How to open your brand. Own trade mark. Legal support for trademark registration

Today, no self-respecting company can do without its own corporate identity and trademark that distinguishes its products from other similar ones. A trademark includes a set of names, text information, graphic design, identifying a particular product of a certain brand. The trademark is unique, recognizable and is a legally protected object of intellectual property (Chapter 76, Part 4 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). In Russian legislation, the concepts of "trademark" (TK) or "service mark" (for services) are used. TK cannot be used by anyone other than its copyright holder, but under one important condition: if this mark was registered by its owner. How to register a trademark? Read the instructions for issuing a certificate for branding.

Step 1. Development of a trademark

This step can be skipped for those who already sell their brand's products or services that have their own custom designs and names. If the brand managers of the company have conscientiously approached their work, then there are no difficulties with registration brand should not arise and you can safely proceed to the next stage.

The same firms, which are just starting to create their own corporate identity, need to come up with a name (for a company, a product), a verbal description (motto, advertising slogan), an image, order for designers a font, colors, and a company logo.

All these elements should not only attract attention, correspond to the company's mission, but also be unique, not repeating the symbols of other companies.

Step 2. Checking the brand

The second stage is intended to check how the trademark developed by the company meets the requirements of uniqueness. Before registering a logo, it is necessary to search for similar trademarks in the registers of Rospatent. You can do this yourself through online databases or contact specialists.

This stage is the most crucial in the process of preparing for registration, because a "missed" repetition of an element of someone else's brand can result in a refusal by the patent office and the loss of paid fees. Found the same similarities allow you to make changes to the trademark in time.

However, even the absence of coincidences of the new mark with the lists of registrations laid out in the public domain still does not guarantee anything. Officials quite often find in their databases similar, in their opinion, symbols, and applicants have to “defend” the originality of their trademark.

If you have not fully figured out how to register a trademark on your own, perhaps at this stage it is worth resorting to the help of professionals who have knowledge of patent examination techniques and have relevant experience. A specialized company will competently and promptly conduct a preliminary assessment of the trademark and issue an opinion on its uniqueness.

Step 3. Selecting classes of goods and services

A patented trademark must be used unchanged, so it is important to choose the right types of goods and services to which it will relate. Product classes are selected according to the international classifier (MKTU), which is not an easy task to understand. For example, one product name can be contained in different classes, therefore, the search for the required code must be performed not only by the purpose of the product, but also by the material of its manufacture and other properties. Before "getting into" the classifier, study guidelines Rospatent on working with him.

Step 4. Preparation of the application

To submit an application, you must collect a set of documents:

• registration statement with indication of data natural person representing a trademark;
• receipts for payment of duties;
• image of the logo in 8 copies with the attachment of its description and the list of goods according to the ICGS;
• certificate of state registration of an individual entrepreneur.

Just like registering a trademark on an individual entrepreneur, you can also patent it on entity: in addition to the listed documents, the organization must provide the charter and a copy of the document with the OKPO code, certified by the head of the company.

Step 5. Submission of documents

The finished set of documents is submitted to Rospatent in one of the provided ways:

• in person at the department of Rospatent;
• by post;
• fax with subsequent transmission of originals;
• an electronic application after pre-installation of the software and receipt of keys;
• through an intermediary firm.

The Patent Office fixes the application on the day of receipt of the documents and informs the applicant of its registration number.

Step 6. Tracking the status of the application

The documents received by Rospatent are subjected to a formal examination: the correctness of the drafting, the presence of all the necessary papers, the content of the application is verified. This check takes up to two months, after which the application, if it is correctly executed, is accepted directly for work.

Examination of a trademark is essentially a lengthy process. It takes up to 18 months, during which experts analyze the brand name for similarity to others and compliance with the specified classes of goods and services. This stage is usually accompanied by active correspondence between Rospatent and the applicant. Experts can request various clarifications and additional documents. It is at this stage that some of the logos are “slaughtered” due to the inept behavior of the applicant: untimely response to requests, unpreparedness to “defend” their trademark. If there are no grounds for refusal, the patent authority makes a decision on the registration of the trademark, and informs its owner about it.

Step 7. Obtaining a certificate

Having received a notice of a positive decision, the company must pay the fee for issuing a certificate of registration and submit a receipt to Rospatent. The certificate is issued within two months after payment. During this time, the trademark is entered into State Register and is published in the monthly Trademarks Bulletin. The registration certificate must be renewed every 10 years.

From the moment of registration, the owner of the mark receives exclusive rights to it, and upon detection of unlawful use of his trademark, he can claim damages.

A trademark is an intellectual property that has a certain value and is on the balance sheet of a company as an intangible asset. Trademark rights can be transferred or sold like any other product.

Registration cost

How much does it cost to register a trademark? If you apply for a patent yourself, your expenses will consist of paying state fees:

• filing an application, checking a set of documents - 2700 rubles;
• examination of technical specifications for one class of goods and services - 11,500 rubles;
• surcharge for each additional class of MKTU - 2050 rubles;
• issuance of a certificate - 16,200 rubles;
• amendments and additions to the application and accompanying documents - 4900 rubles;
• delay in responding to Rospatent's request (for each month) - RUB 850;
• restoration of the right to submit the requested materials, if all the deadlines have expired - 8100 rubles.

The minimum registration cost, therefore, will be 30,400 rubles. (for one class of MKTU), if you manage to competently approach the matter and correctly draw up all the documents the first time. Otherwise, each mistake will cost the company almost five thousand rubles, an appeal against the refusal to register a trademark - another 13,500 rubles. additionally, and the process itself will take two or more years.

If you are not confident in your abilities, it is wiser to contact a specialized company. Services of this kind are offered at a price of 15 - 20 thousand rubles and more, depending on the complexity of the trademark (word logo, graphic image or combined presentation, the number of classes of services and goods used) and the timing of the necessary checks, preparation of recommendations for eliminating errors.

Professionals will prepare documents for you, submit an application and negotiate with Rospatent, perhaps this will even allow you to save some amount on additional fees due to mistakes in self-registration and obtain a patent as soon as possible.

The fastest way to register is to file an application under the international procedure (under the Madrid Agreement). Such a certificate is more expensive, but it can be obtained in about six months or a year, and it will be valid in more than 70 countries.

Elena Fimina told in an interview with Kontur Magazine how to solve the problem of staff shortage, work on the principle of small circulation and reach the regions.

Idea

My sister and I have been working in the fashion industry for over 10 years. In 2002, a store of the Spanish brand Mango was opened in Chelyabinsk. Then nothing like this existed in the city. On a competitive basis, we got a job at Mango as sales consultants and gradually grew to the managerial level. During this time, we understood how a fashion business is built, how clothing collections are created and promoted, we figured out the intricacies of merchandising, the work of a showroom and the factors that affect successful sales. Since my sister worked specifically with the Spaniards, she learned all the nuances of promoting fashionable clothes.

I started making clothes more than five years ago. At first it was a hobby, although I studied individually with high-level specialists in the field of garment production, studied the technology and subtleties of design and modeling. Gradually, the process dragged on me, and when my sister gave birth to two children, they became a source of inspiration for more serious works and collections.

Once my sister and I came up with the idea to create a brand of children's clothing FiFi. We started with a starting amount of 100,000 rubles, but the experience in the industry that we managed to gain helped a lot. The first collection was sewn at home, employing seamstresses at home.

In fact, we immediately determined who our client was: they are progressive mothers of different ages who know fashion, know trends, and love to dress their children with style and taste.

Investments

Participation in the SKB Kontur "" competition is our first attempt to attract investments for business development. Our video was seen by an investor and offered financial assistance. At that time, we refused, since we were not satisfied with the conditions, and decided to develop on our own.

At the regional level, we participated in federal program"You are an entrepreneur." They were also interested in our project, but we realized that it would be difficult to get financial support, since this program is more educational.

Now we have applied for participation in the competition "Made in Chelyabinsk" and are waiting for the organizers to contact us.

Production details and complexity

Clothing production is a very long and painstaking process. It all starts with the emergence of an idea, we determine what exactly we want to do. Then sketches are drawn, in the next stage materials are purchased. Then constructors work - they develop patterns. During the construction of the model, many changes are made and something is necessarily rejected. But that's not all.

Seeing the result, we begin to discuss how to imagine and present the finished collection. We choose a location, invite photographers and create a photo session with model children.

Organize in Russia manufacturing process very difficult. One of the most acute problems that we have faced is the personnel shortage: there are no competent designers or seamstresses in the country.

Of course, there are specialists who are 50-60 years old, but they are no longer in the ranks, and it is almost impossible to find young professionals. You have to spend a lot of time and effort on training, and efficiency suffers from this.

In the sewing industry, the speed of performing a particular job plays an important role. For example, in order to launch a children's dress into mass sewing, you need to calculate how long it takes to sew one model - in minutes and seconds. Thus, it is calculated in how many hours and days the whole batch will be sewn. And old school people simply cannot work fast. But we connect them to another work - design, since they competently make patterns and think over sketches, taking into account the fabrics that are available to us.

Solving the problem of staff shortage, we attracted specialists from the department to work light industry South Ural State University. We have invited the best of them to work with us, and now they advise us and also train our employees. V currently the company employs seven seamstresses.

Another problem is fabrics. Production in Russia is barely working, factories fulfill some incomprehensible orders on old equipment - they have a very hard time, people work for a penny. But even those factories that are still functioning do not always produce what we need. For example, in Yekaterinburg, there is a wool mill. Tyumen produced similar fabrics, but, unfortunately, the plant has recently closed. We buy something in Russia, but basically, of course, we bring everything from abroad, more often from Italy. As long as the euro exchange rate was more or less stable, there were no problems with purchases. Now the situation has changed - we have become more careful in choosing fabrics: when making an estimate, we have to calculate how affordable things will be for the consumer, although, of course, we would like to buy more original and expensive fabrics.

The principle of small runs

We produce small collections - ten models each. The collection is built on the principle of a capsule, where each item complements the other. Thus, we increase our turnover, because people like to buy things in sets. At the same time, we have models that we sew constantly. As a rule, this is a festive assortment, basic models, the so-called "commercial".

When a collection comes out, in the process we can supplement it if we see that the demand for things is good. Elegant dresses remain the hit of sales - they are in demand all season long.

During its existence, the FiFi brand has acquired its own admirers. We are working to expand their circle. But we are not fighting for our client - he finds us himself.

In Chelyabinsk, during production, we have a showroom where our clients can come and try on things. Two months ago, the FiFi brand entered the Moscow market: a new store, Children's Shelf, was opened in the capital, where our models are also presented among the things of Russian designers.

In order to promote the brand, we are actively working with social networks Instagram, VKontakte, and also developing our virtual store on the Fair of Masters website. From experience, I can say that social networks are in many ways more effective than stores, because they reach more potential consumers - people see our products from different parts of the country and even the world. We receive orders not only from Russia, but also from abroad.

In the next five years, we plan to launch a franchise line in order to increase the number of points of sale for our goods. We are planning to sew clothes at a production facility in Chelyabinsk and negotiate with regional stores to represent our brand. Such stores will place an order for certain models from the catalog before the season and receive the required volumes of products.

From childhood, Nelly Nedre from St. Petersburg dreamed of working as a designer. While studying at the institute, she realized that she was not interested in coming up with expensive extravagant clothes that no one could wear in everyday life. Having worked as a designer for a streetwear brand, a year ago she decided to create her own company and began to produce laconic things in discreet colors that fit into world fashion trends. Now Nelly's clothes are sold in ten stores, and the company's monthly turnover exceeds half a million rubles.

work experience

Nelly Nedre

Founder of the brand

At the age of seven, I announced to my grandmother that when I grow up, I will become a designer. Then she gave me a suitcase with markers, and since then, like an obsessive, I began to invent and draw various outfits. After graduating from school, without hesitation, she entered the faculty of fashion design. Education at the institute became for me a real school of life: I was kicked out every six months, they said that I would be a bad designer, that I would never succeed. At the same time, from the third year I began to make full-fledged collections, participated and won with them in international competitions... I experimented with shapes, tried different fabrics, looked for my own style. By the fifth year, I was a fully formed designer. The faculty at the institute demanded that we show our potential by making the most of our imaginations, but I quickly outgrew this approach to dress. I realized that I do not want to do things that no one wears, even if they look interesting.

The practice that I took with various designers helped me a lot to understand this. Before my graduation, I managed to work in an atelier, in a luxury brand, and in a streetwear brand, and even supervised production in China. In general, I probed all the soil that was possible. In my last year, I was offered a job by the owner of the St. Petersburg streetwear brand Trailhead. The experience of working in his company was invaluable. This is a serious brand with a large assortment of goods, the founder of which has been working with clothes for twenty years and is well versed in the market - he knows that the Russian consumer is ready to buy. It doesn't do anything fancy, it only works with basic shapes and colors. I started out as one of the designers of his brand, and he could say: “Nelly, what are you painting! Who needs this pink button on the side, I won't sell it to anyone! "

The company had an experimental workshop in which we sewed samples, sent them to stores and, if we understood that they were doing well, launched a large production in China. I was able to try a lot in the framework of Trailhead: I developed the line women's clothing, which was hardly involved before me, organized filming for lookbooks and an online store. At some point, it became clear: I already know absolutely everything that is needed to start a business.

Personal business

I decided to leave Trailhead, and at that moment my friend, designer Asya Malberstein, offered me to rent a 12-meter room for a workshop. She pushed me for a long time to create my own brand, and I thought this room was a good sign. All my money, about 100 thousand rubles, I spent on a sewing machine and the purchase of fabrics for the first collection. Three months later, I realized that this was not enough, and took out 300 thousand on credit.

With this money, I hired three people and purchased additional equipment. I registered the brand name, it cost about 60 thousand rubles. They discouraged me, they believed that this was unnecessary spending, but for me this measure of protection was very important. I also made a website, registered an individual entrepreneur, and received permission to trade. A year later, when I had five people on my staff, I rented a space of 63 square meters, which now houses the production itself, and the showroom, and the office.

Now I have a manager, three seamstresses, a constructor and a designer on my staff. For me, this is the golden time of the company, because so far it is not difficult to maintain a friendly working atmosphere, and each employee clearly understands what and when he should do. When the company has more than fifteen people, it will be very difficult to maintain the same trusting relationship with all employees. You will have to get used to communication in the "boss-subordinate" format. I managed to rehearse all the typical problems of working with a brand in Trailhead, so I was ready for stressful situations. True, I had to develop an additional degree of rigidity, without which the boss cannot.

Working with stores

It is important to understand that I did not start from scratch. In addition to experience, I had good connections with the stores: we were friends with some of the owners, we worked with someone before. Therefore, I knew exactly where I would sell my first collection.

At first, I was selling 50 items a month. Now we sell on average about 400 items a month for half a million rubles. We cooperate with ten stores scattered across the cities of Russia, the largest of which is Moscow - Trends Brands in Tsvetnoy. Now, I am sure, the number of stores promoting Russian designers will only increase.

I did not plan to open my own offline store: there was simply no place. However, it turned out that people, having bought our clothes in other stores, began to visit the site, write to us directly. So I opened a showroom, and now it sells as much as all the other stores. Our online store brings us about 100 thousand more per month. It is profitable for us, because we supply clothes to other stores with a fifty percent discount, and we can sell them at the regular retail price.

Cheating in stores is very different: in St. Petersburg it is about 100%, that is, a store from us buys an item for 1,500 rubles, and sells for 3,000. In Moscow, the markup can reach 250%.

The cost of production also depends on how much time and effort the seamstress spends on this thing. If, for example, we made an experimental model of a dress, I ask the seamstress how difficult it was for her to work with it and how long it took her. If it was difficult and slow, I exclude this model from the collection. I determine the price based on the fact that I need to pay my employees a normal salary and develop the brand. I would like to please customers by setting a minimum price, but I do not agree to work at zero, my work costs money.

Collection creation

The system of work in a large and local brand is very different. Industry giants try to predict trends for several years ahead. They have special people who travel the world and collect information on trends in all possible areas: from art to new technologies. They also take into account economic prerequisites. When you immediately produce thousands of pieces of clothing at a factory in China, you run a very big risk, you have to be meticulous, save on threads and buttons. Since we are still a small brand, we do not adhere to a clear seasonality and prepare small capsule collections four to five times a year. It takes me about two months to create a collection.

I always start by browsing 60 of my favorite clothing websites and blogs for inspiration, figuring out what's hot right now. I put together my moodboard, which can contain works of art, and excerpts from films, and photographs of a friend, and music. On the Style.com website, six months before the official release, new collections are laid out, I notice the details that most often appear in all brands. Having prepared the basis for inspiration, I close myself in an apartment for a few days and draw. According to my drawings, the designer makes test patterns, then we sew the first samples, measure, modify. When the collection is ready, we photograph it for the lookbook, send it to shops and wait for a reaction. The collection may contain, for example, nine models in four colors. It is not necessary that each of these 36 items will be produced in more than one copy.

Choice of things

Shop buyers usually know their customers well and understand what they will be ready to buy from them. Some take mostly basic classic things, while others, on the contrary, choose more extravagant models. First, they order a trial batch, then, focusing on demand, they buy something extra. We do not have a warehouse in which we store things, because we always sew a certain amount for a specific order.

Gradually, we realized which models go the best, so we singled out a separate line of Gills Classic. These are things that are in constant demand regardless of the season. If you look closely, all global brands have their own base of models, which they reproduce from year to year. Chanel jacket, classic Carhartt sweatshirt, pumps. These are proven things, to which you can add a pocket or change fabric, but in essence they are always the same. The best selling adidas model is the classic black three-stripe tracksuit. Brands always make money from the simplest, most basic things. The same goes for color: black and gray always go with a bang, especially in Russia. My brand is also based on versatility and monochrome palette. From the fabrics, I chose a footer for work, because this is what I feel best.

I have a principle: I will never do just a beautiful thing that I cannot earn. When I come up with a beautiful and simple model, I look at whether it is in trend, calculate the cost of its production and calculate how much it will be sold in stores. If I understand that no one will buy it for such a price, I immediately cease to like it and I refuse it.

Photo: Yasya Vogelhardt

Text: Irina Dubina

Launch and keep afloat your own fashion brand in Russia- not an easy task. First, worthy educational institutions that could compete with respected Western counterparts, there are practically no: education in the field of fashion as a phenomenon in our country is in its infancy. Secondly, it can be problematic to enter the market and establish sales through stores: the overwhelming majority of domestic retailers work on terms of sale, which means that a designer can make a profit, or may be left with nothing.

Finally, as the unpleasant stories that happened to the brands and Oh, My showed, business in Russia is still often conducted using schemes from the 1990s: there is no guarantee that your brand will not end up in the hands of an unscrupulous business partner or that a large fashionable department store does not owe you more than a million rubles. However, even these difficulties are not able to cool the ardor of those wishing to launch their own clothing brand: new Russian fashion brands appear every year with enviable constancy.

If the glory of Gosha Rubchinsky and Vika Gazinskaya haunts you, we tell you what you need to do to found your designer brand and make it commercially successful. Our rules are not universal and do not give one hundred percent guarantees of success, but they will definitely help you to understand the basic things.

Understand what you want to do, for whom and why

The first thing you need to decide on if you decide to embark on the path of a fashion designer is the concept of the future brand, its identity and how it will differ from thousands of existing analogues. “The concept of sewing at least something and just like that is fundamentally wrong,” says Denis Erkhov, the founder of Items. - Before making a collection and making a lookbook, you need to answer important questions to yourself. Who are you doing this for? Where can you sell it? Who is your target customer and does he even exist? In fact, preparing for launch is the most difficult and important process. Based on the answers received, you can already create a product and shoot a lookbook. The strategy must be thought out at the very first stages. "

“Most of our girls and boys make collections simply out of a desire to express themselves,” says Dasha Samkovich, creator and designer of the I AM Studio brand. - But if you decide to make clothes that will be worn, you need the collection to be understandable not only to you, but also to people with their own vision of fashion. Decide on your goals: for you, your own brand is just a tool for creative self-realization in which third-party investors can invest, or is it a full-fledged business project? If you decide to make a commercial product, that is, clothes for people, it is important to understand who your target audience is, its age, social status, financial position- these will be your starting points. "

Assemble a team and find production

If you are seriously planning to develop your own brand, and not just sell dresses sewn on the knee through Instagram, without qualified personnel - nowhere. First of all, you will need to find people who can sew your collection: cutters, seamstresses. You can apply to already existing production facilities that cooperate with novice designers, but in this case, you won't have to wait for a return on the part of the team.

“I sewed the first collections at third-party productions: if you cooperate with them twice a year for a couple of months, while a seasonal collection is being prepared, this format is often more profitable,” designer Zhenya Kim shares her experience. - Over time, I began to recruit my own team: in the same industries I was looking for the most competent people and lured them to me. There are many advantages to such a scheme of work: you cooperate with people who are maximally involved in the process, and it is in their interests to do everything efficiently. On the other hand, it can be costly if you don't have regular customers or shops for which you need to sew things. "

“If you have a goal to produce large editions of clothes, you need a so-called experimental workshop: a designer, a tailor and an order placement manager is the minimum you can start from,” says Dasha Samkovich. - An easier way is to contact one of the companies that offer the development of a collection from scratch: you bring them sketches, fabric, they make a design, come for fitting, claim, you get a finished product. Sometimes such companies even help with the placement of circulations - now it is much easier for a novice designer to start his own business than even five years ago.

“It is important to understand that the fashion industry is a team game, and team members, a professional environment and the support of wonderful fans are vital here,” says designer Lyudmila Norsoyan. - And the team, and partners, and customers - all need to be carefully and attentively raised for years, without getting stuck in place. Emotion, attitude, loyalty, reliability are a terrible deficit in the fashion world, namely, the ability to these emphatic qualities makes it possible to build loyal companions around oneself. "

Take off a good lookbook

You have a ready-made collection, your potential hit, the next step is to create a presentable lookbook, which you can send to print or online publications and show to store buyers. Not everyone pays due attention to the preparation of the lookbook, but in vain - these are not just image pictures, but a PR tool: the more beautiful the images are, the more likely they will be published. At the same time, we must not forget that a lookbook is not equal to a campaign, that is, photographs should represent clothes in the most advantageous way, and not just be a creative outlet for a designer and his team.

“It's important to remember that a quality lookbook is a comprehensible lookbook,” says Sveta Müller, founder of the Picls agency. - If we talk about the availability of pictures, then, obviously, buyers and buyers should first of all see the clothes, all its details and texture of the fabric - we must give maximum information about the thing to a person who does not yet hold it in his hands and has no opportunity to try it on ... A quality lookbook is essentially the same good catalog, just with a more interesting shooting concept and, as a rule, a limited number of photos. All you need is a technically talented photographer who knows how to work with light, and a talented stylist who will not lead your lookbook into the jungle of creativity on set. "

When asked whether it is worth saving on a lookbook, the answer is rather negative: after all, this is an investment that will help recoup costs and bring the brand to a high level. “The main mistake young brands make is to shoot with friends,” says Müller. - Ok, maybe it works if you are from the industry and your friends are from Condé Nast. But in general, there are no options. Just trust me, because a lot of Picls clients came to us just after such an experience, heartbroken and hoping for a normal shooting. You can save on anything - shoot at home and with natural light. Call a friend who seems to have a camera, because he travels so much. Invite a friend to be a model, who will do her own makeup (as it seems to her) and styling. You will have fun and hide your lookbook deep in the table. After all, industry professionals do this for a reason - they know how to do it better than anyone else, they will not let your concept crumble and do everything on their knees. You can talk about such a shoot for a long time, but I advise you just not to waste your time. "

Start selling things

Firstly, it is not superfluous to say that in the total digital era, all the worked out schemes for promoting one's own name and selling clothes cease to be absolutely categorical. In fact, you may not aim at all to enter existing retail sites, but simply create a separate Instagram account, which will simultaneously be your PR tool and online store.

However, the notorious SMM is not an imperative for a young brand. Many young designers who have already made a name for themselves still spend a lot of time and effort selling themselves in large multi-brands and concept stores. “We are only now going to launch our own online store,” says Zhenya Kim. - Firstly, before I did not feel the need for it, and secondly, soon I plan to do regular collaborations with artists and other young creative guys and want to sell these collections through my website. From the very beginning, I had a goal to go out to the coolest retailers, I never wanted to sell my collections through Instagram, it seems to me unpresentable. "

“There is no single strategy for finding the right retailer - it strongly depends on the product. Some brands can even be recommended to start selling through their own store and exclude wholesales, - advises Denis Erkhov. - If there is an understanding that the product needs to be sold through retailers, then it is more efficient to start cooperation with more image projects and gradually expand distribution through smaller and simpler ones. If you see a prospect in large projects, then look for contacts of buyers, in more small projects often the same person is the owner, director and buyer. Look for personal contacts, if it doesn't work out - go to the store and show ready-made things. It is better to arrange a meeting in advance by writing to the mail. If you have not received an answer, do not worry, perhaps the letter was lost and it is worth sending a reminder. "They didn't let you in the door, climb in the window" - contact another person, but you shouldn't sell too aggressively either - nobody likes it! "

If you want, you can get to any site - it all depends on how interesting and potentially commercially successful project are you ready to offer. As the former head of the PR department of Tsvetnoy department store, which presents many Russian brands from ZDDZ to Sorry, I’m Not, Pasha Bobrov, says, “The department store team always carefully examines all new collections, paying attention to quality and relevance. The assortment of the department store is often replenished with things from Russian brands, both those whose names are already well-known and young ones. Many new Russian brands enter the department store themselves, send lookbooks and samples for consideration. "

Having got involved in cooperation with third-party stores, be prepared for the fact that you will have to put up with conditions that are not always favorable for you: retailers, as a rule, have a special conversation with young designers and small brands. “The cooler the store, the worse the conditions, but presence in top stores for any brand is extremely important,” says Denis Erkhov. - If we talk about the foreign market, then mainly stores buy things, so many designers dream of a foreign market. In Russia, such cases are rare, but again it all depends on the product. The cooler the product, the greater the chances of pushing through its terms, especially in cases where the store itself goes to the brand. "

The overwhelming majority of stores in Russia work with young brands on terms of sale - this means that the designer gives his things without collateral, and the store pays him back upon the sale of things, usually at the end of each month. For many, this option of cooperation does not seem to be the most fertile: if for some reason the store could not sell the collection before the end of the season, the designer simply gets it back in his hands.

“In fact, implementation often turns out to be a more profitable story for both parties,” Denis believes. - First, mark-up (margin on prime cost. - Ed.) in a sales-based relationship is always higher than in a buyout relationship, meaning the brand gets more money. Secondly, in the case good sales almost always it is possible to sort the product, that is, add what has already been sold, or additional models. For implementation, as a rule, orders are larger and wider. In the event of a buyout, stores rarely sort out, and even if they sell everything, they will wait for the next season, so theoretically, on terms of sale, you can sell much more if possible. It is important, before agreeing to cooperate with a particular store, to familiarize yourself with the agreement, to ask other designers who have already collaborated with this project, since, unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous stores on the market, which often do not pay the designers what they owe for the goods sold. ".

Photo: J.Kim, KM20, I am Studio, More, Braventru

Do you have a desire to communicate with the stars, who often appear on the pages of magazines, with famous models, and also sit in the forefront of fashion shows?

Or maybe you want to have your own store in a popular shopping center? If, in addition to your specialized education and the inclinations of a designer, you have a desire to make this world more beautiful, then you should carefully study the following question: "How to create your own clothing brand?"

Assessment of forces

How to make your own clothing brand? You don't have to be a designer by profession to do this. Being passionate about fashion and having a sense of beauty is important. It will take some experience in this area. The undoubted advantage is familiarity with the activities of a garment factory or with work point of sale selling clothes. Experience in a large atelier, in a clothing supply company, or in a fashion magazine will come in handy.

In the absence of such opportunities, it is worth getting an internship in a large company. One or two years of work will allow you to get a certain amount of knowledge. An important factor will be the accumulation of a certain capital. Working in a company will provide more than experience. You will acquire the right connections to help you grow your own business.

Defining the concept

On modern market there are a huge variety of brands of clothing. To gain recognition, your line must certainly stand out with something.

How to create your own clothing brand? To do this, you will need to develop exclusive collections, in which there will be a large percentage self made or inexpensive youth outfits. First of all, you need to have an idea of ​​your potential buyers and the requirements that they will put forward when choosing models. All these questions require answers even before starting a business.

The easiest way is if you really know the target audience. It's even better if you are one of its representatives. For example, for avid visitors to clubs, there is no problem answering the question about those outfits that are in demand at parties.

Likewise, athletes will always identify those models that are the best fit for physical exercise. If you do not have such knowledge, then it is worth wandering around shopping centers and get to know the concepts offered by popular manufacturers.

How to create your own clothing brand if there is no bright idea in which you are sure yet? In this case, there is no need to rush to open the brand. It will take some time to build on the experience that can be gained by organizing, for example, your own franchise store.

Drawing up a strategy

How to create your own clothing brand, if the concept own business already formed? All the details of the upcoming project must be described in the compiled business plan. This document will become a definite guide to action. In addition, a perfectly designed business plan will become a powerful argument in the eyes of the investor for making a decision in your favor. When developing a project strategy, it is important to consider the following:

The general concept of the brand and the uniqueness of its proposals;
- a description of the main models and directions;
- a plan for the development of the collection and for its further production;
- niches available on the market, target audience and main competitors;
- a plan for promoting the created brand, including the likelihood wholesales and opening your own store;
- prospect for the development of the line with access to the international market or the sale of a franchise.

Cost calculation

Brand name work - from ten dollars to three thousand. Specialized companies also offer to test the options under consideration on ordinary buyers. This service will cost 1-10 thousand dollars.

Development of corporate logo- from 150 to 2500 $.

Final tests on potential consumers and trademark registration - $ 300-1000.

On average, you will have to spend 3-3.5 thousand dollars to create your own brand.

Investor search

How to create a clothing brand? First you need cash that can be provided by the investor. Where can you find it? The search for an investor must be carried out among successful businessmen by attending thematic conferences and specialized exhibitions.

It should be borne in mind that an offer with a ready-made business plan, in which a careful calculation of the initial costs has already been made. The document must contain photographs of finished samples. A bright idea, considerable professional experience or the possibility of implementing a franchise for opening stores selling clothes of your brand will be attractive to investors.

First stage

Even before writing a business plan, you will need to come up with a name for your own brand. It should be memorable and vivid, easy to understand by ear and written in the letters of the Latin alphabet. If your own imagination is not enough, then you can consult with friends, relatives or acquaintances from social networks, promising a discount for the purchase of future models as a prize for the coined name. After that, you should create your own page on the Internet. It is worth remembering that only brand promotion on the World Wide Web will allow new models to break into the consumer market.

How to start a clothing line if a full-blown business isn't ready to launch yet? A few samples should be sewn on your own or ordered from a tailor shop. At the same time, the quality of the models must be impeccable. In this case, it will be easier to find an investor for your project.

Recruitment

Building your brand from scratch is never easy. The main difficulty lies in the selection of highly qualified personnel. The main assistant to the designer, especially at the initial stage, is the designer. This specialist transfers all sketches to the fabric. The quality of the designer's work determines how well the outfit will fit on various types of figures, as well as the choice of fabric for a particular dress.