I know, you’ve seen that headline a thousand times, I have too. With over 50 million results on Google alone, articles from i-D, Hipland, The Casual, even a course on Udemy, you’re probably thinking those might do you better than whatever I have to say.
Maybe, maybe not.
You‘re asking, who’s this dude talking about streetwear, like he knows much. The thing is, I actually do. Not information I created or formulated, but rather research over the span of four years and counting (yeah, that’s quite a long time considering 😗). So if you’re open to it, stick with me on this journey of a couple articles, and I just might be all you need to start your own brand. This is a crash course on how to start your streetwear brand.
Yes, this can be used to start literally any brand in any industry, but because my research was based on this culture, I’m rather poised to write about it. That being said, let’s get right into it.
Your Brand Core
You most likely have heard it, but in other names, such as DNA, “big idea”, brand Ideal, philosophy, and so much more. It’s all the same. I just rather like to call it “core” so I’ll stick with that. Your core represents the essence of the brand and contains the associations that are most likely to remain constant over time.
Basically,
It’s your North Star
That one concept that you base your entire brand on. To put it into perspective, let’s take a couple examples.
Louis Vuitton
You know the bag.
The chocolate-brown leather canvas emblazoned with quatrefoils and the LV monogram 👀?
Yeah you know it.
It is immediately recognizable as the international symbol of globetrotting luxury. For Louis Vuitton, a travel company with its 19th century origins on Rue Neuve des Capucines in Paris, the ideal that centers the LV brand is “Travel”.
Travel
You don’t believe it, go take a look. Take a look at their ads, products, and marketing in general, and comment below if you can’t see the ’Travel‘ element all around them.
Still not certain? let’s talk about everyone’s favorite brand...
Off-White
The brand was founded in 2012, and its popularity isn’t new, but it’s now reaching heights that, to the idle but curious fashion observer, may be confounding. Its guiding principle is just “everything in quotes,” as in, everything is ironic and also the main recognizable design element on the clothes is chunky quotation marks.
Yes, Irony.
A black dress with the words “Little Black Dress” written on it, in quotes. A shoelace on a $700 pair of sneakers with the word “Shoelaces” written on it, in quotes. A scarf with “scarf” written on it in quotes.
Isn’t it ironic that you’re willing to pay $1000 for a sweatshirt, or a supreme brick 🧱?
Let’s have one last example, a fun one.
Moschino
The success of Moschino was based upon the brand’s ability to grab attention through its products and campaigns. What set Moschino apart from the rest of the luxury brands at that time was Franco’s social awareness and his own criticism of the fashion industry which he portrayed through his work. Freedom was Moschino’s mantra.
Freedom...
“If you can’t be elegant, at least be extravagant” - Franco Moschino
Take a look at anything Moschino has put out over the years that doesn’t speak to freedom. I’ll wait...
Nuff said, moving on.
How Do You Get Your Brand Core
You can use the 20 - 20 - 20 method
You start with 20 words. 20 words that represent your brand. You are free to write literally any word you want, any word.
Then you write out 20 question with regard to those words, questions that will give insight to why you selected those 20 words
Finally, you write 20 answers. Answers to the 20 questions you asked. Avoid generic answers and be as detailed as you possibly can.
Questions are pivotal to success in creating the thing that you envision. This list separates your brand and what you’re about to design from the thing that you are inspired by or influenced by.
For every word written, you gain the absolute person you’re trying to target, you get the message of your brand, you get the core ingredients of your brand, you have a better idea of what your logo is going to look like, you have a better idea of what your clothes are going to look like, you have a better idea of what your palettes or patterns are going to be, you can basically know everything about your brand before you even start designing if you do this proper research.
Alternatively, you can take this route...
What's your overarching question?
This is a question you’ve been asking yourself over and over. It is a pattern in your life. This question could be :
Who am I really, and how do I express myself?
What am I passionate about solving about the world? What do I see as an existential problem either in my immediate surroundings or the world that I have been set out to solve?
How do I embrace polarity in life?
How do I create true abundance?
How do I help more women become financially free?
Formulate your question in a way that it gives you focus and direction. This overarching umbrella, or question will serve as your compass for years to come as you run your brand. It’ll give you direction.
Your mess could also become your message. Maybe you’ve had challenges that you’ve overcome and you want to help people to overcome similar challenges. Maybe you have an obsession with something and that becomes related to your offer. Who knows?
How do you uniquely answer it?
In this step, you are taking your question and pairing it with your unique answer. This is how you begin to position your brand. The fun part about this is that you get to design your own job description. You get to pick all these different pieces that you know best to answer that question.
Where‘s the gap?
The third step is identifying what the gap is. We want to get certain that people want what we are selling, and people need what we are selling.
Why your answer?
Why is your work important?
What are they missing out on?
Find the pieces of your gap. This will require you know your audience even before you start your brand.
In conclusion
The most important thing in street fashion brand is the voice of your brand. This is the message that you want to convey to the world about what your brand is/ what it is representing. If you’re unable to speak the voice of your brand, then its going to look just like that brand you know you’re never going to buy from cause they are just “wack”.
You know that brand I’m talking about don’t you?
But if you already know the voice of your brand, then you’re going to know exactly who to reach, who and where you need to target, and the exact person you’re trying to reach. You need a philosophy to create a voice. With a voice, you‘re more fluent, more consistent. Everything you do from that point will have a meaning and a reason. You can future-proof your brand if you’re able to connect with people that do that same thing as you.
Next week, we’ll talk about your mission, vision and setting goals. Join the community so you can get notified when it drops. Do leave a comment if you think this was fun 🤩. Thankssss.
Y’all ain’t even commenting 🥺