Have you ever thought of starting your own clothing brand? Let me share my story with you! A few years ago, I started my own clothing brand, one that offers clothing just the way I want it. Dedicated to sustainable, ethical, and animal-friendly fashion.
My clothes had to be made with the finest organic and ecological fabrics. So, each item is carefully crafted (partly by me) and always 100% vegan.
Soon after, my very own clothing brand was a fact! I named it: New Angels. Because we are angels for wearing ethical and organic fashion. The new kind of fashion.
In this blog, I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look and take you along on the journey of starting fashion label New Angels.
It’s quite the adventure to start a clothing brand
First of all, when the idea of starting my own clothing brand first came up, I knew I wanted to create my own designs and only use natural and organic fabrics. No plastic! I made the conscious choice that all clothing should be animal-friendly and natural. It just feels right to me.
I love nature, and I think it’s important to care for our beautiful flora and fauna. After all, we share this planet together, and everything is connected. I don’t want to poison it. That’s how it feels to me, so I want to take that into account in everything I do. Every little thing helps, also the choice of my clothing, so why not try to do it better?
It sounds so simple, how hard can it be, right? But, working with 100% natural fabrics turned out to be easier said than done, and as a small, starting clothing brand, it was quite the challenge!
This is how I started my own clothing brand
Having clothes made and starting out as a small business is quite a task. The first issue I ran into was that it was difficult to find affordable fabrics that were truly 100% sustainable, not mixed with ‘wrong’ materials like synthetic polyester or conventional cotton. Complete shops with not one single fabric I could use. Did polyester take over the whole fashion world? I needed to search a long time to find what I needed.
Secondly, producing in small quantities often turned out to be impossible or ridiculously expensive. And on top of that, I had a clear requirement: everything had to be made fairly and ethically, absolutely no child labor or exploitation of garment workers. To get clarity on that, I needed to find producers who are open and transparent about their production. Let me tell you this: there aren’t that many who are working ethically and giving you a glimpse behind the scenes to prove it.
Balancing Time and Money
Time is the hidden cost. I wanted to figure everything out myself and not hire someone to arrange it for me. I wanted to save money. But this meant I got stuck at every turn, simply because I had no idea how the fashion industry worked. And no one seemed to be willing to share their knowledge either.
Other brands are very secretive about everything. You never really know where the clothes come from. All of this combined is basically the perfect recipe to make starting your own fashion label extra challenging.
I’ve run my own business before, and luckily, I do enjoy a challenge, so I just decided to go for it! And you learn as you go. Something like this can never be easy, otherwise everyone would do it, right?
I’m proud that I managed to keep the costs fairly low, which also helps me keep the clothing affordable. I would never pay $200 for a shirt, so I don’t expect you would either.
Finding the right manufacturers
Before I started working with a manufacturer, there were lots of conversations, photos & videos going back and forth so we could come to an agreement and both know exactly what to expect from each other. Close contact is really valuable; this way, you can act quickly and save a ton of extra costs.
Most importantly, working like this allows you to stay in control. I’m a perfectionist, so personally, I find it the most comfortable way to work. That way, you know exactly who you’re doing business with and what to expect. Because I’ve learned that “creative interpretation” from the manufacturer is quite a common thing.
I looked in countries where most fabrics are produced (for more options), and where most garments are sewn (with ethical labels, so fair made). So I searched in China, Pakistan, India, and also in Europe: Turkey, Italy, and Portugal. Most of them I found on Alibaba.com. Alibaba has a lot of manufacturers who offer a low MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). MOQ is the number of units a supplier is willing to produce or sell in a single order. A low MOQ is perfect for a starter like me!
So much went wrong…
For example, it turned out that a sample of my own design leggings in size S was suddenly made much larger, at least XXL, no joke, just a loose-fitting and way too long pair of pants.’ The manufacturer’s explanation? “You look so tall, we made it bigger.” But seriously, why??
On one hand, it’s kind of hilarious, but on the other, it’s frustrating because it’s such a waste of all the time and money already invested, and I still had nothing. There was no progress.
Sometimes they ‘ forgot’ to send my original sample back to me, or they used other fabrics, or the sample they made was a terrible quality.
There were quite a few valuable lessons along the way. Luckily, I kept thinking: “Just keep going!” and started again from scratch. Setbacks are just part of the process.
New Angels’ first collection
After a year (yeah, it took me a while), I had samples made in Turkey, Portugal, the Netherlands, China, and Pakistan. For the first collection, I ultimately chose China because of the great communication I had with Liz, my contact at the (fabrics) company NTG.
I’ll be honest, there were moments when I thought I might go bankrupt before ever holding my new Angels clothing in my hands. I had to overcome so many obstacles, including major delays and extra costs due to COVID.
But luckily, things turned out well, partly thanks to Liz! Out of gratitude, I named the first shirts in the collection after her. Now I had a solid foundation to build on, it all starts with these three shirts!!
The production of our first shirts
Our first collection was made at NTG in China, a manufacturer I found through Alibaba.com. The company was founded in 1998 and has since grown into a modern business with around 200 employees. I especially love that there are women in high positions, like Liz.
This company offers a wide range of textiles and specializes in natural, eco-friendly fabrics. They even have five stores in the International Textile City. Thanks to their high quality, they’ve built a solid reputation. See the fun photos she sent me with my design: our New Angels hemp shirt ‘Liz’ in black, together with Liz herself! You can find Liz on Instagram.
Natural colors and dyes
New Angels clothing is all about Natural, Eco-friendly, Fashionable, and Comfortable. I love my label to specialize in eco-friendly fabrics and preferably natural, plant-based dyes. Toxic-free dyes are not the norm, so you need to search for them. I also love the increasingly popular tie-dye. It’s hand-dyed, you probably know it, those beautiful, colorful “splotches.” It’s a mix of modern and traditional techniques. I’ve always loved these kinds of fabrics, and the prints are just stunning.
Fair made in China?
NTG takes good care of its employees, and of course, no child labor (I just want to really highlight that!). Another great plus: women hold high positions here, which is quite special in a male-dominated industry. My contact person was Liz Zheng, with whom I had – and still have – a very good connection.
We keep in touch, we admire each other, both women who want to build something and take care of ourselves and our families. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Be your own boss, make your own money, and grow as a person.
NTG mainly sells fabrics, but for New Angels, they also took on the production (even though our order was actually way too small, to low MOQ). They were willing to support a starting brand, so now you probably understand my excitement about Liz and NTG.
Smooth teamwork, strong results
During this time, I’ve come to realize just how incredibly important the connection and collaboration with people is, and the trust you have in them. It can really become a problem if, for example, a manufacturer refuses to return your sample or suddenly changes the prices. Working together smoothly makes all the difference.
After lots of trial and error, the perfect little shirt was finally developed. And I have to say, the result is something to be proud of! The very first New Angels off-shoulder shirt, made from 100% hemp fabric. Hemp, which was called “The king of natural fibers,” became a reality partly thanks to her dedication. That’s why this shirt carries her name, as a huge thank you to her.
Sustainable choices, even in China
You might be thinking: “China? Isn’t that the opposite of sustainable?” I get it. The image of “Made in China” isn’t exactly great, but that’s not entirely fair. China invests a lot in renewable energy. There are also well-run production facilities and quality certifications, like fair trade labels. So yes, sustainable production in China is definitely possible!
Did you know that many sustainable products actually come from China? Like bamboo and hemp-based items. These simply can’t be grown and produced locally. The positive impact often outweighs the negative impact of shipping. You can find plenty of certified factories in China, like those with the GOTS label. A lot of effort is being put into building a more sustainable fashion industry.
It does cost a bit more and takes a little bit of extra effort, but it makes all the difference when it comes to safe workplaces and fair wages. And honestly, that just feels so much better, doesn’t it?
New Angels is a genuinely ‘green’ fashion label
It is! All New Angels clothing is sustainable, fair, and vegan. Of course, always with reason and practicality in mind. Because what can’t be done, simply can’t be done. For example, there’s still no sustainable alternative for elastane, which is what’s used to make most fabrics more stretchy. And sometimes you want something that’s impossible to get or just doesn’t exist (yet).
New Angels is a green and eco as it can be. I truly believe there’s always room for improvement, and we’ll keep exploring new and innovative techniques and fabrics. Like textiles made from banana fibers or soybeans, and vegan leather made from pineapple or cactus. How cool is that!?
The second collection
For the second collection, I wanted it to be produced closer to home. This resulted in making it myself in my atelier at home. Yes! I made it myself. I had already started working on it while the first collection hadn’t even hit the store yet. By then, I had realized that producing close to home is easier to oversee and has the most benefits for both me and the buyer.
Locally made is always better and easier. It’s literally closer to home. And for a while, I could also offer made-to-order items. But that soon turned out to be too intense and stressful for me, so I went back to selling what I had already made. Much more relaxed and less pressure. I wanted to try new things and had to find my way.
So, the second collection, featuring sweaters and dresses, was made by me in my own home sewing studio. As a startup, it’s nice to work with small batches, while clothing manufacturers usually require minimum order quantities (MOQ). This way, I was able to create the second collection fairly quickly and launch a winter collection smoothly right after the first summer collection with just a few items.
Buy your New Angels apparel here
I sell my hemp shirts and organic cotton dresses, and sweaters on Etsy. Feel free to browse the shop for New Angels’ sustainable pieces. At the moment, I sell my clothing brand exclusively through Etsy. This way, New Angels is available worldwide, and the best part? There are no shipping costs! Have you ever thought of starting your own Etsy shop? Here are some tips for you!
New Angels: a lovely, sustainable clothing label
As you can see, there have been quite a few bumps along the road from the moment the idea of fair and sustainable clothing was born until the items finally made it to my customers. But I did it!! My customers always give me a 5-star review. I can’t be happier! You can find them on Etsy as well.
It was a long journey to start my very own fashion brand. I’ve seen other women do it way faster, but I did it without any professional help. I could have done it better, I think, but it could also have gone a lot worse.
For me, it was like a dream come true. I’ve always been sewing clothes for myself and my kids, and now I see other women walking around in MY designs, which I made. I feel so proud and honored!
If you ever decide to start a clothing brand, please let me know so I can support you in any way I can. It’s not the easiest side hustle, but you can make real money with it if you have the right strategy. You can read how much money I made in this blog.
Much love,
Ingrid
You can find all the New Angels clothing here in my Etsy shop.
