Starting your own clothing business… the Skint Originals way.

Everyone has a dream to push toward. Whether you’ve always wanted to be a lion tamer or a trapeze artist, small steps can always be taken towards your dream… but one day you have to just take the leap into the unknown. We spoke to Len Mifsud at Skint Originals to get his opinion on what it takes to ‘live the dream’ and start up your own line of branded men’s clothing.

“I’ve thought long and hard about opening an online clothing business for a long time but just recently, my decision was made for me.” explains Len, “I was made redundant from my position as a Marketing Manager and with previous experience as a graphic designer and a little spare collateral behind me, decided to just go for it!”

What previous experience in the clothing trade do you have?

“Well very little to be honest! I know quite a bit about managing product lines and a hell of a lot about customer service and branding, but above all, I know the kind of structured tee design I like. I love line work so each Skint Originals product features some pretty intricate and tight graphic design.”

So what did you need to consider before taking the leap?

“My first step was to try to minimise the risk… by this I mean that I looked at lots of ways to sell the product lines. My first port of call was checking out the costs of an RMU (Retail Merchandising Unit) at major shopping centres… Wow, no chance!! Then there were the good old fashioned outdoor markets… but they just didn’t seem the right place to build the brand. I’d vowed to stock only high quality products and the general perception of the average market stall is ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’. The best way forward for me was online.”

You mentioned ‘quality products’ as a key consideration?

“Quality products and added value. Every garment is packaged in a Skint Originals drawstring stuff bag. Free standard delivery is offered on orders over £30 and there are a few customisations to each garment such as own labelling. But the quality of the garments is paramount to success or failure in my opinion. I want to make sure that the garments my customers receive aren’t going to shrink, fade or fall apart and the print is of equal importance. There are lots of suppliers out there but only one could offer quality garments and print at a competitive price, especially when it came to origination and set up charges. Above all, Clothes to Order have proved to be very reliable.”

You can visit the Skint Originals website at www.skintoriginals.co.uk. Don’t forget to follow Skint Originals on Twitter and Facebook.