How much does it REALLY cost to start a fashion brand?

The short answer: launching a small lingerie or swimwear label typically costs between £8,000 and £30,000 for your first collection — but it varies enormously depending on your category, factory choice, and whether you're designing it yourself or hiring in.

Here's a full breakdown of every cost you need to budget for before you spend a penny.

The total startup cost at a glance

For a 5–8 piece debut lingerie or swimwear collection, here's what you're looking at:

• Design & tech packs: £3,500 – £6,000

• Sampling (per style, 2 rounds): £1,000 – £2,000

• Production (MOQ 300–500 units): £3,000 – £15,000+

• Shipping & import duties: £300 – £1,500

• Branding & packaging: £500 – £3,000

• Photography: £500 – £2,000

• Website & e-commerce setup: £500 – £2,500

• Total (small collection): £8,500 – £30,000+

This is for production costs only. Marketing is on top of this — and for a new brand, it can easily match or exceed your production spend.

1. Design & tech packs

Before you approach a single manufacturer, you need designs and tech packs. These are the detailed technical documents that tell a factory exactly how to construct your garments — measurements, fabric specs, construction details, trim lists, stitch types, and fit notes.

For lingerie and swimwear specifically, tech packs are non-negotiable. The category involves complex construction — underwired bras, moulded cups, correct elastic ratios for swimwear stretch — and a poorly written pack leads to wasted sampling rounds and unusable samples.

A complete, production-ready 5-piece collection from an experienced lingerie or swimwear technical designer (including trend research, competitor analysis, full tech packs, and consultation) typically costs £3,500 – £6,000. Bra collections requiring moulded cup specifications tend toward the higher end.

2. Sampling costs

Sampling is the step between approved tech packs and production. Most factories charge a sampling fee per style — sometimes refunded against your production order, sometimes not.

• Budget factory (Asia): £80 – £200 per style

• Mid-range factory (Asia or Eastern Europe): £200 – £400 per style

• UK or European maker: £300 – £600 per style

For a 5-piece lingerie collection, budget at least £1,000 – £2,000 for sampling, and always allow for at least two rounds of corrections. First samples are rarely perfect — particularly for bras and structured swimwear.

3. Production costs — the big variable

This is where the range is widest, and why no honest consultant can give you a single number without seeing your brief. A moulded bra from a specialist lingerie factory is an entirely different product to a simple jersey bikini brief.

Rough cost per unit (lingerie & swimwear):

• Simple swim brief or soft bralette: £4 – £12

• Underwired bra, mid-range construction: £10 – £25

• Premium or highly technical pieces: £20 – £60+

Key factors: scale (higher MOQ = cheaper unit cost), factory type (CMT vs. fully factored), construction complexity, fabric choice, and location. Far East production is typically the cheapest per unit but adds freight and lead times. UK manufacturers are more expensive but easier to manage for smaller runs.

4. Branding, packaging & photography

These are consistently underestimated by first-time founders:

• Packaging (swing tags, tissue paper, branded boxes, care labels): £0.50 – £3 per unit

• Brand identity (logo, fonts, colour palette): £500 – £3,000 to hire a designer

• Product photography: £500 – £2,000 for a basic shoot — lingerie and swimwear photography requires photographers who understand how to shoot intimates

5. Website, marketing & launch costs

Production gets your product made. Marketing gets it sold. Budget at minimum:

• E-commerce website (Squarespace, Shopify): £200 – £2,000 set up properly

• Social content creation and launch assets: £500 – £2,000

• Paid advertising (Meta/Instagram): £500 – £1,500 per month for meaningful reach

• PR and influencer gifting: highly variable

Not sure where to start? Book a free discovery call and we'll talk through the realistic costs for your specific brief.

Is it worth it?

The brands that launch successfully aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who start small (5–6 styles, not 20), know their customer before they spend on production, and keep enough cash in reserve to replenish bestsellers fast.

Lingerie and swimwear buyers are loyal to brands they trust. Build that trust before you over-extend the range.