Creating clothing from recycled materials

Creating clothing from recycled materials

                     The fashion industry is one of the most important industries in the world. Every day, new innovations are introduced in the highly competitive industry. In business, it is important to stand out from your competitors. This is only possible if you develop unique products that meet the specific needs of customers. This is because the ability and willingness of a consumer to purchase a product are determined by many factors, including the quality of the product and price of the product (Hodgetts and Donald, 200). However, as an entrepreneur, you should be able to meet the needs of the consumer while at the same time fulfilling your corporate responsibility roles. It is with these ideas in mind that I believe that creating clothing from recycled materials is a viable business idea. From my estimations on the possible retailing prices of various products, it is evident that the price will be much lower compared to other brands. In addition, by recycling plastic waste materials for the creation of clothes, I will be fulfilling my corporate responsibility with regard to the conservation of the environment.

From the market research I conducted, it was evident that the design and creation of clothes from recycled plastics is a gray area for entrepreneurs. This is because it is a largely unexplored area in many countries, and secondly, the raw materials to facilitate massive production are readily available in any part of the world. Aside from plastics, old clothing can also be used to create new fashions, and at lower costs. In recent years, the fashion industry has been characterized by overproduction, which has resulted in many products produced going to waste or being discarded faster.

Also, many people have the tendency to adopt new fashions, while disposing off clothes of the fashions they no longer like. Therefore, many clothes bought become waste in a short duration. Therefore, focusing on these voluminous waste clothing, I believe, with the right technology, I can recycle them, produce new fibers, and reuse them to create other clothes. This is also applicable to plastic-based fashion products, which continue to gain prominence despite environmental concerns.  In addition, from my market research, it was evident that many people do not just consider quality in deciding on what clothes to purchase, but also, price, fashion, and culture. Many buyers are likely to go for cheap6, fashionable, unique, and culturally acceptable clothes.

Considering the consumer preferences identified in the market research, I believe that creating clothes from recycled or old clothing is a profitable entrepreneurial venture.  For a start, I would focus on the creation of casual unisex trousers and shorts. To do this, I would require a collection system of old clothing or disposed clothing and a machine to reform these clothing into fibers.  To optimize the number of disposable clothes collected, setting up a central collection center where people can dispose off their unwanted clothes is necessary. Regarding the price of my product, it is definite that it will be much lower than that of conventional fashion products. For the quality, it is highly unlikely that consumers will feel that it is compromised, considering that the price for products will be relatively low. In lieu of these factors, I believe that the ideals place to set up my business will be in the near a residential area for low-income earners. This is been they are more likely to prefer purchasing low priced textile products compared to middle and high-income earners. For the collection center for disposable clothes,  I would set it up near a supermarket, where people can carry along and dispose off unwanted clothes. To promote my products, social media platforms are the cheapest and the most effective.

Conclusively, I expect that getting such a business up and running is not an easy task. Challenges such as the development of a continuous supply chain for the waste clothing will most likely arise. In addition, securing the funds needed to purchase equipment to get the production started is not easy. Even if I manage to get production started, I would still need a robust promotion and marketing strategy to reach as many customers as possible. Overall, all entrepreneurial ventures face different challenges, and starting a new business is always easy. Even with the smartest and most unique designs, the competition will always a challenge they have to deal with. Despite the fact that the recycled clothes industry is relatively new, competition from established fashion brands is expected to significantly affect the marketability of these new products.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Hodgetts, Richard Michael, and Donald F. Kuratko. Entrepreneurship: A contemporary approach. South-Western/Thomson Learning, 2001.