So you’ve finally made the decision to step out into the entrepreneurial world and start your own clothing line… It wasn’t easy but it was worth it! Now, you’re almost ready to “open up shop,” but you still have a few kinks to work out in the design process.
This particular phase can be the most frustrating and annoying simply because you’ve taken care of the “big stuff” and now you have random, miscellaneous things to finish up… Can you guess what one of those random “miscellaneous” things are? Well, if you guessed clothing labels, then you guessed right.
It’s not that the clothing labels aren’t an important part of getting your clothing business started, because it is… it’s just that when you were first getting started, your initial focus was put into finding your inspiration, creating a budget, putting a marketing strategy together, and the actual creation of your products… you didn’t even give the clothing labels a second thought until you handled the things at the top of your priorities list first.
Nonetheless, you’ve handled your top priorities and now you’re ready to start the process of getting your clothing labels. But before you get started with that, you have a few questions that need to be answered first. Some of the questions you have will probably seem like questions you should already know the answers to but that’s not the case at all.
You’re a budding fashion designer, meaning you’ve never done anything like this before…. What does that also mean? It also means that there’s no such thing as a stupid question, especially when it comes to clothing labels… Your clothing labels represent your brand just as much as your marketing strategies or the products itself. Take a look at some common questions every budding fashion designer asks about clothing labels.
Question 1: What is an RN Number?
RN stands for registration number. According to the FTC, your RN number is the number given to your business by the FTC. This unique number or identifier is given to any US business that has any business dealings with products that fall under the Textile, Wool, and Fur Acts, whether it be selling, manufacturing, or distributing those products.
Lots of fashion designers will either have their RN number on their clothing labels or have both their RN number and brand on their clothing labels but you absolutely must have your RN number on there somewhere. Typically, your RN number is found on your laundry label.
Question 2: What Type of Information is Required on the Laundry Label?
This question is actually a pretty good question to ask. You definitely want to make sure you’re putting the right information on the laundry label so that your customers know how to take care of their garment pieces.
Well, first and foremost, with laundry labels, you have to make sure you purchase your laundry labels from a reliable supplier. Once you’ve found the right supplier, you can then get into the logistics of what should be on the laundry label.
The content of your laundry should include:
- Washing symbols
- The country where your garment was manufactured
- The content of the fabric
- Your RN number
- Washing instructions
Just follow this checklist to make sure you have everything that should be on your laundry label. For washing instructions, your fabric vendor will be able to provide you that information. If you’re unsure about washing symbols, just talk to your label company and they’ll make sure you have the right symbols.
Question 3: Are Hang Tags a Good Investment?
Hang tags are absolutely important for every garment you sell. Why? Because your hang tag is like one of the many faces of your brand. Whether or not you need one also depends on how you’re selling your products.
If you’re selling your products online, hang tags aren’t necessarily a must-have for your products like they would be if you’re selling your products in a local boutique or had your own physical store. If you’re selling in a boutique or have your own store, then hang tags would be very necessary… an absolute must. But even with selling online, hang tags are still a nice touch.
So, to answer the initial question of whether or not hang tags are a good investment… Yes, they are. If you have the funds for them, then absolutely. In physical stores, sometimes hang tags are the very things that can make or break a sale. When a customer is faced with having to decide between your brand and another brand of the same product… If your hang tag feels and looks of better quality, that customer will choose your brand over the other brand.
As a budding fashion designer, it’s important that you know and understand that there are no wrong or stupid questions to ask. You’re building a business from the ground up so, of course, there are going to be things you don’t know or have questions about and you shouldn’t feel silly or embarrassed by your questions.
The internet is always a great source of information but so is consulting with other fashion designer entrepreneurs. Consider reaching out to other entrepreneurs in the field and getting their perspective on things. It never hurts to ask and your business will benefit from it in the end.
