Fashion : Innovation & Job News

Finding clothes as a tall person isn't the easiest thing to do, and it's often not as cheap as shopping for average-sized clothes. It's a staple of being tall that has inspired Justin Thompson to launch his own Internet start-up, Tall United.

"When people ask tall people where they get their clothing, that is a tough question for them to answer," says Thompson, who is 6 feet 8 inches tall.

Tall United is an online platform for retailers to sell clothing. Thompson is reaching out to both well-known and specialty retailers so the Royal Oak-based start-up can offer a variety of clothing for tall people at competitive prices.

"Ultimately we want to be a group-buying platform so retailers can recognize the power of our market and offer more clothing at lower prices," Thompson says.

The one-person start-up got its start last September and launched its website earlier this month.

Source: Justin Thompson, founder of Tall United
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Salam and Adam Zahr are married. She is a former teacher who is now a freelance photographer. He is a doctor working on his residency at the University of Michigan. They both live in Dearborn and are the co-founders of Public Threads.

"We were looking for something to do together that suited both of our interests," says Salam Zahr, co-founder of Public Threads. "We wanted to have some fun, make some money and give back to the community."

Public Threads is a clothing boutique that specializes in t-shirts. The Zahrs create simple designs from things they enjoy, such as guitar because they both love music, and a soccer-themed shirt because they like that sport, too. The couple recently completed the BUILD program at D:hive in downtown Detroit, which gave them the basic tools to run a lifestyle business.

The couple are also working to make sure their products are as locally sourced as possible. They use American Apparel shirts because they are made in the U.S.A. They plan to expand into long-sleeve shirts and sweaters in the near future, all made domestically.

"That was important to us," Salam says. "We want to make sure it's made in the United States."

Source: Salam Zahr, co-founder of Public Threads
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Brandon Trevino has a license to carry a concealed weapon, but not the clothing to do so comfortably. That need led to the creation of Constant Companion, a fashion start-up that makes clothing that can safely and easily accommodate concealed weapons.

Constant Companion's garments, such as pants, have larger pockets that are easier to store handguns. These pockets often have a holster-like device that allow the user to safely carry their gun.

"There is a fairly large market in the U.S. for concealed-carrying products, between citizens and law enforcement," Trevino says. "This provides them with another option that is more comfortable, more concealed and allows you to carry a larger size handgun."

The Chesterfield Township-based start-up recently received a microloan from Michigan Microloan Fund and has been working with Oakland University's Velocity's incubator. It plans to use that money push forward with a Made in the USA production. Trevino expects his start-up to have five employees and $1.2 million in revenue after its first year of production thanks to the help of the likes of the microloan and Velocity.

"That was a big boost in the right direction for me," Trevino says.

Source: Brandon Trevino, owner & founder of Constant Companion
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Fashion Forward Maternity couldn't be more of a new economy start-up if it tried. The four-month-old e-commerce start-up is a virtual firm with co-founders spread between Harrison Township and Colorado who go to school in Ann Arbor. And they're taking top awards at a business plan competition at the University of Michigan.

Fashion Forward Maternity won the Pryor-Hale Award for Best Business, the top prize worth $20,000 in cash, at last week's Michigan Business Challenge at U-M's Ross School of Business. Fashion Forward Maternity is a socially responsible online boutique geared toward professional women in need of maternity clothes. The customers can borrow high-quality and designer maternity and nursing fashions at a fraction of the price of new.

"It's easy for a woman to spend $3,000 on a maternity wardrobe," says Erin Lewis, president of Fashion Forward Maternity and an executive MBA student at U-M. "That is if she doesn't keep changing sizes."
 
Fashion Forward Maternity currently is working with a team of three people. It is set to launch later this year and aims to go mainstream and serve a nationwide audience within the next year. Lewis expects her company to grow to 10-15 people when that happens.

"We'd like to get some folks from the University of Michigan working on the marketing and tech sides," Lewis says.

Source: Erin Lewis, president of Fashion Forward Maternity
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

The Otter Company sees a gap in the outerwear market, a gap the Birmingham-based retailer has been working to fill for its first 18 months.

The Otter Company makes ecologically sound outerwear that can be found at select men's stores, golf course shops and online. Think running fleeces made with sustainable materials, such as natural fibers. It also goes the distance to make sure its clothing is up to par for outdoor athletics, allowing for maximum movement and wicking protection in the outdoors.

"There was a lot of room for improvement on existing products," says Martin Stebbins, president of The Otter Company. "What we were looking for wasn't available to us."

The retailer has put together a sales team and its new staff of four employees and stable of independent contractors are gearing up for a national launch. They hope to have their products in 250 stores and grow the product line within the next year. And more jobs are on the horizon.

"We think we'll double our sales every year for the next few years," Stebbins says.

Source: Martin Stebbins, president of The Otter Company
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Arrow Uniform is consolidating its Cleveland area operations at its Taylor facility, which will add a shift, increasing the facility’s garment volume by 50 percent.

Excerpt:

Arrow President John Caputo made the consolidation announcement this week. The move is expected to add 30 local jobs; some will be transfers from Cleveland and others will likely be new local hires.

Read the entire article here.

Oliebollen, an on-line children's clothing retailer, has found success with urban parents seeking out European flair for their little ones' duds.

Excerpt:

Q: Who are your customers?

A: Mostly urban parents. ... They appreciate the aesthetic. There are lots and lots of sites that are European-oriented, catering to this new hip, younger parent. Customers are from San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Atlanta. ... We sell a lot of baby gifts. We have a regular warehouse sale (in Ann Arbor) and maintain an e-mail list.

Read the entire article here.

Sarah Lurtz and Sarah Lapinski, best-known as the duo behind fashion line Wound Menswear, have opened a small manufacturing facility in the Russell Industrial Center. The 800 square-foot space includes 13 sewing machines and a large cutting table, enough equipment to complete, as Lurtz describes it, "small-run production of a clothing line."

The duo, their business partner and one other employee staff Motor City Sewing, which is currently hard at work producing the next Wound line, comprised of 64 jackets, 64 pairs of pants and 32 shirts each of two styles. While still learning what the shop’s capacity is, Lurtz estimates that a small line such as Wound can be turned around in 4-6 weeks, "standard production time" for the industry, she says.

Services available to other designers from Motor City Sewing include pattern drafting, sample sewing, cutting, fabric and material sourcing and grading. Lurtz and Lapinski also offer consulting services to other designers to help get an idea off the ground and into production.

Lurtz says she and Lapinski were inspired to open Motor City Sewing after realizing there was a void in the market of a boutique-style quality clothing manufacturing facility in the Midwest region. She is proud that the care tags sewn in to each garment produced at Motor City Sewing will read, "Made in Detroit, USA."

Upcoming events at Motor City Sewing include a Sunday brunch open house on March 11 and a Wound launch party on March 30 followed by a trunk sale of the line on March 31.

Source: Sarah Lurtz, Motor City Sewing and Wound Menswear

Images courtesy Motor City Sewing

An Yspsilanti resident, Greg Napolitan, has started up a company called Bamboo Styles to design and sell environmentally-friendly bamboo clothing.

Excerpt:

Napolitan contracts out the manufacture of the clothing, mainly to union facilities in the U.S. The overseas facility he uses works in accordance with Social Accountability International 8000 standards.

Read the entire article here.

WWJ has launched Michigan Future, a blog that reports on the culture of innovation in Michigan.

Check out the blog here.