Can anyone make money from SL cothing anymore?

I'm new to designing SL clothes and I'm just in it for the fun and to try and imporve my inept computer skills but.. I come across articles that state how so and so made so much money they could quit their RL job.

I'm curious - there are soo many clothing stores in SL, how does anyone make any money anymore?

woops, I spelt clothing wrong but you get the general idea

There are "soo many" clothing stores because there are "soo many" people. In RL, how many McDonalds are within 15 minutes of your house? If you live in an area with average population density, the answer is likely to be about 10. Do you think any of those McDonalds owners ever wake up in the morning wondering if it's still possible to make money just because 9 other guys in town happen to be doing the same thing? Of course not. It worked just fine yesterday, and it will work the same today.

And McDonald's owners actually have way less of an advantage than you do, since every McDonalds sells the same stuff. With your clothing business, the only one who's got what you're selling is you. No one else can make your stuff the way you can. If you're good, people will buy from you, and if you're not, they won't. Either way, it doesn't make the slightest difference whether you're the only guy on the block or if your 10,000 closest neighbors are all also selling clothing.

Don't worry so much about what anyone else is doing. Run your own race, and you'll win.

I have no interest in making money; i don't have the time or the patience!
I was just wondering what peoples views were.

I have seen a lot of shops offering "business in a box" for sale and I personally find it difficult to walk into a shop and find anything original on sale...

Ah, see this is a more specific twist on your question. If you are wondering how anyone makes any money using BIABs, then pretty much nobody does.

So if you open your own clothing store, don't use a business in a box, make your own clothes.

Those things are becoming a real scourge on the landscape aren't they?

I think there's plenty of money to be made from SL clothing. It's all about carving out a unique niche and identity for your designs. You need to be different, otherwise you'll just attract the odd few $L from the odd passer-by.

I have to say I've come across some real gems during my shopping splurges in SL; it's just that they are few and far between!

I meant "businesses in a box" when referring to "scourge on the landscape" by the way.

..and yeah, there are some fabulous clothing stores out there. Naughty, Pixeldolls, FORM, and FNKY are among my favourites, but I think that's because they all have a "unique flavour" if you see what I mean.

Yeah I got that lol


Also, there's a hell of a lot of freebies out there (some crap, some pretty good quality) Do you think this impacts on the people selling their own designs?

I suppose it's all down to reputation really...

I agree. I keep hoping the trend would die a violent death.

To the OP, yes a person can make a living selling clothes (or any other item for that matter) with a lot of work, determination, skill and patience. It's important to keep improving your skills, offering new products, and to have great customer service (just like in an RL business).

There are a lot of clothing places in SL, but as previously stated, there are a lot of people with varying tastes and styles...so plenty of room for the brilliant creators out there to find a market.

A year ago if someone said it was possible, I would have called them insane..but it is true as long as one keeps the passion for it and enjoys it.

Best,
~Ari

Not if those designs are unique. Freebies are actually a bit uncool in certain circles. A lot of people do avoid that stuff just because it's free. People don't want to look like newbies forever I guess. Of course, a lot of freebie stuff was released accidentally due to permissions bugs or deliberately through exploitation of the client, so that might explain some of the top quality freebies you see.

Of the clothing designers who have been in business a long time and continue to do well, I'd say their success is usually down to superior quality goods, unique brand identity, high turnover of new designs, and a willingness to exploit new fashion trends and client features as they come along (flexi prims last year, sculptie prims this year, and so on).

I think the trick to making a profit in clothing is not just to have original designs, but to actually put the effort in to get your name out there. Barring the occasional lucky day, someone is not just going to stumble into your shop and decide to buy everything on offer without having heard of you before.
Publicize, join the Fashion Consolidated group and do release notices, get a Lucky Chair and either call the letters on the calling groups, or find out how to get on one of the LC boards. Use one of the secondary websites, SLX or OnRez, and post releases to their message boards. Put together review packages and send them to the bloggers for review. Do a freebie item (with LM to your shop included), and get it placed in one of the freebie stores like Free Dove, NCI, etc.
Slowly but surely, sales will rise and profits will go up as more people find you. I'm not pulling money out of SL with my shop yet, but I'm getting pretty close to it, after just a couple months.

Thank you for some great advise Jordana. I will be making note of these. I have just finished my first main shop and so far have only advertised in search.

Another way to make money and get yourself known is having rental stores. Although only rent for a few weeks at first to see how well you do. I have LM in all my vendor boxes and most of my sales in the main store at the moment are from customers coming back for more.

I have a wide range of clothes for men and women and find this helps with rental stores as you can place whats most appropriate for that area.

I make enough now to cover all my SL costs and is steadily going up.

With a lot of work, and a little luck, it's possible to make a decent sl living - preferably enough to cover your tier/membership. But, don't quit your RL job.

It's not so much the money that I care about, but it does make you warm and gooey to see a complete stranger wearing something you've made. And, when they say they love your clothes, you know you're doing it right.

Business in a box is usually thieves who through various means have stolen others IP and are reselling it. The BIAB sellers are making money and no one else. I agree, make your own, don't worry about profit. about 5% of all clothes designers make enough to live on. Most make enough to play for their play.

Actually not technically true ( and I for one have had mine and some of TRUs artists stuff slapped in "full Perm" boxes and sold in these stores.
Somewhere along the line there was some theif who ripped skin textures and put them up for sale.
After that, the people who bought them skins ( or textures or what ever said thief stole to resell ) buy them in ignorance.
They dont know the items ar stolen how would they?
90% of ppl buying BIB crap are new to SL and the concept of copyright or IP is alien to them as it was to me as a noob.

TRUs copyright agent visits these stores issuing 24 hour notices to remove our work or if they dont currently have any she sends a notecard explaining what happens if they are found to be selling our work ( DMCA etc ) inc links to copyright websites etc.
These ppl on the whole are clueless. They genuinly dont know any better.

Weve noticed at TRU a massive increase in people asking us if they can sell what they make if they use TRU txtrs and can they share their txtrs with their building partners etc
This is amazing to me. It shows the eduction is REALLY hitting ppl in SL and thats something I never thought would happen

Its comforting and touching to know people 'do' care enough not to want to step on peoples toes and ask before doing. I personally in 4 yrs have never exp this. Infact I used to get slammed for ' lecturing' people due to he copyright signs and pop up outling resale of tetxures 'as' textures is prohibited and illegal.

But I guess until your on the other side of the fence, you dont realise just how much misunderstanding goes on about full perms.

I hate to say it and I will get shot in the foot but the increase of theft of skins, clothing etc seems to of increased when BIB stores surfaced.
Who brought BIB stores to SL?
My memory is the Brazil Sim which is filled with them
Now their on SLX
My first exp of theft was with a Brazil BIB store and as a result thise very txtrs are being sold and resold in so many places its impossible to keep track ( hence were pro active in visting stores each day and searching )

Different countries have different ethics based on poverty and culture and developing countries are by their v nature the most likely to bend the rules or totally disregard them as its a "dog eat dog " world to these people and " doing the correct thing " doesnt pay the rent. Also when $10 pays for a weeks food SL is a superb fast easy way to make ends meet in a poor country.

Brazil is just one example and I am not saying all Brazillians are alike. Infact TRUs copyright agent is brazillian

Personally, I'd like to sell my few t-shirt designs from a pushcart like an old fashioned street vendor. I'd move around from place to place, peddling my wares.