Local T-Shirt Business Breaking Into the Big Time

The first time Fredrickus Williford saw someone sporting one of his designs, he was in Anderson Mall promoting his company's T-shirt line.

It made worthwhile all the times people laughed or asked who would wear his shirts—all the embarrassment he felt when clothing stores declined to order.

"It's kind of unexplainable," Mr. Williford said. "It makes you feel like you accomplished something."

At only 21, Mr. Williford is the CEO and creative director of Scout Union Apparel. He and two friends—Demetrius Caldwell, 25, and Quan Ware, 24—founded the company in November 2005. Less than a year after the Belton-based company launched its first T-shirt line, Scout Union Apparel is being sold in stores in six states.

Scout Union Apparel started while Mr. Williford was studying fashion marketing and design at American Intercontinental University in Atlanta. Several students talked about starting their own clothing line, but he was serious.

Mr. Williford's first business venture was a hat line. The rhinestone-encrusted designs quickly proved to be too expensive to make the venture profitable so he turned his attention to T-shirts—and Scout Union Apparel was born. The idea is to focus on design and expression instead of the logo-driven T-shirts major design houses create. One of Scout Union's most popular T-shirts incorporates photos of Rodney King, Martin Luther King Jr. and Don King, and says, "I'm a King."

Essex 5 in Chicago was the first store to take a chance on the young designer. He'd spent weeks calling stores and sending e-mails to buyers. When the folks at Essex 5 received his e-mail, they replied three days later wanting to order.

"And we didn't even have any shirts yet," Mr. Williford recalled.

He told them the shirts would ship in about two to three weeks then scrambled to find additional orders so he could get them made for less. Scout Union Apparel's first delivery included about 90 shirts that were delivered to Essex 5, On the Move in Anderson Mall and Phat Gear in Atlanta. "If you want something unique and you want something different, they got it," said Accounties Smith, co-owner of On the Move.

His store has carried the line for nine months, selling it alongside celebrity designers such as Kimora Lee Simmons and Diddy. Mr. Smith said the store wanted to support the local business, but he also was impressed by the shirts' originality and clothing quality.

"They're doing pretty good," he said.

Up until April, those were the only three stores carrying Scout Union Apparel. Since then, T's N Me in Chicago, Go Hard Clothing in Anderson and Styles 4 Us in Houston have added the T-shirt line. City Allstars in Paterson, N.J., and P.O.M.E in Mississippi also have plans to add Scout Union Apparel to their racks.

"Once you get in one store, it's easier to get into other stores," Mr. Williford said.

The trick is convincing consumers to believe in the line, he said. The company's name was especially important in creating its image. "Scout" stands for Superior Clothing Original Urban Taste.

Mr. Williford talked up the line at American Intercontinental University while his partners spread the word at home. The company also holds in-store promotions where they tell shoppers about their line and sell the shirts at a discount. The shirts cost between $24 and $32,depending on the market.

"If you don't have a name, no one's going to buy your product," Mr. Williford said. "It's an emotional attachment? You buy it and think, 'Will a girl like me?'"

To date, Mr. Williford has created eight different designs in 16 color variations. He recently decided to quit school and move back to Belton when Scout Union Apparel started taking off. The company operates out of a home office at 751 Anderson St. where Mr. Williford designs the shirts using Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator.

He is constantly looking for new designs and new investors to grow the business. Mr. Williford built the company's Web site himself, and so far it's generated orders from as far away as Germany and France.

"A lot of people say they want to do business and want to be successful, but don't want to work," he said. The best piece of advice he got along the way, he said, was that "the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."

Reprinted with permission from http://www.independentmail.com/and/home/article/0,1886,AND_8195_4919269,00.html