Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Friesen.
Hi Sean, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Orangeheat was born in Austin Texas in 2009 and was raised in Venice California – until the pandemic, and my son’s choice of attending a tennis academy in orange county brought us to Costa Mesa in 2020. My business grew from boutiques I approached to sell my designs and also from doing events and building a loyal following of customers. I have sold apparel with large department stores in Paris and the US, but prefer the smaller boutiques and recently turned down the latest offer from a large luxury department store. I have always used made-in-the-USA apparel, in either organic natural cotton or triblends in grey or blue. The direct-to-consumer uptick of 2020 has saved many small businesses, and I am grateful to be one of them. My customers generously supported my business, and along with an SBA loan, I believe I have weathered the worst of the pandemic and look forward to doing public events again in 2021, once they become possible. I have missed the creative energy and direct feedback I get from facing the general public with my products. Other than my sales reps in Dallas and Los Angeles, Annette’s Showroom and Wendy’s Closet respectively, I am doing all aspects of my business. I’m hoping to hire someone in 2021 to help me grow orangeheat and take it to the next level.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I always think of the analogy of walking across a desert to get to the oasis on the horizon. The first few years can be tough, as progress is slow, and the meager sales numbers can seem discouraging, but growth is growth. Once the marketing standard was that people needed to hear about your brand seven times before they would finally pull the trigger and buy. I can only imagine that number has grown with the saturation of products across the social media landscape. I have always been light on marketing and have benefitted from a strong product that relies on word-of-mouth.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think my business really started to get traction when I started hand-drawing my graphics and letting my personality and authenticity shine through. I try not to chase trends but rather do a twist on whatever is saturating the fashion lanes. I am most proud of the designs I’ve made that have strayed from the beaten path of kids apparel and stand out as more original than my competitors. I suppose originality is the rocket fuel that inspires my creative approach.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I have always been an adventurous, youthful, risk-taking Aries, and I have learned to actually do a wee bit of research before diving into things headfirst. Of course, you want to take as many risks as possible and keep moving outside your comfort zone, but you want to know that you have a least a moderate degree of possible success before you tie up your valuable time and resources. I was very conflicted about turning down a major department store this holiday season, as it would have been great confirmation of my brand, but the risks proved to be prohibitive, and I am confident in hindsight that I made the right call.
Pricing:
- $32.00 infant tees & onesies
- $32.00 youth tees
- $32.00 adult tees
- FREE USPS PRIORITY SHIPPING
Contact Info:
- Email: seanorangeheat@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.orangeheat.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orangeheat/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orangeheat/
Image Credits
Jessica Paré – Vespa Tee Sean Friesen – VW Tee, Dare devil Tee Nathalie Boutin – CA star Tee, Love Bug Tee, Girl Power Tee Maggie Wolfe – Skull Tee Ilda Jacobsen- Tractor Tee
