I started a clothing brand in college with $0 upfront, here’s what actually worked and what didn’t

I’m a college student who somehow ended up running a small clothing brand out of my dorm room.
I saw a lot of people asking, “How do I start a business in college?” or “How do I start a clothing brand?” So I wanted to share what worked for me. No hype, just lessons learned.

1. Validate before you commit.
I wasted a month designing a full catalog that no one bought.
Then I ran a quick TikTok poll with 3 sample designs, one did 90% of my sales.
Lesson: test before you build.

2. Your first customers won’t be strangers.
Friends, classmates, and local buyers gave feedback that fixed sizing and pricing.
That early feedback was way more valuable than profit.

3. Margins suck at first ,but that’s fine.
Print-on-demand isn’t super profitable, but it’s great for learning.
Once I saw consistent sales, I switched to small bulk runs to increase margins.

4. Brand ≠ logo.
Your brand is the feeling people get from your stuff not your font or emblem.
Message and consistency matter more early on.

5. Social proof > paid ads.
My story “broke student builds something cool” sold better than any ad.
Reddit, TikTok, and small campus pop-ups helped way more than paid marketing.

It’s been 8 months. I’m not rich, but I’m paying rent and saving a bit, which still blows my mind

If anyone here has scaled a clothing or creative brand, what was your biggest early win or mistake?
Would love to learn from people a step ahead.