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Chances are you’ve got one polo shirt in your closet. It may be a staple of business-casual wardrobes everywhere, but it’s hard to get a good fit. Founder of beacon & brewster Eileen Sherman is a problem-solver. When she realized polo shirts were bunching, pulling and sagging in all the wrong places, she decided to design one of her own. “I made all the final decisions regarding the construction of the shirts – from the weight of the cotton used to the type of buttons – myself, and I had a ton of fun doing it,” she says.
Designing a shirt is one thing; manufacturing it is another. A New England native with a business background, Sherman knows the low costs that come with getting a shirt made overseas. According to Statistic Brain, over 2 million U.S. jobs were outsourced in 2013 alone. Sherman went a different route. Armed with North Carolina cotton and Brooklyn buttons, she produced every shirt at a cut and sew company in Massachusetts. “I wanted to meet with my vendors and suppliers without extensive travel, and I was truly excited to have my shirts handcrafted right at home in MA,” she says. “I couldn’t think of a better way to support the spirit of the brand!”
Solving the polo shirt problem may be reason enough for some to start a company, but Sherman took a different approach. “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.” That’s when Sherman decided to create clothing in the colors representative of charitable causes, donating a whopping 25% of the sales price of each item to an organization. “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.”
Want to help? Become a beacon & brewster College Rep! This new program lets you support amazing causes while learning the ins-and-outs of PR, sales and the fashion industry. The perks start before you even find your first customer: your welcome package includes 2 free polos and 2 free t-shirts. Once you get to work, you’ll take home a 35% commission (post charity donation) on everything you sell. Want to buy more for yourself? College Reps get a 50% discount!
If you’ve never worked in retail, the thought of connecting with new customers may seem a bit daunting. Don’t psyche yourself out! beacon & brewster gives you all the support you need to be a successful saleswoman. Your monthly allotment of marketing materials will provide you with the business cards and promotional swag you need to spread the word. Once a month, you’ll touch base with other College Reps on a conference call: the perfect opportunity to brainstorm and seek advice. You’ll even get the wildly cool opportunity to host a trunk show each semester! beacon & brewster provides the $50-100 allowance for food, drinks and supplies, and you get to pick the charity that benefits from the proceeds.
Applying to be a College Rep is easy: just email Eileen@beaconbrewster.com to fill out an application and schedule a 15-minute phone interview. In the short-term, this is an excellent job to supplement your studies with real-world experience for a good cause. In the long run, College Reps will be the first people considered for open positions within the brand. This could be the start of your career!
Whether you work as a College Rep, buy the clothes or share the brand on Facebook, you’ll be joining the mission of one driven woman who really is out to change the world.
Photos from beacon & brewster