the quote.

Much appreciated.

thegraham

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

I would go and talk to a load of people.

You hear a lot about people who succeed with these businesses but you don't hear much about the people who fail and the disasters that happen.

For example: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/quin-donnelly-suspend-trading-in-trademark-row-1.587837

What really happened here is that the designers weren't in a position tofinance their own business (which basically means the cost of buying fabric and manufacturing capacity to produce the finished product and get it onto shelves). The manufacturer stepped in to provide some form of finance, but that decision led to a major dispute and ultimately to the demise of an outwardly successful business producing an excellent Irish product.

I don't mean to be negative, but you need to know a lot about what you are at to get anywhere at building a fashion business. Texture, colour, style, materials. There's a lot to it, even before you come to the commercial side, which is all about manufacturing, marketing, positioning, access to retail space, brand awareness and the rest of it. Can you build a famous brand on the basis of instagram and shopify? Probably, if you have a great fashion sense and access to great photography, and can afford to finance the manufacturing. Can you build a long-term, successful business on it? I would say, probably not.

I see where you're coming from, perhaps more education on the sector is necessary before even thinking about starting.

Appreciate the feedback.

thegraham

littlevillage wrote: »

You wouldn't be able to manufacture here due to cost and skills shortage...soo you would just be a design house or labeler....and thats already being done.

Paul Costelloe and John Rocha are both Irish fashion houses that make denim products (not exclusively denim products but you get the picture)

Dunness Stores is an Irish chain of department stores that buy in generic Asian denim products and label them as own brand.

Yeah I'm aware that the fabrics would need to be imported but if presented appropriately this could be a brand with a different aesthetic to what's already out there... Thank you!

thegraham

two wheels good wrote: »

Hiut Jeans, based in Wales may be a company worth investigating.

I'll have a look, thank you!

thegraham

jimmii wrote: »

Helps when you are already a known name and have a ready made audience to market at. This sort of thing is as much a social media game as a clothing game.

Yes agreed, Brand image is everything now a days. Thanks

jimmii

No

thegraham wrote: »

Yes agreed, Brand image is everything now a days. Thanks

Yeah I think for this sort of thing a decent budget for social is needed for sure! All comes down to money at the end if the day. If you have enough to give it a crack and feel you have the expertise to be able to pull it off then fair play. I'm probably too risk averse these days this sort of thing would scare the crap out of me!

pedroeibar1

thegraham wrote: »

Yes agreed, Brand image is everything now a days. Thanks

Brand image? On your budget? Dreamtime! You are wasting everyone's time posting platitudes like that.

Experience in a craft shop is meaningless to the fashion industry. Same for a small clothing store that buys from wholesalers. That is not fashion experience, it is experience of retail sales, like selling fridges or furniture.

Due to your lack of fashion knowledge and design skills you’ve also picked the wrong idea. Why? Fashions change, but denim is a fabric so it is even more sensitive – not only do you have to worry about what style’s ‘in’, you also have to worry about fabric. Denim – be it bags/jackets/jeans/shirts/whatever - drops out of fashion faster than any other fabric. When it’s out of fashion it is gone. Apart from losing the cost of your stock, what product can you replace denim with when the bottom falls out of denim demand/popularity?
Ethical clothing? Do you know that a tiny proportion of customers buy on ethical grounds? (I think it is now up to about 1%?) Do you know that Bono is losing $5-10 million a year on Edun, his ethical clothing company and has racked up about $100m in losses to date.

You have no idea about production. Zara can go from concept to shelf in as little as two weeks (although 3-4 weeks is the norm). You cannot compete with that. The Primark model is different but has worked very successfully. H & M’s model is more different again . You cannot compete with any of them on the price:quality ratio or even on style (by your own admission). Nor have you any idea of where to even look for garment production.

Even if you find the right business model and suppliers, your lack of design ability will prevent you from negotiating keen prices with suppliers – basic stuff like the knowledge of how the price can be hugely impacted by the weight of the fabric, the difference that a few cms. will make to fit, to production, what can be cut from a roll of fabric, even the number of button-holes or overlocked hem, etc. You are unaware of all of this and as a result you will be not only lost, but also screwed by suppliers.

If you still have access to the craft shop you should buy some old denim garments in a charity shop, start cutting them up, making stuff yourself from it – bags, jackets, etc. Ethically recycled tat sells well in the craft sector. You’ll learn by your mistakes.

L1011

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Didn't Diesel do this already?

Monaghan Textiles/Montex Diesel; not Diesel the marginally older Italian brand for anyone who isn't aware of that trademark dispute

They go for mass market, fast fashion quality not "high quality" so they don't match the OPs intent anyway. But possibly worth studying as an Irish brand getting clothes manufactured abroad at scale - but still small scale compared to Penneys/Dunnes

newman10

Hi OP
On the financial side of your project you will have to pay everyone upfront until you establish a line of Credit.
You have to produce season 1, Manufacturing season 2 and planning season 3. With that costs you would need at least 150k in an account to start plus your own living costs as you may not have a wage for 9 months.
Some Irish Wholesalers have own brand jeans but these businesses have a customer base. If you're still interested send a pm
Newman