When it comes to menswear, there are plenty of different styles and varieties to choose from. You have your more formal brands, casual ones, and even activewear. But if you want something that fits into more than one of those categories at once, you’ll likely have a more difficult time in your search.
Kit Culture is a menswear brand that was created to combine casual and activewear. Read more about the business and how it got started in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Sells active and casual menswear items.
Business Niche
Catering to athletes, mainly in Southern California.
Founder Brian McEvoy told Small Business Trends, “We’re bringing style to guys who aren’t into fashion but are fit, active and care about the way they look. Also, our products are sewn in Southern California, which is particularly rare for activewear-type apparel.”
How the Business Got Started
From a frustration with other active men’s apparel.
McEvoy was a corporate lawyer in Los Angeles who was constantly training for endurance events. While juggling training with other aspects of life, he found that active wear was often too sloppy looking and casual wear wasn’t cut out for training. So he created Kit Culture to provide a sort of bridge between the two.
Biggest Win
Getting into their first store.
McEvoy says, “While we’re focused on selling online, having the credibility associated with retail availability helps close more sales.”
Biggest Risk
Starting the business in the first place.
McEvoy had no fashion experience and used his own money to start the business.
Lesson Learned
Focus on creating an online presence early.
McEvoy explains, “I would have worked harder to build up a social media presence before launching so that eCommerce would have been more effective from the get go.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Product development and content creation.
Specifically, McEvoy says he would like to create a high production quality lifestyle video. But he would also use some of the money to fund pop-ups at lifestyle events and hiring an assistant.
Favorite Quote
“If you want to understand the entrepreneur, study the juvenile delinquent. The delinquent is saying with his actions, ‘This sucks. I’m going to do my own thing.'” -Yvon Chouinard
* * * * *
Find out more about the Small Biz Spotlight program.
Images: Kit Culture, Top Image: Brian McEvoy
Aira Bongco
It is amazing how helping a certain segment of the market can go a long way. You really don’t need prior experience. You just need to have that willingness to help.