Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Borrelli.
Steven, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Back in 2016, I was working at an advertising agency and realized every guy was wearing nice jeans and a t-shirt to work, and I realized I needed to fix that! The modern man is always on the go – he’s switching from business to leisure on an hourly basis – he aspires to find the ideal work/life balance to conquer the daily grind and achieve his personal goals. CUTS was born to keep up with the modern male – “A Cut for Every Occasion” – our mantra, provides young professionals the flexibility and confidence to rock a premium and minimalist shirt that suits all occasions, as spontaneous as they may be.
We launched on Kickstarter and did 40k. At first, I launched as a solo founder but quickly realized I needed help. We quickly expanded our team to four, myself, Carter Shae, Sean Christman, and Brennan Eccles. Carter does the books and PO’s, Sean does overseas production and operations, and Brennan helps me with the marketing.
Instead of bringing on the team fulltime, we decided we’d all work part time so we could put everything back into the business. This has proven to be our secret sauce, we can put every penny into product and marketing and compete with the bigger companies. Fast forward to the end of 2018, we’ve sold millions of dollars worth of shirts, with no full-time employees.
We’re looking forward to bringing the team all full-time starting March 1, 2019
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
1) Working part-time with full-time duties. Long nights and late calls are challenges especially after a full schedule at work.
2) Financing – in the early days no one wants to give you financing for inventory, so you have to get creative on how to finance inventory, this was always very challenging.
3) Dealing with shitty production – there’s so much to go into, but this is so challenging because as a new business you don’t know shit. So you can easily get taken advantage of, so it’s important that you ask questions and clarify everything.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about CUTS – what should we know?
We’ve all been there before, you find a shirt that fits well, but then it is limited in colors, styles or even worse, it disappears from existence since it is part of a one-time seasonal collection. We’re changing that.
We believe the cut of your shirt matters most, so we created, “shop by cut” where you can choose between three bottom cuts (regular, split-hem, and elongated) and three collar options (crew, v-neck, and henley). Keeping what you wear most simple, yet sophisticated.
At CUTS, we are our own customers. We live the lifestyle. We are as authentic as it gets.
Our promise is to keep you current with our styles, confident with the quality and ready for action with our versatility. We’re here for you, and we’re here to revolutionize the way you shop.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
SUPPORT: My father, I moved home at the age of 25 to start a “T-Shirt” company. CUTS is sexy now, but back then, I was the kid going home to start a T-shirt business, and he supported me from day 1. Having his support really kept me mentally strong. I never wanted to disappoint him, so I always pushed through.
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE: My good friends started MVMT Watches, and they really taught me e-commerce. I was like a sponge, asking questions and trying to figure out Facebook ads. Without Jake and Blake, CUTS wouldn’t be where it is today!
TEAM: Carter, Sean + Brennan sacrificed a lot! Without there support and willingness to not get paid much for 18 months was the reason we are successful.
Pricing:
- $48 for Crew’s
- $58 for Henleys
- $68 for LS Henleys
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cutsclothing.com
- Instagram: @cutsclothing
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
