Meet Cam-Tu Vu, a Waterloo alumni and co-founder of The Relatable Co.—an up-and-coming Toronto brand that aims to “build the school community by relating to the saddest of post-secondary students.”
We can’t help but gush over these witty graphic sweaters that speak to the depths of our souls! Exam season spirit wear, anyone?
Tell us more about the brand and the company.
The Relatable Co.’s mission is to bring unity in the school community through relatable wits and self-expressions. We’re just a group of friends who want to produce something and give back in a way that allows everyone to feel like they belong. This extends outside of just students, we want to be able to create a line that everyone feels they can relate to and has experienced. The future is both a scary and exciting thing to think about and our brand is not a means to discourage people, but rather a place people can come together and be a part of something positive. We want to reach out to everyone, utilizing our brand as a means to provide a voice and sense of association. So far, people seem to appreciate that, and most importantly, they can relate!
Photographer: Sean Pollock
Where did the idea for the brand come from?
It was during exam time of last year, and it was my last term of school before I graduate. As you can imagine, I was really stressed out and anxious to get my exams over with and I wanted to end off my undergraduate studies by excelling in my courses. Well, my buddy Patrick who attends U of T had a photo of him wearing a sweater that said U of Tears and I thought it was hilarious and so relatable. I suggested he start a business by selling those sweaters and we began to discuss ideas for UW as well. Then we realized that among the many differences we had like our different personalities, background, school majors; the struggles and pressure we faced in post-secondary are mutual…and if we felt this way, other students must as well.
What fuels your creativity?
My creativity depends on a lot of factors: mood, surroundings, people, atmosphere…etc. However, I find myself to be the most creative and in my zone when I’m in a coffee shop listening to music. I really find that I’m more creative when I don’t force myself to be. Ideas can sprout at any time…when I’m on public transportation, when I’m laying in bed at night, when I’m talking to friends…etc. However, music plays a big role in my life. You’ll always find me with my earphones plugged in so I do believe that music influences me. For example, my editing style can change significantly depending on the music I am listening to at that moment.
What does the future hold for The Relatable Co.?
Our team sees a lot of potential for The Relatable Co. We definitely see an expansion of products for different schools in Ontario. After receiving numerous requests from schools across Canada, we plan on expanding outside of Ontario as well. It’s all very exciting for us because we want to be able to reach out to as many schools as possible and bring everyone together. Our short term goals include new apparel for other Universities, as well as looking into mental health organizations. We are also planning to donate a percentage of our profits to a health awareness cause in the respective city of the sweater. I don’t want to reveal too much, but students should definitely be excited because we have much more exciting news to drop in the near future!
Photographer: Sean Pollock
What’s the best advice you can give aspiring entrepreneurs at UW?
To be honest, I never thought I’d end up being an entrepreneur after school. I always considered myself an introvert; I never enjoyed public speaking and I get nervous just meeting new people. Starting this business has really forced me to step outside my comfort zone and now I’m doing both of those things I used to dread, but I enjoy it now! And the reason for that is because I’m doing it for something I believe has potential and that I’m passionate about. My number one advice is to pursue something you love. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times, but I think doing something you’re passionate about drives you to make it a reality. Plus, doing something you love never feels like work, it’s more like a hobby. Another great advice is to make as many connections as you can during University. This is something I really regret. I stayed within my friend circle and never really joined a club or networked until my last year. Building connections and relationships are very important and you will realize that when you’re done school. Do it as soon as you can; don’t be like me and leave it to the last minute! And lastly, do not be discouraged from your failures. I think this is very important because most people tend to give up after failing or lose momentum, but I think failure is crucial and inevitable. You learn so much about yourself and your team members and learn to do things differently in the future. The Relatable Co. has taught us so much about the business world, yet we are still learning and growing. Success is not an easy road, but it’s not impossible either!
Check out The Relatable Co. at https://www.therelatable.co/.