If a small indie brand goes viral, there’s a good chance it got started on TikTok. Despite being around for less than a decade, the platform has launched countless businesses and brands into seemingly overnight stardom thanks to the strength of its algorithm and organic interaction. But those are just the success stories–is it really that easy to make your own clothing brand go viral on TikTok?

The apparel industry has been around for a long time. At that time, a lot of jargon and shorthand terms were developed between manufacturers, designers, and distributors. If you’re starting out, it’s essential to learn some of these terms–they’ll give you an idea of what you need to have before starting your clothing brand, and what you can expect from your partners. Here’s a brief list of 15 essential clothing brand terms you’ll need for your apparel business.

Where do apparel businesses begin? Ask the average entrepreneur today and you’ll likely find that they began online–building a brand and platform on Instagram or TikTok, then working with drop shippers or merchandising services like Shirtual or Shopify to produce and distribute products. However, once you’ve grown up from that niche, it’s important to be able to scale up. This often means engaging in offline branding to bring your online apparel brand to stores or expos.

When it comes to brands, whether you’re selling apparel or other merchandise, perception and personality are everything. Community building and customer engagement are both important for building a good image of a brand, but sometimes, something as simple as packaging can go a long way in affecting your clients’ views of your products. That’s why having great printed packaging has been proven to positively influence clients’ satisfaction and behavior. 

Picture this–you’re prepared to go out to work or with friends, but the plain shirts and jeans you put on start to look stale in the mirror. We’ve all been there. While a few good color choices or a nice jacket can help, sometimes to really enhance an outfit, you need to think smaller. You need a few well-rounded accessories for men.

While many accessories are made for women, simple metalwork like rings and necklaces have been for all genders in all kinds of civilizations. For the most part, these accessories symbolized power and wealth, and many of those ideas persist to this day. However, there are more accessories for men now that are more on the casual side–things you can wear to chill and complete an outfit’s overall profile.

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for brand marketing, used by over 80% of marketers worldwide. Considering the sheer popularity and constant innovation on the platform, it’s hardly a surprise that it remains so prevalently used among all walks of life. Popularity, however, comes with a lot of competition. It can be hard to stand out in the Instagram marketing scene, so today we’ll talk about how you can market and sell your products on Instagram effectively.

How many fashion brands have you seen with the same minimalist branding, the same plain shirts with one-note designs, and the same general aloof attitude to their future clients? Countless brands, both big and small, fail to appeal to modern audiences because of laissez-faire approaches to their style and branding. The joy of owning your own business is that you can choose to go against the grain and really make your apparel brand stand out. 

T-shirts are by far some of the most popular products you can make in the apparel business. The humble shirt is sitting at an outstanding $72 billion industry, and thousands of apparel brands are built off the back of a few strategically designed t-shirts. In such a saturated market, how can your brand stand out from the crowd? Don’t sweat it–no two t-shirts are the same, after all, and there are plenty of hip niches you can fill in the current market. Here are some of the 5 trendiest types of t-shirts for your apparel brand you can try right now.

“Follow your heart.” “Trust your gut.” “Let your instinct lead.” If you’ve heard of these phrases, you know how important emotions are to the average customer. The most successful brands in the world are built on sentimental value–whether it’s partygoers sharing a Coke, teenagers sketching on their Converse, or athletes winning contests while wearing Nike. A strong brand sells style and emotion, not just products. This is why emotional branding strategies are so effective.