Today we’d like to introduce you to Oliver Timsit.
Oliver, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started in fashion when I was 18, working with multiple brands and manufacturers mostly specializing in denim. I had the unique opportunity of working for companies that took a hands-on approach. They were small, connected, had plenty of resources, and I reported to the CEO or president daily. Working closely with heads of businesses was my crash course in the industry and would later serve as a model for my own company.
Fast forward to 2015, and the industry took an unexpected dive. I had just moved back to Los Angeles from the East Coast, and as soon as I unpacked, I lost my job. I spent a few months searching for my next role with no success. I had to get creative, so I reached out to my network of customers and suppliers I had met over the years. Though these connections didn’t land me a job, I began to realize that my suppliers were looking to make and sell products to fill their factories, and my customers had a need for new apparel. That was the start of what ultimately became DD Apparel. For the first four years, the business was simply a trading company. We did a lot of design and development for our customers but never had our own brand. While I’d dreamed about starting a brand of my own, I was by no means ready.
In 2018 our largest customer filed bankruptcy, and a few months later, our third largest customer ran into financial trouble and could not pay us for the 50,000 pieces of denim we had designed and manufactured for them.
After a few sleepless nights, I got on the phone with our suppliers and had some difficult but necessary conversations. DD Apparel agreed to sell those 50,000 pairs of jeans we had and would pay the suppliers as we sold them. We sold the first 25,000 pairs pretty quickly, but that came to a screeching halt. Out of ideas and in a fit of desperation, I decided those last 25,000 pairs of unsold jeans would become the first 25,000 pairs of my very own brand, Oliver Logan.
I became we when creative Lauren Merle came on board as our denim designer. We spent months building the website, marketing, and shipping, and one by one, we sold those last 25,000 pairs of jeans and continued to reinvest in the brand, turning the business into what it is today.
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?
When you look at the ecosystem of a product-driven company, there are several moving parts. Be it design, marketing, or customer service, it all requires financial and human capital, and when you’re bootstrapping a start-up, everything becomes an obstacle. Dealing with these challenges throughout the years has taught us how to get from point A to point B creatively. We learned that yes, there are standard tips and tricks for running a successful business, but sometimes you have to break the rules and trust your gut.
Oliver Logan is a passion-driven company. We are a team of sustainably minded individuals who want to make the world a better place which oftentimes means you have to think outside the box.
Looking at it today, I would say that the road is no smoother than it was back then, but our car is a little bigger with better suspension.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Oliver Logan is a sustainably sourced denim and apparel company run by forward-thinking people passionate about preserving the next generation. Our goal is to disrupt fast fashion by bringing awareness to our customers through digital marketing and education-based content. Everything we put out to our community is meant to drive home our deeper purpose of responsibility within the garment industry in an honest and digestible way.
When it comes to our production line, we are on the cutting edge of sustainable technology. We utilize high-powered, low-footprint lasers in our apparel design which significantly cuts water and energy waste by more than 50%. We use recycled water and air dry our denim, eliminating the use of energy-wasting dryers. We only work with certified Fair Trade factories that ensure safe and ethical working conditions for our OL family overseas.
We practice Slow Fashion, which means we do not rush our production line in a way that might compromise our sustainability goals. To quantify these efforts, we partnered with GreenStory, an organization that measures the environmental impact of eco-minded businesses.
Everything at Oliver Logan is reasonably priced to widen our reach and allot more stores, and direct customers access to sustainable denim. We prioritize comfort and quality and believe that good jeans should feel as good as they look. We offer a wide range of sizes and are in the process of becoming 100% body inclusive.
We are mission-driven denim lovers passionate about high-quality garments that last a long time. One of our themes is Evergreen referring to foliage and trees in nature that maintain their lush green color 365 days a year. We aim to continue building a sustainable company that keeps its values for centuries to come.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Reach out to us on social media or email us at [email protected] We would love to hear from you!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oliverlogan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OliverLoganLA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OliverLoganLA
Image Credits
Carmel Samiri
