You’ve got a name and a few designs. Now you need to give people a reason to wear them. Who’s the brand for? Where do those people spend time, and how will they hear about it? You don’t need a huge following to start, but it helps to know who you’re trying to reach before you order a stack of shirts.
Who do you see wearing it?
Think about someone you’d actually want to see in your clothes. What are they into? What do they already wear? Maybe your designs come out of the local music scene, a car club, or the skate spot where you spend your weekends. That gives you people to talk to and something to talk about beyond announcing that you’ve started a brand.
Show them what you’re working on. Ask which piece they’d wear, what fit they like, and what they’d expect to pay. You’ll learn more from those conversations than from trying to guess what everyone wants.
How do you get your name out there?
Get a sample made and put it on someone. Show the fit, the print up close, and how the piece looks with the clothes your audience already wears. A mockup helps explain a design, but a real shirt gives people a much better idea of what they’re buying.
You’ve also got things to share before launch day: a sketch, a sample you’re trying on, or the reason you chose that design. Let people follow the work as it comes together. Give anyone who’s interested a simple way to hear when it’s ready, such as a launch signup on your site.
Start with the places and people you already know. If the brand comes out of a music scene, a collaboration with a local artist or a table at a relevant show may fit. If you want to work with a creator, look at whether their audience would wear your clothes. Agree on what you’re doing together before sending products or paying for a post.
When you’re ready to sell, make the details easy to find: price, sizing, how to order, and when the order will ship. If you’re taking pre-orders, say that clearly. People shouldn’t have to message you just to find out how to buy the shirt.
So how many should you order?
Start with what you know. Pre-orders give you quantities and sizes to work from. If you haven’t sold anything yet, keep the first run small enough that you’re comfortable holding what doesn’t sell right away. An enthusiastic comment is encouraging, but it isn’t an order.
We don’t have a minimum on any method or product. Ask us to price a couple of quantities so you can see the difference. More pieces can bring the price per shirt down, but you still have to pay for the whole run.
Don’t guess the size breakdown if you can ask people. Check the measurements of the blank you’ve chosen, too. Your audience might want an oversized fit or a closer one, and the same size label won’t fit the same way across every shirt.
Should you use a shop or print on demand?
Print on demand is worth considering if you want to try designs without holding a stack of inventory. Check the garments, print options, sample quality and shipping arrangements with the provider you’re considering.
With a shop like ours, you can talk through the piece before ordering it. Tell us what you want it to look and feel like, and we’ll help work out the blank and decoration. You’ll go through a quote, approval and production window, so leave room for that in your launch plans.
You don’t have to pick the printing method yourself
Send us your design, a rough count and the kind of garment you have in mind. A one- or two-color design on a longer run may make sense for screen printing. A small run with full-color artwork may be a good fit for DTF. We’ll look at the job before recommending either.
DTG is another option for suitable cotton garments. If a soft feel matters to you, tell us. The artwork, coverage and white ink underneath can all affect how the print feels. For a stitched logo on a cap, polo or fleece, we’ll look at embroidery and how the design will read at that size.
If you want to understand the choice a little more, we’ve covered DTF vs screen printing separately. You don’t need to learn all of it before asking for a quote.
What’s going to move the price?
The garment is a big part of it. A heavier hoodie starts at a different price than a basic tee, before we put anything on it. Then there’s the quantity, the decoration, and how many places you want the design.
If the quote comes in higher than you’d planned, ask what we can change. We can compare blanks or price a front print without the extra sleeve placement. On screen-printed work, fewer colors can also reduce setup costs.
Embroidery digitizing typically runs $50 to $100 per design here, done by hand in our shop. We keep the file for reorders. If you change the design, its size or the garment it’s going on, we’ll check whether the file needs adjusting and let you know about any charge.
What should you send us?
Send the artwork you have, the pieces you’re thinking about, quantities by size, and your launch date. For printing, a PNG or Adobe Illustrator file is a good starting point. For embroidery, send a PDF or PNG so we can review the design before digitizing it.
Tell us where the artwork goes and roughly how big you want it. Use a transparent background where you want the garment to show through. We’ll check the file for the method we’re using and flag anything that might disappear or print poorly at that size. If it needs work, we can help; design fees may apply.
We decorate blanks we supply. Standard turnaround is two weeks, so tell us about your date at the start and confirm when the order will be ready and how it’s getting to you. Rush depends on the workload at the time. Our custom apparel production page goes into more detail about the process.
Pay attention to what happens after the drop
Keep track of which sizes and pieces sell, and ask people how they like the fit. That gives you something useful to work from when it’s time to reorder. You might need more of the same shirt, a different size mix, or a change to the blank.
If taking and packing orders starts eating up your time, we can talk about an online merchandise store and order fulfillment. We’ll work out what’s being stocked or made to order and agree on a shipping schedule with you.
You don’t have to have every detail figured out to talk to us. Bring the design, a rough count and your questions. Call our Chatsworth shop at (818) 527-8264, and we’ll help you work through the first run.
A few other questions we get
I already bought shirts. Can you print on those?
We only decorate blanks we supply. Tell us what you liked about the shirts you found, and we can help you choose something suitable.
Can I mix tees, hoodies and hats in one order?
Yes. Send us the breakdown and tell us which design goes on each piece. We’ll quote it from there and check whether the artwork needs changes between garments.
Can our name go inside the collar?
Yes, an inside-neck print is an option on suitable garments. Mention it when you send the design so we can check the blank, placement and any tag changes needed.
How do we pay?
We’ll send you an invoice with the amount and payment timing. We take cash, check, Zelle, or credit card.