How to Start My Own Dog Clothing Line

Making a Prototype

• 1

  Use some paper to brainstorm ideas for the clothing. If you're having difficulty creating the designs, look at some popular human clothes or patterns for current dog clothes to gain ideas, and then add a personal touch to make them unique or more useful. These differences will create the necessary distinction of the clothing line, and allow for an advertising platform.

• 2

  Once the ideas are written out, begin to draw what the clothes will look like. Be as specific as possible, designating accessories or special stitching.

• 3

  Obtain a generic dog clothing pattern to begin understanding how the clothing pieces fit together to create the costume. Study the pattern and determine what applies and does not apply to your design.

• 4

  Use the interfacing to create a pattern. Create the clothing to fit onto a specific dog, to confirm overall fit and appearance. To do this, check the measurement guide on the generic pattern and measure the model dog in a similar way.

• 5

  Place the pattern onto pieces of scrap fabric and cut out the different parts. Sew together the pieces and make adjustments on the dog model as necessary. Make note of any changes on the initial pattern. Once the practice piece is done, it is time to move on to creating a prototype.

• 6

  Go to the local fabric store or shop online for fabric to create the prototype. Be sure to purchase enough to create the clothing, and account for fabric grains and overall fabric stretch. If the design requires notions, such as buttons, zippers, elastic or Velcro, buy these at the same trip.

• 7

  Using the altered interfacing pattern, create the clothing. Test it on the dog to verify the overall fit and make any adjustments as necessary.

Creating a Company Name and Logo

• 8

  Brainstorm some name and logo ideas for your new business.

• 9

  Run a search using an Internet search engine to ensure that the name or logo desired is not already in use by another company.

• 10

  Create custom tags with your new logo by going to www.clothinglabels4u.com/. Label companies can take a digitized logo and add it to the tag. This will be the best way to advertise the line.

• 11

  Once the tags arrive, sew them into every piece of clothing created.

• 12

  Create custom business cards with your name, logo and information by either purchasing printable cards from a local office store or by creating them online with a company such as vistaprint.com.

Getting the Word Out

• 13

  All businesses start locally. Offer free prototypes to friends and neighbors in return for their agreeing to hand out business cards and recommend your clothes to other dog owners.

• 14

  Create a business plan with monthly goals. As the business grows, consider creating a website to begin bringing in additional customers.

• 15

  There is no better advertisement for clothing than a demonstration. Consider having a photo shoot with some of your dog models wearing the designs. Place these images on a website or as the background of business cards.

• 16

  Research some local events such as parades, craft shows, and dog shows and contact the people in charge about participating in the event.