IN WHOM WE TRUST?

I started my company, Exercise Your Existence, mainly because I saw the need to produce active wear and in particular yoga wear for a male clientele. This pursuit as a small business owner has not been an easy task by any means, but I endure the dilemmas associated with this line of work. In the 1990s I was producing street wear clothing for the hipsters of the East Village, New York City. An interest in my clothing and accessory designs spanned as far as the United Kingdom and Japan. Also, I have clothed many recognized and self-proclaimed celebrities. This is what has always stimulated my interest in the clothing industry - to have the affirmation that there are others in the world (beyond myself) who appreciate my creative endeavors; However, there can be a downside… the clothing industry would not be considered cut-throat if there were no pitfalls associated with it. But in my case, the pitfalls of getting my business, Exercise Your Existence, up and running, have been more related to the manufacture of garments.

To be brief, the journey of E.Y.E has been an education in whom to trust with regard to the development of a business. Perhaps there are designers who can relate to my story. There are elements of my experience that we all currently share. Some friends intervened. They felt that the exclusion of women would not be in the best interest of my business, so I shifted from the initial idea of producing garments exclusively for one gender, to create and produce for both men and women.

Just as I was about to go to market with my new line of yoga and active wear, the economy took a nose dive. I was determined to design and manufacture on American shores. It would seem that the biggest challenge was going to be to increase the sales from the Exercise Your Existence product line. But there was also another problem, in that I had exhausted all personal funds for the business. A government agency came to my rescue to assist E.Y.E with the manufacturing costs of fifteen designs. There I was, glowing with confidence that I had hired the best manufacturer for my products. Yes, they seemed like honorable and trustworthy people. Our business arrangements were agreed upon with a hand shake (otherwise known as a gentlemen’s agreement). With no signed contract, however, I had no leg to stand on. Eighteen months passed. When product arrived, the flaws were so numerous that I had no choice but to discontinue all production. Quality control was a major issue. There did not seem to be any, and I was not about to send these so- called garments to even my worst enemy. So where would I go from there?

I now have the opportunity to produce quality items under supervised conditions. There are enough funds to produce one design, along with any variations based around this idea: The Full Lotus. Surprise, surprise… not only was it my very first E.Y.E design, it is a garment that has proven to be my most popular seller.