Year of Graduation: Hopefully 2013
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Hanover, NH
Greek life: Kappa Sig
How did you come up with the idea for Krass and Funnell?
The idea for the Krass & Funnell came in the summer of 2009 when me and the other co-founder Sam Funnell became friends after playing lacrosse together at Hanover. We both like Vineyard Vines, which was just starting to get popular, and we thought it would be really cool if we had our own clothing company. That got us talking and from there we decided that athletic shorts were generally pretty boring and definitely a part of our wardrobes that could use some improvement. From there Sam came up with the idea to put embroideries on the side of shorts and I took that concept and created our first prototype in 2010.
What type of clothing does Krass and Funnell sell?
Right now we sell two different styles of men’s athletic shorts, printed and embroidered. Then we have three different designs of each. Hopefully later this spring we will be releasing some t-shirts and hats, as well as women’s athletic shorts.
How long did it take to start Krass and Funnell?
It took us about a year to finalize the concept and prototype for our first embroidered lobster shorts. Then from there we made a few more improvements and launched our website and first “line” last spring in 2011. So it took about a year and a half to get started from when we came up with the initial idea.
What are your goals for the business?
Our main goal is to make clothing that we like in hopes that our peers will also enjoy what we come up with. Eventually a long term goal is to create two lines. One that is focused purely on bringing our style into high-end athletic wear like we do now and then one that covers all the basics like polos, button downs, and club shorts.
How much time do you spend on a weekly basis managing the business?
I probably spend at least 50 hours a week managing various aspects of our business. Now that the weather is starting to get nice and our sales are increasing I expect that will probably go up significantly though.
As we work to put together our women’s line we always appreciate feedback and suggestions. If anyone would like to help design our women’s shorts you can reach us at our website: www.krassandfunnell.com <http://www.krassandfunnell.com> . As always we appreciate Lehigh’s support and “lehigh” is a 20% off discount code for online orders.