mclilbit
ForceField
- 90
- 275
- Joined
- Dec 23, 1999
Wassup NT? It has been a while since I have last posted on here. Over the years (and I've been around a while, check the NT profile) I've seen a numberof posts about starting an apparel line and being the next "big thing". Mainly they were kids/guys either showing off a t-shirt design or asking"How they can start their own line". I'm actually starting an apparel line as we speak, but I am not here to promote the line, show youpictures, or even post a link to the brand's website. My goal in posting is to introduce you to my idea of blogging about starting an apparel line.I've been that kid back in the day "Oh man, I wish I could make a shoe" or "Man, I want my own brand in stores." and I've searchedfor books/literature on popular younger companies like DC Shoes, Element, Etnies, Supra, etc. etc. only to come up either empty handed, or disappointed in thesugar coated stories of "If you follow your dreams it will come true". I figured I would give those who were interested a chance to see what reallyhappens when you start a brand from scratch, what really goes on behind the scenes, how do you really get it into stores, how do you get noticed by largeretailers and online stores etc. etc. But here is the kicker, I have no idea how this works either. I don't have any previous work experience inmanufacturing clothing, shoes, belts, jeans, or accessories. I've worked in a retail store for a total of 3 months. I've got a marketing degree and andMBA along with childhood memories of selling Nike samples online, that's about all I've got when it comes to experience, but I have a half a dozenpairs of sample shoes that I have designed and developed all on my own sitting in my house....it can be done.
My goal is to inspire others to take a chance and do something they've always wanted to do in life but they didn't do it because someone said "youdon't have the experience". If you're ever curious about how something works when it comes to starting a brand, just ask me, I'll do my bestadvise you, explain it, or show you from my first-hand experience how I figured it out.
The blog is www.willhardison.com
Below is the story taken from the blog of how it all came about:
My passion for business began at age 13 when I came across a pair of sample Air Jordan V retros. Knowing that I could flip them for $800, I convinced myfather to let me borrow the $250 it took to buy the pair. Intended to teach me a lesson, he lent me the money. Money went out, shoes arrived, pictures taken,film developed (yes, this was before the Sony Mavica 3.5 floppy digital camera), pictures scanned, for sale threads on several message boards were posted, and30 minutes later shoes were sold for $750 to a Japanese collector. Life was good.
It didn't stop there. I searched for the next deal, and stumbled across a college student renting the basement of a Nike Employee. I had what everyteenager who was into shoes had, a friend at Nike. Over the years I've had some of the rarest shoes ever made. Scratched prototype Air Jordans, colors thatnever made it to production, samples made for the elite professional athletes (Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, Derek Jeter, Warren Sapp, Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, ReggieMiller, Penny Hardaway, and of course Michael Jordan) and other hard-to-find classics. My website www.theshoecenter.com was a one-stop-shop to not only browse and drool, but to also be able to purchase the sneakers. Ofcourse, the average kid couldn't afford the price tags, but those who were serious about their sneaker collection would shell out anywhere between $500 -$1800 per pair.
The beginning of college and Nike put an end to the glory days of selling sneakers. Nike put a squeeze on their reps, turning a slap-on-the-wrist if theirsamples made it to the internet to an employment termination letter. Perfect timing for me, I was a freshman in college which put baseball and socializing atthe top of my priority list.
Fast forward a few years to my Senior year in college when I was assigned to build a website for a local business. Just my luck, it was an ex-professionalBMX rider trying to start a shoe company. Through talking to him it got me thinking "Why can't I do this?" So I began to research the idea. Ispent about a year looking up factories, talking to designers, and putting together a budget to launch a sneaker line. Again, I got lucky, when I was tellingmy idea to a fellow coworker, she suggested I meet her friend Marcus Tooker, an up-and-coming BMX rider. Marcus and I met and he agreed to help me test a fewpairs of shoes if I ever got samples made. That fueled the fire, guess what I did? Yup, I found a factory in China and I made a few samples.
Long story short, the finances never added up to be able to fulfill factory minimum orders without the risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thesneaker idea was put to rest almost 2 years ago. Until…..
About five months ago (April 2009) I was walking through a local Zumiez and the district manager started up a conversation with me that went a little likethis:
Manager: "Where'd you get that shirt?"
Me: "I made it, it was a shirt for a sneakerline I was working on"
Manager: "I like man, do you have anymore?"
Me: " A few, but not a lot."
Manager: "I'd love to get this in my store if you ever get it going. I know the apparelbuyer real well. We love helping out new brands."
Me: "That'd be awesome. I can put some things together, and get back to you."
Manager: *handing me his card* "Yeah, get it together and let me know. I'll be happy tohelp"
In five months I:
-finished up 4 shirt designs in 2 colors, totaling 8 shirts
-found a great screen printer
-designed and made labels
-found two BMX riders willing to ride for the line, one of which is Marcus.
-produced 400 shirts, 50 in each style
-produced 150 hats
-put together a website and look book for the fall
-made connections at RideBMX and VitalBMX
Now the scary part, we are ready to launch and start the uphill battle of spreading the word about the brand, getting the line in stores, and seeing if themanager at Zumiez is serious about helping me out. Here we go…
My goal is to inspire others to take a chance and do something they've always wanted to do in life but they didn't do it because someone said "youdon't have the experience". If you're ever curious about how something works when it comes to starting a brand, just ask me, I'll do my bestadvise you, explain it, or show you from my first-hand experience how I figured it out.
The blog is www.willhardison.com
Below is the story taken from the blog of how it all came about:
My passion for business began at age 13 when I came across a pair of sample Air Jordan V retros. Knowing that I could flip them for $800, I convinced myfather to let me borrow the $250 it took to buy the pair. Intended to teach me a lesson, he lent me the money. Money went out, shoes arrived, pictures taken,film developed (yes, this was before the Sony Mavica 3.5 floppy digital camera), pictures scanned, for sale threads on several message boards were posted, and30 minutes later shoes were sold for $750 to a Japanese collector. Life was good.
It didn't stop there. I searched for the next deal, and stumbled across a college student renting the basement of a Nike Employee. I had what everyteenager who was into shoes had, a friend at Nike. Over the years I've had some of the rarest shoes ever made. Scratched prototype Air Jordans, colors thatnever made it to production, samples made for the elite professional athletes (Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, Derek Jeter, Warren Sapp, Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, ReggieMiller, Penny Hardaway, and of course Michael Jordan) and other hard-to-find classics. My website www.theshoecenter.com was a one-stop-shop to not only browse and drool, but to also be able to purchase the sneakers. Ofcourse, the average kid couldn't afford the price tags, but those who were serious about their sneaker collection would shell out anywhere between $500 -$1800 per pair.
The beginning of college and Nike put an end to the glory days of selling sneakers. Nike put a squeeze on their reps, turning a slap-on-the-wrist if theirsamples made it to the internet to an employment termination letter. Perfect timing for me, I was a freshman in college which put baseball and socializing atthe top of my priority list.
Fast forward a few years to my Senior year in college when I was assigned to build a website for a local business. Just my luck, it was an ex-professionalBMX rider trying to start a shoe company. Through talking to him it got me thinking "Why can't I do this?" So I began to research the idea. Ispent about a year looking up factories, talking to designers, and putting together a budget to launch a sneaker line. Again, I got lucky, when I was tellingmy idea to a fellow coworker, she suggested I meet her friend Marcus Tooker, an up-and-coming BMX rider. Marcus and I met and he agreed to help me test a fewpairs of shoes if I ever got samples made. That fueled the fire, guess what I did? Yup, I found a factory in China and I made a few samples.
Long story short, the finances never added up to be able to fulfill factory minimum orders without the risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thesneaker idea was put to rest almost 2 years ago. Until…..
About five months ago (April 2009) I was walking through a local Zumiez and the district manager started up a conversation with me that went a little likethis:
Manager: "Where'd you get that shirt?"
Me: "I made it, it was a shirt for a sneakerline I was working on"
Manager: "I like man, do you have anymore?"
Me: " A few, but not a lot."
Manager: "I'd love to get this in my store if you ever get it going. I know the apparelbuyer real well. We love helping out new brands."
Me: "That'd be awesome. I can put some things together, and get back to you."
Manager: *handing me his card* "Yeah, get it together and let me know. I'll be happy tohelp"
In five months I:
-finished up 4 shirt designs in 2 colors, totaling 8 shirts
-found a great screen printer
-designed and made labels
-found two BMX riders willing to ride for the line, one of which is Marcus.
-produced 400 shirts, 50 in each style
-produced 150 hats
-put together a website and look book for the fall
-made connections at RideBMX and VitalBMX
Now the scary part, we are ready to launch and start the uphill battle of spreading the word about the brand, getting the line in stores, and seeing if themanager at Zumiez is serious about helping me out. Here we go…
