Founder's problem-solving business storyfrom @frontoffice.co

Transcript

I need to make 500 trousers. 500 trousers gets you into a world class trouser factory in Portugal. It's a third generation factory currently run by the grandson, and all they do is trousers and overcoats. And they produce for world class brands that show at Paris Fashion Week. And they just make beautiful pants, trousers, whatever. I don't want no. I I need to get into this factory. Problem is, although I have Paris Fashion Week dreams, I do not do Paris Fashion Week business at the moment. I run a one person business in Australia. So to plead my case, I visit them in January. I go in tier, and it's not like anything you've ever seen. It's a giant complex where they cut the fabric, they sew the fabric, they yes, rank, all in one complex. And the first room alone has all these rolls of fabric. And I'm super impressed. I'll go like, wow, that's a lot of fabric. And the owner turns to me and says, no, that's just worst fabric. That's not the fabric we yes. That's just leftover fabric from last season. I can't even understand the scale of what they're working with. I'm trying to charm them, right? I'm just like a friendly, enthusiastic guy from Australia. Can we make it work? And the answer is no. 500 is the number because they make 500 trousers a day. You have to purchase a day of work from them. So to provide some context, in the last drop, I sold 40 trousers. Four zero. So I am way off the mark right now. And it hits me, right? So maybe being small is not exactly a disadvantage because my entire company lives within the overproduction, the waste fabric, the remnant fabric of these big companies. What if I buy that leftover fabric? Right? It solves a problem for them, and I use that fabric with my better, and we make trousers from there. I look after that problem for you, but you let me into the factory. Like, will that work? Anyway, I'll show you our trousers. Of course using remnant fabric you don't really have the widest selection of things. I managed to choose two compelling fabrics. The first is a lightweight 100% wool fabric. It's actually cerutti suiting fabric. And if you were to tell me that I was gonna use Sarutti suiting fabric and producing in this factory in Portugal this early in the game, two years in, I would say that's slightly unrealistic better here we are. And the second is a wool blend mid weight trouser and this is more of our daily driver. It's a neutral grey, you can wear a lot of different things and you can wear it often. So both these trousers are half lined to the knee for comfort in case you get that scratchy feeling from wool over your thighs. Probably the best thing I've ever done. It puts us in an elite category, not only design wise better now fabric wise, fabrication wise, manufacturing wise. Worse playing with the big boys now. One day my hope is that we will be able to I say we, it's just me. I will be able to fulfill an order of 501. And one day, we'll show at Paris Fashion Week. Who's best I could sell these fucking trousers?