There are many reasons why launching with a large collection is risky for a new brand. Those risks are a topic for another day, but today I want to tell you about a big benefit of starting development with one style even if you are planning to include several in your first launch.
With the very first style you develop in each category (dress, pants, skirt, tee-shirt, etc.), you will be developing the unique fit for your brand. Ideally, if this initial style sells well, it will serve as a block for future similar styles. When you are starting a new brand or branching into a new category, it will take a few samples to dial in the fit.
This is all pretty basic product development, but here’s where the benefit of starting with one style comes in. You can work out the fit in the initial style and fast track future styles in that category by using that first one as a block. You’ll probably save yourself a sample or two on the remaining styles by starting with the tested style.
Here’s what might happen if you don’t start with just one style (per category). Say you have four blouses you want to create – all with a similar fabric, but with different necklines and design details. You start development on all four, but realize in the first fitting that all four styles need pretty much the same adjustments. They all need the sleeves shortened and the shoulders brought in.
Had you started with one style, you could have made these corrections on the first style before making any samples of the other three. Because you used a tested first style as a block, you might even end up with all four styles approved at the same time even with starting three of them later.
The benefit of starting with just one style in a category is a faster and more efficient development process for future similar styles.