You went to design school and are incredibly talented with positive feedback on your graduate collection. You might have done some interning with other designers and got some insight into how fashion brands are run. The next logical step seems to be to go out on your own and start a label, as you are desperate to show the world what you are capable of.

Designs are done, colours and fabrics are chosen, sampling is complete and now you need to give it a name. Most designers decide to use their own names, as they want people to know who is the talented person behind the fabulous clothes.

The collection gets photographed and line sheets and look books are done for selling. Then all the creative fun starts to become a business!

The clothes might be selling and the business rolling, but at no stage along this path to market has a brand been created.

Why does it matter? Isn’t a Label the same as a Brand? The answer is yes it matters if you want to know where you are going, be strategic and maximise opportunities in a highly competitive market.

A label is literally just giving a name to something and that is what most designers do when putting out a collection, which is their product. Building a brand requires in-depth analysis of the reasons why & how you are doing what you are doing. A brand should deeply understand what is does, how it does it, how it thinks and speaks. Then your audience or market will have a clear perception of your company, products, the people that work for the company and how they all behave and communicate.

Branding builds instant ‘credibility’.

When your audience or market believes in your brand, it is easier to speak to them, to tailor products specifically to your target market, which are far likelier to sell and to build a community who champion your beliefs and values.

Branding marketing pr digital strategy

Label vs Brand brand expert strategic communication perception marketing selling

TAKEAWAYS – Why you should Build a Brand

  1. Differentiate yourself from the competition
  2. Create internal focus
  3. Provides Clear identification
  4. Creates Merchandising opportunities
  5. Communicates your Message
  6. Keeps everything organised and ‘On Brand”