Garment Dying has a lot of great advantages as detailed in the previous post…but there are also some precautions you should take as well.

Talk to your dye house for a full consultation. Here are a few things you should keep in mind before taking your full order to dye.

• Test goods ahead of time…do lab dips with your dye house using pieces of the actual fabric you intend on dying. This will help you get your colors as precise as possible.

• Ask your dye house to put an actual piece you plan to dye in with another comparable dye lot they may have for another customer. This way you can see how the total product reacts including coloring and shrinkage. Don’t forget to test any special softening treatments you plan to use as well.

• Make sure you account for the proper shrinkage in your patterns. Work with your patternmaker as you test dye products and get them to make pre-dye pattern adjustments accordingly.

Garment Dying also known as Piece Dying is a coloring process where a completed garment is dyed as opposed to being cut and sewn with pre-dyed fabric.

The major advantage is that you can cut and sew your product…then dye it to your desired colors as needed. Most dye houses can match just about any color you want whether it’s from the flowers in your backyard to the flowers on your favorite dress.

The best part is that garment dying also allows you to keep blank inventory of your merchandise with the versitility of picking trend-right colors when the time arises.

Many high end companies feel uncomfortable with the fact that if their product doesn’t sell in-season it will inevitably end up on a sale rack–looking cheap and tattered.

Afraid that “clearance rack” visual will damage their brand and give the wrong impression to potential buyers; many companies do everything they can to avoid being doomed to a store’s proverbial bargain basement.

So, how to avoid this?

• In the sales process never push product..ask questions to help buyers identify what would be right for their customers. Ultimately they know best what would sell in their stores. Make recommendations but don’t try to persuade them out of their comfort zone.

• Stay in touch with your buyers and offer swap outs on merchandise that is not moving.

• Worst case scenario– If it means that much to you take the product back at the end of the season. This may hurt your sales but if the product is still good enough to offer to a less seasonal store or sell at a sample sale you may be able to avoid a total loss.

The Customer.

Explore shipping options to see which companies are the cheapest. UPS, FEDEX, DHL, USPS. Make sure it’s a trackable service and pass that cost off on your customers invoice.

If in a rare event you are late with shipping or for whatever reason want to provide some goodwill to your customers you may choose to use shipping costs as leverage and waive the fee.

People have been inquiring a lot about how to send samples directly to the press.

Most of the time the press will only use your samples if they are working on a specific story or have requested them.

Since samples can cost you a lot of money it is best to be careful about who you send them to…how you send them….and knowing if they are going to be returnned and when.

To do this first send out photographs, looksbooks and linesheets….don’t send samples right away.

Follow up by phone or email and see if an editor is working on something that may be appropriate for your line. They may even call you after receiving your materials.

At that point most mags will give you a fedex number to mail product at their expense. They also may tell you when they are fitting or evaluating samples as well as when you can expect the products return.

The best advice I’ve heard about minimums is to first of all be flexible, especially when you’re just starting out if you can.

Also, never associate your minimum with a dollar amount.  You don’t want your customers thinking about money.  You want them to be thinking about product and proper presentation.

Are partnerships a good idea? They can be a great idea….or the worst idea you’ve ever had depending upon who you end up partnering with.

Many designers have successful partnerships with friends, lovers, siblings, former colleagues or even  their spouses.

Think of partnerships like a marriage….in a business context. There are many people you may date, have a fling with or admire but their are probably only a few people you share enough sensibilities with to marry.

Taking the construction of the partnership very seriously from the start will be very important to its success. Determine who will do what…who’s good at what and who will have the final word at what. Work with an attorney or do the research yourself to come up with a mutual agreed upon arrangement as to how the partnership with function. This planning time is the best time to ask all the what if questions you can think of….

As excited as you may be to get started getting all this “potential drama,” out of the way will make your partnership a lot smoother in the long run…and hopefully preserve important personal relationships as well.

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Email marketing can be a fantastic way to communicate with your customers in a business to business arena.

Using online systems like campaigner.com or myemma.com will allow you to email your latest postcards directly to your potential customers…see who opens and even who clicks through to the rest of your website.

With email marketing you may still require the help of a professional web designer to slice your images into html, but the actual online mailing systems are completely user friendly.

Depending on your start up capital I would make this the last expense I consider. Many now successful designers have started their enterprises as home based businesses.

In fact most of the designers I’ve spoken with have spent at least their first season working right from their living rooms.

Don’t think it makes you any less professional to work from home the first year. If you’re working as hard as most new business owners do you should be way too busy to notice.

The fashion schools are a good place to start. I’ve received a truckload of resumes when posting on FIDM’s career center site.

The trick is finding a good intern once you get the resumes.

First of all you want to make sure they are genuinely interested in the product you produce. Also since you are training them you want them to grow with you…so find out about their future plans and if they could see themselves working with you for a few years, or at least a couple.

Finally in order to bag the best talent their needs to be something valuable in it for them…and that doesn’t always mean $$$. See what their specific interests are and determine if you can tie that into their internship experience. You may want to give them a pet project such as something you’ll let them design and produce themselves. Or you may want to train them on a specific software that will improve their resume.

Most interns aren’t working for money they are working for the experience. You’ll get the most out of your time investment by training them as future employees and not just temporary free labor.