Selling Your Clothes on Market Stalls

When you're just starting out, a great way to earn some money and boost public awareness of your brand is to sell your fashion designs on market stalls and at special events. The latter may include things like country fairs, industry markets where wholesale clothing is sometimes targeted at retailers, and music festivals - wherever you think that the sort of people who wear clothing like yours are likely to be. A bit of basic research will reveal that there are many more retail outlets available for apparel than just catalogues, websites and shops.

Setting up a Stall

Setting up market stalls and apparel stalls at special events can take a bit of practice, but there are a few things you can bear in mind to help you get it right.

• Equipment:What can you expect to find there and what will you have to take with you? Usually you'll get a table and chair; sometimes you'll get a backing board. You'll almost always need to take your own display rails. If you're going to be outdoors, you may want a small heater. In some cases you can get permission to take a stereo and play music to attract customers.
• Décor: A piece of fabric to cover your table will make your stall look much better. A plain colour is best, to highlight objects placed on it. You might also want to bring fabric to drape across the back of your stall. Some stall holders use simple ornaments such as dangling stars to create atmosphere. You might also choose to use large pictures of models wearing your designs.
• Advertising:A stall isn't just a sales venue, it's a promotional venue. Use banners featuring your name and logo. Provide catalogues (or, at least, flyers pointing to your website) for customers to take away. Have business cards ready for potential trade contacts.
• Accessories:Whatever the main products of your fashion design business are, it's a good idea to have some small items to take up table space. Customers who don't have the money for what they really want are likely to impulse buy these and think of you when they look at them in the future.
• Free Stuff:Make customers feel welcome at your stall by giving away sweets or small, cheap toys. If you supply the former, try to find vegetarian ones. These things will make customers feel well disposed towards you and be more likely to buy. You should always do your best to be friendly, even if you're tired and cold.

Keeping your Stall Safe

Unfortunately, one side effect of selling from stalls is that your work can be vulnerable to thieves. This is a particular problem when you're selling small items, but there are several things you can do to minimise the risk. Try to close off the back of your stall as much as possible so that no-one can sneak round where you can't see them. Talk to the owners of neighbouring stalls and build a friendly relationship so that you can look out for each other. If you expect your stall to be really busy, take somebody else along to help.

Trade Recommendations

Running market stalls is a great way to meet other people in the fashion industry. It can be particularly useful to get to know people who are selling products which are likely to appeal to the same market as yours but which are not in direct competition (such as a seller of hats and gloves, if you sell coats). Even on the day, recommending one another's stalls can give your business a great boost. In the longer term, you may be able to exchange web links or recommend one another to retailers.

Selling your work on a stall can be exhausting, but it's often great fun. It's a splendid opportunity to get to meet your customers and get direct feedback on your designs. If you put in the work, it can really pay off.