Design That Fits to a Tee
Article by
Laura HouseMay 16, 2008
What began humbly enough as a design submission for an online
contest has spooled into the thriving T-shirt business and
web-based community, Threadless.com. Now a
multi-million dollar enterprise selling more than 90,000 tees a
month, this is the little community-based design company that
could.
Central to its success are the independent designers and
supporting community that make up its more than 650,000 registered
users. Here's how it works: the site holds ongoing open calls for
T-shirt designs, which are then scored and critiqued by users; next
the winning designs are printed and sold. When it comes to the
democratization of design, a T-shirt is about as accessible and
utilitarian a vehicle as it gets. This medium offers wide exposure
for budding designers, and an affordable (reprinted tees start at
$5) way for people to support independent artists. And of course
there's the benefit of having something unique to wear, cooler than
the average mall gear.
Jake Nickell, a self-described "entrepreneurial mad man" who
programs "neat community websites nonstop" is the founder and CEO
of Threadless. In 2000, while a student at the Illinois Institute
of Art–Chicago, he entered a design contest on the now-defunct
Dreamless.org. The charge was to create the official T-shirt for an
event in London. Nickell's design won the competition—a perk for an
art student. However, the greater reward was the exposure to a
unique online community of designers.
"It was a great environment for hobbyists and professionals
alike to unleash creativity in their free time," Nickell says of
Dreamless. Artists chatted online, shared critiques and bantered
back and forth in mock design battles. It was through this online
forum that Nickell met his first partner, Jacob DeHart. Although no
longer with Threadless, DeHart was crucial to its inception.
Inspired by the London contest, Nickell and DeHart decided to
host another design competition as a thread on the Dreamless forum,
aptly titled "Threadless." "We thought it would be a fun project
that would give back to the community by actually making goods out
of the work created by these artists," Nickell explains. "We
started it as a hobby… just a way to enhance the Dreamless
community."
Designing tees is fun for kids.
The winning design was then printed on T-shirts and sold. Any
profits gained were put towards hosting another competition and
printing more winning designs. For the first few rounds winning
designers received a few free tees, but by 2002 they were able to
award a $100 cash prize.
Nickell and DeHart each invested $500 to fund these competitions
that they began hosting on a Threadless site. As Threadless
expanded, they created the umbrella company skinnyCorp to launch
other online projects and communities. "For those first two years,
every dime we earned from selling tees just went right back into
printing more of them," recalls Nickell. Not only were funds tight,
but their free time was, too. Nickell and DeHart each worked
full-time jobs, while attending college and running the business on
the side.
By 2003 it was clear that this was more than just a hobby.
Nickell and DeHart scouted office space, quit their jobs, finally
began earning an income from skinnyCorp (by programming and
designing other websites) and even hired their first employee.
Although not profitable yet, Threadless proved that they could
build an e-commerce website.
By 2004 they had outgrown their 900-square-foot space. Two
blink-of-an-eye years later they were up to 18 employees and
running the operation from their current 25,000-square-foot
facility. The team took on an investor, Insight Venture Partners,
to manage the rapid growth. Nickell admits, "I'm much more
interested in the creative, fun side of the business. It's nice to
have someone with expertise that is invested in the business, to
help us figure out all the boring stuff."
It seems like a simple concept, this T-shirt business, but visit
the site to catch a glimpse of why this model has thrived. Far from
floating adrift in cyber-space, Threadless has sparked a vibrant,
involved community with an inviting, friendly vibe. Members can
check in on designers, keep up with celebrity tee sightings, rate
submissions or chat back and forth with other like-minded members.
When asked if he ever dreamed the community would expand as it has,
Nickell says, "I did not envision it to be as large as it is. I
think that having a variety in the designs that get chosen is
pretty important in keeping the community fresh. To be able to see
design trends come and go is important, and we always need to be on
top of what is cool at any given moment."
Threadless' flagship retail/gallery space in Chicago (photo:
outlaw01).
Today, winners receive a sizeable cash prize ($2,000), extra
exposure with an interview slot on the site and, more importantly,
they get to see their designs splashed across chests everywhere.
Maybe even a few notable chests, since Moby, Hot Chip, the
Decemberists and MTV reality stars Rob and Big are all Threadless
fans. The designer success stories are impressive, too. "Tokidoki is a
great example of an artist that has gained huge exposure since
being printed on Threadless," Nickell points out, referring to the
Italian artist Simone Legno, who has gone on to collaborate with
LeSportsac, Oniksuka Tiger and Sanrio. Another is Glenn Jones,
who "recently started up his own T-shirt site and left his
full-time job due to his fame and success on Threadless."
Nickell's advice for other aspiring designers? "Submit to
Threadless!" he jokes—well, sort of—adding, "I would say try to do
work that you are passionate about and that you find fun. Don't
give in to boring clients, it's not worth it!"
Proving that commercial success need not be dull, the Threadless
empire continues to evolve. In fall 2007, its first retail space,
or community center, opened in Chicago. The street-level store
gives way to an upstairs, interactive floor used for gallery shows
promoting independent artists, design classes and other special
events. The company has also created its own private label to
further perfect the end product. As for the future, Nickell muses,
"We plan to continue to grow the awesomeness levels to new,
previously unreached heights." And as with all things Threadless,
we users will be the judge.