this is not a t-shirt book takeaways
lessons from bobby hundreds
The best and worst thing about entrepreneurship is that there are no rules. There's a history behind you to acknowledge, learn from, and build off, but you also don't want to follow the blueprint too closely; the past is in the past.
Every generation progresses by questioning tradition, reinterpreting established practice, and adding its voice and style. It takes balls to forge new territory. It takes guts to say no to best practices. Whenever up-and-coming entrepreneurs ask me what it takes to gain the industry's recognition, I say,
"You shouldn't care about earning their respect. You should be doing everything in your power to piss them off."
2 Second Summary
Half memoir of Bobby, half business history of The Hundreds. Success, failure, and lessons learned in building a streetwear business.
Main Takeaways
Building Brand and Community in Streetwear
It was never our aim to make customers of everyone. We just needed someone. Never underestimate the power of influence in one-on-one encounters. One person's zeal can arouse a movement and compel a community to action.
Passion begets passion.
If you are madly in love with your cause, that fire will stoke a flame in others.
The Hundreds was born of a single idea, a spark that precipitated a wildfire. Speak to the people, one believer at a time.
THE GOAL was (and continues to be) to bring people into our community and introduce them to The Hundreds ongoing story. We believed that if we could know our customers as friends, they'd support our business. It wasn't as crucial to us to pry dollars from their hands or pick data from their hard drives. That was guaranteed to come later
And why is streetwear so popular?
streetwear is full of passion, and averse to plastic marketing campaigns. Streetwear is transparent and purposeful by design, not financial incentive. It's brave and invincible. It's foolish and urgent, but that's forever been part of what attracts people to a cause.
And the reason t-shirts are such a popular starting point:
On a spiritual level, however, the T-shirt is effective because it's about messaging. Young people are not always the best communicators, but they have plenty to get off their chests (pun intended). To this day, that's my primary rule when it comes to designing T-shirts: have something to say. Here at The Hundreds, we begin with an opinion on an issue and then incorporate our signature attitude and personality.
The goal is to tell a full narrative with a perspective and a purpose. And even after all these years, we find that we still have much more to speak on.
But this all doesn’t matter unless you can connect with your audience:
Pubisizing the Hundreds on the internet was easy and almost lazy. It felt cheap to me and ephemeral. Plus, there was a disconnect: If it didn't feel meaningful and enduring to me, would the casual observer take it seriously? I'm the kind of guy who prefers to meet people face-to-face as opposed to via conference call. I need to sense a human link.
And don’t be surprised if people see your brand totally different to how you do…
No matter how complicated and sophisticated you believe your brand to be, you must accept the fact that (1) most of the world will never see your brand and (2) the majority of those who do glance at it will take away one microscopic detail that will color their impression of your brand forever
Assholes and the Downsides of Streetwear
Streetwear in general is filled with assholes. It's like an asshole Coachella up in here. The Dicks are playing the mainstage and the Jerks are opening. If you've ever been to a streetwear party, you know what I'm talking about. No females in the vicinity, just clothing-conscious dudes skulking under purple clouds, posturing, and praying for male validation. It's an air of insecurity that seemingly stems from daddy issues.
Which also means…
Streetwear is also low key luxury. It's elitist and established on a holier-than-thou mind-set, which makes for good branding but emits bad vibes.
But be the change you want to see in the world!
As much as I admired the exclusivity of prime streetwear, Ben and I and The Hundreds were inclusionary by default. Although we had to fake the funk early to portray a certain elitist image, it's just never been in our nature as humans to be snobs. Our top priority is to design and make quality product, but we also want people to be able to have fair access to our work
I think there's a misconception that because I work in clothing, I'm into fashion. I'm not. I enjoy the imaginative design that high fashion offers. I do appreciate the theater of it all- the extravagant photo shoots, the fashion week paparazzi, and the limited-edition exclusivity of special product. I just don't get the politics and the snobbery that come with fashion- the pretense of it all. There's an ugly classism that lingers in the garments like stale cigar smoke
&
That's why I champion streetwear, because it's less to do with the pomp and circumstance and more about the storytelling. I'm a black T-shirt, Chucks, and Dickies guy because (a) it's pragmatic and no-nonsense attire, and (b) it says everything about what's mattered most to me in my life: California, skateboarding, and punk. When it comes to design, I don't look high and I don't look to my side. I prefer to look behind me.
An interesting side story
The Hundreds was in its early days, and they’d already attended a day at a convention centre and gotten absolutely nowhere with it.
So as Rory Sutherland often says, “The opposite of a good idea can often be a good idea”…
we left the convention center and bought a black plastic tarp at the local Kmart. The next morning, we draped it over our rack, hiding our samples. For 99 percent of the buyers at the show, The Hundreds was now closed for public viewing. While our peers groveled and hounded shop owners, we kicked our Dunks back and yawned. Occasionally, the tarp drew the curiosity of an onlooker, who asked what was lurking underneath. We'd consider their badge, give them the once-over, and tell them we weren't conducting business that day. It didn't matter if they were shopping on behalf of Macy's or Up Against the Wall. If their store wasn't on our list of authentic streetwear boutiques from around the world (there were only maybe fifty of them, maybe three of which would even attend a show like MAGIC), then they couldn't see the line.
We weren't even interested in a business card.
It was no surprise that this scheme bummed store buyers out.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" they'd shout.
Many vowed to never return. But of course they came back bright and early the next day. And the next show. Season after season, the same accounts pestered us, knocking louder on our door until we'd acquiesce and open up distribution to them. And when we did? They cherished The Hundreds and protected our brand, evangelizing our message to their communities
So why was this strategy successful?
The black tarp philosophy took us far in this business. I know it was arrogant, but it forced us to focus on a future, stay disciplined with our sales strategy, and control the quality of the retail partners with whom we would align The Hundreds' name.
Most of the brands on the floor that MAGIC trade show lost their way, eventually taking that convenient $10,000 order from a shallow run-of-the-mill store and diluting their image in the process. They were all about making money-which is, obviously, incredibly important - but they forsook the importance of branding. Fashion rewards brands that can endure through the peaks and valleys of relevance. When you boil it down, it's all about how many times you can say no. It's a discipline. You have to train yourself to be comfortable with this word. If you're greedy and profit-driven, that means saying no to an easy and available check. If you're a people pleaser, prepare yourself to hurt feelings, be the asshole, and defend your brand against the interests of others.
Life Advice
This section in the book was probably my favourite. Reminded me of Anthony Bourdain’s advice1.
When young people come to me seeking direction, whether in life or career, my first suggestion is to travel. Even if it's getting on a bus and going three towns up the highway. The fastest way to grow is by leaving your comfort zone. You gotta stay uncomfortable, constantly adjusting to new contexts, shuffling life's Rubik's Cube around in your hands and studying it from all angles.
If you're at ease, if the answers are on your dinner plate every night, you'll get lazy. You'll stop listening to yourself, which can be fatal, and you'll stop learning, which is even worse. If you're being challenged, you'll exercise your brain in creative ways. You have to persist and adapt. Traveling does that for you. Waking up in new beds, tasting exotic foods, deciphering directions when you can't read the language. Traveling puts you in other people's shoes. It teaches you compassion and empathy and, greatest of all, humility. It's impossible to visit a country, encounter new people, and not imagine yourself as one of those people. The goal is to uncork yourself from the center of the universe.
Branding
I was tired of big, heavy logos overwhelming the clothes. Even the Polo horse mushroomed in size. Clothing was diminished to a billboard. It's a shame how much of men's streetwear sales aren't motivated by design and quality. (Then again, male shoppers are motivated by brand names. Fashion, for a lot of guys, boils down to status, belonging, and tribalism.)
So what is branding?
Branding is about making your customers comfortable, secure with buying your product. It's about letting them know that you aren't going anywhere. That they are buying something stable
and something to be aware of…
They [customers] don't want to take a risk. Everyone wants to be unique, but no one wants to be the only one asking themselves, "Will I get teased for wearing this?" or "Will anyone know what this is?"
Entrepreneurship
“If you play by their rules, they'll never let you win."
And trust me, the OGs and predecessors don't want to see you prevail.
Your very presence eats up space, dollars, and spotlight, and no matter the size of the industry it's too small to accommodate anyone new.
Why did Bobby and Ben decide to start The Hundreds?
We are both obstinate and selfish and uncooperative. I imagine this is why we ended up working for ourselves: no one else would take us. I like to think of myself as laid-back, but the reality is that eventually everybody rubs me the wrong way. I'm the most gregarious misanthrope you'll ever meet, like Larry David on Molly. I've never held on to a best friend and can only take people in spurts. Ben, meanwhile, is more my wife than my wife. After fifteen years of growing The Hundreds together- breathing the same office air, sharing at least a meal a day, and seeing the world from the same vantage point- I'd say we're probably composed of nearly identical brain matter
The best and worst thing about entrepreneurship is that there are no rules. There's a history behind you to acknowledge, learn from, and build off, but you also don't want to follow the blueprint too closely; the past is in the past.
Every generation progresses by questioning tradition, reinterpreting established practice, and adding its voice and style. It takes balls to forge new territory. It takes guts to say no to best practices. Whenever up-and-coming entrepreneurs ask me what it takes to gain the industry's recognition, I say,
"You shouldn't care about earning their respect. You should be doing everything in your power to piss them off."
Personal Thoughts
Good read. Plenty of lessons. Not too many other books like it. Not quite perfect, but worth the time investment.
My rating? 7.5/10
Interested? Buy the book from Amazon.
Bonus:
Bobby has also done an AMA on /r/StreetwearStartup a while back which had some great Q&A
Q: From your experience, what’s the biggest mistake a designer can make in branding?
A: Embody an identity that isn't his or hers. You are unique and powerful the way you're built - embrace it wholly, warts and all. Your coolness (or lack of it) may draw people in, but that's not what keeps a customer. It's your humanness and realness that people want.
and
Q: What characteristic do you think all successful streetwear brands share?
Nobody wants to admit this - maybe because it's not very "cool" for a market that operates on cool currency - but, it boils down to whether or not you're a good business. There are a lot of incredible artists and visionaries out there with failing brands because they can't keep the engine running. There are also a lot of terrible brands that kill it because it's a healthy operation. Your favorite, most popular and prevalent brands are most likely well-oiled machines.
“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else's shoes or at least eat their food. It's a plus for everybody.”