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The old rule about ‘if it looks too good to be true, it probably is’ definitely applies in tough economic times, but many people are being caught out by counterfeit goods, especially clothing.
Until recently, counterfeiting wasn’t as prevalent in casual clothing as in high-end designer and fashion garments, but the global recession means that almost every brand and clothing line is being targeted by unscrupulous cheats, many of whom chose to sell their knock-off clothing online.
You can protect yourself against fake clothing vendors by following a few simple rules:
1. Buying clothing online can be a fantastic way to save money – but make sure you buy through a reputable online retailer. Counterfeiters choose to sell this way because it allows them to stay anonymous and the set-up costs of business online are low, so look for a company with a long history in retail and a good range of the kind of clothing you want to buy. While some retailers specialise in a single brand – especially of more expensive garments such as high quality jackets, shoes and trainers – and are perfectly genuine, an online store selling only one brand can also be a sign that a counterfeiter is using that website to offload fake goods, so be doubly careful.
2. Look at the details – detailing can often separate real goods from fake ones. On brand T-shirts, for example, look at what the company in question describes as its ‘signature’ or ‘classic’ styling, such as where brand labels are located, stitching styles and cut. Often, even online, you can see where a picture of the goods doesn’t match up to the company’s signature style, such as a garment looking skinny when the cut is supposed to relaxed or roomy, or a label being slightly different in colour, size or shape. Counterfeiters can produce garments that are almost identical to the real thing, but most are just trying to sell similar looking garments as quickly as possible and don’t pay as much attention to detail so you can catch them out by examining photographs carefully.
3. Ask for references – all good online shops have references and testimonials, but counterfeiters have become good at faking those too! Try googling the company and seeing what comes up: disappointed buyers often vent their fury on consumer sites or in online forums, while satisfied customers of online shops will also tend to enthuse about the good quality of their clothing, the excellence of the service and the speedy delivery. Use these online clues to help you decide where it’s safe to buy.
If you’ve had to buy new school uniform items this year, you may be dreading the arrival of the spring and the demanded for new PE kit becuase it’s getting to be an expensive business!
Uniform is good for children’s sense of community and for ensuring equality between those who have a lot of disposable income and fashion sense, and those who lack one or the other, or both. But it’s not a cheap option, whether you’re buying in a high street store, via the school’s own shop, or even shopping online. And if you have a child who is already in adult sizes, as many thirteen year olds and up are, these days, you also end up paying VAT on their ‘children’s’ clothing.
There are some ways to save money if you’re canny:
1. Ask the school to consider wholesalers who can produce small orders (say under fifty items) of essential uniform clothing in larger sizes – this might be embroidered polo shirts or logo-printed sweatshirts, which can then be sold to parents whose children are classed as ‘outsize’ by other suppliers.
2. Consider swap shops for outgrown clothing – often a PTA committee can be organised to set up exchanges of informal jackets worn for school events held in public or specialist clothing like cricket togs, which are swiftly outgrown and yet still wearable by a smaller student, perhaps in a lower year.
3. Request that essential items such as white T-shirts worn for PE and sporting activities be non-branded – this means you can buy the cheapest available, or even persuade the school shop to bulk buy them for you. The school logo could be kept for items like kitbags that are not going to be outgrown, and still give a sense of uniform when children are taking part in outdoor events.
Most people have a limited budget for clothing these days, and it helps if you know how to be a smart shopper, whether you are buying in a shop or online.
A good way to start is to browse some magazines or watch some of the TV programmes that feature fashion. This gives you an idea what’s currently stylish. Then you can visit the websites of the clothing stores you can also see in the high street, or browse the pages of online retailers to check out what sale items they have on offer. Online clothing retailers often provide real bargains this way and if you’ve got a good idea what clothing you’re looking for, you can save a fortune.
Buying online, for a novice, is often easier when choosing casual clothing as it requires less attention to fit. It’s easy to buy a classic sweatshirt online than to choose the right fitted jacket, for example.
Be sure you know your clothing size and how different manufacturers ‘scale’ their clothing because each company has a slightly different cut and style so you might find that a Hanes ‘Beefy’ T-shirt in medium fits you the same as a Fruit of the Loom T-shirt in large … trying clothes on in shops before you buy online can save you disappointment and the need to return garments to get them in a different size.
One area where online retailers really score highly for bargain buying is that they tend to have really good offers on purchases of multiple items, so if you find a work shirt you like, and need to six or a dozen to get you through a week or two of work, you’ll often find you get a discount for a bulk buy, which saves you money.
First, know your budget and stick to it – don’t just decide how much you have to spend on clothing, because it’s easy to blow the whole amount on one cashmere sweater or a fashionable jacket. Instead, divide your budget between different forms of clothing: basic T-shirts are pretty cheap, but leather jackets are not, so allocate a percentage to every form of clothing you need to buy.
Aim for quality not quantity. Beware of very cheap clothing that simply gets worn out before you’ve worn it a few times – flimsy shirts that begin to bag and stain after a couple of wearings are not a bargain. A good quality cotton or poly-cotton shirt will last several years and can take hard washing and still look good – it’s a much better bargain than a cheap top that falls apart. Equally, try to stay way from knock-off imitations because (a) they tend to look cheaper as they generally copy a design and maybe its logo but not the quality and (b) who are you fooling? Anybody who knows you has a pretty good idea if you can really afford Armani suits or not.
Avoid posh shops and boutiques when purchasing, but use them when deciding what to buy – look at the brand name fashions in store and then go home and shop online, spotting the same trends for a fraction of the price. Also, check out the clearance offers when shopping online, discontinued items can be up 50-75% lower than the original price.
Mix and match. You can team T-shirts with blazers and shirts with cardigans to extend your wardrobe by giving your clothes a new look. You can use accessories to ring the changes too – invest in some cheap belts and gloves and hats that you can use to make your base outfit look completely different.
Sales at shops catering to teenagers have dropped sharply in recent months, partly because so many teens are finding it tough to get the part-time jobs that were funding their clothing addiction. In the USA in November, shops specialising in clothing and accessories for teenagers were the worst-performing sector in retailing, with a nearly 8% drop in sales, while established stores (those open for more than a year) had a double digit sales drop compared to November 2008.
Teenagers and young adults hare coming to terms with issues of money, budgeting and avoiding impulse buying when it comes to clothing. Their habits are very bargain savvy – many have used high street shops and stores to try on clothing such as trousers and jeans, and then gone online, knowing the right size and style, to find a bargain that will fit perfectly.
Many are also turning away from fashion to focus on quality. They say they don’t mind spending £30 on a polo-shirt if it will last them all year, but that they wouldn’t buy such a garment on impulse to wear to a party, as they would have done a year ago, because they want to plan their spending and be sure that what they buy will be of good enough quality to survive hard wearing for months. A cheap polo-shirt is not a good investment either, because it will sag and fade too swiftly
Young people are also proving to be much more practical than their parents may have thought. One university student said, ‘I’ve just bought some hooded sweatshirts to go over all my old T-shirts. That way you can’t see how faded and tatty they are underneath. Last year I would have got new T-shirts too but I don’t need them. My old gear will last until summer and I can use the money on other things.’
Some teens have even decided to go for part-time jobs that offer uniforms because it means that they don’t have wear and tear on their ‘good’ clothes while they are at work.
Why not do a lot of your Christmas shopping online this year? You can grab some bargains as well as making your friends and family happy, and with the time you save trawling around the shops you can put your feet up and have some ‘me’ time.
While money is still tight and the recession still looms over us like a big black cloud, buying clothing online for family and friends is a brilliant idea for Xmas.
Why not get your allotment-loving father, or rugby-mad son a quality, comfortable fleece? You can choose one with sleeves for the man who spends all winter outdoors walking the dog or digging up his garden, while the sleeveless variety is great for standing on the touchline, especially if you’re hoping to be asked to play, as it keeps the core muscles warm while allowing plenty of body movement during the warm-up while you wait to be called onto the pitch.
If you’ve ever worried that your fashion mad daughter or wife doesn’t dress properly for the winter, then buy them a really good winter jacket, one that’s designed for performance, but also has enough style to be fashionable. Look out for the latest hoodies, which are incredibly popular with younger women and that are warm and comfortable enough for a winter walk or a few hours spent wandering around the High Street looking at the New Year Sales.
While you might not think young children would welcome clothing, if you get them all a nice plain white T-shirt or sweatshirt, and some fabric pens so that they can spend Christmas afternoon ‘designing’ their own clothing – it’ll give the grown-ups a bit of peace and quiet, allow the children to express their creativity and – who knows – you might find you’ve got the next Banksy or Armani in the family!
All these gifts can be purchased from polo-shirts.co.uk – they’ll be delivered to your door and you can stop worrying about Christmas before most people have even started.
If your income is limited and you want to look good, you have to learn how to be a knowledgeable shopper both online and in the high street.
Begin by visiting the websites of your preferred clothing stores and seeing if they have any online only sales – sometimes, with large stock runs that haven’t sold, items will be sold direct at a cheaper price than they are being sold in stores to save the cost of transporting goods out to shops.
Online retailers often have excellent offers on multiple items, meaning that if you know you need to buy six shirts for work, or want a dozen T-shirts for the summer, you can get a bulk buy discount that saves you a small fortune.
When you get to the shops, browse the sale rails carefully, you can sometimes find formal clothing like suits or dresses that were originally priced at £100 or more being ‘cleared through’ at under a tenner. Make sure your bargain really is a bargain though, sometimes these are mismatched items or have some damage or fault that isn’t immediately obvious – while shops shouldn’t sell items that are damaged without alerting you to the fault, it can happen that the fault isn’t obvious until you put the garment on, such as one trouser leg being shorter than another, and that’s why it hasn’t sold – the shop isn’t trying to fool you, it’s just that nobody has bothered to tell the staff what’s wrong with the garment.
Use comparison shopping sites to help you get a sense of what items should cost and which are actually bargains. It’s not just the purchase cost of an item that counts, but the length of time it lasts and the cost of keeping it pristine – dry cleaning, for example can double the cost of your clothing within a year if you wear those items regularly. Classic styling and colours can mean that you only need to buy new clothing every couple of years instead of every season, meaning that your T-shirts last all year and your formal shirts can last for three or four, if you ring the changes with other clothing – that can be a huge saving.
Be careful not to overspend when money is tight – 75% off can seem like a bargain, but if you can’t afford the 25% price, it’s still not a bargain for you. It’s tempting to fall into retail therapy but making a list of what you need: work clothes, gym wear and some casual clothing, compared to what you want: Armani suits, a brand new pair of £200 trainers and every designer T-shirt going, helps you understand where your money goes and shows you how much you might be able to save by being a savvy shopper.
Part 3: Running Your Business – Which Platform is Best for You?
Practical Costs and Pricing Strategy:
Whilst we have already examined the different methods of printing and the various machines you can use and hopefully you have an idea of which option is best for you, we have not touched upon the exact costs of setting up your business. For those starting out printing solution companies offer a specially tailored ‘starter pack’ from about £2,500. This will include all of the equipment necessary to launch a printing business such as a printer, digital cutter, weeder, silicone paper and even a support program to help you through any teething difficulties. You will find many major providers who offer this service and again, Xpres are a great choice for those based in the UK.
If you have already decided that this equipment doesn’t suit your needs then you may wish to invest in an alternative package. If you are convinced vinyl is the way forward you will need specialised equipment such as a cutter that can cost anything upwards of £250. All of the equipment mentioned has a relatively long-lasting life span and so any costs you will incur upon purchase will likely be one-off start up fees. Heat presses and printers are durable machines that will not need to be replaced for years.
Once your equipment is purchased you must asses your pricing strategy. Generating profit will naturally be your primary concern, but it can be challenging to find the right price quota if you’re just getting started. The best advice is to identify your rivals in the market and to evaluate their business approach. You might be entering the market with a high-end product or more of a novelty item and it is senseless charging 25% more than your main competitors just because you have failed to establish your niche. You must also ask yourself how much money you expect to receive from your business venture and whether you are more interested in increasing sales than money in the bank. Your own personal financial situation and precisely what you want out of the business is integral to the pricing strategy you will formulate.
How Best to Market and Sell:
Having designed and created a new t-shirt and priced it correctly you need to take it to the masses. Marketing your design is essential to drum up business and the best and most cost-efficient way to do this is probably through a social networking site. MySpace is particularly popular and if you have a cursory glance through you will find many independent t shirt designers have set up pages, so it is important to be sure you stand out from the crowd. If you do join be sure to add us to your friends list!
Once customers are aware of your product you will need to provide a means to sell it to them. You can do this in the traditional manner and set up a shop with telephone transactions and customers off the street. The costs of renting floor space might well prove prohibitive to a new business, and this is where the option of selling your clothing online begins to look attractive. If you choose to sell online then you can either build your own commerce store from scratch, which will require an in-depth knowledge of e-commerce platforms and day-to-day attention, or use Ebay. Ebay will allow you to create a store as part of their auction platform and you can delve into a ready made customer base whose searches for designed t shirts will now unearth your store. There is of course stiff competition and Ebay will charge you both for advertising and a commission on each product sold, but it is a fantastic shortcut to building a loyal customer base.
If you are unwilling to go this far with your business and just love creating t shirts you can always take your completed designs and pitch them to an established retail outlet or even a major label. To minimise chances of rejection, try to approach those who specialise in the area of design you are involved in. Perhaps your designs might even draw inspiration from a certain company you dream of working for.
Protecting Your Designs:
So you’ve created the next big thing, the most desirable design of the year. What is to stop somebody seeing your wonderful design and ripping it off? Protecting your work is one of those steps which many artistic types neglect. While being wrapped up in the creative side of the business world is great you must remember to deal with practical issues. It is possible to trademark your designs, but ultimately this will cost you a great deal of time and money and will only be worth it if you‘re sure your design is going to be massively popular. A cheaper option is to copyright your t-shirts and if you notice anybody stealing your work you are able to send a Cease and Desist order which, if you can prove the design has been unlawfully stolen, entitles you to every penny. The drawback of copywriting is that it protects you only if someone takes your work as a whole and distributes it without your permission, but it does not cover you if someone takes your work and modifies it significantly. For more information on copyrighting, visit the Government’s website on intellectual property.
Some Final Advice:
It can be a lonely and frightening experience to set up a business from the ground up, which is why it is always comforting to hear from people who have been there and done it already. The web is a great way to speak to these people and you might want to visit some forums or sites with members who started out just like you are about to. T-shirtForums.com is a great place to find friendly people with a range of tips, support and general advice on any aspect of the t shirt design and creation business.
Running any business, whether you are in it to make money or because you want to see your designs out there, is going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of commitment. However there is no reason why with drive and passion your t-shirt designs cannot be the next sensational breakthrough product in the market. We hope this guide has pushed you along the first step towards becoming a successful t-shirt designer and wish you the best of luck in setting up your business. Who knows? Before long it may be your brand of tees we stock!
Part 2: Types of Equipment – Which Machine is Best for You?
The Heat Press:
A heat press is the most important machine in any t-shirt printing business – with an inferior model you’ll discover that final prints lack both colour and clarity. Selecting the right heat press will ensure consistency throughout your t shirts. There are three basic types of heat press you should consider.
- Clam Type Press
The clam type is ideal for absolute beginners and those for who space is tight. It has a small frame so doesn‘t take up much room.
- Swing Press
An evolution of the clam type, the swing press is essentially a modified design. The swing press works on the same basis as the clam type but is hinged to allow easier access to the t shirt being printed, improving both speed and accuracy.
- Pneumatic Press
The pneumatic press is an advisable purchase if you’re looking to expand or mass produce your t shirts. It is more expensive than either of the other two variations mentioned but operates a more precise heat and pressure application.
Companies such as Target Transfers and Xpres supply a full range of heat press types and models so be sure to check out their websites for ideas on price. For a free informational video on how to operate a basic flat heat press go Here There is also a more in-depth analysis of various heat press manufacturers and models Here.
The Printer:
Once you have the right heat press for your business the next step is to invest in suitable printer. Essentially you are presented with a basic choice: inkjet or laser?
- Inkjet
Inkjets are cheaper than laser printers and produce bright colours with a vibrant contrast. However this is offset by the fact that ink can be expensive and the texture from these prints is noticeable different from commercially printed tees.
- Laser
Laser printers produce prints that last longer and posses a more natural feel. However, they are more expensive and the colour output is dimmer.
Your decision will come down to whether you are willing to accept a slightly less professional texture, in exchange for a reduced set up cost and brighter colour. For either type you’ll find that the major printer brands such as HP, Canon or Epson will have a printer in their range that will meet your requirements. Note that for sublimation printing you may need to invest in a different kind of printer, along with special inks. Xpres produce their own brand of Subli-Print sublimation inks that are specifically catered for the heat sensitivity that the sublimation process requires.
The T-Shirt:
OK, not technically a machine – but the type of t-shirt you choose to print your design on to is just as crucial to the feel and look of the final product as the appliance you use to do the printing.
- Brand
Generally speaking it’s best to stick to the products from tried and tested manufactures such as Gildan, Fruit of the Loom and Hanes, all proven distribution outlets and recognisable brands.
- Supplier
Search the internet for ‘t-shirt’ and millions of results will be returned (145 at the last count!), of which thousands might well be your potential supplier. Choosing the perfect one for your business is a tricky task, but one that you must get right. You can opt to find an online supplier, where the convenience of ordering what you want when you want is desirable for a small business. Alternatively you can find a supplier who will deal with you over the phone during office hours.
Either way you should ensure you work with an established wholesaler or distributor you can trust to deliver the goods you want on time and in good condition. There are plenty of websites that are out to exploit the naïve start-up business but you can spot these as they usually eschew a telephone number, have poorly written content and shoddily designed site navigation. If your business is to become a success you will need a competent supplier who can provide you with a regular service. It is important not to be drawn into a snap decision when choosing your supplier; many of the larger dealers will offer competitive prices but expect regular large orders which your company might not be able to fulfil immediately. Buying in bulk may seem attractive but can offer a false economy – there is little point in getting cheaper units if most of them will lie unused on the floor. The ideal supplier will offer competitive prices without the obligation to order a minimum quantity.
With the technical aspect of printing a design onto a t shirt taken care of it is important for any fledgling designer to understand how to run their business successfully, and this is what we shall examine in Part 3.
Buying for children can be a thankless task, they hate their school uniform and do everything they can to avoid wearing it. But on the other hand, anything you buy them for casualwear is bound to be uncool, non-rad and totally yuck. And children’s clothing can be expensive too, especially once they hit the adolescent years and start to develop designer tastes.
There’s not a lot we can do to help you with the teenage spending drain, but before that, you can save yourself quite a lot of money by sensible purchasing and clothing management.
Buying with a Purpose:
- Kids outgrow trousers much more swiftly than they do strap overalls which can be adjusted for several months more. While they are small enough to wear what you buy, keep them in dungarees!
- If you can’t buy dungarees, remember that cuffed trousers and shirts can be uncuffed as your child grows, to give a longer wearing period before the garment is outgrown.
- Classic clothing like plain T-shirts and blue jeans both last longer and look good longer than faddy items.
- Buy a season in advance – pick up last season’s summer tops at knock-down prices in winter, and in summer, look out for long-sleeved tops and good jackets at bargain prices.
Buying Secondhand:
- If you have a teenager, particularly a girl, get her to resell her ‘old’ clothing via the local paper or ebay to fund new purchases – often girls will wear something for less than a season and it can still be resold for a reasonable price. Trendy T-shirts and tops will often sell fast.
- When buying second hand, look at all garments well, checking buttons, zippers, and seams and turn them inside out to spot stains and worn areas
Caring for Clothing:
If you hope to sell your children’s clothing second hand, you need to take care of it during its lifetime with you. So make sure you deal with any stains immediately and loosen any buttons or buckles that become tight – this keeps the garment in better shape for resale or for handing on to another child. Where possible, fold T-shirts and tops shop-style, rather than in half, as folding down the middle can exacerbate the tendency for cotton to lose its shape, folding sides to middle helps keep a garment’s form.
Form a Buying Consortium:
It sounds really upmarket, but all it means is that you’re buying bulk items: nappies and bibs for babies, T-shirts, polo-shirts and school trousers for kids, socks for teenagers, for say, twelve kids. You can find mums and dads who’d like to consortium buy through schools, sports clubs or youth clubs and by negotiating a group discount or making a bulk purchase, you can save up to 40% off the retail price for the item.
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