
By Purity Rita
Diving into the sportswear business can be an exciting and challenging venture. People increasingly embrace healthier lifestyles and more comfortable wear, increasing the demand for sportswear.
Why create a sportswear brand?
The global sportswear apparel market is expected to grow to $385 billion by 2032. Starting your sportswear brand now places you in a position to get a slice of the pie. For the more creative among us, starting a sportswear brand lets you get your creative juices flowing and bring your ideas to life.
Sportswear has also become more acceptable outside of exercise track and the gym and is increasingly viewed as fashionable. This trend is also fueled by music, arts, and social media influencers, creating a booming demand for sportswear.
However, the competition in the sportswear market is stiff. Therefore, to create a thriving sportswear brand, you must have a great plan to capture your target customers. So, how do you kickstart your sportswear brand in New Jersey?
How to start a sportswear brand
Customer needs and pain points
Identify what’s lacking in the sportswear market, the pain points, and unmet needs, and craft a business idea from that concept. Brainstorm and create a brand that answers and exceeds the needs.
With customers’ needs in mind, you can easily create an exceptional brand. However, it’s also vital to identify elements that make your brand unique, whether coming up with eco-friendly ethos, trendsetting design, or performance-enhancing materials.

Scan the market
The sportswear market has fierce competition, and an intimate understanding of your target audience is your ultimate secret weapon.
Scan the market and immerse yourself in both offline and online research. Study the prevailing sports fashion trends; doing so will give you crucial insights, enabling you to carve a unique niche.
Stay updated on the competitive landscape, emerging trends, and other growth opportunities. Remember, market scanning means knowing your customer’s pains and giving those answers, researching your competitors, and staying updated on positive and negative industry trends.
While doing research, focus on the following:
● Market growth and size
Use research and statistics to gauge the market growth rate and industry size. Explore your locality’s customer count, sales data, and profitable and active businesses.
● Dynamics and trends
Attending fashion and trade shows and following the trending news will keep you updated.
● Competitive landscape
Examine the big brands, understand their market share distribution and the gaps they have left behind, and try to develop a brand to fill them.
● Regulatory environment
Consult legal experts on material safety, advertisement, labeling, and other regulations in the sportswear industry.
● Psychographics and demographics
Conduct surveys on your potential customers to enable you to address their needs intimately. Use Google Analytics, among other tools, to analyze purchasing behavior.
● Consumer preferences and needs
In the sportswear market, it’s all about satisfying customers’ needs, understanding the exciting products, and targeting the missing gap regarding customers’ style, comfort, or durability.
● Price Sensitivity
Analyzing your competitor’s pricing enables you to set a realistic price that will ensure you make a profit while giving quality to your target consumers.
● Design and materials
Check out the material experts and designers to get their input on what is trending, and also develop a sample that you can test for comfort, appeal, and durability.
● Vendor selection
Tour various factories to verify certification and negotiate delivery terms, costs, and other expenses that may optimize cost without compromising quality.
● Cost efficiency
Perform cost analysis of labor, materials, advertising, and other expenses and formulate a pricing strategy that ensures your business grows into profitability.
Prepare a business plan
Create a solid and workable business plan. A solid business plan is your stepping stone to attracting potential investors and towards your success, and it works as your business blueprint and strategy map.
A workable business plan needs to capture:
● Executive summary: Create a business overview of your goals, mission, vision, and profile. It should also cover the business location, name, concept, founding date, owner details, and current status.
● Market analysis: Ensure the plan covers your analysis of market trends, competitors, target customers, industry landscape, and other competitive edges.
● Management and organization: Detail your business organization setup, including individual tasks, management team roles, and bios of your employees showing their expertise.
● Service or product line: Give a detailed description of your sportswear clothing lines while highlighting your brand benefits, clothing life cycle, and other physical details of the products.
● Marketing and sales: Craft a simple yet winning marketing and sales strategy that will ensure you reach and retain customers. Highlight ways to sell your brand, including your value proposition, promotional, and pricing plans.
● Financial projections: Showcase your financial plan by creating a forecast that includes your balance sheet, projected income, capital expenditure, cash flow statement, and budgets.
Choose the right manufacturer.
Explore various sportswear manufacturers and settle on one that sticks to your wants. Remember that having the proper manufacturer becomes the cornerstone for your business, retaining its quality and satisfying the customer’s needs.
Choose a manufacturer with expertise in fitness clothing making, the latest machinery, and a track record of successful quality and reliable output.
Additionally, your manufacturer should have environmental, social, and other values that align with your business ethos. Remember to collect a sample, examine stitches and seams, and perform a wash to test the color run. Also, conduct compressive assessments that include stretch and recovery tests.

Brand your business
Your brand is your money-making machine; choose wisely. Strong brands enable your business to move forward.
Create a memorable name with a clear identity and unique creativity to enable you to pave a positive reputation and business growth. Your brand should include:
● Unique name: Select a business name that mirrors your values and essence. You can use a business name generator or brainstorm with your partners.
● Create a logo: Choose one that blends with your name and brand. Use professional sites like Looka or Canva for professional and robust logo creation.
● Create a website: With a logo and name at hand, welcome your brand to the market by creating a website to showcase your mission, reviews, and products. You can opt for user-friendly platforms like Canva, Squarespace, or Wix.
● Advertise: Boost your business visibility by advertising on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Also, tailor the advertising approach to capture your audience’s needs. You can opt for an influencer partnership or engage a digital marketing agency in NJ (or your local area).
Establish your niche market.
Navigate your sportswear brand by mixing creativity and your market savvy to achieve a solid grasp of your audiences. You can carve your niche by:
● Discovering a unique selling position: Use a USP that will align with your brand and also become appealing to your audiences. For example, you can opt for sustainability by choosing an eco-friendly niche and using materials like recycled polyester or organic cotton.
● Create and redefine your prototypes: Your prototypes should embody your USP. For example, catering only to plus-sized people creates a stylish design that will give them the proper support and comfort.
● Adapt a customer-centric approach: Offer delivery options, like standard shipping for cost-conscious customers or expedited shipping for those who need their products faster. Also, create a hassle-free and transparent exchange and return policy that enhances customer trust and satisfaction with your brand.
Final thoughts on how to start your sportswear brand
In every industry, competition is part of the game; however, building a solid and unique brand is possible if you follow the above steps.
Always stay on top of the trends and adapt to the latest technologies. Networking with other business people in your industry is also key to gaining more valuable insights, and having a mentor is ideal for solid guidance.
Lastly, keep your vision and remain firmly committed to satisfying your customers’ needs.
Images: Unsplash/ Logra Studio, Lee Jeong Soo, Ryan Bejar, and Taylor James Photos
Author Bio
Purity Rita is a freelance writer and works closely with New Jersey digital marketing agency, PepperMonkey Media, helping them to create valuable content and build a commanding online presence.
When not clicking away on her laptop, she loves baking goodies of all manner, traveling and reading good fiction.