15 tips on how to create your own brand of furniture, clothes and jewelry

Starting is always difficult. We spoke to three young designers – furniture, jewelry and clothing – how they started and what advice they would give to other newcomers. Take notes!

How to create a brand of furniture

Polina Balashova the founder of the Woodi Furniture BRAND

Set a goalWhen you start to do something, the main thing is to determine your goals. I'm not saying that we should have some kind of a clear development strategy, but we need to understand what result you want to achieve. The principle of "just do it" for the sake of just doing it does not work here. But if you have a goal that you want to reach, the product itself will benefit and do better, while the workflows will be build more intelligently. A goal is necessary in any endeavor: it shows in which direction to move.

Be realisticWhen I started my brand, I already had an agreement with the factory that will produce future models of my furniture. I knew what materials they work with, imagined the possibilities of their production process. Understanding where and by whom your product will be sold is very important because you can come up with anything, but who would want to "cut" their own design in favor of the manufacturer?

Come up with a title that reflects the essence of the brandA good name can facilitate the designer's life. It should go from an idea that makes it immediately clear, as to what the brand specializes in. When the brand Woodi was in its infancy, we wanted to call it "Etazherka" (Bookcase). We focused on the design of the 60s and in our minds, flipped through lists of pieces of furniture that existed in Soviet times: chests, wardrobes, bookcases. Ultimately, we decided that the name said little about us, and so there was born Woodi – now it is clear that we are working with wood.

Make it officialIf earlier it was still possible to imagine that someone would work with a private entity, today a designer, if they want to work with showrooms and shops, has to make sure to have their private company or an LLC. Opening an LLC is difficult, so at the beginning stage being a startup is ok, but it is necessary: coming into a store and saying "I am a designer, let's work together", won't work. Everything should be legal.

Don't be afraid to do everything at onceIn the first phase, you are both the designer and the manager. Most likely, you will have someone waiting in the wings, but most of the work will still have to be done by yourself. Want to get into a showroom? Make an adequate presentation, make a list, write and call – just do it. "Do" is the main piece of advice I can give.

How to build your jewelry brand

Maya Kotelnitskayaartist-jeweler, Maya brand founder 

Set high goalsWhen I finished school, there was practically no place to put my skill to. My classmates were hired to work in jewelry workshops: repaired stuff, made some products for orders. Instead, I began to make jewelry by my own sketches.

Look for helpersDevelopment of a logo and a name, marketing and promotion - all of it is very important, and shouldn't fall onto the shoulders of one single person. It is best to divide the duties among several people. If they are good specialists - great, but it is much more important to just feel comfortable working together with a person.

PlanClear planning helps move forward. You need to understand what you'll be doing in six months or in a year. This will allow to properly manage not only money but also time. For example, jewelry is best sold in the summer and the winter, hence, the off season will be dedicated to purchasing materials and working on new collections.

Don't be afraid to change the styleMy first decorations were very classic, and now they look very different. The style was formed gradually – I was guided, and that guidance induced the tastes of my customers and current trends in the jewelry world. However, it is necessary to find your feature, your own "brand". You don't need to do something for the sake of the trend. Now, for example, many artists make minimalistic jewelry, and it is often difficult to distinguish between brands – all products are very similar.

Consider salesWhen I started making my jewelry, it already had the demand, people messaged me on Instagram and offered cooperation, but looking for partners can also be done at markets: look who is there, see what they're showing, meet people. When choosing a store or a showroom, one has to clearly distinguish the difference between the number of Instagram subscribers and real sales – a beautiful and popular page still says nothing. The numbers are important. To understand how the jewelry will sell, you can look at the people who will sell it, socialize with them – b now I can immediately see what kind of a result to expect from a certain partnership.

How to create your clothing brand

Olesya Shipovskayadesigner of Nebo brand

Decide on your audience and productWhat do you plan to do and for whom?

Study the market and the competitors

Find a niche where you can best the restAfter all that, you have to just choose a product and bring it to perfection. If you decide to make suits, then be sure to analyze what there is a shortage of on the market: a variety of patterns or colors. Perhaps the average price of this category of goods is too high, and then you'll be able to find a way to reduce the cost of the product.

Search for a "dream place" where you want to sell your clothesJust go to your ideal point of sale ("Tsvetnoi" or TSUM in my case), to get accustomed to the prices and brands. Visualize! Many people underestimate the importance of this task, but dreaming of the unreal is the most correct take on it.

Do what you loveIf there is passion for design in you, you should probably start with things that you like. It it necessary to believe and to invest in new models, even if they sometimes seem irrelevant to others. When I was introducing oversized male jackets into my line, and then handmade brooches, there were a lot of comments and prejudices. Eventually, when the product will increasingly appear in the press and on celebrity social media, it can easily become recognizable and even mass.

Cover photos – Nebo