Starting a Fashion Brand? Here’s How to Discover a Flawless Name for Your Business?

The world’s largest clothing brand was originally named Blue Ribbon Sports. We may not be able to accurately predict how far the company would have made it with that name but it does fail in comparison to its current epic name — Nike. 

So, we can confidently deduce that business names matter. In fashion, they matter a tad more because many people are conscious of the brand names they are wearing. So, how do you come up with a name as astounding as Nike or Louis Vuitton or The North Face? As part of a company that has done this over 35,000 times I can tell you that this is a 3-step process.

How to Find the Perfect Name for Your Fashion Brand?

1. Analyze your brand

Any naming process must begin with fully and deeply analyzing the brand. Who are you, who are your target customers, and how are you different from your competition are some questions to answer when trying to figure your brand out. When it comes to fashion brands, your uniqueness matters and can only reflect in the name if you know how you stand out. 

Also, copying trends blindly doesn’t work for fashion businesses. For example, while it’s common for luxury fashion houses to be named after their designers, you must understand if you have a distinguished name like Gucci or Burberry. 

Read more: What are the best Fashion magazines in India?

While a name is a quintessential part of your business identity, it is nothing if not linked to a brand. So, work on studying your brand, its personality, characteristics, and tone. I recommend choosing from the five most popular brand tones: 

• Modern 
• Emotionally Powerful 
• Pragmatic 
• Playful and Fun 
• Pre-eminent 

Fashion brand names usually fall under the pre-eminent or timeless category such as Rolex, Adidas, and The Gap but can contain a tinge of other elements. An example is Victoria’s Secret. While it is mostly classy, it also has a hint of playfulness. 

So, decide how you want to be seen as a brand before moving forward into the naming process.

2. Brainstorm a variety of names

Once your brand persona and perception are clear to you, it’s time to start brainstorming. Think of all types of names at this stage — good, bad, bold, classy, modern, quirky, etc. This is not meant to be an analytical step but rather one about thinking out loud. 

Do keep your branding brief from Step 1 in mind but don’t be afraid to think innovatively. For inspiration throughout this step, you can also use our guide to brainstorm unique business name ideas. It is okay to have 100-200 names at this stage. We taper it down during shortlisting. 

Know more: Reasons Why Branding Is a Must For Every Business

When it comes to winnowing the great names from your brainstormed list, you should begin mapping each name against your brand personality and tone. Does the name fit your brand vision and identity, does it excite you, how does it look when written down, how does it sound, and so on. Think of all these criteria to shortlist roughly 10 names from the broader list. 

3. Validate your final set of names

The naming process is incomplete without testing it for certain key aspects. 

Domain availability:

As a fashion brand, especially if you plan to sell online, you will most likely need a website. While you may have found the most enchanting name, its domain name should also be available. The ideal scenario is yourbusinessname.com.

But this usually requires massive marketing spend. You can also try using other urls such as .co or alternate spellings. But I suggest finalizing the domain name before wrapping up the naming process. You will need one sooner or later. 

Trademark check:

Many existing words already have trademarks attached to them. You should check this for your desired name as well. You can seek a legal consultant’s expertise at this stage. Doing so now can help prevent cease and desist letters in the future. 

Know more: Copyright vs Trademark Protection for Logos – Which One to Consider and Why

Audience response:

As an entrepreneur, you are biased towards the business and the name. Hence, you need objective feedback. Engage friends, family, strangers, professional connections, etc. to understand how they respond to your name.

As a fashion brand, especially if you plan to be in e-commerce, your brand name will be seen multiple times in social media ads, hence, you must know how appealing people find your company’s name.

Know more: How to Buy Domain, Hosting and Install WordPress with Hostgator?

Final words:

A business name is an integral part of your fashion brand’s identity. This 3-step process can ensure that you have methodically and strategically invested in coming up with the perfect name for your fashion brand. Yet, a name’s true power lies in the vision you attach to the brand. The name should be symbolic of a brand that provides unmatched quality and trust. When you work on these in conjunction, you can be assured of landing not only an epic brand name but also building an exemplary business.

Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients such as Nestle, Dell, Nuskin, and AutoNation. 

FAQ’s on Fashion Brand Name: