How To Get The Clothes: Step By Step
28 Feb
Alright, it’s been fun talking about other lines and celebrity fashion, but I think it’s about time we get back to business! Just to update on my progress, I’m STILL working on designing the site but more importantly, I’ve found a photographer! Her work is great, and it’s going to be a great collaboration; I’ll post more about her in the future. My first photoshoot is scheduled April 6th and I have three deliveries coming in before then (the end of this month, mid March and late March).
Moving on, I’ve had several people ask me exactly how do you go about contacting designers and labels. I realized I never explained this clearly, so here it is, step by step:
Contacting the Designers
Unless we’re talking about an indie designer, it’s usually not the designer him/herself who you would contact (nor is it corporate). The vast majority of the time all sales would be handled through a sales representative who works out of a showroom. If you’re on the West Coast, use the LA Fashion District Directory to the find out who the sales rep is for a particular label. They have just about every line listed with the location of their showroom, suite number and phone number.
Before making contact, I would recommend getting a bit more information (showroom name, sales rep name, etc). You can usually find that as well as email contact info at the website for the particular building as showroom is located in, and there are four total:
Call or email the showroom and ask them to email you (some may snail mail) a line sheet. A line sheet should show you all the styles as well as color ways, wholesale prices, fabrication, sizing, etc. Be sure to ask about minimum order quantities as well.
Also keep in mind that buying is done pretty far ahead of the season. Right now, you would be buying for either Summer or Fall.
Trade Shows
Trade shows are like exhibits. It’s one of the best ways to find new lines, and you can also place orders while you’re there. Here are the major shows:
- Brighte (LA) – Happens during the LA Fashion, Home & Gift show during market week at the California Mart. I’ve been twice. It’s usually the same designers, and there are good labels (I found one that I bought from) but there isn’t too much to see.
- Designers & Agents (LA) – This usually goes on at the same time as Brighte, across the street at the New Mart. I previously was unaware of this and now I’m kicking myself for not going (although I might go in March). Apparently, it’s a bigger group of designers.
- MAGIC (Las Vegas) - By FAR the biggest trade show, and it’s a huge deal in the industry. This happens in February and at the end of August every year.
- Intermezzo (NY)
- Coterie (NY)
That’s for fashion. If you’re looking for skate/surfwear or action sports, there are completely different shows for that (I think there’s a big one in San Diego).
Everytime I go down to the mart I get completely overwhelmed and can’t find any lines that I really like.. any suggestions on how to make the most of a trip down to the mart – not only during a show but even just during the week?
^Hey Sunita! That’s a very, very, very good question. To be honest, Im kinda sorta in the same place as you right now. I mentioned in another post that I went to D&A and I was soooooo lost, I only found like 1 or 2 clothing lines I liked. And I dont think that’s necessarily our fault as buyers; there are so many lines out there and most aren’t going to fit our vision, and so many of the lines look the same anyways.
I think when you see a line you like, you’ll KNOW it, so it’s not something you really have to rush. It might also be a good idea to just et business cards and email them for linesheets, then sleep on the lines and decide what you’ll actually buy at a late time.
And also, I would say to only visit a small amount of lines/showrooms at a time. When you do it all in one day, like I did, its really easy to get overwhelmed, burned out, and then everything starts to run together in your mind. I hope that helps!
Hello kim, I’ve just started reading your blog, I’ve a Q?
How do you know exactly how much to buy at startup?
Hi Neil, there’s no rule of thumb really, it’s all up to you. It’s good of course to buy at least one piece in each size, and some lines will probably have minimums. Beyond that you basically need to decide how much merchandise you’ll need to make the store not look too empty.
I hope that helps!
Hi Kim,
First of all your blog is great, it really does explain everything I needed to know. But i do have question..
When i go to a designer’s website such as “True Religion Brand Jeans” I click on “distributors” and I get bunch of names and info. but before the list starts this is what it says:
* Please note the following are Distributors who deal exclusively with Retailers around the world NOT individuals looking to buy True Religion Apparel. Please do not contact anyone below unless you are a specialty boutique or retailer looking to open a store that carries True Religion Apparel.
so yes I do want to open a specialty boutique and carry True Religion..but is that who i should go through? “Distributors” and if so
I heard that it is hard to get HIGH END clothing to sell is that true?
Hi Violet! Yup, the places listed on the website is where you would go to get the clothes. Those are the names of the showrooms, and showrooms are pretty much always who you go through to get a new label in your store.
It can be hard to get high end clothing. If you’re looking for some exclusive designers or VERY high end brands like Dolce & Gabanna or Chloe or something they have very high minimums and they’re picky about what areas and what types of shops they go into. And a lot of times it depends on what boutiques around you are carrying. Just email a BUNCH of brands that you want and try to work with the sales reps and narrow it down.
Best of luck!
I LOVE your blog/site, found it through the fashion spot! I am planning on opening an online store next summer for fall, but am wondering how early I should start contacting reps? Do you have an office space or do you run it out of your home? Also, do you ever notice some brand reps who will not work with brand new stores? Thanks so much for your advice, you should write a book!
hi Kim,
blog is fabulous.
you really helped a lot since I am now in process of getting into boutique business.
my ‘problem’ is that I live in the Caribbean,meaning, only summer clothes and shoes is what I need during the whole year.so if I go to shows and showrooms in winter time can I still get summer dresses and sandals?
also,I do not want big designer names,not even brands,just cute,unique,trendy,good quality stuff.can I find that there too?
thanks,
Itana
Kimmy – I’ll email you!
Itana – Im gonna do a post answering your question!
Hello,
I am in the process of opening up my own boutique. I dont know If i want a store, or just an online website, but I have come to the point where I need to contact different designers. I live in washington dc and go to school in ATL, and I see that you gave the LA fashion District for people on the West Coast. Who would I contact??
Thanks For Reading.!
Also,
What is usually the price for these clothes??
^Hi Anjanee, there are markets in Dallas, Chicago, and of course New York (as well as vegas), so those are good places to start! And wholesale markup is x2.2, so you buy the clothes for less than half the retail value.
I am a native of West Africa and I’m trying to open up a small clothing boutique to offer trendy, inexpensive styles there.
I don’t want any big brand labels…just trendy, Forever-21 type clothing that teenagers and young adults can purchase the trendy styles they see in American movies.
I live in Atlanta, GA. I was consdering going to Magic. Do you know if that is a good venue to purchase clothes of that nature?
Thanks,
Sabrina
Hi Kim, this information is great, thanks. I live in ohio and wondering who to contact to get nice clothes and what are some good ideas when starting a boutique?
^I’d start with LAShowroom.com and FashionGo.net. These are all located in the garment district of LA. Some of them show at magic too, Im not sure how many, but coming down to LA is probably the best place for you to start!
^Hi Felicia, that question is answered in the post
Make sure to read my whole blog, start at the end and work your way forward; I answer all that and more! These two posts are good places to start:
http://oohlaluxe.net/index.php/6/fashion-trade-shows-showroom-appointments/
http://oohlaluxe.net/index.php/87/how-to-approach-sales-reps/
Hi Kim! Love your blog and could not have found it at a more opportune time. I am actually starting up an online boutique. I am going to the coterie/intermezzo shows in May. My questions are very similar to Kimmy, above. This will be my first buying experience. I wonder about how many different selections should a website carry? How soon can I email reps to request line sheets? I plan to start in my own home. I will be doing all the work myself to start up ie. buying, organizing, photography for the site, processing sales and shipments. I have many questions, can you maybe email me ? I’d appreciate it so much!
hi kim. i couldn’t be happier to find this blog and thanks for all the great info. I’m in the process of opening my own boutique and i’m very interested in carring designers like john Eshaya, savee, sky, mark work, love quotes, t bags, faith coonexion, rock republic, j brand,siwy and etc…which trade shows will be the best ones to attend. i live in wisconsin. how soon should i start odering? can i also make an appointment to talk to you directly? i really need your help..thanks
Kim, do you know by any chance how can I find line called “Sky”. I want to sell it in my store, but having a problem to find it.
Thank you
@Lisa — There really isn’t a set standard, variety is definetly good, but definitely pay attention to your budget. I started off very small with only about 5 or 6 lines, maybe 6-8 pieces each. Buying starts 6mos ahead of season, so you want to email the reps when they start showing the season in which you’ll be opening.
@Portia — Good brands! Since you’re in Wisconsin youre kind of in the middle of everything — there are markets in Dallas and Chicago, but they’re pretty small compared to MAGIC in Vegas, the LA and NY market. So I’d plan your trip based on your budget and what kind of deals you can get to fly out — NY and MAGIC are the biggest so def aim for those
I’ll email you tomorrow.
@Tanya — It took me forever track them down, they were at Kathy Walker Sales but they’re not anymore. They have a coporate showroom at the New Mart. Unfortunately I dont have any contact info (couldnt even find it on the web!) but call the New Mart and ask them for it
dear kim,
you give advise on how to buy the clothes. what about placing your own brand. i design clothes and i want to place my clothes in different boutiques. where do i start? can you give me some advise?
thanks!!!
marisol
HI kim
your tips are great but would you be able to help me out.
I mean how do i reach out to the indie fashion designers?
Is there any websites you recommend.
I want to start an online store somewhat like modcloth.com but just cant find that lil push I need. This is a huge dream of mine and its really fading away since i cant find anything helpful online til now.
WOuld you be able to help me out in any kind of way?
Id really appreciate it.
Thanks so much.
HI KIM,
You are an inspiration! There needs to be more people like you. You are amazing and so helpful.
Im in process of opening an online store and I have 3 questions, maybe you can help me out. This is a huge dream for me.
I want my store to handle affordable merchandise ranging from $50 and up. Somewhat like **** label and **** brands. I want my store to somewhat be similar to LULUS.com.
1. Could you tell me a couple of brands that are similar to these and where online can I start to get information? I live in San Antonio and I am far from LA or NYC and Im really hoping to get info online before anything.
2. What is a good name for my online store?
3. Is it really hard to start an online store? I want to do this all on my own.
hope you reply. Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much,
Makayla
@Makayla — youre on the right track — those are two awesome brands and you’ve obviously done some homework by finding them. I don’t give out brand information unless I’m consulting, for a number of reasons. But there are markets in Dallas and you’re sure to find some good stuff there! It took me 2 weeks to come up with a name for my store, it’s an important but tough decision to make — just think about words you like and that inspire you, words that you feel reflect the feel of your store. It’s definitely possible to run an online store on your own in the beginning; it’s not too hard, it’s just a lot of time management. Thanks for your comments and best of luck!
@Brenda Lee — I’ll be answering your question in the next post.
Hello,
I am a sales representative for a designer from East Hampton who is trying to expand into NYC. Is there any contact information or advice you might have to help us get started? We are currently looking into department stores and small boutiques but we don’t know how much to expect the markup to be. Thank you for any insight you may have.
Hi Kim,
thanks for putting this blog together. Very helpful. I’m wanting to open a mid range womens store here in Kodiak Alaska (yeah i know right haha). im going to check out all these websites and make some calls but anything u could recommend for someone living way out here?
I am looking to open my own boutique in Spring 2012. I have attended a few seminars, did LOTS of research online, etc. but, still cannot figure out if my store is not open yet and I havent applied for my tax ID, etc. how and where do I find places to purchase my inventory? I dont necessarily want to carry “name” brands, just affordable, different clothing and accessories. I would love to attend some of the trade shows too but would I be able to without actually having my store open yet?
It looks as if you really know your stuff about this industry and would appreciate any help you can offer!
P.S. Kim….I am located in Indianapolis, Indiana if that is helpful.
I wanted to know where is the Market in New York. Also, they have a market in Atlanta too.
I’m not sure where it is, exactly; if you look up Intermezzo and Coterie Im sure you can find it though, because those are the two big shows in NY. There are also markets in Dallas! Hope that helps.
Hi Kim, I am in Florida and I am trying to buy some women clothing to send to the Dominican Republic to sell, and hope to open a boutique next year if everthing goes well. My proble is where can I buy clothing like gap, old navy, inc, no to spensive buy well know. Where do I start. Please help me, Thank you so much, and keep the good work,
Thamy
Hi Kim,
Just a quick question, if you could only do one show this Fall, would you do MAGIC in August, or Coterie in September?
Thanks!
Hi! My sister and I are the the beginning stages if opening a boutique. We’ve pinpointed whom we would like to be our target costumer as well as location, however we are completely lost on finding showrooms or sales representatives in our area (Northern Louisiana) any suggestions for a couple of rookies?
@Donna – probably MAGIC, although it would be nice to go to NY lol. But MAGIC is the biggest in the country.
@Jaleesa – there probably aren’t any showrooms in your area; most of the showrooms are in LA and NY, and there are some in Dallas, Chicago and SF as well. Sometimes traveling reps will come through your territory, but for the most part you’ll need to travel to one of these larger locations to do your buying..
Hello Kim,
I am new to this I am getting things together so I can open my own boutique, and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions. I am in Houston which showroom do you think would be good for me to visit to do my buying? Also when is a good time to start ordering your clothing and I would like to have some brand names but I really dont have to I would really like to just have some really nice trendy clothing where should I begin to look? My last question is how would you suggest I have a grand opening for the boutique to inform people that it is open and ready for business? Thank you so much ahead of time for andwering my question and please feel free to email me with the answers also, I check my email daily.
Thank you
LaTasha
Hi Kim
Tons of information for sure.
I’m kind of in a different bracket here, because I am a new designer just starting out, and I notice that you are a buyer.
I design for the higher end market for kids- edgy hair accessories (hair clips- not grosgrain inspired like a million others), but also make stunning brooches- yes they are back and a great fashion accessory for adults- small price for a big impact.
I’m sure this is quite an unorthodox method to approach someone, but hey I have to try, and you may not lose too much either. Sometimes you have to break or bend the ‘rules’ to get to where you want.
If you’d like to get a few free samples, I’d be more than happy to send them.
I don’t have a website, though I do have a shop on Etsy as these pieces are all handmade.(The collection I am referring to is not yet on Etsy, but I’ll be happy to put them up if you prefer to view them that way).
If you have any questions please send me an email.
I know buyers generally have a keen eye on trends, so I’m so curious.
I visited your website- great items. Wishing you all the best.
@Latasha – Well there are TONS and TONS of showrooms, it really depends on what style and price point you’re looking for. I would start by looking into specific brands you’re interested in and then seeing what other labels their sales rep carries. Trade shows are also a good option for people who are scouting out new brands. A grand opening sounds like a great idea too! Check out my post Fashion Trade Shows & Showrooms http://oohlaluxe.net/index.php/6/fashion-trade-shows-showroom-appointments/ — it’s an overview of the main fashion markets and trade shows in the US and it’s a great place to start!
@Ally — feel free to send over a linesheet or link to a website, would love to check them out!!
@LaTasha — Oops, I missed part of your question …. generally the window for buying is about 6 months ahead of time; next week they’ll be showing the spring ‘12 collection at MAGIC in LV, and then it shows in LA in October, and it will also show in NY. When the window closes differs per brand. It’s safe to place an order during that time, but it’s also good to consider immediates in this economy (I touch on what immediates are in this post http://oohlaluxe.net/index.php/66/terminologyanatomy-of-a-line-sheet/)
For a better guide, check out this calendar of market week events in LA http://www.californiamarketcenter.com/faq/marketdates.php Hope that helps!!
Hi Kim-
I think I’ve ready each and every word on your site.
This is giving me a great start and really answering all the tricky questions. Just one thing I can’t seem to locate though–info on the trade show in Chicago. I live in Michigan and that would be the closest to me. I’ve been googling and googling and haven’t found anything about it. Does the Chi show have a specific name?
^I’ve always heard Stylemax, I believe this is it http://www.stylemaxonline.com/
I am trying to gather everything to open a boutique, I live in St. Louis,MO so I wondering where should I begin to look for designers or should I look in local area for people.
Hi Kim,
This blog has been real helpful and informative. I would like to know where can we purchase nice cocktail dresses and that are made of good material. I am planning to opena boutique in Colombia and the fashion their is real high end like in miami. Any suggestions?
Hi Kim
I am getting ready to start a online boutique. How do I go about getting the clothes for my website. The way I understant it, is that distributor don’t allow you to buy their items unless you have a actual store. Please help…this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time, but I can figure out how to get started. I eventually want to be able to open a small boutique in Philadelphia. I appreciate any advice you can give me. I really need a mentor.
Thank you in advance
Tamika
Kim you are a BLESSING you have answered a lot of my questions. I am in Dallas Texas and I have asked a lot of ladies that have their boutiques for answers and help but they were not helpful one lady told me she didn’t know how to get in contact with her vendors(really come on) and another one said call me back I have a lot of customers in the store (I was sitting right outside her store no one was in there). I feel that what is for you it is for you no matter if I have a similar idea but women are so whats the word YEA that word. lol But thanks for all the other ladies asking questions that I wanted to know and thank you Kim for answering them!!!!!!!
Ladies I PRAY you guys have wonderful success!!!!!!!!
Do I need my State ID # to attend a trade show and purchase
Hi
I have been reading your responses to people and they are great. however i have a couple different questions. I have two degrees with business and fashion, i have worked in retail ad interned at showrooms before. I finally have everything set to go buy at the markets and tradeshows. However i want to be prepared when i go. Here are a couple of my questions
do i tell the reps its my first store?
how do i read deliveries, what exactly are they?
do you pay them right away or is it COD?
how can i prepare myself so that reps will sell to me?
what surprises can i expect at a showroom or trade show?
also i am interested in starting my own showroom, any good books or contacts to help me get started?
any help would be great
Hi Kim,
This is a great blog! You have helped with a couple questions I needed answers too. Additional I just opened up a showroom for my designs and local designers in Philadelphia. Im really excited wish me luck!!
@Reg – that’s awesome! love local emerging designers and people who support them
best of luck, of course!
@Stephanie – It generally won’t hurt to tell them you’re new, but you don’t have to tell them unless they ask you. Deliveries usually say something like 3.30 or 3.15 (or they might say 31.5-3.30) — it’s the month and the day that deliveries will begin shipping out (that doesn’t mean you’ll get yours right away, usually there is a week or two window). You can do COD, but generally your card is charged after your order ships. If you’re going to a trade show make sure you have all your paperwork and business cards together; at the showrooms, make sure you’re ready to answer basic questions about your store and what lines you’re looking to carry. Keep in mind that higher end reps are going to be looking for “prestige” when it comes to your shop.
I dont know of any books about starting a showroom — you’ll learn the most about that by being a buyer and observing what some reps do wrong and what some do right.
Hi Kim!
I think that the information you are offering to aspiring designers, entrepenuers, buyers, etc is priceless and would like to first say thank you.
My sister and I are in the beginning stages of starting an online boutique. You’ve already answered a lot of my questions however, I would like to know what your thoughts are on working with distributors overseas? Have you experienced first hand or do you have any suggestions if one decides to do so? Especially, if you are dealing strictly via internet. We will not be selling designer labels in our boutique but affordable fashion forward clothing. Any information you have to offer is greatly appreciated. Thank You and Happy New Year!
Tanisha
Hello =] , Definitely appreciate you for the help youre giving , and adore the fact you like doing it, I couldnt get anyone to even give me few tips, Ive been researching alot and I plan to own my own store with maybe one high end brand such as MEK joe jeans or true religion , and just trendy clothing bags shoes etc, By summer of 2013 here where I reside in Michigan, problem is I dont know where to start as far as buying clothing for my store , I looked into wholesale, and went on brand websites , but nothing …I also wanted to know is starting an online store better to start with ? I really need this PUSH ,and would really be thankful for the help .