We then did what again, every non-profitable startup that just had its world fall apart should, we diversified further, this time within fashion by launching multiple new lines.
- Seeing demand for a lower price point denim line with a story similar to Sling & stones, we started GoodSociety to be exactly that.
- We leased the domain FannyPack.com and brought back the FannyPack by working with the Bhopal Rehabilitation Center in India.
- After discovering some unique fabric sourcing opportunities, we began Academi Jeans, offering a premium product for denim connoisseurs at an even lower price point than GoodSociety.
- We created a line of t-shirts braded Deconstruction Reconstruction – where we took vintage shirts apart, put them back together with a modern fit, and printed over them – with the proceeds from the brand going to help free women from brothels through the International Justice Mission.
- We also got to the idea and sampling stage on a few other projects including Sanjuku, an iPod case line, and an unnamed attempt to bring hypercolor products back onto the market.
On the sales side, we were building relationships with showrooms, attending fashion tradeshows, and driving around the country to grow our line of business with boutiques. Meanwhile, on the production side, we had my father setup two factories for us in India. Quang lived out the factory for six months at the time, and was responsible for training workers despite never having sewn a pair in his life.
On the backend we were still preparing shipments stateside. I vividly recall Carl, Quang, & I once flying to LA and buttoning jeans for nearly 100 hours straight to meet a deadline. About 72 hours in I started hallucinating and repeatedly saw former Seattle Supersonics star Sam Perkins where there was nothing but a stack of cardboard boxes.
I should mention that at the same time all this was going on, we were still operating JesusBranded online while driving across the country selling t-shirts at festivals and also doing merchandise for bands and non-profits.
Naturally, along the way we lost some team members who decided to pursue life outside of the startup world, and added others. Notably, we were joined by a kid named Chris Kim who impressed us by showing us the pair of jeans he had sewn himself.
Even this far into the game though, the most we could afford to pay anybody was little more than a pittance.