How to start a swimwear business

Your dream is to start your own swimwear brand. Maybe you have already sketched out your vintage bathing suit, or maybe you just have some ideas for a cheeky bikini you want to design. Whatever the case, you are not alone in wondering how to start manufacture a swimwear brand, and we are here to help. Here are a few things to get sorted before you even start the manufacturing process:

Name – Make sure you have a name for your brand! It is worth it to make sure that no one already owns that name. Make sure the name is memorable and catchy!

Logo – You will need a logo for memorable branding for your line. Have fun with it and be creative! 

Target Market - Decide on your target market/audience. When designing your marketing materials, clothing, and branding it is important to know who you are creating your swimwear for! This research will affect your target price point and what materials are used.

Budget – Make sure your budget is large enough to start a swimwear line. Design work can cost several thousand dollars. Also make sure your budget is appropriate for the number of styles you want to start with. Each color and style demands its own minimum order quantity (MOQ) which will increase costs.

Swimsuit Design

After these steps have been completed, you have to make sure your stellar ideas are well supported with your sketches, CADs, and tech packs. Everyone has a vision, but the difficult part is conveying that vision to your swimsuit manufacturer with proper instructions. A tech pack is basically an instruction manual for the factory for your designs. Just like an instruction manual it can take more time to finish the project if the instructions are unclear. You want to make sure the designers you are working with are experienced in designing for the manufacturing process. 

Where to Manufacture

Once you have your tech pack ready you are ready to start looking for manufacturers. The first step is to decide where you are going to look for manufacturers. This is where your previous target market research comes in handy. If you were planning on selling a luxury bikini line for $100+ per piece, then you have more freedom as to where you can manufacture your product. You can manufacture domestically or internationally and still maintain a solid profit margin. However, if you want to offer a quality product at an accessible price point, let’s say between $30-50 per piece, then you are most likely going to have to look at manufacturing overseas to be able to profit off your order. There are international manufacturers that offer excellent quality at reasonable prices.

Finding a Manufacturer

Hopfung swimwear manufacturing Ltd locates in Guangdong, China.

We can provide one stop solution for swimwear manufacturing, from materials sourcing, sample making, production, to shipment.

Contact us now!