Category: Business Reviews, Entrepreneurship Startup Stories: AntiClothes founder, Bryan Hewitt
I thought it would be interesting to interview some other people doing start-ups. I am sure many of you have seen all the shirt companies out there, Threadless (they rule), Busted Tees, etc…So to find a new one launching I was a bit skeptical. Let’s here what the founder of AntiClothes, Bryan Hewitt has to say…
How did AntiClothes get started?
AntiClothes was launched in August, making it 2 months young. We started the concept about a year before that, and it finally all came together then.
What made you become interested in doing your own business?
I’ve got an expensive habit with loving cars. Oh, and people uglying themselves up with crappy t shirts. I wanted to make things that felt like a warm hug every time you put it on. It’s like a replacement for a significant other. Those are so overrated!
What’s missing in the t-shirt business online now and why do we need another one?
Simple, consistency. So many companies are pushing our fresh designs every Monday, but most are forced ideas. We may move into releasing every week, but right now we wait, pick the best idea, then design. After we design, we filter even more to what we dig the most, and think our customers will like the best. You can’t show up with just one or two good designs, and the rest fillers. You need solid ideas, executed to the T (oh god, puns), every time.
How do you plan on people marketing AntiClothes shirts?
We’re promoting through standard channels, banner ads, traffic plugs, but we have alternative marketing methods in mind. We are launching a ‘viral’ campaign, based around video. I put viral in quotes because it’s never really something you can predict, or create, but you can damn sure use the tools available to try. I’ve spent a lot of time researching what has gone viral on video sites, as well as what seems to be popular amongst our target market of 18-30.
Our first video is coming out on Youtube in about a week or so. I had a cartoon version of myself created, and I teach YouTube obscenities in sign language. Inspired by this lovely gem: YouSuck T Shirt . I want to give each shirt it’s own video. Some will be completely random, and some will be based around the shirt.
There are many t-shirt companies, how are you going to stand out?
We’re the badass of the group. You’ve got Threadless who focuses more on a designer/art type t’s, and BustedTee’s who focuses on the joke and not the design as much. Both are great companies, but we’re what would happen if you smashed the two together and threw sprinkles on top. Our shirts aren’t novelties, they help our customer stand out. Strangers come up to me and compliment certain designs I wear, and that reaction our customers get as well, will help put us on top.
Biggest challenge and greatest so far?
Designers who flat out suck. We’ve went through a good piece of change with artwork that never came out right, or we just didn’t receive. We need a vast array of styles for our line up, and though you can find one solid designer out of filtering through 10, we needed more than that. What I advise to people is to search outside your niche. This is risky, but will pay off incredibly if you can find someone with raw talent in a similar field, and get them to filter it to yours. We’ve had people who are street designers, comic artists, but they raw talent is there – and once they channeled AntiClothes’ vibe they’ve made us great pieces.
A second challenge has been the fact our competitors have hundreds of designs, when we were starting out with 16, and now we’re up to 20. I’m aiming to get us to around 24-25 within a month and a half, then keep expanding from there. Selection is important, most people appreciate a good amount of our shirts. The more we have, the better a chance of some one finding their clothing match made in heaven.
Anything else?
Yes, I’m on a mission. Companies like SnorgTees, which I feel have some of the lamest shirts, are managing to do well. I feel I need to save their customers from buying such horrid t shirt fashion faux pas. AntiClothes is here people, we can save you!
Also, feel free to check out AntiClothes, drop some feedback in this blog post. If you like anything enjoy 10% off with code “okdork”. Don’t forget to check back here and there too! We only have 20 of our designs up right now…plenty more coming!
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Noah wrote Startup Stories: AntiClothes founder, Bryan Hewitt on October 9th, 2008 and there are 22 comments. There will be one more after you add yours, though. Read more posts by Noah.
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22 Responses to “Startup Stories: AntiClothes founder, Bryan Hewitt”
October 9th, 2008
9:10 pm
I just LOL’d at the spreadshirt advertisement in your sidebar, after reading this article about AntiClothes.
October 9th, 2008
10:48 pm
Haha, nice catch Paul.
Nice interview Noah. What do you think about the brand, its people, the industry, etc?
Or is this a future post in the pipeline? ;P
October 10th, 2008
6:17 pm
“Companies like SnorgTees, which I feel have some of the lamest shirts, are managing to do well”
There is no way Snorg is doing well. There is no way they recoup all the money they spend on advertising. They pay out the yingyang for advertising and that is the only reason you know about them. If they stopped spending all of their money on ads, you’d never hear about them again.
The best companies grow and actually make money because of word of mouth.
October 10th, 2008
6:21 pm
hmm,
i agree with you but t-shirts are a funny business that have great margins but a TON of competition. I’m a bit surprised that so many companies are able to maintain their dominance of funny t-shirts. Especially when it’s so easy to be humorous…
October 10th, 2008
6:24 pm
Maybe it’s not as easy as you’re making it out to be ; )
(and really, there are only about 3-4 companies that really have had any staying power)
October 10th, 2008
8:09 pm
Hmm,
If you were to believe spending xx,xxx-xxx,xxx in ads a month and not being self sustained was possible for a t shirt outlet, I’d have to beg to differ. No one is going to invest millions a year into an online t shirt site that isn’t making it’s money back. There are a lot of easier investments out there, my 2c.
October 11th, 2008
11:37 am
Bryan, as someone who is in a position to know EXACTLY what I am talking about…Snorg Tees is not in the black by any means and it will take a long time before it happens. They are not recouping the money they are spending.
Sorry to say that your assumption is wrong. Snorg Tees has someone with a lot of money to burn behind them…and burning it, they are ; )
-Insider
October 11th, 2008
5:00 pm
Well, I still think it’d be a bit odd for an investor to be a million+ deep into a humor t shirt company. If you’d like to enlighten me on some marketing ideas surely email me (bryan |at| anticlothes.com).
October 11th, 2008
11:22 pm
If Snorg is indeed backed by someone and they are in the red with their current ad campaigning, that would suggest they are building for long-tail success and trying to build the brand rather than convert to sales. This makes sense, looking at the quality of the site you find their ads on.
Given the market conditions, this old school approach to brand-building might be the crack int he dam that ensures their demise. And personally, I wouldn’t be smarting any—I’m not a fan of their shirts. They only have a few shirts I’d let be sold in my company. The humor is good, but the designs just seem sloppy.
My two cents—the industry is most open to social growth, meaning AntiClothes needs an active blog. It needs followers, fans even, to rally behind them and bring their friends for the ride. So rather than being just a storefront, focus on Myspace and YouTube and tee-related communities. Develop a relationship with your users at the personal level. buying traffic and conversions is nice for the bottom line, but you build brand through relationships. Make one at a time and eventually the accumulate and aggregate and begin to snowball and all of a sudden you’re the next Bathing Ape.
October 11th, 2008
11:47 pm
[...] are a few of my favorite questions and answers form the interview: What’s missing in the t-shirt business online now and why do we need another one? Simple, [...]
October 12th, 2008
10:28 am
“we’re what would happen if you smashed the two together and threw sprinkles on top. ” Sounds pretty good to say nothing of rather ambitious; remains to be seen if they will be as good as they say.
October 12th, 2008
10:31 am
BTW, is it just me, because i did not ‘get’ the t shirt in the picture
October 12th, 2008
10:07 pm
The heart. It’s as cold as ice.
October 12th, 2008
10:09 pm
Is that where the heart is located?
October 12th, 2008
11:18 pm
Roughly, haha. It’s about being “Cold Hearted” the design is done quite literally. It looks especially awesome on the shirt. One of my fav’s to wear.
October 14th, 2008
6:28 pm
But it’s melting a little? Because there are some drops below?
October 14th, 2008
11:06 pm
Exactly.
October 18th, 2008
11:32 pm
What good is a de-oxygenated heart?
October 27th, 2008
10:29 pm
I think this is a very useful and instructive story. I liked how well was shown advertising and development in this story. -)
October 28th, 2008
9:09 pm
TheDirty.com likes AntiClothes.com. We wear them at the office (http://www.thedirty.com/?p=56028)!
The shirts are indeed comfy and only get softer with each wear plus they are all-American
October 28th, 2008
9:17 pm
Oh, the designs: They are indeed unique and have a genuine kitsch, evoke more emotion thus carry more weight than the competition.
October 30th, 2008
7:46 pm
Haha, thanks guys, glad to see you are enjoying
.
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