From the beginning, I did not know how this underwear would come together. I didn't know how to find material sources, fabric, or even what kind of template would be used to visualize what I needed. There is no formal guide on 'how to build an underwear brand.' And with no prior experience in building a product, all of the Google options seemed endless, as well as doubts in how to actually get something made and whether it would be of high quality. All of these things led to a high amount of discomfort in the beginning, but that said, I knew I would find a way somehow. Over time, this path began to unfold itself. It started with finding Precision Design Group, who is going to build the underwear, and this started the whole process of learning what would be needed to get our first production pair made.
But in order to get our first production pair made, I would need to find a way for someone to design, construct, and deliver our waistbands and our patent-pending Grip band. At first, I was scanning through Alibaba, an online host that shares products and their manufacturers from overseas. There were tons of options on here, but I was always skeptical about working with it because I did not know who was on the other side or what the factory was like. I didn't know if they treated people well, had high-quality products, or even if they were going to deliver what I needed. After our first prototype was constructed in Vancouver, BC, with leftover material from a previous job, I got a good idea of what the pair would feel like and look like, but it was not 'truly' what I wanted to create.
After this, Ben put me in contact with a company he trusts overseas, and the process of ordering and receiving our first bands has been a lengthy one. It started with determining how much length we would need. But because I am just starting out, I was nowhere near the minimum requirement that they usually place on a new customer. They told me I would need to order about 5x as much as I was wanting to start with, and this created a bit of panic because now I would have to go back to Alibaba and start looking for a less reputable company and order from them. As the emails went on, we were able to get an amount down that would work for both of us, albeit at a much higher price than I'd like to pay. The cost of ordering such a simple thing blew me away; I had no idea how much fabric and its process costed. But I knew I would have to swallow this pill if I wanted to get anywhere. After reading what it would cost me, a sense of fear trickled in as I knew this was going to be a test of seeing if I could really pull through with this project. So far, everything has been out of my pocket: ad spend, prototype costs, construction costs, material costs, and my day-to-day life that also costs money. These expenses add up fast. But that said, there is also a sense of knowing that comes along with all the spending. In the end, it is just money, and there are a million ways to make it back. After all, I have made less wise financial choices than trying to build a product I can learn to sell and market with.
But back to ordering our first bands, once I got over the cost and we designed our first order, they began the work, and I had no idea how long it was going to take. I thought everything would take a maximum of a week, especially for such a small order. But as the days went on, I had not heard anything back. Soon, three weeks had passed. I reached out and was told that they ran into some troubles creating our black and white grip band. The white grip had turned into a yellow grip. This meant they had to rerun the black and white band, and the setback was another couple of weeks. Fast forward 2 weeks, and they got back to me, and just yesterday (July 18th), I got our first video and picture of what the bands look like. I was so excited to see even a picture of the final product because it marked the start of actually building our underwear.
Once I receive the bands from overseas, I will take them to Precision Design Group, along with all of the changes I have made to our first prototype, and we can then start the construction of our second prototype. Without having to wait for material, we can start moving at a quicker pace and get one step closer to bringing the product to the market.
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