There are no manufacturer in the USA would allow us to produce one garment at a time. Most mfr. have minimum order requirements of approx. 1,000 pcs per style per color. We would not have been able to offer custom styling NOR custom fitting. We would just be another mass production brand, which is counter to what are purpose is. Unique style and size for every customer. Also, we could have processed orders through a network of tailors, but most tailors do not have patterns for sportswear, including polo shirts. And that would not have been a scalable model. hope that makes sense.
Our value is not being a low cost leader. Our value is in getting people into shirts that fit perfectly. We hope to get our pricing down as we find efficiencies in the mfr and supply chain process. We are making one unit at a time. Not and easy problem to solve on the back end nor a cheap solution. But we are still on par with brands like Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Fred Perry, Sunspel... And are less expensive than Armani, Varvatos, Zegna, etc...
Great points here. Thanks for your insight. We will continue to learn from all these comments. re: men not caring about fitted polo shirts: we think the market here is fairly large. Mass merchandised clothing today only comes in 4 - 5 sizes (S, M, L, XL,etc...) but our bodies are all different shapes and sizes. So that size M that Jcrew or Ralph Lauren sells will only fit a sub-segment of the population. Everyone else is compromising on fit. If you want a better fitting shirt, come to us. If your willing to shop around for brands that fit your body type or if you don't care about fit, that is fine too. We are here to simply offer more choice for consumers.
Somewhat, but our customers aren't buying an off the rack shirt here. We are sending sizing templates for people to try on. They then go back to our site to determine any adjustments to their sizing profile (adding length to shirt or shortening a sleeve, or tapering the waist, etc). They send the try on shirts back to us and we then go ahead and make a one of kind size and fit for that customer based on their unique body type. make sense?
apologies for this. We will fix this. We just started shipping to Australia, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Japan. More countries to come as we set up logistics in those countries.
Our customers aren't buying an off the rack shirt here. We are sending sizing templates for people to try on. They then go back to our site to determine any adjustments to their sizing profile (adding length to shirt or shortening a sleeve, or tapering the waist, etc). We then go ahead and make a one of kind size and fit for that customer based on their unique body type.
blank label makes only dress shirts and does not offer any sort of home try on program. We are big fans of Fan Bi and co.
re: a different experience. We are sort the anti-Gap. At the Gap, one size fits all. With us, we will fit the shirt to your body type and not force you into a size that was made for the masses.
Most custom shirt companies out there only provide custom dress shirts and suiting. We are looking at going after the sportswear category. No one, we know, as of yet, has set up a supply chain and factory that can produce a quantity of one unit at a time without costing a fortune. The factories we use are part of a consortium that consults with the US gov't on setting up both labor friendly mfr abroad as well as clean mfr and eco friendly mfr processes. It's not a sweat shop. Sorry to disappoint. Also, this was not a free ride. We spent 2.5 years prior to YC setting up supply chain, factory, product development and a host of other logistical processes to be able to deliver quality and efficient production.
The comparison to Warby Parker was more in terms of customer engagement model vis a vis the home try on program. Cost structure, supply chain, mfr, and the competitive nature of our businesses are quite different, as you point out.
We are selling a similar hoodie with the same fabric, but different style treatments in boutique retail stores. These are stores that sell brands such as Cucinelli, Zegna, Brioni, Kiton. They have polo shirts that retail for upwards $450. Not for everyone, but it reflects the quality of fabrics, craftsmanship and design that we are able to obtain with our supply chain and mfr capabilities.
Ahh... Marketing Automation! I founded a Sales Automation (CRM) company prior to this, Salesnet. We were acquired by RNOW (now ORCL). I also ran a small marketing automation co for a year. Lots to chat about. Good luck with Daymond. We are linked on linkedin but have never met him.
Great points! Would love to discuss with you more offline.
We source some of the highest quality cotton available. We use essentially the same quality that you might see on a Cuchinelli, Zegna or Kiton polo - which retail for $250 - $400 at Niemans or boutiques. We sell our polos, private label into some high end boutiques for $175 and $195 (retail)- using the same fabric we offer online. I agree, we need to do a much better job at marketing and branding though. And I really liked your comments about creating a visceral attachment to the garments. Stay tuned for that and please stay in touch with us! Are you in marketing?