RESOURCES

It’s finally here. Completely free as promised.

 

Take everything I say in this document with a grain of salt, as I’m learning and growing everyday. Feedback is appreciated.

Thank you virgil for this idea. RIP

Here is a url to his guide

https://virgilabloh.com/free-game/

 

Brand name: if you remember my previous brand wrath you know I’ve rebranded and chosen Sacred as the new name. If you don’t absolutely love something, change it. For me the brand name I came up with in 2015 was nothing more than a character from full metal alchemist. As I grew and matured the name had no meaning and held no meaning.

 

The name you give your brand doesn’t have to necessarily mean anything to anyone besides yourself. Your brand is a representation of you and your ideas.

Take time with your brand name

 

SECTIONS

Trademarking + Sellers Permit

By far this is the most helpful straight to the point video, and actually used this myself to file my own trademark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MfjFtkMM1Q&t=5s

A sellers permit will allow you to get wholesale pricing from blank manufacturers directly, which may be cheaper than buying from a wholesale site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pn4T2L4Gxk

 

 

Adobe applications

You don’t necessarily need to know how to use photoshop but for me it was how I decided to handle my brand. I was curating everything up until a few collections ago, there’s a few ways to go about it but you can find designers on Instagram with hashtags like #designforsale and find a designer/style that suits your needs.

As far as learning yourself, here’s a good YouTube channel for how I learned a few things: 

https://www.youtube.com/@DoronYablonka

 

Manufacturing

Ahh, you’re getting the “where’s my order” emails a week into your release. Yeah I know. Manufacturing may take the longest to sort if you’re not printing the items yourself. Some good reliable screenprinting spots:

https://www.instagram.com/naturaloperationprint/

https://www.instagram.com/palasadeprintingsupply/

 

My favorite standard quality blanks: alstyle 1301 & tee styled classic 6oz tees.

My favorite premium quality blanks: LA apparel 1801 GD & Shaka

 

Some basic easy to reach manufacturers can be found on alibaba. How to go about sourcing a good manufacturer? Select verified supplier, Look at their company profile and look at how reputable they are. Look at their sales and their company standards. Ask to see their work and make sure they can work with whatever minimum order quantities suit your needs.

 

 

Marketing

Some may not pay attention to this and solely rely on putting out content. But this is what is going to bring your work to light, while at the same time attract new customers. There’s a few ways to go about this. Organic strategies that hit algorithms and get your work seen, paid advertising which has generated more sales and new customers for me than anything I’ve ever done. Actually I’ll be handling a few more clients. DM my personal Instagram @n.eery to inquire.

Marketing does not have to be digital, there are many forms of marketing and I suggest  that may best suit your brand.

 

 

Best wholesale sites + Domain Preferance

https://www.ssactivewear.com/

https://www.alphabroder.com/

Shopify is my number one pick, majority of brands are hosted on Shopify. A good way to find what host your favorite brand is using is by simply going on Google and looking up “website host checker” and putting in the URL.

 

Sourcing inspiration 

There’s a difference between being inspired and copying. Find your balance in between the two. I’m still developing my style and I think everyone is, your entire journey is a development of style. Trends come and go but real art, real music, real anything will last forever. What’s trending now may not be in the near future. Think about what you’re putting out and grow with each release. Find what you like and develop your style.

 

 

Final thoughts

I hope anyone reading this was able to learn something. Feel free to send me a message and help me develop this document even more. This is merely a draft. I will be adding and adjusting where I see necessary.

 

Keep creating and continue to push the culture forward!