Emma Hintz, a third-year sociology student from San Jose, has already fulfilled about 200 orders through her handmade apparel brand, Wilbur USA. She sat down with me to share how the business started, how it’s grown, and what it means to her.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Her Campus: Let’s start from the beginning – what inspired you to start Wilbur USA, and where did the name come from?
Emma Hintz: I’ve always known I wanted to start a business, and I’ve always known how to sew and embroider. I sewed my prom dress in high school and one of my formal dresses my freshman year for my sorority formal. So, I really wanted to channel that into something tangible. I had a swimsuit business in high school as well, where I hand-sewed swimsuits using sustainable materials and recycled fabric.
Last September, I was practicing embroidering and seeing different materials that I could use, and I made myself a UCLA hoodie. I posted that on TikTok, just on my fun arts-and-crafts account, and there was some interest. I thought that was super exciting, and I began selling my first two on Depop. It was definitely trial and error, and I gave them (my first customers) a discount because I was still working out my process. But, once I got the hang of it, I was able to incorporate and build that into something a bit more – I started posting more consistently, and I grew an audience. Further down the line, I made my website, and I got to create all the branding because I’m super interested in marketing.
And then the name, I like nostalgic elements – Charlotte’s Web was always one of my favorite stories. Wilbur was a really cute name, and it’s (the brand) made in the U.S. So it was kind of like Brandy Melville USA. I definitely just pulled elements of my life together, and then I got to grow my social media, and that’s been super fun too.
HC: How did you teach yourself embroidery and learn how to work with thrifted and deadstock fabrics?
EH: My grandma taught me, so it was a very classic experience – sitting down with my grandparents and just learning to sew. And then I always wanted to do DIYs. Embroidery was one of those things that I was like, “If I can sew a dress, I feel like I can embroider.” I had scrap fabrics, and I was able to implement quilting tactics that I learned as well. YouTube was a huge help! I was able to figure out a technique that combined sewing and embroidery and then also making a custom applique patch, and then I could sew that onto a hoodie.
My other passion is creative and digital design. I start off designing it (the hoodie design) in Adobe Illustrator, I reflect it, trace it, cut it, and then I embroider it. It’s a multi-step process, but it just took a week to figure out over the summer. And that really was a super fun process because my friend also helps me out with this, and we got to learn the technique together.
HC: How did you develop Wilbur USA’s style and aesthetic? Has it changed since you started?
EH: I knew I wanted something pretty classy and gender neutral. I didn’t want this to be only for specific people who could look at this and resonate with it. All of the pictures on the website are pictures of my brother that I took at the beach with my mom. So I was putting my hoodies on him and telling him to go pose near the beach on the pier, and I was able to use that for all of my branding. I wanted it to be pretty coastal, very relaxed, and just not something that was on the nose. I really took inspiration from Brandy Melville, Madhappy, Daily Drills, PARKE – all of those brands I think are very classic.
Another thing that I really wanted to implement was longevity. I just don’t want this to be a trend that people throw away, or a microtrend or something that they can’t re-wear or use or even pass down to their family members. I really just don’t want to contribute to the fashion industry. So, sourcing my materials from eco-friendly places, I think that’s super important. And then, we’re in California. I love the beach, so I really wanted the coast to be a huge element, and the designs to have a handmade, not too manufactured aspect to them.
HC: When did you start posting Wilbur content on TikTok, and how has social media played a role in growing your brand?
EH: Social media was probably the best thing that I could do. My marketing budget is zero, which is so amazing. When I posted my own personal UCLA hoodie, it got a lot of response, and I was engaging with my comments. They were like, “Can you do this and that?” And I was like, “Okay, yeah!” Like, I’m going to really see if this can go somewhere.
Utilizing TikTok has been super important because I figured out the consistency of it. I’ve posted almost every day since last September, and my following has grown to 13,000 followers. I’m getting comments and DMs constantly. I have to ask my friends to sometimes help respond to them, and once I made my Instagram too, that was really helpful to solidify the brand. But I think just responding and being a real person on TikTok has helped, because they see that I’m responding to the comments, or if I make a mistake, then I call myself out and be like, “I’m so sorry – I made a mistake.” And I really wanted to, in the beginning, to thank everyone for the support, because it was overwhelming at some points, and I did two giveaways for free hoodies. They were custom hoodies, so people could choose the design, and I raffled them away.
It was super fun to meet a ton of people, and then I had a repeat customer, and she always comments on my posts. I’ve never met her, but she’s just super supportive. It’s been really fun to meet a different community outside of my own.
HC: Why was it important for you to build your brand around sustainability and individuality?
EH: I’ve always grown up thinking that there’s just too much in the world, and there’s so much existing material, especially with the fashion industry. It’s one of the worst pollutants ever – it has so many negative impacts. The least I could do would be to use existing materials and create something that could be passed down for generations. It’s a personalized hoodie that you’re not going to think, “Oh, I don’t need this in like 10 years.” This is something that you could grow up with. I really wanted to make that part of my brand because I’m scared of wasting materials. I use my scrap fabrics. I always collect; I always try to see how I can help the environment. I use 100% recycled bags, even if they’re more expensive.
HC: How do you go about collecting materials?
EH: I go to Goodwill normally, and I look at literally every section, because fabrics are so fun to find. If I see something that I think would look really cute on a hoodie, I’ll go buy that. A lot of the fabrics come from shirts, cute dresses. If a customer wants a specific color and I don’t have that, I won’t go buy it. I’ll just say, “This is what we have on hand, and I can work with you on this, because I want to use up what I have. And if you’re okay with that, that’s perfect. If not, I’m fully happy to refund you.” My goal isn’t to make the most amount of money – it’s more to make people happy and also be able to sew and embroider and have fun with this.
HC: You’re a full-time student at UCLA – how do you juggle academics with running a full-on fashion brand?
EH: It’s been super busy. Every other second, I’m trying to work on the business, whether it be responding to emails and comments, posting, making sure my engagement is good, and fulfilling the orders that I have and not getting backed up on that. Last fall, I did have to take some time off from the business. I had to just put a pause on orders. And at that time, I created a waitlist that I put out there on my social media, and 3,000 people signed up on the waitlist, so I felt I could manage it if I took it step by step.
Once I built my website, that really helped facilitate orders, intake, and shipping. But pretty much every day I wake up, I see if I got orders, and then I’ll customize the mockups and send that to them, and they’ll revise it. And then, once I have their design, I digitize it, and then I can start the cutting of it. My apartment is full of little scraps of fabric, sewing machines, and excessive amounts of hoodies. But it’s been a really good learning experience, because I’ve had to deal with so much time management, and I’ve also been able to delegate some of the work, so my friend from high school is able to help me sew some of the pennants.
It’s a lot of touch and go and late nights embroidering while listening to a podcast or something. But I think I found a good work-life balance, and I’ve definitely relied on my friends for support, and they’re always so happy to help me, which is really nice, just to feel that support.
HC: Has being at UCLA helped shape your business or opened up any unexpected opportunities?
EH: I was a supervisor at the print shop on campus, and we used Adobe Illustrator. And then last fall, I also had an internship with a fashion company called Pistola Denim, and I got to learn the platform that they used and go into the office three times a week and go to the photo shoots. It was super fun to go to studios in Los Angeles and see how they take photos, their creative vision, applying that to their website, and looking at all the metrics. Combining my creative side with the e-commerce side, I think really benefited me, and I can only really get that in Los Angeles, so being in LA has been so helpful.
HC: What’s next for Wilbur USA – any new ideas or long-term dreams you’re excited about?
EH: I would love to partner with a small influencer or someone who’s doing something really cool – I can customize something specifically for them. I want to be able to use my small platform to help other people through collabs with other small businesses and doing giveaways. Little marketing initiatives – I always want to try those. Just being in LA, I’m sure there’s so many amazing creators out there, and I could do a custom hoodie or something like that for them, or my own personal designs.
HC: Lastly, what advice would you give to other students who are thinking about starting a small business or creative project?
EH: Just do it! There’s no harm in just posting a fun TikTok, or sharing it on your story, or just telling your friends about it. I feel like people, especially at UCLA, are so supportive – you’re never going to hear negative feedback. Or even if you do, take that as a learning experience, because it’s also not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But if you just feel right in yourself and what you’re doing, you’re going to succeed. If you have fun, have a passion, and want to continue that – I love seeing that, and I love supporting other small businesses.