Introduction
A walk through the professional area for men in a department store is a drab experience. The colors are all the same; solids, stripes or checked in various shades. Ties have a slightly more unique flair, but barely. If one observes men having a business meeting, they are all almost identical looking, while their female counterparts get to wear clothes that are both professional and fun. This is why a high end clothing line for men that includes a proper amount of professionalism, but has unique patterns and colors, would be an excellent line to begin. The line would also include high end casual wear for the professional man’s off time. The clothing would be hand sewn and made in America. Customizing sizes would be possible.
Target Market
The target market for this product would be professional males between the ages of 25 and 50. These males would either have high end taste or a salary that is a minimum of six figures. These men would need to be fashion forward in their thinking, and want to wear clothing that is more unique than the typical wear found. They would purchase from this clothing line because it offers exceptional quality and unique patterns.
Promotion of the Product Line
One form of promotion for the product line would be through social media. The use of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn would be invaluable in reaching potential customers and would also increase the ease of word of mouth advertising. A website for the product line would also be important for proper promotion and sales. The importance of SEO rankings cannot be understated when it comes to marketing (Howtostartaclothingcompany.com, 2009).
Although a lot of people can be reached through online means, a product catalog would be beneficial for those who either do not shop online or do not use social media. Also, doing a fashion show for charity featuring the product line could be highly beneficial as a way to get the brand name out there (Small Business - Chron.com, 2015).
YouTube videos showing how the line is made, and the care that goes into each piece could be beneficial. Also, a blog talking about men’s fashion could also be beneficial to bringing people to the website.
Given that each piece is hand made, and there is the possibility of customized sizing, direct sales to the consumer are the most logical means of selling the product. As the company grows, a store could be opened in its hometown. There would be a tailor on site to make any necessary alterations and an area in back where the clothing would be made. This could eventually grow into a chain of stores.
Challenges
Considering there is a large number of clothing manufacturers already, beginning a new clothing line will be hard. The competition will be fierce, and standing out from other clothing lines will be a challenge.
A clothing line will require a large initial investment, which may be challenging to get. Also, because of the investment the failure of the line could be a severe loss to the owners.
Because this is a high end line, convincing consumers of the products value considering its higher cost could also present a challenge.
References
Howtostartaclothingcompany.com,. (2009). How to advertise and market your clothing line | HOW TO START A CLOTHING COMPANY. Retrieved 22 July 2015, from http://www.howtostartaclothingcompany.com/advertise-market-clothing-line/
Small Business - Chron.com,. (2015). Ideas for Advertising Clothes. Retrieved 22 July 2015, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ideas-advertising-clothes-10375.html
