4 ms·

Thank you everyone for the support! We're so stoked to be taking this step. Please feel to drop us any questions any time!

by wsul 14y ago

freerobby 14y ago
Huge congrats on the launch, buddy. I'm stoked to see all your hard work pay off. My only gripe is I miss working with you :)
jerlevine 14y ago
Same grip as Robby, but glad you're letting my crazy ideas be involved in it in at least some way! The KickStarter looks great, really pumped to get that first hoodie. Congrats on launching it man!
- wsul 14y ago
  Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate the support! I definitely miss the whole crew / startup ecosystem in Boston, but not the snow! It's been in the 80's here the last week.
aes256 14y ago
I like the "straight from the factory" idea. That said, I have two issues with this: 1. Comparing prices with designer brands such as Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and Burberry is disingenuous. Consumers are paying for much more than the physical product when they buy goods from those brands. Your real competitors are companies like Hanes, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom, perhaps even Uniqlo and American Apparel. All of these sell basic garments, of reasonable quality, at mostly reasonable prices. 2. There is no such thing as the "perfect" fit. Everyone has a different body shape. In fact, this is one of the reasons retail clothes shopping continues to thrive. People want to try things on, to check the fit, and assess the quality before buying.
- tehayj 14y ago
  Absolutely agree. Our brand is now almost two years old, fashion bloggers love it, people pin our products like crazy on Pinterest and so on. But we clearly can not charge prices like established brands do. Opera wanted 10.000 of one of our products as giveaways last summer but of course when we told them for how much we can sell them (we do not produce in factories because we want to keep our quality as high as it is) they didnt go for it. Even when amazing boutique shops ask you, they will want 50 - 60% off if you ever consider selling to them. We do have our products in some shops just because its good promotion not because we really make money with it. I don't want to sound negative but there is a reason why so many brands go cheap. We don't because its basically my wife's full time hobby, we want to sell products we are proud off and we are not dependent on that income. We have about 10 tailors and another 5 leatherworkers working full time by the way, so you get an idea about the size of our operation. All the best with your venture.
- wsul 14y ago
  Great points. 1. We think in the categories we compete -- polos, tee shirts, etc, we are comparable (and strive to be better!) in quality and style to Lacoste, RL, James Perse, etc. These companies use great inputs, and the biggest difference in the actual design will be our lack of logo. We think that, in itself, makes a statement, and we hope there are a lot of people like us who appreciate the statement that it makes. We aspire to have higher quality and more consistent style than Uniqlo and American Apparel. Yes -- people are paying premiums to other brands, and some of it, for some people is aspirational. We hope people will pay for quality, and if anything, vote with their dollar for a company that reflects their value. We don't want to charge a premium for that though. Our values will be present in the brand by necessity, because we're going to be detailing all along the way of how we're building our company. 2. To us the biggest problems with fit are intra-brand consistency and intra-style consistency. Many manufacturers have poor quality control and a single shirt in the same size will come off with vastly different measurements. ex: http://reviews.urbanoutfitters.com/5309/15787476/bdg-v-neck-tee-reviews/reviews.htm?reviewID=24255028 http://reviews.urbanoutfitters.com/5309/15787476/bdg-v-neck-... we'll never, ever have this happen. Quality & consistency is of utmost importance to us. We want you to find the size that works best for you (they all have an inch or two leeway) and once you know it, you can order without worry. Even before then, you can, because we offer free returns, paid postage both ways, but we want the experience to be pleasant from day one. We're pioneering a bunch of ways to make the experience as easy as possible including FitPaks, true-to-measure sizes, questionnaires we've devised, accurate photos of real people, and many, many other things -- but we're always open to ideas! We hope you'll follow along and continue to give us candid feedback. We are confident that our success will depend on the support and feedback from people like you!
  - _stephan 14y ago
    This all sounds great! I hope you'll be able to offer fine-grained sizes (e.g. something in between S and M) and fits (e.g. something in between normal and slim-fit) and maybe even different colar widths and neckline sizes.
    - wsul 14y ago
      We have fine-grained sizes and fits (especially for the traditionally overlooked audiences like the tall and lean, as well as those that lift weights). We're a manufacturer that is member-driven though, if you have thoughts, shoot them to us, we'd love to hear them!
- kerryfalk 14y ago
  On (2). I'd like to see someone fix that problem. Zappos did it by allowing people to return as much as they want. I don't know if the same strategy would work for clothing. Bodies are more varied than feet. I bought a custom made leather jacket and it's by far my favourite piece of clothing. I'd love to see that whole process transfer to the web somehow and not be painful. I want to see it on the web because I want access to more people like the guy who made my jacket (I also want him to be able to make these jackets for more people, they're awesome)
  - tehayj 14y ago
    Some companies offer 3D models you can dress up. There was also a startup in Germany if I remember correctly that offered the technology for online retailers. I didn't see it used much though. We had another fashion related project about 5 years ago, offering custom made hoodies and jackets online. In the end we gave up because many of our customers didn't get the sizing right even though we had detailed tutorials for that, forms with illustrations that showed what to measure and so on. If you spend 150 bucks on a jacket and the sizing is wrong... well that's no fun. Its not such a big deal for shirts.
    - kerryfalk 14y ago
      I spent much more than that for the jacket (a multiple). To ensure he got the sizing right he first made a cotton shell. When he was satisfied with that, he then cut the leather. I can imagine a similar process with other garments. I'm clearly not an expert but I'm not sure if this would work on the lower end / high quantity end of the market. Especially at the start. I have a feeling that if I could guarantee my guy 10 jackets a month through the internet, he'd be extremely happy.
    - tehayj 14y ago
      Yep if you go for real luxury goods and pricing this makes sense (also the whole process of doing it). 5 years ago this was our first startup so we screwed a lot of things up (but also learned a lot!) :)
tehayj 14y ago
I wish you good luck. We are doing something similar, just in a different niche (accessories) and getting the growth you would get by selling wholesale is tough but doable. The "Made in XYZ" does help but only if the product is truly superior. Are you going to sell individual shirts for $29 / each?

Thank you everyone for the support! We're so stoked to be taking this step. Please feel to drop us any questions any time!

by wsul 14y ago

Thank you everyone for the support! We're so stoked to be taking this step. Please feel to drop us any questions any time!

freerobby 14y ago

Huge congrats on the launch, buddy. I'm stoked to see all your hard work pay off. My only gripe is I miss working with you :)

jerlevine 14y ago

Same grip as Robby, but glad you're letting my crazy ideas be involved in it in at least some way! The KickStarter looks great, really pumped to get that first hoodie. Congrats on launching it man!

wsul 14y ago
Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate the support! I definitely miss the whole crew / startup ecosystem in Boston, but not the snow! It's been in the 80's here the last week.

aes256 14y ago

I like the "straight from the factory" idea. That said, I have two issues with this: 1. Comparing prices with designer brands such as Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and Burberry is disingenuous. Consumers are paying for much more than the physical product when they buy goods from those brands. Your real competitors are companies like Hanes, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom, perhaps even Uniqlo and American Apparel. All of these sell basic garments, of reasonable quality, at mostly reasonable prices. 2. There is no such thing as the "perfect" fit. Everyone has a different body shape. In fact, this is one of the reasons retail clothes shopping continues to thrive. People want to try things on, to check the fit, and assess the quality before buying.

tehayj 14y ago
Absolutely agree. Our brand is now almost two years old, fashion bloggers love it, people pin our products like crazy on Pinterest and so on. But we clearly can not charge prices like established brands do. Opera wanted 10.000 of one of our products as giveaways last summer but of course when we told them for how much we can sell them (we do not produce in factories because we want to keep our quality as high as it is) they didnt go for it. Even when amazing boutique shops ask you, they will want 50 - 60% off if you ever consider selling to them. We do have our products in some shops just because its good promotion not because we really make money with it. I don't want to sound negative but there is a reason why so many brands go cheap. We don't because its basically my wife's full time hobby, we want to sell products we are proud off and we are not dependent on that income. We have about 10 tailors and another 5 leatherworkers working full time by the way, so you get an idea about the size of our operation. All the best with your venture.
wsul 14y ago
Great points. 1. We think in the categories we compete -- polos, tee shirts, etc, we are comparable (and strive to be better!) in quality and style to Lacoste, RL, James Perse, etc. These companies use great inputs, and the biggest difference in the actual design will be our lack of logo. We think that, in itself, makes a statement, and we hope there are a lot of people like us who appreciate the statement that it makes. We aspire to have higher quality and more consistent style than Uniqlo and American Apparel. Yes -- people are paying premiums to other brands, and some of it, for some people is aspirational. We hope people will pay for quality, and if anything, vote with their dollar for a company that reflects their value. We don't want to charge a premium for that though. Our values will be present in the brand by necessity, because we're going to be detailing all along the way of how we're building our company. 2. To us the biggest problems with fit are intra-brand consistency and intra-style consistency. Many manufacturers have poor quality control and a single shirt in the same size will come off with vastly different measurements. ex: http://reviews.urbanoutfitters.com/5309/15787476/bdg-v-neck-tee-reviews/reviews.htm?reviewID=24255028 http://reviews.urbanoutfitters.com/5309/15787476/bdg-v-neck-... we'll never, ever have this happen. Quality & consistency is of utmost importance to us. We want you to find the size that works best for you (they all have an inch or two leeway) and once you know it, you can order without worry. Even before then, you can, because we offer free returns, paid postage both ways, but we want the experience to be pleasant from day one. We're pioneering a bunch of ways to make the experience as easy as possible including FitPaks, true-to-measure sizes, questionnaires we've devised, accurate photos of real people, and many, many other things -- but we're always open to ideas! We hope you'll follow along and continue to give us candid feedback. We are confident that our success will depend on the support and feedback from people like you!
- _stephan 14y ago
  This all sounds great! I hope you'll be able to offer fine-grained sizes (e.g. something in between S and M) and fits (e.g. something in between normal and slim-fit) and maybe even different colar widths and neckline sizes.
  - wsul 14y ago
    We have fine-grained sizes and fits (especially for the traditionally overlooked audiences like the tall and lean, as well as those that lift weights). We're a manufacturer that is member-driven though, if you have thoughts, shoot them to us, we'd love to hear them!
kerryfalk 14y ago
On (2). I'd like to see someone fix that problem. Zappos did it by allowing people to return as much as they want. I don't know if the same strategy would work for clothing. Bodies are more varied than feet. I bought a custom made leather jacket and it's by far my favourite piece of clothing. I'd love to see that whole process transfer to the web somehow and not be painful. I want to see it on the web because I want access to more people like the guy who made my jacket (I also want him to be able to make these jackets for more people, they're awesome)
- tehayj 14y ago
  Some companies offer 3D models you can dress up. There was also a startup in Germany if I remember correctly that offered the technology for online retailers. I didn't see it used much though. We had another fashion related project about 5 years ago, offering custom made hoodies and jackets online. In the end we gave up because many of our customers didn't get the sizing right even though we had detailed tutorials for that, forms with illustrations that showed what to measure and so on. If you spend 150 bucks on a jacket and the sizing is wrong... well that's no fun. Its not such a big deal for shirts.
  - kerryfalk 14y ago
    I spent much more than that for the jacket (a multiple). To ensure he got the sizing right he first made a cotton shell. When he was satisfied with that, he then cut the leather. I can imagine a similar process with other garments. I'm clearly not an expert but I'm not sure if this would work on the lower end / high quantity end of the market. Especially at the start. I have a feeling that if I could guarantee my guy 10 jackets a month through the internet, he'd be extremely happy.
  - tehayj 14y ago
    Yep if you go for real luxury goods and pricing this makes sense (also the whole process of doing it). 5 years ago this was our first startup so we screwed a lot of things up (but also learned a lot!) :)

tehayj 14y ago

I wish you good luck. We are doing something similar, just in a different niche (accessories) and getting the growth you would get by selling wholesale is tough but doable. The "Made in XYZ" does help but only if the product is truly superior. Are you going to sell individual shirts for $29 / each?