Indie Clothing Blog

The following is an amazing guest post by Shaun Burkowski, President/Creative Director for Vintage Limited Clothing. Make sure you check out what his brand is up to IMMEDIATELY after reading.

Preface

The common conundrum of just about every serious apparel start-up is whether to stay domestic or go the import route with their manufacturing, printing, and packaging needs. There’s a lot of questions and confusion involved in going the import route. After almost 2 years of research and development I made my decision to import and hopefully you can pick up some advice on what to do and what not to do.

Domestic vs. Overseas

The first thing you need to ask yourself is:

• How soon do you need your products?
• How much are you willing to pay?
• Do you need customizations, printing and packaging as one all-inclusive solution? Or do you just need the basic essentials (for example: blank t-shirts)?
• Do you have the time and patience to invest into research, business relationship development with someone who may not speak your native language fluently, and do you want to go through the headache of dealing with all the hassles of importation, duty taxes, international wire transfers, and risks associated with going off shore?

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Quiksilver has been one of my favorite brands for years. Although they aren’t considered an indie brand, Quiksilver has deep roots in the Hawaiian/Californian surf scene and could be seen as indie-at-heart. Here’s a fun Sunday read of one of the greatest success stories in the industry.

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LRG (lifted research group) have unveiled several new hoodies, just in time for autumn. A notable, but oddly named “Pay me to lay with me” zip-up features bold shades of red, yellow, and green on tan material. They have also released a ton of new t-shirts and hats that deserve a look.

Check out their website or as always, find them on .

It’s official ladies, I’ve read your emails and I now will try to post stuff just for you a little more often. To begin this trend I bring to you “Married to the Mob”, a ladies only brand that first hit the streets of NYC in 2004. You’re only as good as the crew you run with, so with titles such as “Most Official Bitches” — people will know exactly where you stand.

Check out Married to the Mob’s website or see their selection at Karmaloop.

This is for all of the ladies in the hizzouse. *NYC Boutique has released SEVERAL new moderately priced tops for all of my female readers out there. Prices start at $22 and they can be found at Karmaloop.

Over the weekend I added a link directory to the site.   The directory allows anyone to add a link to their favorite clothing brand, resource, store and more.  This is a great way to share information as well as a great opportunity to promote your company.

Check out the new Indie Links Directory here or by clicking the new tab at the top of this page.

I am starting a new studio in my home town and my time has been limited.  I have been remodeling an office space and trying to manage business at the same time… not the best combination!  I have some great posts coming up for this fall, but I wanted to offer the mic to you guys.

If you think you have an insight on an area of the business such as selling, getting clothing brands into stores, marketing, best practices, packaging, etc.,  please get in touch with me!

This month’s featured company is Pure Buttons.  These guys are your one-stop promotional button shop.  As a previous customer, I can truly speak from experience - they are the real deal and will work with you every step of the way.

Spread the word of your cause today with Pure Buttons!