lifestyle design – the {r}evolution apparel blog

Rethinking Fashion: An Interview with HOLSTEE

{A Note on the 2k Competition: We won’t find out who won until this weekend, but we’ll be sure to let everyone know! A huge thanks for all of your support — we sincerely appreciate the amazing turnout.}

If you haven’t heard of HOLSTEE, you will. Meet Mike, Dave, and Fabian: three guys, living in Brooklyn, who design and curate “kickass products, sustainably made, with a social impact.” It really doesn’t get much cooler than that.

It all started around the HOLSTEE tee, with a holster-like zipper-pocket for all the stuff dudes carry. They’ve branched out with “fins,” wallets and pendants, and an entire curated collection. The amazing part? Every product is made in a way that helps people and planet.

HOLSTEE is a special inspiration for us, because these guys created a company that reflects their lifestyle, and encourage others to “live their dream and wear their passion,” as well. We had a chance to interview them and find out what young entrepreneurs think about trends, sustainability, saving the world, and living your dream.

{r} HOLSTEE’s manifesto has become slightly famous (check it out here). In it, you say, “Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating.” How did the idea for and creation of HOLSTEE come to be?

Well, like you said, Holstee all began with the idea of putting a pocket on a shirt, but at the time it was one of a few projects I was working on with some friends at Incubaker. We always loved working together and had a few side projects going on at any given time. We came to realize that if we all focused our energy, even if it was part-time, we could take one concept and push it much further than we could multiple projects. We put the other ideas on hold and decided to move forward with Holstee. At that same time, my brother and I decided we were ready for change. It was almost summer in NYC and we decided to quit our jobs in the heat of the recession and focus full-time on Holstee and see how far we could push it before running out of cash. We figured in the worst case scenario it would be the best summer of our lives and we would find jobs again, and that is how we got started!

{r} Starting a business is never easy. What were some early obstacles that you dealt with, and what advice would you give yourselves if you could do it all over?

Production was a big challenge for us at the beginning. Without backgrounds in design, fashion, or producing apparel and accessories we had a huge learning curve. The biggest takeaway was always sticking to your gut when it comes to design, and budget twice as much time and money to produce anything, especially when it’s the first time.

{r} Sustainability and responsibility are cornerstones of HOLSTEE. We think more and more people are asking, “What’s in this product, and who made it?” What are your thoughts on the shifts in consumer trends and attitudes?

As new and increasingly transparent brands emerge that educate consumers on the entire ecological impact of an item, consumers become more aware and begin to take responsibility for the impact of their purchases. It is too easy to frown on child-labor, pollution and pesticides one day, then turn around and buy a t-shirt from the local fast-fashion outlet around the corner without considering the effects. The most important thing people are continuing to realize is that each dollar spent is a vote and investment towards what you value in life.

If you would like to see more local stores you need to stop shopping at chains, if you want to see less waste you need to buy things with less packaging. On the other side, designers and businesses need to offer not only the most ecological option but the best design and quality to make the consumers’ choice as easy as possible. It is the crossing point between mindful consumers and meaningful products where we will really see some growth. Hopefully, this will help shift the harmful phenomenon of over-consumption and waste.

{r} As “change-makers,” what do you think about power, responsibility, and a small group’s ability to impact the world?

I am positive that every decision each person makes has a huge domino effect. The most obvious example I can think of is when someone smiles. Next time you are on the subway or in a crowd of people try giving a genuine smile and see how contagious it can be.

{r} And finally, what’s next for HOLSTEE?

Oooh good question! We are hoping to release about five to 10 new products this year and are currently prototyping a few — still top secret though ;-) We are also working to grow the curated part of our site, continually offering new meaningful products to your growing community. And of course lots of travel and fun in the meantime!

A huge thanks to Dave for setting this up, and to the crew at HOLSTEE who continue to kick ass and provide products we can all feel good about buying. Check out their online home here, and connect on Facebook and Twitter to keep following their story. {r}

How to Realize Your Uniqueness and Carve a Niche

We all have something to offer the world that no one else can. Cheesy, but true. If we’re all completely different people, and there’s no one else in the world exactly like you — well, then, you have something that no one else does.

Defining that can be tough. Figuring out what you have to offer isn’t always easy. There are those who just know what they want to be and what they have to give the world, and then there’s, well… the other 99 percent.

As we muddle through our marketing strategies and competitive analyses, we’re forcing ourselves to define our USP — Unique Selling Proposition. What does our product have that truly sets it apart from everything else in the market?

It turns out that USP’s aren’t just for new businesses. Figuring out what you have to offer the world is part of life; finding out why you’re here and what you’re meant to do is human nature. Some of us drift through life hoping our uniqueness will one day appear, and our purpose will be clear. Others seek their purpose, and constantly ask themselves, “What do I have that truly sets me apart from everyone else?”

Maybe you have a lot of compassion. Or patience. Or intelligence. Or wit. Regardless of what qualities you have, the combination is truly unique to you.

And once you figure out what only you can offer the world, you can start working towards changing the world. Cheesy, again, but still true.

Today, we’re sitting down and asking ourselves the following questions, hoping to further define our niche and customer benefits. If you’ve found yourself wondering what you really have to offer, and what you’re really supposed to be doing with your time on Earth, it may be helpful to ask yourself these questions as well.

What problem can I solve for people?

What can I do that’s different from what everyone else is doing?

What makes my combination of qualities superior to others?

Do I fit into an existing niche, or do I break the mold?

How could people benefit from my combination of qualities?

No matter where you are in your business or your life, it’s always important to take a step back and ensure that you’re doing the things that fully utilize your qualities, and provide value to others for personal fulfillment. What’s your USP? {r}

A New Year, A New Us: How to Abandon Excuses

One day, Shannon and I were taking a walk, and started talking about yoga.

Me: “I’ve been wanting to take classes for so long! I just never do. I keep thinking that I will when I have money.”

Shan: “I know, me too…”

And then we talked about all the other things we’d like to do in life, but because of money, laziness, or time, we haven’t.

For example, some simple things from my list:
Do 30 sit-ups and push-ups every morning while listening to a feel-good song.
Take another photography class.
Spend a season snowboarding.

And a few things from Shannon’s:
Compartmentalize my time better, so I remember to leave time for “fun” things.
Start mediating again (in addition to the yoga).
Move to a new city, meet new people.

We are probably the queens of, “Just do it; excuses are for wimps.”

But we can be guilty, too. We have a vision of what we want our lives to look like “someday.” And we keep thinking that we’ll get there “someday,” and it will be great. When we have more of this or that, and we can do all those cool things that make up the cool people we want to be.

That day on our walk, I think we reminded each other that if we would just do those cool things now, our lives would be what we want them to be.

No more excuses. It’s a new year. A new us. More motivated for a more balanced life. More in tune with the present. More active. Dare I say, more “proactive” (I’ll be snowboarding in Colorado for the next few months, and Shannon is moving to hipster Austin at the end of January, both of us accomplishing our #3).

What have you been wanting to do in life? {r}

The Constraint Effect: Why Valuable Work Leads to Better Play

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the meaning of work. How can people in less-than-awesome 9 to 5’s, who don’t love their jobs, still be happy? How can people who make enough money but hardly work be unhappy?

The latter sounds like one of those awesome problems to have. Kind of like, “Gosh, I just bought a hot tub, and I really just don’t know where to put it.” But those people do exist. I’ve been one of them. I used to work two days a week, making enough money to live comfortably, with nothing else to do.

At first, I wanted to take classes, learn yoga, read books, cook more often, and perfect the art of relaxing.

A few months later, I found myself completely bored and totally unmotivated. I never got into that yoga class or read that list of books. Actually, I’m not even sure what I did with all the time.

The one thing I do know though, is that I did a lot of thinking. Every doubt and every fleeting thought that I’d ever had came creeping in during times of boredom. I started questioning myself. What am I going to do with my life? Will I be successful?

I had always been so busy with school, internships, jobs — I never stopped to let my mind wander. I had never doubted myself or my talents before.

I found myself yearning for something meaningful to do. It wasn’t about money, but a way to spend my time. I knew I’d never do all those cool things I set out to do without a constraint to push me. On the days I went to work, I appreciated my time off so much more. I valued it.

Of course, the ideal situation is to have work you like, but even then, you may find yourself thinking longingly about pina coladas and white sand beaches. I now realize the meaning of work: whether you like your job or not, it makes you appreciate the time you spend not at your job.

The grass may always seem greener to those who feel like it’s all work and no play. But maybe we should modify the old saying: “All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy…” Without work, preferably work that’s important to you, life becomes a lot less interesting. {r}

How We’re {r}evolutionizing Lifestyle Design

Blog and make $100,000. Quit your job and retire to the Philippines for virtually nothing. Become part of the “new rich.” Be location independent just like me!

It’s everywhere. Inspiring content that can claim hours of your life as you dream of location independence just like “john.blogspot.com.” It makes you think — maybe I could start a blog, move to Thailand, and be successful by sharing my success with others…

Where it All Began

Thirty years ago, a woman named Barbara Sher wrote a book called Wishcraft. It outlines the foundation of pursuing your passions and making your life what you want it to be.

Fast forward a few decades.

The term “lifestyle design” was coined by Tim Ferriss back in 2008 when he wrote the New York Time’s bestseller, “The 4-Hour Workweek.” He ran a fully-automated online business called BrainQUICKEN, selling performance-enhancing capsules in over 15 countries, and made a lot of money — over $40,000 per month.

The book tells people how they, too, can design their lives by using automation, Pareto Principle, and Parkinson’s Law to condense their work-week to four hours.

So began the lifestyle design fad. Bloggers started writing full-time about how to make a decent living by blogging. And while they blogged about making money, they made money. No fresh ideas; no new businesses. Even John Chow says, “I make money online by telling other people how I make money online” (granted, he had a burgeoning internet career pre-blog).

The newest spin-off is “location independence,” a fairly new term describing people who can work from anywhere. Just Google it for a slew of new blogs about people living in Mexico or the Philippines, making money by telling you how to make money.

The business model is pretty simple: read the blogs, apply it to your life (“I’m a 23 year old living the life on Greek beaches, blogging and living the dream. You can do it too!), add some personal flavor, and that’s it!

Sounds easy, right? For a minute, we toyed with the idea of jumping on the gravy train. But then we started thinking about what we really wanted. We started asking questions.

What happened to the whole basis of lifestyle design — pursuing your passion, living a fulfilled life, and doing what you want?

That’s going to be our basis. Not making money, not making every post SEO-friendly, not worrying about our Google Analytics. We’re just going to continue doing what we do know how to do: write about our business, our passions, our successes and our failures, and the little things we do every day to make life better.

As for your own blog, well, we can’t tell you what to do. Someday, when we know better and are making $40,000 a month, we’ll gladly pass on the secret. Our best advice so far: This blogging stuff is not easy. It’d better be something you care about with gusto, or you’re drive and determination will fade away. Do what you love, and the rest will fall into place (or so we’re told)! {r}

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

{the blog}

Tagged: lifestyle design

Rethinking Fashion: An Interview with HOLSTEE

How to Realize Your Uniqueness and Carve a Niche

A New Year, A New Us: How to Abandon Excuses

The Constraint Effect: Why Valuable Work Leads to Better Play

How We’re {r}evolutionizing Lifestyle Design