Threadless - a business I admire
I got to know Threadless about 1.5 years ago and since then they became more and more successful. To me this is not surprising. I like their business model. (Read more on inc.com - the costumer ist the company.)
Here is what I like most about their concept:
- They integrate “constumers” (producing and selecting designs). Not more and not less. People feel like they have something to say (and some actually do) and feel like being part of something bigger than themselves. They diminish the idea of seller (sometimes regarded as greedy people) and buyer (sometimes regarded as the stupid people) This makes both parties social and clever. At the end of the day it’s still about selling and buying but it feels more democratic.
- They don’t spend money for advertising. As so many people feel involved, they do advertise for Threadless all by themselves. It’s not only word-of-mouth but rather “see-and-touch propaganda” and I feel this is the most effective (and I guess the oldest) way to promote products.
- It’s T-shirts (universal & simple) combined with graphics (very personal): Simple T-shirts serve as a canvas for what you think you may be. Of course you want people to see what graphic you picked eg. what your style is: Threadless T-shirts are highly comfortable and visible.
- Their website is simple and intuitive. It’s a social community but you can only do things that are necessary for their business model. They KISS: Keep-It-Short&Simple.
- They don’t overproduce. They can manage their logistics. I guess they are a flexible, small enough team that can keep an overview on their business and (re)act clever.
In these ways, Threadless is very sustainable.
Finally I just feel like saying: We are all same, same but different. And Threadless respects that. It’s just great.
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