A couple of days back, a friend and designer of mine, Lain Lee3 posted a great article on his website which really hit home and covers some fantastic points and concerns that ALOT of people who either run a clothing line or are thinking of doing so have.

After reading his article a couple of times, I wanted to share it to give those of you out there a little nod in the right direction of the ‘do’s and dont’s’ when it comes to creating your own line. I admit, its strange reading something like this because at the very begining, way back when I was playing around with ideas and Edward Teabelly was bubbling around in my brain, I was working hard at doing the things Lain points out..being different, being myself, having my own brand image, theme, feel and experience. It was challenging at the very start to come up with something I could put out there that, to me was quality and eyecatching yet something that held a branding to it, an idea and story behind the flashy designs and something that I felt was ME.

As alot of you will know who follow alot of blogs, indie brands and social networking sites, its pretty common now to see clothing lines popping up alot and again as most will know its easy to throw your name on a shirt and sell it, but what the hard part is and quite honestly the fun part for me, is keeping the branding and theme/feel/image of what your doing all consistent. Yes its a big challenge, and believe me, ive needed plenty of cups of tea on those late nights where I was constantly checking over and over things, making sure ideas looked and felt right but once you start getting noticed and have a following that gradually grows, you begin to realize the importance of this, making sure what your doing is in keeping with YOU and YOUR BRAND.

I wont go into too much detail, but I just wanted to throw in alittle of my own thoughts. Head over to my friend Lain’s page now and check out the article HERE, belive me you will be glad you did…make sure you tell him Edward sent you!

In closing, if there is anything I can add or say, its to stay positive, be creative, keep your mind in the game but be focused whilst still having fun! Above all, be passionate! You MUST love what your doing and be in it for the right reasons!

-Edward

Pinkys Up!