How to start a Clothing Company

Linty Fresh is an up and coming clothing company that have done an amazing job branding themselves. I got the opportunity to ask Eric Terry, the mastermind behind Linty Fresh, a few questions about his brand.

What is Linty Fresh all about?

Have you ever been in a situation where you met some new people, and
after a few minutes of very surface-level, meaningless banter, you
exhaust all the cliche questions and things start to get a little
awkward and no one seems to know what to do or say next? So you’re
standing around, and finally, someone just goes right ahead and calls
out the awkwardness, and it totally breaks the ice and everyone has a
good laugh and gets to know each other a little better?

Well, I kind of try to be that guy. And Linty Fresh has really become an
extension of that - it’s the ice-breaker that makes people smile, it’s
the bizarre anecdote that’s both confusing and hilarious, it’s the goofy
grin that won’t leave your face. Linty Fresh is about finding fun in of
the unexpected and sharing it with your friends.

I think one of my big goals is to come up with completely new products.
The market is really flooded right now with other indie brands, and a
lot of them are using the same producers for their goods so it’s easy to
get lost in the crowd. By innovating things that no one else is doing,
it helps to set me apart.

I’d say that one of the major differences is that I’m the only one
running the show, from design to order fulfillment. This keeps
everything looking very consistent and unified. I’d also say the style
is unique. About a year ago, I narrowed down my look to “stylized street
art cartoons and graphics”, and that’s helped to govern things a lot.

Actually, when I first started Linty Fresh, it wasn’t really a brand,
just a company name. I’d come from the mentality that “branding” was a
negative thing, since in my mind it took the emphasis away from the
designs. And as an artist, I was all about the designs. But as time went
on, I began to see the value of having an identity to unify my products,
so I gradually began to incorporate my logo and brand name into my
products more and more. At this point, Linty Fresh has become a very
specific brand with a definite look and feel, to the point that people
can immediately recognize things from my line.

Definitely. I guess to some it may seem a little egocentric to have my
name up everywhere, but I haven’t done this so much for notoriety as for
showing how small the operation is. I want folks to know that
everything’s coming straight from me, that it has my seal of approval,
and that if they’ve got any questions or concerns, I’ll be the one
helping them out.

When I first started building Linty Fresh, I thought about all the
things that I liked and disliked about dealing with other companies, and
one of the major things I always came back to was the quality of
customer service. I always appreciate being treated like an actual
person and not just a blank face with a wallet in hand, and I’ve tried
to treat my customers the same. I try to ship orders out within 24 hours
of being placed, and will notify the customers as soon as they go out. I
also send out goodies with each order like lollipops, stickers, and
pins. I think it’s always important to deliver a little bit more than
the customer expects. Another thing I’ve focused on from the beginning
is giving each product a background story, poem, or otherwise unique
writeup. This gives each purchase a little extra value and lets my
personality shine through a bit, too.

The in-person experience (as in the case of craft shows), has been
something I spend a LOT of time with, too. For my latest setup, I built
a fake washing machine around the countertop of my booth and had a giant
tentacled monster breaking out of it. I want people to know that I’m not
just there to take their money. I want to give them an experience,
something they can laugh about and enjoy.

I like involving my customers in the process as much as possible. On my
blog, (linty-fresh.blogspot.com) I update about designs in progress,
displays for shows I’m working on, and new additions to my office space.
It gives people a little look into my life, and makes me seem more of a
real person, which is important to me. I also have contests from time to
time, including an ongoing monthly Flickr contest for the best picture
uploaded with a Linty Fresh product. I want folks to be proud of the
things they buy from me, and I want them to feel connected to both me
and the brand.

What advice can you give others on building a strong clothing brand?

My advice would be to spend lots and lots of time figuring out exactly
what you want your brand to be like. There are literally thousands of
other “indie” t-shirt lines out there, and in order to succeed, you’ll
need to bring something completely new to the table. Deciding exactly
what that unique element is will be absolutely crucial to your success.
Do lots of research, too. Talk to other clothing brand owners, research
it thoroughly on the web, and read as much as you possibly can!