I have dedicated much of that last few months to a project called Holstee, and would like the chance to document some of the experiences I have gained through this venture.
To begin, holstee is a line of socially focused, eco-friendly shirts. A ‘for-profit’ concept built on the stakeholder mentality. 100% of all Holstee proceeds are used to empower entrepreneurs through micro lending. Any money that the is repaid from the borrowers is then used to grow the business, recycled fair trade products were used for the shirt creation, and everyone working on the project, has contributed time, money, and or energy because it has been a work of passion.
The concept itself would have never become a reality without the support and guidance of incubaker, my close friends, and of course my family.
Holstee and its origin….
One day in a mid-level entrepreneurial elective class, (that I had to beg my way into as a finance major) the Professor asked our class as she often did if we had any new or burning ideas; and as I often do, I eagerly raised my hand. After the professor called on a few other students, she called on me. I went forward and explained: “I would love to have a pocket right here [pointing under my arm on my rib cage], it’s the best place for a pocket, similar to a holster. Tshirts have pockets in the front, but it’s a waste it ruins the shirt if you put anything in there, and its uncomfortable and unsafe.” After giving every other student overwhelmingly positive feedback for their ideas (even the outlandish or already available ideas!) she said that the pocket concept was “too halfbaked” and didn’t offer enough stand alone value. I am grateful for her pessimism, because that weekend, I got together with Thianh, and we borrowed his mothers sewing machine and got to work. (It took us a while to figure out how to thread the machine, but after that things started to pick up 
)
We started prototyping with different pockets and styles. That week, after class I went to my professor and proudly showed her my newly ‘pocketed’ shirt. She was more impressed with my keynote presentations for class projects than my sewing skills and personal passion, and didn’t care much for the pocket. The idea was on hold for a while but it was bouncing around in my head for a while. After graduation, I decided I would dedicate some time in Cali to working on this t-shirt project with the guidance and help of the other Incubakers.
Throughout university I questioned the “share holder approach” where the mission of a publicly traded company is solely to increase shareholder value. I often argued (to no avail in my investment classes) that a stakeholder approach is the only responsible way to build a business. (A stakeholder approach is when all stakeholders are considered, from manufacturers, investors, consumers, the environment etc.) I knew that if I were to pursue the t-shirt concept it would be in a sustainable manner. I hadn’t decided at that point to what extent I wanted the concept to give back, but I knew that a large portion of proceeds would be in some form used to help those in need, and recycled items and fair trade products would be used whenever possible.
Before jumping coasts to Cali, I stopped in NY to reconnect with some friends. I had the opportunity to meet Melissa with an introduction from Fabian. Melissa and I had a quick brainstorm session where we tossed around a ton of ideas. On of the ideas we spent a lot of time discussing was this t-shirt concept, my enthusiasm quickly gained Melissa’s interest and we began blowing out the concept and ways to bring it reality. It was also during this meeting that the shirts gained the name “Holstee”, without hesitation, Melissa urged my to by the domain name that second, so I did. After witnessing Melissas enthusiasm I decided I would dedicate a good portion of my stay in Cali, to further developing the Holstee concept.
I have never really been able to do things ‘casually’ or vacation when I know I have a burning idea. I began dedicating long hours to the concept. After working designing a variety of pocket styles and positions, with my grandma at the wheel of the sewing machine, we were able to create a some prototypes for testing; Velcro-pockets, buttons, no buttons, square bottoms, round bottoms, smaller, bigger, closer to the back, lower, just about every which way. (using a substance called “hem-n-bond made it a bit easier to cut out the sewing part and doing some quick ‘iron-on’ prototyping) It took a few sketches and about five prototypes and lots of great feedback from incubaker and friends, but then we landed on the design we ended up with today.
At the same time, while prototyping I was taking care of some legal and admin work needed. Normally I would have waited to deal with bureaucratic paper work till after the idea had proved itself, but I needed access to wholesale pricing, which required a sellers permit, and subsequently a business license, which required a bank account, which required a fictitious business statement and so on, and so on. I had also reached out to some talented creatives for help. Thierry, the creator of the Holstee logo, was introduced to me by Fabian. Thierry is a true visionary and has unique ability to foresee trendsetting designs. His pro-bono help was important to creating the Holstee image.
I began making frequent trips the fashion district in Los Angeles, getting comfortable with the area, meeting people, and trying to learn a little bit about the industry. I began procuring fabrics, and searching for a recycled line of shirts to use. I visited the Alternative Apparel showroom in LA, and new I found exactly what I was looking for when I saw their ‘Alternative Earth’ line of eco-friendly shirts. Partially made with recycled materials in fair working conditions, and the shirt was amazingly soft. The shirts themselves were about 4 times the average cost of other wholesale shirts in the market, but based on quality, comfort, there was little comparison.
I chose pocket fabrics based on color, and pattern. I was looking to find four different colors (red, grey, blue, green) each with their own pattern (polka dot, stripe, Hawaiian and plaid). Finding someone to sew on all the pockets was an adventure in itself, but as always going around and asking people is a great start. I was referred to one person/company after another and I followed up with each lead. Because I was actually having something sewn on to the shirt it required a prewash to ensure that the shirt would not shrink more than the fabric. Since I was in a rush to get the shirts into production I took them to the cheapest Laundry mat near my sisters apartment. It was a wash-n-fold on La brea. Upon pickup the laundry men and I started speaking and they mentioned someone who may be able to help with the pocket sewing. I after getting over the language barrier I brought my shirts and fabric just north of LA. After some minor delays I was able to pick up the completed shirts about two weeks later. Just enough time to pack them in a box, as I prepared for my flight to move to New York City. I spent some time my first day in New York, locating a silk screener. A few days later I carried my 50 pound box on the subway and to the Fort Hamilton stop where the Silk Screeners were located.
In the meantime Mike and I began organizing some thoughts for a photoshoot once the shirts were complete. Mike contacted Jenny, a friend and photographer. With Jenny’s AMAZING help, in a little over a weeks time we were able to organize a photo shoot from concept to event. The outcome was mind-blowing. We had close to a dozen professional models, a hairstylist, a make-up artist, two photographers, a video-grapher, three different sets, professional lighting, fun friends, and a whole lot of bagels. The best part was, because of the cause everyone participated without payment. It truly is inspiring to be surrounded by so many individuals passionate about working together to help create a greener and more united globe.
Holstee is currently working on a complete website redesign courtesy of a new friend, and graphics guru, Tom Hammer. We have partnered with Kiva as a beta member of their new team lending program – where Holstee will be lending 100% of their proceeds, allowing all shirt profits to make a full cycle and empower dreamers in third world countries for a future outside of extreme poverty. There will still be a lot of growth and developments happening with Holstee, but I thought it necessary to get a rolling story going. It has been a remarkably educational and exciting experience thus far, and I am positive I will look back on it with great pride and satisfaction.
There is no reward for an experience greater than the value of the experience itself.
Not long after Mike and I moved to our nice little two bedroom apartment here in the East Village we came across AirBed & Breakfast, a website that allows us to share your apartment with travelers on a nightly basis. When we first started taking guests we hosted a only few days a month. We had some great experiences and increased the number of people we hosted. Since we have begun working full time on Holstee, we have begun hosting much more to generate some side cash to help fund our venture. In the past month or so we have been booked nearly every-night!
