Many U of M fans either don’t have access to, or don’t have the time/patience to find vintage & one of a kind U of M gear that matches their personal style while fitting within their budget. On-campus retailers fail to meet this need, offering trendy lines only on occasion, with overall relatively generic design options at a high price. Further, many students curate a large collection of spirit wear during their 4 years, but don’t have a use for most of these clothing items after graduation. They’re left with several initially expensive pieces with few ways to earn that money back. This cycle of collegiate fashion is not only expensive, but generates a lot of clothing waste that’s harmful for the environment. This is a problem for students and fans of U of M and at other colleges across the country.
We source inventory by buying directly from students and fans, online resale sites, connecting with vintage suppliers, or thrifting in order to find quality pieces for a cheaper or bulk price. We then price the items according to product elements, quality, and demand of the market in order to make a profit. Then, we sell them by either posting on Instagram or hosting on campus pop up shops. This month, we’re launching a Shopify website for customers to shop online. In the future, we want to open up a retail location on campus serves as the Plato’s closet for collegiate gear, making it even more convenient for students to sell their clothes to us.
In 3 years, we’ve sold over 4,000 items, generated $127,000 in revenue, and $81,000 in profit. Based on a successful pilot we ran at MSU (800 items sold and $16,000 revenue in 1 year), we believe the high demand for unique gear and opportunity to capitalize on gear already in circulation applies to campuses across the country. We want to rebrand to U Apparel, and move forward expanding to other Universities.