How to Design Your Own Clothing Line Online

Several websites allow fashion designers to create their own clothing lines online.

Fashion designers working with an online customization design website to build initial design samples will cut down costs such as hiring sample-makers and screen printers. Customization websites offer features to select specific apparel categories such as casual or athletic as well as business wear, dresses or T-shirts. The designer is able to select fashion blanks, which are pre-made silhouettes, and add specific colors as well as graphics. Although choices are oftentimes limited, by designing a clothing line online, the designer will have the opportunity to review the designs prior to investing significant costs for sample-making.

Instructions

1. Conduct an Internet search of customized design websites, which have built-in silhouettes such as dresses, trendy tops, or pants as well as basic T-shirts. For example, try Customized Girl to design youth-oriented fashion tops and accessories, Coco Myles for bridal wear and evening wear, or You Design It for T-shirts.

2. Choose the apparel style you want to stylize by clicking the appropriate button. Although website programs differ, by clicking on the button, you will have activated the next window for your chosen apparel category.

   If the website offers to save a file, continue to save each file as you add on details to your silhouette.

3. Choose your garment’s fabric content as well as color by clicking on the appropriate buttons to activate the feature. Keep in mind that customized sites purchase pre-made wholesale blanks. You will most likely not be able to change the fabric content or dye your garments in your own color swatches. A window will open with your chosen style in the fabric content and color you selected.

4. Click on the trims and accessories button to add embellishments to your design. A window will open with a variety of trims to choose from. For example, clicking on a trim tool button for customized dresses, fashion tops or bottoms will most likely offer trims such as novelty buttons, sequins or beading as well as accessories such as embroidered or appliquéd patches.

   Each trim varies greatly in price and the more you add onto your design, the more the sample will cost to produce.

5. Click on the graphics tool button and select from a variety of pre-designed artwork. For example, customized T-shirt sites will offer tools such as an artwork clip art tool as well as a text selector. You will have a drop-down menu with artwork category options as well as a color palette and font letter styles to select from for your screen printing.

6. Click on the save button and calculate your sample cost. Prior to processing, click on a review button. If the sample is priced higher than desired, you will be able to remove add-ons such as trims or graphics from the sample and recalculate the cost.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are ordering a customized sample for a business, keep in mind the shipping processing date offered by the website. Make sure that all of your added embellishments such as screen printing or embroidery will be completed within the specified time frame. Add-ons generally take several more days to produce prior to shipping.

References

• “Fashion Unravelled: How to Start, Run and Manage An Independent Fashion Label;” Jennifer Lynne Matthews; 2009

Resources

• Customized Girl
• Coco Myles
• You Design It