How to Market Your Street Style Fashion Clothing Brand
I started with fashion PR not as an intern of a glossy fashion magazine publication nor in one of the huge fashion house runways. Instead, I chose to take the road less traveled. I took the route where I felt I could have more creative control, so I decided to make my entrance into the fashion world and its marketing side through the more inconspicuous side door that is street style fashion, or more commonly known as streetwear. So, how do you get your street style fashion brand off the ground?
• Know All About Your Target Market First, study the industry and study your culture. The major difference between street style fashion brands and couture brands is the cultural influence of streetwear. Typically, streetwear is a deeply rooted aspect of young urban culture. By knowing and defining your audience before you start, you are able to create a more meaningful relationship with your public in the future.
• Stick to Your Roots Start from the bottom up, literally. Many successful streetwear brands earn respect and a healthy following by humbling themselves. Sure, the owners may have the money to go straight to their local Macy’s, but that type of commercialism isn’t often accepted by the community. Document your rise through the fashion ladder via a blog or a weekly enewsletter. This helps cultivate your following and also helps to implement the early stages of brand recognition, including making yourself into your brand.
• Focus on Quality, not Quantity The thing about us street style fashion fanatics is that we thrive on exclusivity. We don’t like wearing what everyone else has and we don’t appreciate cheap materials.
Don’t try to make everything available to everyone your first season and don’t skim the budget on cheap materials. The harder it is to acquire, the more publicity your brand gets. It’s odd, I know, but that’s how many streetwear brands are able to thrive as availability has a high impact on pricing/profits.
• Cross Promote It’s hard for a brand to get up and running without notable placements or features. Until you get them, collaborate with party promoters within your city to get your brand familiar amongst the locals. Also, offer collaborations between other well-known brands.
• Guerilla Marketing is Your Friend Stickers, buttons, free shirts, graffiti, pens, hats, heck anything considered a “promotional item” is definitely your friend. Give the public a memento and encourage them to pass it along to their friends. These items keep your name in the public and make your brand easy to recognize!