One of the first questions you need to ask yourself when thinking about launching your own clothing business is: Do I need to work with a clothing manufacturer?

If you’re just getting started with your business, it’s important to know that working with a clothing producer can be a risk – both financially and with regards to your time.

Of course, there can also be huge rewards. But be sure to weigh out your options before you make your decision.

Here’s a quick list of the pros of working with a clothing manufacturer:

• You have the creative freedom to produce the type of clothing that you want.

• You are able to build a brand image.

• You have more control over marketing.

And the cons:

• You have to bulk buy items.

• You increase your risk.

• You need to make an upfront investment.

One big consideration is that you’ll need to place bulk orders for your inventory. That means you’ll receive a large number of products that you’ll need to store and manage yourself.

For many, this works out just fine – but there’s the risk that it could eat away at valuable business funds if you’re starting out on a shoestring budget.

This isn’t a problem if you find your audience likes the clothing you’ve created, but there’s no guarantee that this will be the case. 

This is an issue that even the biggest retailers face. The only difference is that they can afford to absorb some of the losses if their clothing doesn’t hit the ground running.

If you don’t quite feel ready to take these risks, Tengyu is another way to start a clothing store.

Tengyu lets you start small to find out if there’s an audience that you can tap into. Then when you find success, you can start making moves towards working with Tengyu clothing manufacturer.