8 Steps – How To Start A Gym Clothing Line From Scratch
Have you ever thought about starting your own gym clothing line? With the rise of athleisure wear and fitness culture, now is a great time to launch your own activewear brand. But where do you start when you want to learn how to start a gym clothing line from scratch?
In this blog by Fitness Clothing Manufacturers, we walk through the key steps and considerations for starting a successful gym clothing line even if you’re just getting started.
As people’s tastes change faster than ever, online clothing stores that focus on gym clothes and gear have taken the lead in clothing sales. At the same time, a lot of big-box stores didn’t figure out how to use this demand-driven model that started on the gym floor.
You can fill in gaps in the market and give people stylish, functional activewear by starting your own fitness clothing line. With the right steps, you can make your idea into a business that does well.
Why Start A Gym Clothing Line?
There are no signs that the activewear market will slow down. More and more people are buying workout clothes that are comfortable and can be worn from workouts to everyday life.
You can make money in the growing activewear market while following your health and fitness passion by starting an activewear brand. Building a successful fitness clothing line is a goal that can be reached with the right planning and work.
8 Steps For Starting A Gym Clothing Line From Scratch
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Conduct Market Research:
Before starting a workout clothing line, conduct thorough market research. Gather as much information as you can about your target customers and how to best serve them. Today’s activewear focuses on comfort, functionality, and style. These factors will impact the products you offer and marketing strategies used. You will also need to conduct research on the latest fitness wear trends.
Take time to analyze direct and indirect competitors too. Seeing what established brands already provide will help you identify potential gaps or unexplored ideas to help your clothing line stand out.
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Select Your Niche:
Imagine your ideal customer as a single person when you want to start a fitness apparel line. This is a good way to narrow down your niche. Think about who you’d like to see wearing your workout clothes. You can start reaching out to a slightly wider group of people once you know more about their demographics and psychographics.
The way you design and style things will also affect how people see your brand. Pick out the cuts, patterns, and fabrics that will help you achieve the look and feel you want. This will help your fitness clothes appeal to your consumers when you start a gym clothing line.
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Get Your Permits
Different states and cities have different rules about licenses and permits. To make sure you’re following the rules, talk to the local government about the laws and requirements that apply to your area.
It’s also important to pick a business entity before you start your own gym clothing brand. As a sole proprietor, you can get your business up and running quickly by just reporting business income on your personal tax return.
4. Choose The Right Manufacturer
One of the most important things you need to do to start a gym wear brand is find the right manufacturing partner. With the right partner, you can make your ideas into stylish and useful workout clothes. When looking into manufacturers, there are a few main things you should look for.
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Opt For Private Label Activewear Manufacturer:
The ideal activewear manufacturer will provide private label services to make your own gym clothing line. Look for custom options like adding your logo to existing pieces or developing new designs just for your clothing line. Having a trusted private label activewear manufacturer to turn your vision into customized gym apparel is invaluable for a startup brand.
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Offers Custom Sportswear Manufacturing:
If you want to start your own gym clothes brand, it’s very helpful to find a manufacturing partner that can make custom sportswear. Through custom design and production, a custom sportswear manufacturer USA can help you make your unique ideas come to life. When you work with a company that specializes in customization, you can start your business with a collection that fits your brand and speaks to your customers.
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Has Experience with Performance Fabrics:
It’s crucial to find a manufacturer well-versed in technical athletic fabrics like moisture-wicking polyester and stretch spandex blends. They should understand how to construct performance activewear that can withstand intense gym sessions. Their expertise with fabrics like quick-drying material and wholesale compression wear ensures your apparel performs as well as it looks.
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Offer Extensive Wholesale Activewear Collections:
Partner with a custom gym clothing wholesale manufacturer that offers an array of wholesale activewear collections to choose as a base for your own designs. You can select styles that embody your brand aesthetic and alter color, fabric, fit and branding. Having pre-designed pieces to customize makes launching your first collection simple and more affordable.
4. Create a Business Plan and Structure
When you start a gym clothing brand, you need a detailed business plan. Give an overview of your business’s goals, products, expected sales, startup costs, and growth plan.
Making your brand’s identity and positioning clear from the start will help you build an activewear business that works well together.
5. Understand Your Materials
If you’re new to making clothes and sportswear, here are some quick tips on how to work with different fabrics when you start a fitness clothing brand:
Fabrics:
Workout clothes made of synthetic technical fabrics like polyester and spandex blends are great for draining away sweat. For everyday gym clothes, natural fibers like cotton work well.
Fit:
Give gymers with different body types a choice of fits, such as tight, loose, and oversized ones.
Fabric Weight:
Fabrics that are light and airy are good for making comfortable workout clothes. For cold weather gear, warmer fabrics work better.
7. Start Marketing
When starting your fitness clothing brand, spread the word on social media. Make sure that your brand identity and the people you want to reach can easily understand your messages and designs.
If you want to get your activewear in front of your ideal customers, you could sponsor local races, classes, or teams. Take good pictures of your products to show them off in all of your marketing channels when you start your own gym clothing line.
8. Look for retail opportunities
After the clothes are made, look for ways to sell them in stores so that people can buy them. Talk to small shops and gyms in your area as well as big online fitness clothing stores.
Get a booth at trade shows and pop-up shops that are aimed at the people you want to buy from you. To make the most money, sell directly to customers on social media and your website.
The Takeaway
It takes time, hard work, and careful planning to start an activewear line that does well. Your dream can become a successful activewear brand, though, if you’re really into fitness fashion and have a good plan in place.
