If you’re new to buying wholesale you have probably come across some terms that may be confusing, but don’t worry, I’m going to explain them for you: Name Brands vs Designer Brands vs Fashion Brands.  Let's begin!

Almost all products have some form of brand. It’s not just a bottle of water, its an Aquafina, a Fiji or a Kroger Brand… heck, it might even be an Amazon Basics brand. I have spent the past 5 minutes trying to think of a product that doesn’t have a brand and I couldn’t think of any.

FASHION BRANDS

Fashion Brands are items that have a brand name, but it’s more of a generic type brand. For example, these leggings are a Fashion Brand:

The brand is named “J&Me”. You likely will not find any J&Me products at stores like Macys, Walmart or Target. The places you will find this brand is in boutiques and online. I have recently noticed a giant uptick in Amazon Fashion Brand listings. You may also find fashion brands at Flea Markets.

The advantage of Fashion Brands: COST! Fashion Brands are the cheapest of new items. For example, we sell Fashion Brand wholesale clothing, shoes and accessories for as little as $2 with free shipping. On our site we call them Boutique Brands because we feel the term is more descriptive and less confusing than “Fashion Brands”.

NAME BRANDS

Think of Campbell's Soup, Chapstick, Vics Vapor Rub, Febreze, etc. Campbells soup isn’t a “designer soup” and its not a premium soup (like the $13 ones at Trader Joes) but it is a name brand, and heck, everyone knows Campbells is “M’m M’m Good” just how everyone knows “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup!”.

Advantages of Name Brands: People trust brands they recognize. When someone sees a Loreal lip gloss they know the quality it is going to be. When people purchase a can of Pringles chips they know that can is going to be full to the top (real talk; don’t you love that Pringles has no “slack fill”?!)

DESIGNER BRANDS

Designer Brands are exactly what you think of when you hear the word “Designer”. There’s all different levels of Designer Brands:

• Gucci (High End, retail $1,500+)
• Ralph Lauren (Premium, retail: $80 for a tank, $300 for a coat)
• Style & Co (Middle-End. An average shirt is around $55)
• Karen Scott (Budget. A sweater is $40, a tee can be as low as $12.99. Some people might not consider this to be a designer brand and instead consider it a "Name Brand".)
• Xhilaration (Low End. A pair of leggings is $10. Some people might not consider this to be a designer brand and instead consider it a "Name Brand")

All of the aforementioned are popular brands that are sold daily in mainstream stores.

Advantages: Name brand recognition and “known sizing”. By “known sizing” I am referring to correct, American sizing as opposed to China sizing, which is totally different and often leads to very unhappy customers. Additionally, known sizing has a major advantage because people who love Victorias Secret bras already know that the size 34B fits them perfect, so they are less hesitant to purchase it from you. 

WHICH IS BEST TO BUY?

There is no "best" because all of them sell!  

Fashion Brands are great because you can purchase gorgeous leggings and tanks for $2.50 and sell them for $9.99, which is a huge profit on a small investment! 

Name Brands are awesome because everyone knows them and timeless name brands, like Lip Smackers, are products women grew up using and have loyalty to.  When a woman needs to buy a chapstick she doesn't have to wonder if it contains toxic ingredients or if it will taste waxy. 

Designer Brands are a no-brainer!  When you sell a Yankee Candle you don't have to reinvent the wheel because Yankee has already done the hard work becoming famous. 

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