When developing an idea for your t-shirt brand, research should be a part of the process. Conduct an extensive Google search to make sure that your brilliant idea is also a unique idea. Search a variety of word combinations that could be used to describe your brand to fully ensure that nothing similar exists online.
Look out for any similarities in other clothing brands out on the market. If your brand revolves around a theme, be sure that no other brand presents the exact same theme in the exact same way you planned on presenting it. If another brand is already based around the theme you planned on running with, presenting the theme in a new way will differentiate your brand. For example, one brand might be based on a horror theme while another horror-themed brand presents it in a cute way. Cute zombies.
Availability Of Brand Name
Before choosing to stick with a name, find out if the name is available for use and is not trademarked. You can run a trademark search on the US Patent and Trademark Offices website at USPTO.gov. Also check to see if the name is available as a domain (preferably a URL ending in
.com). This can be done on GoDaddy.com. Perform a Google search of the name in quotation marks to see if anything else exists with the same exact name.
If you find out your brand name is being used, it might still be ‘available.’ You’re only banned from using a name if another company using the name is also selling clothing. Although this is the case, it would still be silly to use a name already being used, as this may cause brand confusion, especially if you happen to be targeting the same niche market. Hopefully you haven’t already printed 200 t-shirts only to find out that your brand name is already being used by another similar business.
About Your Brand
In some cases, you will have to further educate yourself on the actual content or theme of your brand, as it will make developing ideas easier. For example, if your brand is about cars, it would be a good idea to learn all there is to know about that topic, from the history of the automobile to every car model ever made. This additional knowledge enables you to implement solid branding.
Believe it or not, in some cases you may also have to research the meaning of your brand name. If you make up a word or a name, for example, you should always Google it to make sure it makes sense and is appropriate in all major languages. You don’t want to ignorantly make up a name for your brand that you later on find out translates to “urine” in German.
Or maybe your chosen name means something positive to you but ends up being a synonym for something else. One day I came across a really cool clothing brand with awesome branding. They requested to be featured on T-Shirt Magazine To write a comprehensive post, I needed additional pictures of their products, so I did a Google Image search for their brand name. What came up inspired me to write this segment. Their brand name, apparently, was also the name of some rare human deformity that was pretty repulsive to look at. It would suck for their fans to Google their name only to see what I saw. Probably an innocent mistake on their part, but you might want to avoid making that same mistake. Make sure you research your brand name and anything else related to your brand.
Get Feedback
You’ve got a great t-shirt brand developing in your mind, and it’s 100% awesome to the max. Or is it? Do other people think your idea is awesome too? And we’re not talking about your mommy and your best friend Mark. You’ve got to get other people’s opinions on your ideas—people who don’t know you, because they couldn’t care less about hurting your feelings. You need to hear the truth about your idea before going too far with it. We’ve all seen bad ideas taken too far.
Feedback is important, not only for beginning your t-shirt business, but for maintaining it as well. Be ready for all kinds of feedback, and use your judgement to decide what to listen to. Ask for feedback from associates, co-workers and even strangers. Simply proposing the question “What do you think of the name (insert brand name here)?” can give you a good idea of where your brand name stands upon first impression.
Watch Other Brands
Pay close attention to brands that inspire you. You can take it even further by researching everything about them: how they started, how they are maintained, the ways they are marketed, where their t-shirts are sold, and anything else you can manage to find. You can gain inspiration and learn a lot from your favorite brand. Discovering how they built up their business can give you ideas and motivation to build yours. Successful brands can also serve as good models for your own brand.
Other Things To Research
Beyond the basics, some things to consider looking into are industry trade shows and craft fairs, which you might be interested in attending to get a preview of what lies ahead for you and your business. You also want to research the costs involved in launching your t-shirt brand (some of which will be explained in the next chapter).
Karlo Reyes’ Research Process and Brand Progress
In today’s street culture movement, it’s difficult to know which brands are relevant when it comes to the concept and meaning behind each one of them. Jeepney is well known for its bold graphics and edgy concepts in the streetwear market. However, most people don’t realize that the concept behind the brand has deep artistic roots (Jeepney Trucks) and cultural (Filipino) relevance which inspires its designs and overall brand strategy.
At first glance, it’s not easy to make the connection between a Jeepney and fashion. That’s why I wanted people to know why I chose the name and why it’s relevant to everyone that wears the product.
When I chose a name for the company, it was important that the name was not only unique, but artistically and culturally meaningful. To me, a Jeepney embraces the artistic element of street culture simply because as artists we all want to showcase our talents in a unique way for the world to see. The most unique feature of the Jeepney is that each vehicle is different in design and concept. What were once plain American GI Jeeps left over in the Philippines after World War II have since been transformed into urban art forms that showcase each owner’s individual style.
As for the cultural relevance, at the end of the day, if all of our customers are able to look fly and learn a little about the Filipino culture through the Jeepney brand, then we feel like we accomplished some sort of educational purpose—even if it takes edgy graphics in our designs to get it done.
I am a graphic designer by trade and had a graphic/web design company back in the day. I started Jeepney in 2003 when I did a few t-shirts for a community festival. I ended up selling out of all the tees, so I decided to keep doing it. I brought on my business partners—Rex Korrell late in ‘03 to help with the operations and the sales side; David Gavino for design help; and Simpson Wong as the CFO—and the rest is history.
When we first started, there wasn’t a lot of information available on how to create a t-shirt brand, so we basically made things up as we went. We also asked our screenprinters for a lot of advice. Fortunately, we found a mentor, Mel Matsui, who was a seasoned veteran in the apparel industry to guide us with the basics of the industry.
From there, we created an online store, sold at events, and visited MAGIC (the largest apparel wholesale show in the US). Then, in 2005, we did the POOL Tradeshow in Vegas and the Agenda Tradeshow in San Diego, which exposed our brand to the large mainstream stores. From there,
