If you read Her Campus at UVA regularly, you may notice that we have been asking our readers to like our Facebook page in exchange for free stuff. While Victoria’s Secret is probably a pretty familiar name to most, beacon & brewster may be a new one. The company, founded by Boston-based Eileen Sherman, allows their buyers the opportunity to purchase cute Martha’s Vineyard style polos while supporting a charity of their cause. Each color corresponds to a specific charity (yellow for Veterans, pink for breast cancer, etc.). I interviewed Eileen about how she came up with the idea for the company, and what it was like to break into the fashion industry.
What was your motivation for launching Beacon and Brewster?
The idea came to me in the spring of 2012 as I was simultaneously shopping for summer clothes and training for a half marathon to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness- as much as I wanted to help a cause that was so important to me, I found it difficult to come right out and ask people for money. I wanted to give them something in return for their generous donation. As I shopped for summer clothes in vibrant colors, I started to think of the color tied to the specific charity I was fundraising for and the idea hit me. I’ve always had a creative spirit and dreamed of starting a clothing company, so this was the perfect combination- a clothing line that makes people feel and look great.
As I started to research options for producing Beacon & Brewster’s shirts, I also began to realize the importance of keeping all design, material sourcing and manufacturing of the clothes here in the USA- a company whose foundation is built on giving back to worthy causes should also give back to their local economy. Producing classic American items with American manufacturers become almost as important to me as the charity element that sparked my idea for beacon & brewster.
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
There’s really no typical day- I’m still doing most everything myself, so it could be a little of everything. Working with my factories on the actual production of the items and answering any questions they may have, emailing with bloggers or other brands I’m doing collaborations with for a couple hours a day, thinking through new items, sending out shipments, keeping up with social media- it never gets boring or stays the same, so the day to day definitely keeps me on my toes! I’m going to hire an intern for the summer, so if anyone is looking for a job, let me know!
What is the best part of your job?
Sending out donations to the various charities that my customers have purchased shirts for. I can’t wait to expand the list of charity colors this spring/summer! Also, being able to keep our products 100% made in the USA has been extremely rewarding for me and has had a positive impact on the way I shop in my personal life as well.
What is one thing that you didn’t know about the industry when starting out that you know now?
I’ve learned so much about the fashion industry itself that I almost don’t know where to start. I had the business background, not the fashion design background, so I still learn something new every day. The supply chain in starting your own clothing company is pretty tedious, from ideas to samples to selling and production. But I think the biggest lesson I learned is that if you really roll your sleeves up and dig into it, you can do almost anything- there are so many resources available to you if you just do the research – I’ve read books, done Skillshare classes, and listened very closely when speaking to the professionals who are producing my products for me- you never know when one little thing can have a positive impact on your larger goals.
What advice would you give a 20-something with similar ambitions?
Go for it! But go for it in a way that doesn’t stress you out because starting your own business is stressful enough at times. Continue to work to pay your bills while you are working through your ideas and business plan, and even up until your business actually starts to produce revenue. It may move slower than you would like it to since you won’t be able to devote 24/7 to your business, but it will keep you in a much better frame of mind and will allow you to concentrate on doing the right things for your vision in the long term rather than constantly stressing about money.
What are your goals for the next five years? Do you see b&b expanding?
b&b will definitely be expanding- in the very short term, I am keeping with the polo shirt theme and introducing men’s shirts later this spring. Also, I am very excited to be coming out with a polo shirt tunic dress for women in March- the dress will be modeled after the versatile, flattering fit of our polos with some fun details like a rope belt and 3/4 sleeves…it will be a dress you can wear to the office and the beach! As I mentioned before, we will also be expanding our color palette to work some other very deserving charities and start to do some custom work for different organizations to expand our brand mission.
In the longer term, I’m focusing on a real dress line for women for Spring/Summer 2015- building off the tunic dress idea, we have already started the design phase for 2015 and I can’t wait to produce some cute and comfortable dresses for the ladies!
From there, it will be about slowly expanding our product line while keeping our focus on building our production in the USA and our brand mission- your clothes. your color. your cause.