Kit Culture is a menswear startup that produces casual apparel focusing on versatility, sustainability, and limited product runs. It aims to appeal to younger males who care more about mission, design, and sustainability than fast fashion brands. While other menswear startups focus on business models over product differentiation, ethics, and sustainability, Kit Culture believes its approach of sustainability, accessibility, and scarcity through limited releases can achieve long-term success by keeping customers engaged with compelling product stories. Based on early results with limited resources, Kit Culture forecasts over $250k in annual revenue in 2019 with additional funding to expand product selection and storytelling.
2. Kit Culture is a digitally native menswear startup producing casual
apparel that combines versatility and sustainability with the scarcity of
uniquely sourced products available in limited quantities.
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3. Today’s young male (18—34) cares more about fashion and is more
invested in the brands he chooses from a mission statement, design
and sustainability perspective.
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4. 4
The fashion industry is ill-equipped to respond to these trends because
it is currently split between fast fashion on one end and mid to high-end
brands that are trapped in the old seasonal, wholesale fashion model.
Fast Fashion Brands
• Examples: H&M, Zara,
Uniqlo
• Pros: Responsive product
selection; low price
• Cons: Poor quality; Complex
supply chain and
questionable labor and
environmental practices
Mid to High Price Brands
• Examples: J. Crew, Gap,
Vince
• Pros: Brand recognition,
established distribution
channels
• Cons: Reliant on discounting
and seasonal wholesale
model, nothing authentic or
relatable about their
products
5. 5
Menswear startups that have tackled these problems thus far focus too
much on business model disruption and not enough on product
differentiation, ethics and sustainability. But startups in other categories
have successfully implemented our approach, which we believe is
better positioned for long-term success.
Menswear Startups
• Examples: Bonobos, Mack
Weldon,
• Pros: successful
e-commerce approach,
innovative customer service
• Cons: Undifferentiated
product, lack of
recognizable mission
statement, easily copied.
Proof of Concept
• Examples: Allbirds,
Reformation
• Pros: Sustainably-sourced
product, loyal customers,
products that tell stories
• Cons: Potential limitations
on scalability beyond core
audience.
7. Sustainability and Accessibility plus Scarcity
• Sustainability and local manufacturing is a core principle of
the brand, which insulates us from competition from large
brands.
• By designing accessible and relatively affordable products,
we will avoid being a niche “craft” brand targeting only
higher-income consumers.
• Limited product releases where only a certain number of
units are available allows for higher margins, greater
anticipation around new products, and more interesting
content opportunities.
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8. Great Products Tell Great Stories
• By building anticipation around single product launches, we
will keep customers consistently engaged and gauge
demand before production.
• By creating interesting and compelling products, we can tell
interesting and compelling stories about our process as
opposed to expensive lifestyle or celebrity marketing
campaigns.
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9. • Company founded in 2015. Approx
$125k invested by founder.
• Approximately $100k in gross sales
with a single founder operating out
of a garage with limited resources
and a limited product selection.
Forecast of over $250k annual
revenue in 2019 assuming small
capital infusion.
• Business model has evolved based
on learning thus far.
Early Results
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10. • Average Order Value: $77
• Customer Acquisition Cost: $50-$60
• Repeat Order Rate: 14% with limited
selection
• Customer LTV: $87
• Company founded in 2015 but
product selection still very limited
Key Metrics
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11. Brian McEvoy
• 8 years as a M&A attorney at Hughes
Hubbard & Reed LLP
• J.D. from Boston University; B.A. from Dartmouth College
• Runs all areas of business, from design
to marketing to business development.
• Passionate about design and the outdoors.
Founder Bio
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