So everyone thought you were crazy when you announced 6 months ago that you were quitting your real job in hopes of chasing starting your own Private Label Clothing Line. Your house is a disaster, blank shirts and line sheets everywhere, your living room has been transformed into a makeshift production lab. Youve bled and sweat, investing every last of ounce of time, effort and inevitablyyour life savings. At last, youre first sample line is complete and your line sheets are nothing short of spectacular. Congratulations! But waitbetter take a deep breath as the real work has only begun. What next? Lucky for you, Leisure Trends estimates that in 2004 surf and skate retailers sold $4.87 billion in goods. With those figures continuing to increase in 2005 you only need a sliver of the pie. Most importantly you need to place yourself in front of and meet the right people. Industry Trade Shows: Inundated with retail purchasers in attendance, emerging brands often use trade show appearances to better establish their lines with key accounts from specialty shops such as Huntington Surf & Sport to larger chains including Tillys. From sourcing wholesale clothing to meeting buyers, these events are your opportunity to get your name out there and begin taking orders. 1. ASR As a full service tradeshow, Action Sports Retailer (ASR) provides a venue for buyers and manufactures to meet, sell, buy, exchange ideas, market, and network. With 3 events each year, ASR gathers approximately 7000 buyers and decision makers. Visit www.asrbiz.com for more info. 2. Surf Expo- Produced twice annually, Surf Expo is the longest running trade show for manufacturers and retailers in the boardsports and resortwear industries (28 years). Visit www.surfexpo.com for more details. 3. Magic Considered perhaps the most influential business event in the fashion industry, Magic connects a global audience twice per year and attracts over 95,000 attendees including over 3,000 manufacturers. For show information visit www.magiconline.com Now, hopefully youve come up with a unique approach and can afford booth space. Happy selling! |
