Posted by Chris Lindland, CEO and Founder of Betabrand
Since launching in 2010,
Betabrand has sought to upend preconceptions of what constitutes a clothing brand by pairing original apparel with a spirit of innovation and a
strategic sense of humor. Clothes like
Executive Hoodies and Dress Pant
Yoga Pants aren’t mere novelties — they’re products people love, and they’ve helped Betabrand establish itself as a fashion innovator. We try to foster a work culture as cutting-edge as our clothing designs, and we do it with the help of
Google Apps for Work.
We didn’t have much experience in the apparel industry at first, but we did have a vision of a new style of clothing company, one that constantly beta-tests products, fashion photography and design ideas. Now, we now have more than $8 million in annual sales, a 50-person office in San Francisco and designers from around the world pitching new ideas every day. Our success is predicated on a digital business model and a work culture that fosters frequent communication and collaboration between employees, designers and clients.
We operate quickly with an agile, crowdsourced product cycle that takes an idea from concept to sale in anywhere from three weeks to three months. (To put this in perspective, the traditional fashion-industry cycle typically takes 12-16 months). It starts with both independent and in-house designers creating design concepts. We then elicit feedback from our fans in our Think Tank, launch the designs they like into
crowdfunding and, ultimately, turn the most popular prototypes into actual products. Every week, we launch 5-7 new experimental products.
As a fast-moving business with even faster-paced product cycles, we need tools to complement and enhance the way we work. Google Apps for Work was the obvious choice. Since employees at Betabrand are tied to their phones, we depend on the mobile features of
Gmail and
Calendar every day. In addition,
Google Hangouts helps us communicate with designers and easily share design-concept visuals.
With Google, we’re not tied to sharing a product only in its final form — we have our entire production timeline on a spreadsheet that people throughout the company reference and edit. We now easily collaborate with employees at our offices down the street and with designers from around the world.
Google helps us maintain our streamlined product cycle and, more importantly, our focus on innovative fashion, like the
NASA-inspired Space Jacket and
Disco Hoodies made with pure shimmering “disconium.” If you’re going to set out to revolutionize an industry, you need your team to work in a revolutionary way — with tools that are familiar and that make collaboration seamless. Google for Work lets us do just that.
