How to Start an Online Rhinestone T-Shirt Business
Visit any mall and you'll see kiosks and clothing stores filled with embellished goods. Designers like Christian Audigier have made rhinestones the number one clothing accessory. Plain hats, t-shirts, handbags and tights have been transformed by embellishment. If you've got an eye for creating one-of-a-kind embellished designs or you have some clever idea for pairing rhinestones with trendy patterns, you could do well to start your own online rhinestone t shirt business.
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Things You'll Need
- Website
- T shirts
- Rhinestones
- Setter or glue
- Iron-on paper
- Quality printer
Instructions
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Find your niche. Rhinestones have been done before. Set your t shirt business apart by offering products that other businesses don't, such as embellished leg warmers, maternity gear or lingerie. Or create rhinestone "necklaces" on your t shirts. Use interesting shaped rhinestones or color schemes. Incorporate your artwork.
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Create and purchase a catchy domain name for your personalized t shirt business. Then find a web hosting company to host your Web site. Look for a web host that offers 24 hour customer service. If you're not familiar with web design, you will likely have a lot of questions when setting up your site. Access to prompt customer service will make your life that much easier. Look for a company that offers a variety of free templates and marketing tools.
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Learn about search engine optimization (SEO) and hyper Text markup language (HTML). You'll be competing with hundreds of online clothing stores. You'll need to use relevant search terms for customers to be able to find you. Learning HTML will help you design a better website. If you don't have the time to invest in learning SEO and HTML, hire a web designer to help you design your site.
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Purchase blank clothing. Start by purchasing a small order with your local craft store or wholesale suppliers such as American Apparel. Purchase a variety of sizes. Shop conservatively until your business takes off. You're not likely to reel in big orders until you've made a name for yourself.
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Select a free software design program, such as GIMP or Paint.net to use to create your t shirt designs, if you are not already using a program.
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Purchase iron-on paper and a high quality ink-jet printer. You have two options for transferring digital images onto your t shirts: via iron-on paper or with a printing press. Even the most basic printing press will likely cost you about $1,000, once you've purchased all the necessary supplies such as screens, ink and a dryer. Until your business takes off, you can transfer images using inexpensive iron-on materials and an iron.
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Purchase a rhinestone setter or professional hot fix applicator. A hot fix applicator, which uses glue to affix rhinestones, will allow you to embellish your shirts at a much faster rate. Setters securely attach the rhinestones by punching through the material and may be a more secure method of attaching rhinestones; however they shouldn't be used on delicate fabrics. Find Swarovski rhinestones in a variety of shapes and colors.
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Create your designs. Then photograph them and put them on your website.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider offering embroidery services.
Consider selling your products at consignment stores, on eBay or on Etsy.
Reorganize your home to accommodate your business. Create an office and workspace with a worktable and shelves to store your shirts. Purchase a mannequin or ask a friend to model your products.
