Branding! Branding! Branding! You would think I would understand the importance of that while I am making a clothing brand! But in creating this clothing store, I have found that the easiest thing to do was actually setting up the store.
Step 1: Fail
The majority of my time was spent trying to pin down a logo and a brand name. It needed to be something I was proud of and something I would actually wear.
My first initial thought was a sort of silly clothing store that sold gag gifts—things like “I like heavy circles” on a T-shirt, or “Gym Good” with a picture of a monkey on a hat. After designing my first hat, I quickly realized that was not the avenue I wanted to approach, even though the hat ended up being my best (and only) seller.
So it was back to the drawing board. I consulted my mentor, who had created a brand before, and they advised me to go back to the basics. I needed to ask myself: What does fitness mean to me? If this was a brand I truly cared about, then I needed to think about why fitness was important to me. There are a million fitness clothing brands out there, but I wanted to make one that actually reflected how I felt about fitness.
With that sage advice from my mentor, I decided to sit down and think—and I kept thinking. I stared at a wall for almost two hours, going through my entire fitness journey and what it meant to me. When creating this brand, I had no idea how much introspection would be required.
Step 2: Introspection
That introspection eventually led me to my brand. I started forming a rough idea: beauty, grace, strength, perseverance. This is what fitness meant to me. Maybe I could go with the brand name StitchFit? Nope. It was too close to another store and didn’t embody the attributes I listed. Maybe Kole’s Fitness Store? Nope. Still too bland and not an embodiment of the ideas. I was at a standstill. I knew why fitness was important and what it meant to me, but I still couldn’t decide on a name.
This got me thinking: What cultures or places line up with my view of fitness? And being the history nerd I am, I looked to ancient Greece. They had the beautiful sculptures that I’ve based my own physique off of. With a quick Google search, I found my name: Kallos Clothing.
The word kallos best described how I felt about fitness. It wasn’t just outward beauty, but the inward work a person has to do. So after multiple failed attempts at deciding what my brand was going to be—designing logos, creating different shirts, and completely scrapping them—I finally did it. I felt comfortable and confident with my why and the mission my company was going to carry forward.
Step 3: The Flow
That leads me to where I am now. I’ve managed to design different logos and mockups for some great shirts. However, with so much time spent on creating the overall brand and designing these pieces, I fell behind in the logistical aspects of the business. I had previously published a hat when I was still leaning into a funny fitness brand. As I mentioned earlier, that hat sold two orders. But once I realized my mistake, I quickly pivoted toward creating a more sustainable, long-term brand—something that wasn’t just a gimmick.
I am proud of the work I’ve done. Even though it isn’t where I want it to be yet, it has helped me realize the importance of branding. Branding is crucial. Understanding why you’re doing something is the first key step. At first, I didn’t understand why I was creating this clothing brand. But when I took a hard look at myself—why I love fitness and what about it inspires me—I was able to create something that truly reflected how I felt.
Of course, it’s not just about how I feel or what I would wear. Market research matters too. I looked at different clothing brands, studied their designs, and figured out what made the successful ones stand out from the unsuccessful ones. The key things I noticed were simplicity and mission. They had a clear mission, a clear design, and a clear logo. They weren’t cluttered with unnecessary elements.
So by understanding market research, understanding my why, and creating something simple but powerful, I believe I’ve created a brand that can succeed. I’m excited to continue moving forward and see where it takes me.