Karl Addison is a hip
young guy but despite his age he has already piloted his growing business
through some major industry changes. Partybots started out as a fun way for
Karl to get his rad artwork onto
T-shirts while making money at the same
time. Since it’s inception in 2003 Karl
has mastered the many angles of running a successful business and made some
great decisions along the way. One of those decisions was to be an early
adopter of the all organic tee. Here’s what Karl has to say about the decision to go organic and how it has effected his growing business:
1. When did you make the decision
to go organic?
The vision for Partybots has always been underlined with
being environmentally and socially aware while providing original
artwork. During the company's earlier years our printing production was
being overseen by a good friend. I was constantly asking about soy based
printing inks and other methods. When I brought my production in-house I
made sure to use every eco-friendly printing method on the market. This
includes soy based printing solvents, biodegradable platen glue, recycling of
materials, reduced spoilage, 100% post consumer recycled paper, etc...
Organic apparel had not hit the wholesale market quite yet, and some of the
alternative fabrics were being priced at insanely high prices. There was
a wide spread launch of organic apparel in 2007 that opened the doors to
organic apparel on a much broader level. It became available due to
increased demand and several leading competing wholesale companies. This
is only one step in the vast chain of organic and eco-friendly apparel.
Production and growing play huge roles in the sustainable of apparel companies.
Partybots hit the floor running with the launch of Alternative Apparel's line
in 2007. It was the most logical
next step in our company's
history.
2. How much did you have to raise the average T-shirt
price as a result of going organic and how did sales fluctuate during that
time?
The organic and eco-friendly market has been growing so
rapidly every year that there has not been an established average price.
As the years go on I can proudly say that my artwork has improved dramatically
along with the quality of printing. With both those being said, plus
offering organic and eco-friendly apparel, an average of $30 is a fair
price. Just feeling the softness of the fabric for the first time sells 8
out of 10 of my customers. I personally keep my retail price very close
to what the blank shirts are retailed. Due to overall awareness of
organics and eco-friendly apparel my sales have been growing at a healthy
rate. As demand grows so will competition which will push the limits of
quality and over-all sustainability and/or it will lower the price. My
hope is that the price remains to further finance the growth of the industry as
a whole and keep it away from being just another fade. While that
happens, I want to see quality and over-all sustainability to get better when
it comes to growing, dying, sewing, shipping and other facets of apparel
production. Sales for Partybots has increased with the rest of the
sustainable apparel industry.
3. Overall how has the organic switch affected
your bottom line sales?
Overall it has been a give and take. Telling our story
and letting our customers know what we are doing to be sustainable has helped
grow and made our apparel line more appealing. The take is that; using
alternative products are priced much higher. While our sales have
increased so has the cost associated with the materials involved. As
demand moves forward, and sales increase our bottom line will be truly be affected
by volume. Being sustainable has allowed retailers like select Whole
Foods Markets to sell our apparel which has increased our volume. All
these elements play their key roles in regards to the bottom line.
Shop For Karl's rad organic tees at ShopKirDevries.com, your source for unique gifts.
