I live a blessed life. I’m young (27). I’m rich (mentally). I’m energized (most of the time). When I wake up in the morning, by the Grace of God, I’m able to pursue the life I desire without simultaneously having to work a 9-5 or deal with other outside distractions. Making and selling clothes has made me optimistic in ways I won’t take for granted. I can remember how FREE I felt the first time I sold an expensive piece of clothing. It’s true bliss. Being rewarded for selling your ideas and receiving the financial stamp of approval from those buying into them. That feeling of sovereignty led to dedicating myself to earning an honest living through making and selling clothes and I’ve never looked back.
With that being said… I’m here to tell you that selling clothes in 2024 is going to be hard. As hard as it’s ever been. When you break life down to its simplest components, nobody needs more clothing. However, more clothing is what we get. The supply of both clothing and people selling clothing is at an all time high. Heavily outweighing the demand. But just because it’s going to be difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. And it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to earn a living wage selling the clothes that provide you with a sense of purpose.
Newsletter #7 dives deep on the consideration of selling clothes in 2024. What types of products? Using what platforms? For how much? etc.
TASTE + INTEGRITY: To consistently sell high-end clothing you need a community of people that trust both your taste and your integrity. This applies both digitally and physically. The ideal consumer thought process would read something like, “I shop with DIVINE LAYERS SPACE because they offer a unique assortment of products I can’t find anywhere else and I trust them to fulfill my clothing desires in a personal and genuine way.”
What types of products do you provide that nobody else does? Maybe it’s your own brand. Maybe it’s other brands that aren’t commonly found in your area. Maybe you upcycle vintage pieces. Maybe it’s a mix and match of these things. Regardless, your community should have a general understanding of what to expect when they decide to shop with you.
Equally as important is properly handling the transaction post sale. Package things nicely, ship orders on time, and offer advantages to the most loyal community members. Working at Guevel has taught me the importance of guiding customers without actually trying to sell them on anything. Nobody wants to be sold. They want a curated set of options and the ability to make the decision for themselves. It’s our job to steer them in the right direction and let the chips fall where they may.
PRICE POINTS: Pricing shit sucks. It’s challenging to predict the price of a garment, especially when making them yourself. If you’re like me, then the true joy comes from witnessing others living a better life because of your creations. But the associated cost does go hand in hand in order to keep the creations flowing. Priced too high and you scare people away, but priced too low and you devalue your own art. It’s a tricky game.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that just because one person isn’t willing to pay a premium on your clothes, doesn’t mean another isn’t. The price of a garment may be one of the most subjectives figures in all of business. People overspend on all kinds of wild shit. Doing so because they believe the value they’re receiving is worth more than the money they’re handing over. Our job is to communicate VALUE in a clear and concise way.
I’ve developed a method for communicating value with my own creations that I want to share. For this method, transparency is key. Too often consumers are kept in the dark regarding how much a garment costs to make and how high the mark up is. By highlighting each individual element of production the consumer is hyper-informed and fully in the loop with where their dollar is going.
HANDMADE CLOTHING: This is where I predict most of the attention will trend this year. Now more than ever, people are looking for that next thing, that new brand, that exclusive product. Money is no longer the primary asset associated with style but taste. Finding independent, lesser known designers, who attribute to your style is the the new approach to flexing in 2024.
We’ve seen brands like Henry’s, Never Cursed, Assemblage, and BONICEL garner attention for making beautiful and exclusive handmade items. The conversation is geared around more of a - first come first serve - type of basis oppose to selling seasonal collections. Additionally, there’s a market of up-cycling and reworking pre-made garments that is growing by the day. New age fashion consumers are looking for a cross between beauty and exclusivity. I’d argue often times it’s the independent makers who know how to accentuate that style the best.
VINTAGE + SECOND HAND: Real growth is happening in the second hand market. As a seller, this is where you can really capitalize. I believe the days of buying seasonal garments are behind us. Consumers are showing less of a tendency to buy retail/seasonal clothing the moment it’s available, instead taking the risk, waiting a few months, and buying the same piece on sale later in the season. I’ve noticed consumers caring less about the seasonality of garments at all. Buying more vintage, more shit on sale, and showing less interest about the year or season overall.
COLLABORATIONS: Collaborative projects are the other main area where I see demand rising in 2024. Collaborations geared specifically around a single item or collection. The winning formula is joining forces with other talent to create something special the parties involved couldn’t have created separately. In doing so, not only to produce a special product, but unite communities. Birkenstock, for example, has excelled in this category working with brands like Stussy and Kith to create new silhouettes and bring new eyes to their work. This is one of the most organic ways to brand build and sell new exciting things.
SELLING PLATFORMS: There’s multiple platforms you should be utilizing to help sell your garments this year. Speaking from personal experience, DEPOP played a major role in generating sales for my platform Q4 of 2023. If you’re not selling on DEPOP you should be. I actually prefer DEPOP to selling on IG or GRAILED. I get more unique visits on DEPOP simply by way of the algorithm. Where as with Instagram, 95% of views come from the people already within my following. Meaning I’m essentially selling to the same people over and over. GRAILED is a fail for me because it blocks out the entire independent makers market. But, If you’re primarily selling high-end street wear or luxury clothing then GRAILED is a good place to be. Just be prepared to handle infuriatingly comical lowball offers on a consistent basis.
My last piece of advice is this… Sell at local events! I shrugged at the idea of selling at my local thrift events for too long. Either because I felt like my products didn’t fit in, or I was fearful of wasting my time, or I bought into the excuse of not knowing who to ask. The truth is, people show out for these types of things. They love spending a Saturday afternoon flipping through curated vintage collections. I don’t even sell vintage, and still I saw real progress in both sales and brand interest just by being in the arena.
To close the newsletter I’ll end by summing everything up with a few final takeaways. Cheers to selling more shit in 2024!
Taste + Integrity = $$$
Be transparent with your pricing system
Craft your one of a kind curation of products
Collaborate with others
Start selling on DEPOP
Sell at as many local events as possible