This section of the forum is for discussing the business and finance issues of the t-shirt industry. Which business structure to use (sole proprietor, LLC, S Corp, etc), how to handle billing, where to register your business and get the proper licensing, etc.
My friend and I started a t-shirt business a while back and are currently poised to make our first real step into the market. We have about twelve designs (is that enough?) and wholesale accounts with American Apparel and Alternative Apparel. We're planning on ordering and printing our first shirts and beginning work on a web site within the next month. My question is about the actual process of getting the shirts into retail stores. We currently plan on attending at least one trade show (hopefully Agenda in San Diego) in August or September. We made the decision to go to trade shows after starting a different brand about a year ago. After selling our shirts in local stores, we decided that building from the local area was not fast or profitable enough to justify the effort. Is it realistic to go to our first trade show in San Diego and expect to make profit or at least break even on a $5000 investment? To clarify, we're only planning on initially printing just the shirts we need to take to the trade show, which will cost about $500. The rest will be spent on transportation, marketing, etc.
That's a tough question to answer. There are so many variables including who is your competition, how well the show is attended, where is your booth located, are your designs what buyers are looking for and how good a salesman you are.
To enter the retail market, first you have to make a survey of the already exist products i market, and then you can go for a new trend, it is quite important to have a look at the other products also, it will improve the basics for you to start a new campaign for your product.
Okay, I'd first recommend doing a cost benefit analysis. You will be able to find a template online if you google it. Tech Republic has a good template, but it may be more than what you need for this effort and you have to be a registered member. You're real question may be how to estimate your sales volume for the trade show. You should also determine what your break-even point is for this effort. Calculate your fixed costs, variable costs, and profit margin (templates online for this as well).
I don't know (and shouldn't know) your costs or price point, but just a rough order of magnitude calculation making assumptions of what I estimate to be average costs and prices for Ts makes be think you'll need to sell more than 500 to make a profit. But this a very rough estimate and you should refine to make your decision. There is a benefit that is a bit harder to calculate and that is exposure to your brand and future sales generated as a result.
I encourage others to jump in and add what I may have left out. Good Luck!
I agree survey your prospective clients. I have been talking with diverse people to get an idea of what they are looking for when they buy and wear a shirt. Is it style, price brand etc..
I too am on the same boat and am also looking for the type of market to enter.
I have bands willing to wear my clothing, but I want to make sure it fits their diverse style.
method of starting a t-shirt business 
