Art & Merch Design with Coco Nella

Photo by New Perspective LA

In honor of Women’s History Month, we decided to interview some Los Angeles women artists, designers, and business owners. We start this series by talking to artist and designer, Coco Nella who has paved her way through the Los Angeles art scene after relocating from the Tri-State area. Coco has worked with several brands and businesses to elevate their brand with her abstract designs.

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Who Is Coco Nella?

Photo by New Perspective LA

Coco Nella is a Los Angeles-based mural & custom artwork business owned by Corinne “coco” Pulsinelle. Coco hails from the east coast, where she grew up fascinated by abandoned buildings and street art. After attending SUNY Purchase Art Conservatory in New York, she was able to refine her style and scale up her designs into large murals.

Since moving to Los Angeles, Coco’s painting style has caught the attention of major corporations, interior designers, business owners, and independent clients looking to have custom artwork in their homes. Her illustrations have also been used on packaging, clothing, and merch specifically in collaboration with local breweries.

Coco’s Background

Growing up in New Jersey, Coco became interested in the arts while taking an art class at her high school. Growing up, she took a specific interest in photography and graffiti as her artistic outlet. While in high school her teacher encouraged her and helped her apply to art schools.

After relocating to Los Angeles, Coco made connections with local interior designers and she began doing large-scale paintings and home murals as well as retail and office spaces. She has been able to create these connections through the years and building a brand for herself.

Although Coco’s primary work is painting murals and graphic design, she majored in Screen Printing while at SUNY Purchase where she learned the art of printmaking. This knowledge helped her understand design and plays a big role in how she works today. Coco has been able to pivot her knowledge of design and printmaking to create artwork for beer cans and apparel.

10 Questions with Coco Nella

We sat down with Coco to talk about her story, her inspiration for what she does, and the women in history that paved the way for her.

Q: How do you think learning the art of Printmaking in college influences your art today?

Coco: Printmaking is a cool knowledge base to come from because it is process-heavy and I am better at setting up a project overall because of it. For example, I approach murals by having a completely planned-out design first and pay close attention to things like color order as you would in printmaking. The heavy focus on design and image layering is definitely something I think is evident across my work.

Q: Growing up, who were the women that you looked up to as inspiration for making art?

Coco: I have always been inspired by strong women in general, especially those who are accomplished in male-dominated industries or have overcome very big challenges. I can’t pinpoint a particular idol in the art world, but I will say that seeing my grandma react to the drawings I was doing as a kid for example made me feel like maybe I had something worth pursuing. So maybe I didn’t know all of the art icons & hadn’t been to many galleries, but I had strong women around me who I looked up to and wanted to make proud.

Q: How do you help brands develop their visual assets?

Coco: My approach to working with brands is based on making a personal connection and understanding the ethos of the company and who their customer is. Developing color schemes, fonts, and images. Those are all tools we can utilize to communicate. Sometimes I feel like a translator, taking what it is a company wants to express and simply putting that into the language of design. I am not short on unconventional ideas and I value freshness and originality while keeping things approachable.

Q: What is your process when designing merch for a business?

Coco: On a technical level, it’s important for me to understand what the design is going to be used for. An image that translates well on a digitally printed t-shirt might not work on an embroidered hat for example. Once that part is sorted out, I really just focus on making the merch look eye-catching and awesome. People often buy merch because it’s nostalgic… you had a great time at a new brewery and there’s an awesome t-shirt hanging in front of you that you can wear and remember that awesome time. It’s built into the experience for the customer, but it’s also built into the advertising of the business. It’s a proper win-win scenario that should be treated as a fun and enjoyable creative process.  

Q: What do you enjoy about working with local breweries?

Coco: Local breweries are often down-to-earth social environments where things behind the scenes are often very creative and experimental. I feel like my goal as a visual artist to bring people together parallels the goal of many brewers that I have met, and that alignment allows for really cool artwork to happen.

Q: How important do you think it is for breweries to have label art for their cans?

Coco: Label art on almost any product is an integral part of creating/product brand awareness and making sales. A lot of people like myself will engage with a new product almost exclusively because I like how it looks, after all that’s often all you know about the product until you’ve tried it.

Q: What is the best part of working with a local business?

Coco: The best part of working with a local business is that I am also a local business and we speak the same language, a lot of times as far as understanding the hustle, the highs, and lows. I come at those projects from a place of support and I really appreciate the support in return.

Q: What do you like most about designing beer can labels?

Coco: Craft beer is specifically cool to make art for because oftentimes the customer will sip on a beer and have a rare moment of pause where they can actually look at the can. I like to bring a lot of detail into these labels and give people lots to look at, it’s just fun and part of the whole experience of unwinding with a good beer. Plus I’ve seen people either collect or turn the can into planters so that’s been a meaningful and unexpected demonstration of how people respond to the work I’m putting out.

Q: What is the most challenging part of designing merch?

Coco: The most challenging part of designing merch for me is creating the best strategy ahead of time so that whatever artwork I send to the printer will translate really well onto whatever product we are making. At the same time, I want to create artwork that is versatile for my client, so if they decide in the future to turn the same image into a patch or a pin I need to hit that sweet spot of having visually interesting details, but not so many details that they get lost on the item or can’t be made at all. It’s not always possible but that is often a challenge I face being in between the client and the printer.

Q: What inspires your creativity when designing merch?

Coco: When I design merch, I am always on the lookout for unconventional sources of inspiration that can bring freshness and originality. I don’t look at other merch as much as I might look at old photos, advertisements, and even just cool color combinations that I might notice while I’m out on a walk. 

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Designed by Coco Nella for the 2020 Los Angeles Brewers Guild

Beer label designs

Coco has worked with some Los Angeles County-based breweries such as Lucky Luke Brewing and Pacific Plate Brewing designing their cans. She has been able to bring a brighter concept and an out-of-the-box approach to label design.

Colorful and eye-catching beer label designs have recently become a very integral part of the craft beer business in Los Angeles. Having a well-thought-out, colorful and fun design on a beer label has proven to increase sales, and breweries all around the country are beginning to notice that combining art and beer is a good way to create brand awareness and loyalty.

Check out The 20 best beer label designs of 2020

Read How to design a beer label: The ultimate guide for craft brewers

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Merch Design

Having a well-thought-out design printed on a t-shirt or stickers can get you noticed. Coco has created some very cool designs to establish a brand visual asset for some of her clients such as Leo & Mamas, which is a women-owned lifestyle brand and shop in Lancaster, California, and a cool bandana collab with Lady Luck Print Co. which is a women-owned print shop located in Carlsbad, California.

As a business with regular customers, selling t-shirts, mugs, or stickers at your events or establishment creates a beautiful flywheel effect: the more merch you sell, the more money you make, and the more your brand gets promoted by your regular customers. A nice mention on their social media also helps promote your brand and gets you noticed by orders in a way that is fast and easy.

Read 8 Reasons why your company needs branded merchandise

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Health and Wellness Merch Design

The branded fitness apparel and accessories market grew in popularity when our lives were put on hold due to Covid-19. As more people spent their entire days at home, the demand for some physical and mental release became a priority in daily life.

Workout equipment and accessories were at such high demand that many big brand such as Peloton could not keep up with purchased orders and their delivery timelines were months behind schedule due to supply chain issues.

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Fitness Merch

Fitness merch can be broken down into 2 different categories; fitness equipment and fitness accessories. If your business is centered around health, such as a fitness trainer or training program or a fitness supplements retailer you will want your merch to follow the same theme.

Check Out 32 Health and Wellness Business Ideas

Yoga Mats

Weather you do yoga or not, you will need a mat to perform your workouts. A branded yoga mat can be an easy way to promote your brand and add a stream of revenue for your business. Because yoga mats are such a big surface, you have the space to play around with design.

Not only can you print your logo on a yoga mat, but you can add other elements such as abstract shapes and colors or you may take a more simplistic approach. Your yoga mat is your canvas!

Check Out Why Should You Create Your Own Branded Fitness Merch?

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are more popular than ever! Not only are they a low-cost product, but it’s a great surface to display a logo. Adding resistance bands to a merch store can be a nice addition as they’re not very common for a lot of brands outside of the sporting goods big retail stores.

Resistance bands can also make a good free promotional product if you’re just getting started because of it’s low cost.

Due to the material, it’s important to find the right merchandise product printer as it can be a tricky item to print on.

Sport Water Bottles

Every fitness brand will have a water bottle with their logo on it, and you can definitely go the same route. However, we think adding another element of design can help differentiate your brand from the completion.

Remember to always follow your brand guide and use your brand color and any other identifier. Thinking outside of the box in terms on design will be the best approach when creating basic merch items for your business.

There are also a lot of options when it comes to the design of the bottle itself, make sure you shop around before making a decision.

Athletic Apparel

Athleisure wear trend became popular with the comfort that leggings provided for everyday people going about their daily routine outside of work. Because most people seek comfort, athleisure wear is the perfect merch item for both very active people and perhaps less active but busy people.

Athleisure apparel can help to bridge the gap between people that live a very active lifestyle and people that may not have as much time to dedicate to going to a gym but would still like to feel comfortable while out running errands.

This is the perfect way to introduce your services or retail business to a broader audience.

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Wellness Merch

The wellness industry has been experiencing a boom with society focusing more on mental health. There are a lot of wellness businesses that focus on practices such as meditation, yoga, and nutrition. If your business fall into one of these categories, you understand that the potential to sell a product on top of your services can be challenging.

Check Out The Big, Booming Business of Wellness

Candles

Candles are easy to make, this could be the most cost-effective product if you’re looking to make your own candles (which a lot of the businesses in this field prefer to do) and attach your branding to the candle container. Your branding can be in the form of a sticker or a sleeve that wraps around the container.

In addition to the branding on the container itself, there are other things you can offer such as matches which can also be customized with your brand’s logo and can be a nice touch.

Soaps

Much like candles, soaps can be easy to make or manufacture if you choose to work with an established soap supplier. The opportunity for branding is on the packaging.

Soaps are usually wrapped in branded paper and this surface is of significant space to create something that is a clear representation of your brand and overall business mission.

Travel Mug

A travel mug is a more basic and simplistic merch item, however, there’s a ways to make this feel like a luxurious item, which depends on it’s design. Travel mugs come in all sizes and shapes, finding the right mug for your brand is key.

As the example photo shows, this brand chose a simple mug that has soft edges and contains a very simple image clearly defining their brand message. The key is to know your audience and know what they would like to have. Find a mug that you not only would buy for yourself but also buy for someone else as a gift.

Recipe Book

For a content creator that focuses on nutrition, creating a recipe book is also a great way to engage your audience in a deeper level. Many of us also like to have a tangible frame of reference when we are cooking, therefore, a book of recipes can be the best merch for this type of service or entertainer.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, you can play around with design and it does not have to be thousands of recipes. Choose from your most popular dishes and curate a list of them for a limited-quantity run recipe book.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Looking for The Best Health & Wellness Merch printer?

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Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

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Different Types of Screen Printing Techniques

Screen printing might sound like it’s a straightforward process but there are many print effects that can be achieved with the right technique. The different screen printing methods are used to create a specific look to fit with the style you’re looking for. In order to achieve certain looks, you may need to adjust your artwork file or overall design. Don’t worry, we will take you through those steps!

In this guide, you will find the best T-shirt printing methods explained, exploring how each method works, the process, and the end results. Each of these methods are widely used by screen print shops around the world.

About Screen Printing

Screen printing is one of the most popular, established, and widely used amongst print shops. The process involves using screens to apply ink to apparel and other various materials. Also known as silkscreen printing, screen printing is a versatile and effective printing method that allows you to produce T-shirts with outstanding quality and a tactile feel. And, because the inks are absorbed deeply into the fabric, it is possible to achieve vivid, bright colors and maximum durability.

This is one of the most traditional methods of T-shirt printing, with experts believing it dates back as far as ancient China. However, it became popular in the 20th century, when Andy Warhol used the technique to create his iconic Marilyn Monroe portrait. It has since been used to create flatstock such as band posters, art prints, and graphic tees.

What Is The Screen Printing Process?

• Design Creation

  • Screenprint designs are often done using various software such as illustrator. You will want to ensure your file is in the right format before you begin creating your design. Size is very important and you will want to ensure the file can be re-sized according to the print surface.

• File Formatting

  • Vector files are needed to create a perfect print. Vector files are mathematical calculations that create lines and figures on our monitors. Unlike working with pixels, you can expand or minimize these vectors as much as you want, without impacting the quality. As well as being saved as a vector, the artwork must also be separated, with each color on a different layer. This is because, in the screen printing process, each tone is printed using a different screen.

• Screen Preparation

  • The screen needs to be coated with a photosensitive emulsion. This creates the green background you might have seen on a screen printing screen. This is a simple process but must be done carefully to ensure that the liquid is distributed evenly.
    For the photosensitive emulsion to work properly, it must be left to dry in a cool, darkroom. If the emulsion is exposed to light at the wrong time, it could jeopardize the full process.

• Stencil Creation

  • Once the screen is dry, the design is placed on top of it and secured in place using an adhesive. The screen is then placed under a strong source of UV light. The parts of the screen that haven’t been covered with the design will harden, while the rest will remain soft. In effect, the design has now been burned into the emulsion. When the screen is fully dry, the design can be removed using a small brush and water. A negative component of the artwork will be left and the artwork is ready to be printed using the preferred ink and technique to achieve the right look.

• Color Separation

  • If your design features more than one color, the process is repeated so that each color in your design is separated into individual layers on different screens. So, if your design has two colors, you’ll need two screens.

• Application

  • Now that the screen is ready, it’s time to start the actual printing. The T-shirt will be placed in the screen printing machine, with the screen carefully placed on top. The ink will then be placed on top of the screen and evenly distributed across the surface using a squeegee.

Learn more about the life of a screen from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

What Are The Different Types of Screen Printing?

With screen printing, you can create different finishes such as crackle or glow in the dark, but there are also different techniques that can be done to create a specific look for your print. These different techniques are used when you have a specific look in mind or you’re looking for a specific or unique aesthetic.

Spot Color Screen Printing

Spot Color Screen Printing is the most common t-shirt printing method. It uses the stock color of the ink by printing it through the stencil of the screen. It produces a vibrant solid spot of color and creates a thicker layer of ink depending on the ink and mesh count used.

Being it is one of the most beneficial in printing darker garments. It is useful for printing 1 – 4 colors; when you have more spot colors, other printing methods such as the simulated process may be a good option.

Because spot colors layer an infinite amount of colors, they can provide a much more vibrant and detailed print. In addition to the variety of options, spot colors provide much better consistency from print to print. When printing a solid color with process inks, there may be slight variations in the color balance that can affect the color’s consistency. While spot colors may cost a bit more, they can add a lot to your project making the extra cost well worth it in the end. Check “How To Screen Print: Spot Color”.

Halftone Printing

Halftone prints are single or multiple colors in which gradients are printed. These tones can range from solid spots to halftones of the same color. This screen printing method is excellent when you want to achieve the look of multi-color printing without actually doing it. This screen printing method emphasizes the use of shading with tiny dots, pictures can be printed using halftone screen printing and only use one single color to do so.

For example, if you want to get a pink radiant color on your white t-shirt, you can print red on a white shirt and include a 50% gradient. The 50% gradient will mix with the white to give it a pink appearance, all using only one screen and one color. It improves the graphics quality and produces a softer feeling print when printed directly onto the garment. Check “How To Get Started Screen Printing with Halftones”.

Grayscale Printing

Greyscale printing is a great way to print full-color images as one-color grayscales or halftones. Full-color photographs can be printed as a one-color halftone. Full-color drawings containing a complete range of different colors may also be produced employing a one-color halftone.

Typically it’s done in black ink on a light garment, but technically speaking, it can be done in any color ink as desired. The resolution will depend on the lines per inch used in the dot pattern.

The more dots a halftone has, the more detailed the print will look. It is a great cost-effective screen printing technique to print black and white photographs on garments. Watch “Convert a full color image to grayscale for screen printing using halftones”.

HOW IS HALFTONE PRINTING DIFFERENT THAN A GRAYSCALE?

Halftone printing is different than grayscale printing for several reasons. The first is the fact that halftone printing involves using one color to create various shades and portray the desired image as a result. Grayscale printing, on the other hand, is the specific use of gray shades from black and white.

Duotone Printing

Duotone printing, also known as multitone printing, is the combination of two halftones for the same image printed with two colors. First, a black halftone is printed on white tees, and then a second halftone will be printed with color ink.

The color halftone combines with the black halftone to produce a duotone color hue. It gives a retro and cooling effect to the prints on light-color garments and gives a full-color print appearance but at a much less expensive rate. It also produces a softer feel print when printed onto the garment.

This process requires that the press be set up with special inks, usually PANTONE-designated colors, instead of the standard CMYK inks used for process color printing. Check out “Creating and Separating Duotone Images”.

CMYK Printing

CMYK is the oldest, color reproduction, print method. Using cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink, screen printers can print designs on white or light-colored garments. For users skilled in CMYK file preparation, Photoshop, and screen creation, this is still a viable print process for light-colored garments.

CMYK printing is the most complex of all screen printing techniques and should be done on an automatic press. It can be done manually, but for optimum results, you need an automatic t-shirt press.

The printing process combines the above four colors to recreate the original image’s full tonal and color range. Moreover, it is an expensive process. Additionally, CMYK is implemented less because simulated printing is more dominant. Watch “How To Screen Print T-Shirts in CMYK”.

Simulated Process Printing

A simulated printing process is a method used to reproduce almost any image on the market. It does so by overlapping and blending colors in a method similar to CMYK through using halftones and spot colors and/or PMS colors. Essentially, it's a way of taking an image that historically would have been printed via CMYK but instead uses more opaque ink to create a more stable color and production-friendly ink that can print almost any design for any garment.

Moreover, it is most often the process used to print complex images on black-colored garments. Designs that are too difficult to separate in a vector program, raster images, photographs, complex tonal illustrations, are all doable with Simulated Process. Watch “How to Screen Print: Simulated Process”.

Learn more about the different screen printing methods “CMYK vs. Spot Color vs. Simulated Process Printing”.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Wearing Who You Are: How To Start A Clothing Business in 2023

Author: Irene Floridia

Our clothing doesn’t just cover us up, it showcases who we are. For many of us, the brands we choose to support align directly with our personalities. Clothing brands aren’t just started to make money, they’re founded on the idea of self-expression. For many of us, what we wear is an essential part of our identity. It’s the brands that are able to tap into that identity who stand the test of time.

In the fast-paced, internet-driven world we live in today; starting a successful clothing brand has become more challenging than ever, but it’s also the most exciting time to jump into the game. That’s why we’re here to help you in your quest to bring your new clothing brand to life.

5 Essential Steps Before Starting your Business

Besides the obvious actions you will need to take when contemplating starting your own business, there are preliminary steps you should take before spending money on merchandise or other services such as screen printing t-shirts. When starting your own brand, you will want to follow these steps as a guide to ensuring you have a successful launch.

1. Do your research

   Market research is important when looking for the right product or the right look for your brand. You will want to ask yourself if there is enough of a demand for the product you would like to sell and identify who you want to market to. How to evaluate a business idea before taking the plunge.

2. Design

   A well-thought-out design with unique elements that will best set you apart from the competition is critical. Having a brand identity can help you set yourself apart and the more creative the better! Check out 5 Steps to Building a Strong Brand Identity.

3. Create A Mockup

   As you narrow down your design and create a brand identity, you will want to make sure that your design looks good on clothing. T-shirt mock-ups allow you to see what the finished product will look like and it also allows you to edit your work before you submit it to a printer. Plan out your design with these 19 Ready-To-Use Online T-Shirt Templates and Mockups.

4. Source Your Products

   From personalized thank you notes to branded packaging, you will want to source the best materials to create trust with your customer. Sourcing the best materials will not only ensure quality but will ensure that the buyer will come back for more. At Family Industries we work with the best apparel brands to bring quality to your apparel. We also provide finishing services such as tags, packaging, and stickers.

5. Fulfillment

   Packaging and shipping can be a stressful task, that’s why most businesses implement a shipping software like ShipStation to help them print labels and automate some of those tedious steps when shipping a product. If the time and labor required to get this done is too much, Family Industries also provides a fulfillment option for those that don’t have the time for manual labor and want to focus on the big stuff.

… but why work with Family Industries?

Family Industries does not only guarantee quality prints, we also offer branding services which include a team of graphic designers to help you with your logo or t-shirt design. We also offer white-labeling fulfillment which includes branded packaging, branded garment tags, stickers, tote bags… you name it, we print it! At Family Industries, we treat your brand as our own; quality assurance and A-to-Z guided support to help you succeed.

• Quality

  Because Family Industries takes such pride in the work that we do, we guarantee top-notch quality prints. We offer top of the line apparel along with inks such as plastisol, discharge, and waterbased inks as well as foils and metallics. We also use the latest printing, embroidery, and heat press equipment to get the job done and ensure customer satisfaction.

• Options

  Because we are a full-service print shop, we have several options for applications such as screen printing, DTG, sublimation, embroidery, heatpress, transfers, and vinyl. Our wide variety of application techniques allow us to also offer high-quality merchandise such as t-shirts, flat stock, hats, tote bags, stickers, and other promotional items.

• Branding

  Branding is everything - When starting your own clothing brand you need your tags to have your logo or your tag line, at Family Industries we understand the importance of branding and this is why we offer custom hang tags, woven hem, and neck tags as well as branded packaging.

• Fulfillment

  Because sorting through orders, packing, and driving to the post office to drop off your packages can be so time-consuming we also offer fulfillment options that include your product with branded tags, branded shipping labels, and packaging.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

Do you have a lot of ideas for your own clothing brand but don’t know where to start? Our team of graphic designers would love to help you get started. Send us a message!

Apparel Branding Checklist

Starting an apparel brand may seem easy but there are a lot of legal and practical logistics to take into consideration if you’re looking to do things the right way. In this blog, we’ll take you through the basics of how to launch a legit apparel business with insight into the details that most people miss when they are just starting out. Additionally, we’ll give you examples of what not to do.

Image and Clothing by Never Made

1. Artwork & Designs

Oftentimes people have great ideas for what graphics they want on their clothing but don’t have the proper copyrights to use those images. It’s imperative that any design created for your brand is owned by you and that it is not in the likeness of any other popular brand.

Copyright is a form of legal protection provided to those who create original works. the copyright owner has the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, publicly perform and publicly display the work.

Any or all of these rights can be licensed, sold, or donated to another party.

When planning your aesthetic and working with a graphic designer, it is advised that you draft a contract to ensure you have the rights to the graphics and this way, protect yourself from any legal issues that may arise in the future.

Check out - How To Copyright a graphic design

Many make the mistake of changing the colors on artwork and think they can get away with it but it’s not recommended if you’re looking to have a legitimate apparel brand.

Make sure you also trademark your brand name. Here is how!

2. Fonts

Fonts come in all shapes and sizes, if your design requires a cool font that fits the vibe of your apparel line, it is important that purchase licensing for them. We advise you to select 2 or 3 fonts to use throughout your items and so that you have a variety to chose from.

To learn more about licensing check out The Law on Fonts and Typefaces in Design and Marketing: Frequently Asked Questions (about commercial and non-commercial use)

3. Details

Clothing tags are not only an opportunity to print your logo on but they’re required when selling apparel. Many new brands make the mistake of buying t-shirts in bulk that have a generic tag of the manufacturer and don’t bother to add their logo.

However, we’ve found that having your company information printed on the inside of the neck increases brand recognition and adds to the overall value of your brand.

Regulations compliance is another reason why you should have neck tags. These regulations required the fabric content, country of origin, and RN number.

Check out - Brand and Clothing Labels: The Definitive Guide

4. Website

Have your website ready to go before you begin promoting your product.

Take the time to build a website with a checkout cart that is linked to your email or a processing system to avoid all the manual work that comes with fulfillment.

A common mistake a lot of new brands make is launching their brand on Instagram or other social media platforms such as Facebook and this could cause issues with fulfillment, as it is important to have a centralized system to manage order information.

Do I need a small business website in 2021?

If fulfillment is too much of a challenge for you, a company like Family Industries which is a local print shop in Los Angeles does fulfillment for many of their clients all around the US.

Check out Family Industries fulfillment information

5. Apparel Photography

They say we eat through our eyes and it’s the same concept when shopping. Having well-lit and consistent product photography not only looks nice but it’s extremely important.

Product photography is just as essential as lifestyle images, but keep the lifestyle images to dress up your website and social media channels; while using your nice and clean product photographs for your catalog view.

Check out Clothing & Apparel: 7 Common Mistakes

Product photography generally refers to photographing a specific item (a piece of clothing) without any other distracting objects. For clothing, we recommend you have a model and you have the images shot with a white or single color background. Additional images should show the material and the seams.

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Conclusion

Check and double-check that you have copyrights to your artwork and that if you’re using fonts, that you have the correct licensing to use it. Protect yourself from any potential legal issues and provide the correct information about your garment on the tags and don’t forget to add your brand tags.

Make test purchases on your website to make sure your check-out process is smooth and it works to avoid any potential technical issues when you launch.

And always make sure you have high-quality product images, show as much detail as possible for your buyers to feel confident in their purchase.

Additionally, check on your competitors, not only can you get inspiration but you can look for ways to set yourself apart, and come up with your own style that is better, and also offer things your competitors are not already offering.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

A Guide To Streetwear Design

Designing artwork for a t-shirt or a hat may seem like a simple task, but when it comes to the technical application of the design; things may get complicated. The road to starting your own streetwear brand does not have to be bumpy! we encourage you to inform yourself before investing time and money, and we will help you by taking you through the different steps to consider when creating and designing your own apparel brand.

In this article, we will walk you through efficient and economical ways to begin a streetwear clothing line as well as the technical part of apparel printing to help you avoid having to re-design your logo or any other artwork you would like to print on t-shirts, hats, or pants.

Photo and T-Shirt Design By NEVER MADE

What Is Streetwear?

Streetwear is a casual fashion style that became popular in the 1990s. It includes comfortable yet trendy clothing such as graphic tees, hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers. Streetwear brands are inspired by both hip-hop culture and skater style. Followers of the latest trends in streetwear are known as hypebeasts, and many go to great lengths to acquire limited-edition designer hats, hoodies, sneakers, and more.

The first streetwear brands emerged in Southern California in the 1980s, when surfers sold screen printed T-shirts to promote their hand-shaped surfboards. Inspired by the street style of LA skateboarders and surfers as well as hip-hop fashion, small skateboarding shops in NYC started creating their own designs in the 1990s.

In the 2000s, sneaker culture influenced streetwear fashion. Hypebeasts paired their graphic tees with athletic sneakers, and collaborations flourished.

In the 2010s, luxury streetwear was born. As young people and social influencers made streetwear an important part of pop culture, and the fashion industry noticed, from mainstream sportswear brands to high fashion brands, got in on the action.

The Basics

Comfort

As mentioned, streetwear takes inspiration from the hip-hop culture as well as the skater style. When figuring out the fit of your apparel, you will first want to think about whether you’re looking to design loose and comfortable pieces or have more of a tapered look.

Streetwear is generally defined by breaking the rules of proportion by using oversize t-shirts with skinny jeans or dropped-crotch sweatpants, but as the style evolves, it is encouraged to just make cool and interesting apparel regardless of fit.

Ripped pants and distressed jeans are also part of the streetwear style, these details are important to the overall look. Considering what type of fit and style gives you brand identity and consolidates your audience to a specific group, which in turn, will help you narrow down your marketing efforts in the future.

Fabrics & Design

Because t-shirts are one in a million, and cool graphics are being designed and printed daily; good high-quality fabrics will set you apart from the competition and give your brand an edge. If this is something you can afford, we highly recommend going with higher quality cotton.

Cotton fabrics are premium options and ideal for long-lasting apparel. Additionally, the thicker the fabric, the better the graphics will be. The thicker fabric allows for a cleaner and nicer print, whether you’re screen printing the design or opting for a DTG print (direct to garment), a nice cotton blend is what you will need.

The design will depend on what your brand is about. Considering the name and the inspiration behind your brand as well as finding a compelling way to translate your passion for the brand into a cool graphic is key, and that same sentiment should show throughout each article of clothing and each collection thereafter.

We recommend that you stick to one logo and that logo be visible enough on all articles of clothing offered by your brand. The graphic design should be easy to read and recognizable. When designing the graphics, seek inspiration from your life, your surroundings, or the culture within your community. Having a design that directly connects to a certain lifestyle is what makes a streetwear brand successful.

Versatility

When creating your own apparel brand, especially in the streetwear category, you want each piece to be versatile. Versatility means that you can wear that article of clothing with many other pieces to allow the buyer to create their own unique look and keep their originality.

You can achieve versatility by including basic colors such as white, black, or grey. Minimal designs such as your logo embroidered small on the chest or your logo screen printed on the back of a t-shirt.

The Details

Accessories are essential to completing a look. There are simple accessories you can offer, such as hats, beanies, and bandanas to complete a unique outfit.

Screen printing a hat or a bandana is fairly easy and affordable, and are a good way to add accessories to your clothing line. Additionally, embroidering a logo on a hat or a cross-body bag is a good alternative that provides an added touch of customization and quality.

Focusing on the smaller details can make all of the difference in setting your brand apart from others, such as printing on unconventional spots like the sleeves or adding an embroidered element to the design.

Screen Print or Direct To Garment?

There are many differences and similarities between these two methods of printing, and there are a number of criteria to be taken into consideration when making your decision. The following points will help you decide on which print method is better for your brand and more specifically what type of print method is best for your designs such as logo and other artwork you wish to display on the apparel.

1. Quantity: Digital printing allows for a smaller quantity to be printed while screen printing will usually require a minimum.

2. Apparel: Screen printing has more versatility when choosing your fabric. For digital printing, it is advised to print on 100% cotton or other select cotton blends and only certain colors.

3. Design: Photographs or hyper-detailed images with a lot of colors are usually better printed digitally. However, if you have a large number of shirts you would like to print, screen printing may still be an option but it may cost you a little bit more or may require some adapting to make the design work best.

If cost is your main concern, the following criteria will dictate the best print method:

1. Apparel: The type of apparel can range from value to premium options and depends on the style and brand.

2. Print Locations: There is the option for 1 or 2 locations, which would be the front and/or the back (for a t-shirt or sweatshirt).

3. Fabric Color: For screen printing on darker color fabrics, a white layer before your print is necessary and may cost a little bit more.

4. Number of Colors: The more colors your print requires the higher the cost is for screen printing, however, if you have a large quantity, this cost may be a lot lower as you can have access to deeper discounts.

5. Quantity: With screen printing, the number of pieces will dictate the majority of your cost. This is the most important factor that will most likely dictate the right method for you.

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Streetwear Brand Spotlight:

Never Made is a Los Angeles based streetwear / lifestyle brand created by artist Francisco Reyes, Jr.

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Remember!

When people look at you as a “high-quality” streetwear brand, you’ll not only be able to charge more money, but you’ll be much more reputable in the process. Reputation can take you a long way in the fashion industry, especially when it comes to something as urban as streetwear.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.