Fifteen years later and Mokuyobi continues to be very a lot fulfilling the aim of bringing happiness by way of enjoyable merchandise. The model provides a spread – from clothes to baggage and caps to patches – in daring colours and patterns to their prospects, who they name the Tremendous Beings of Earth.
Mokuyobi’s merchandise are all USA-made, both in-house on the firm’s headquarters in Los Angeles or by native contractors. Every Mokuyobi bag additionally comes with a lifetime producer’s guarantee, with a free restore provide to maintain their merchandise in use for so long as doable.
Mokuyobi merchandise are at the moment offered in shops nationwide. If you happen to’re inquisitive about shopping for Mokuyobi merchandise wholesale, try their Handshake profile.
Handshake: I’d love to listen to slightly bit about Mokuyobi and the way you got here to begin it. As I perceive, you’ve been round since 2006?
Julie: So I began the corporate after I was 19. I’ve been stitching since I used to be 13. I at all times had a love for luggage and development. I’d at all times rip baggage aside to determine how they have been made and put them again collectively earlier than I designed my very own baggage. However I used to be at all times stitching, at all times making stuff for my buddies after I was in highschool, after which I really didn’t know that you could possibly begin your individual enterprise. That was one thing I didn’t actually notice.
I ended up going to school to review psychology, however as soon as I noticed that I might main in artwork, I switched my main to artwork, after which I ended up transferring to Parsons The New College in New York and studied illustration there. In order that’s the place I used to be actually capable of mix my stitching expertise and my historical past of stitching with extra illustrations to deliver the print design onto the luggage.
And from there, I moved to LA in 2014 as a result of the entire aim at all times was to make the whole lot within the USA – high-quality the whole lot. As soon as I moved to LA, then we have been capable of incorporate extra of the attire facet into it. We did some T-shirts to start with, however then I moved right here and attached with my now-fiancé, Alex who’s the manufacturing supervisor of Mokuyobi. And he really had an enormous background in additional of the attire facet. My experience is baggage and stitching baggage and designing baggage and likewise designing prints; his experience is manufacturing clothes. So we have been capable of do much more, actually develop our clothes choice.
Handshake: What does the enterprise appear to be in the present day in comparison with whenever you began?
Julie: Together with me and Alex, there’s 4 of us, after which we’ve got two extra in-house sewers. In order that was one other current improvement that we have been capable of develop our in-house stitching crew.
Handshake: It’s actually thrilling that the whole lot is made within the US. I do know that for style to be made in America, it’s changing into an increasing number of uncommon due to the price of manufacturing.
Julie: Yeah. For me, it’s not an possibility. I wish to help the group that I’m in. Why wouldn’t it be right here after which sending one thing or paying any person internationally to make one thing? It doesn’t make sense. I’m right here, so I must be supporting this group right here, or why am I right here?
Handshake: The place do you get all your inspiration on your colours, and likewise the daring patterns?
Julie: Yeah, so a mix of drawings and futuristic concepts, ’90s cartoons, like the whole lot I used to be raised on. I’ve at all times cherished coloration, I’ve at all times cherished enjoyable, illustrative designs, something that’s playful and daring. I simply love drawing bizarre stuff.
I don’t know fairly easy methods to describe the palettes that I exploit, however they give the impression of being proper to me. I do know precisely what I’m on the lookout for, and if I see it and I don’t prefer it, then it’s not working.
Handshake: So when did you begin transferring into wholesale?
Julie: So I began wholesale fairly early on. The whole lot I do, all of the enterprise, the whole lot, I’m just about self-taught. I by no means went to enterprise college.
In 2006, the web wasn’t actually a factor, so that you needed to pay any person hundreds of {dollars} to make a web site for you. It wasn’t similar to, “Right here’s your free web site.” However [in 2006] you used extra platforms like I used to be on Etsy and Storenvy to start with, after which I did plenty of in-person exhibits like Renegade craft truthful. I did that for an extended whereas.
I’d attain out to shops on a regular basis, simply chilly e-mail folks, and I’d get mainly no responses. It was very difficult. Even up until 2013 or so, I used to be nonetheless chilly emailing folks and probably not getting a lot of a response. However each every now and then, I acquired one that might chew, and again then, principally the patches have been what we have been promoting as a result of the patches had an enormous pattern growth round 2012. In order that was the principle wholesale curiosity as a result of the luggage have been too costly for most individuals, or it was laborious to seek out the appropriate match for us. After which we began working with City Outfitters and acquired linked with PacSun, did one with them.
Wholesale was at all times very difficult. It’s laborious to seek out patrons, and it’s laborious to get them to reorder, and direct-to-consumer is way simpler, and particularly with one thing like an costly product, you wish to have a great margin. In order that’s at all times difficult.
Handshake: It’s a battle.
Julie: The battle is actual. So you really want to foster these relationships you can regularly get these reorders for.
Handshake: What different form of challenges have come up from promoting wholesale through the years?
Julie: Wholesale may also be actually costly too as a result of in case you’re going to do wholesale exhibits, that’s the place you’re actually attempting to get your publicity is in a present, and the exhibits could be hundreds of {dollars}, and never solely that, however you’d most likely fly someplace as a result of it’s not at all times in LA, they’re all around the nation. So on the finish of it, you’re hoping, “Okay, properly, if I get some long-term prospects from the exhibits, then it’ll be price it,” however there’s no ensures.
Handshake: Do you might have any recommendation that you’d give for folks eager to take their enterprise to the following step?
Julie: Yeah, I’d say – that is one thing that I say on a regular basis – however ensure that it’s one thing that you just’re keen about, that you just’re prepared to stay with without end, since you might have a fleeting thought and be like, “Oh, I’m gonna begin this enterprise,” after which like 5 minutes later you’ll be like, “No, I’m gonna begin this enterprise.” It’s a extremely lengthy highway, and I didn’t have success for a really, very, very very long time.
If you happen to suppose it’s one thing that you just wish to do without end, do it. If you wish to make one thing, simply ensure that it’s one thing that doesn’t exist, that’s distinctive. Don’t simply leap in and make one thing since you noticed any person else making it. That’s not useful. That’s already occurring. Do one thing completely different, new, deliver your individual spin on it. Simply be true to your self and your imaginative and prescient and what you see your self doing.
Handshake: Is there the rest you wish to share about working within the wholesale sphere?
Julie: One other attention-grabbing factor about wholesale is that everybody buys in seasons, so the whole lot may be very strictly like, “Okay, you’re going to purchase this, they’re purchasing for this season at the moment, and then you definitely’re gonna ship it at the moment.” That mannequin may also be extraordinarily difficult as a result of, with manufacturing for everybody, there are delays, and there are issues, and there are points. And for us, we determined that that mannequin didn’t work for us, so we really simply do capsule launches.
We do virtually a launch each Thursday (for Mokuyobi). We’re mainly simply launching merchandise as we end them, which is far more reasonable for timing-wise, particularly for wholesale, [buyers are] at all times like, “Oh, what’s your new season?” After which it doesn’t fairly line up for us that means.
However, yeah, wholesale timing may be very attention-grabbing and really sophisticated to work with patrons, particularly if it’s big-box patrons. These are the actually difficult ones. There’s so many rules and guidelines, and simply the precise means that it needs to be delivered and when. It’s simply too disturbing for us. So we’re transferring on extra to our personal rolling out system.
Handshake: What are your proudest moments as a enterprise proprietor?
Julie: My proudest moments are, actually, going by means of the dips, the laborious occasions. Working a enterprise may be very up and down; struggles on a regular basis, however good occasions too. So there’s no one making you do it however your self. I’m simply right here alone; no one’s like, “Get again to work.” It’s simply me. So simply having the persistence to actually simply persist with this dream I’ve and fulfill it and hold working in direction of rising and getting on the market and getting the phrase out. Yeah, I’m proud that I’ve been doing that for 15 years and nonetheless going.
Handshake: I believe you’re additionally most likely an anomaly in that you just knew what you needed to do straight out of faculty. Although you didn’t know you could possibly begin a enterprise, you went and did it anyway.
Julie: Yeah, it was sort of humorous as a result of I used to be very meander-y after I was a child. I didn’t have a ton of pursuits. I wasn’t actually into drawing essentially. I did plenty of sports activities, however I wasn’t the particular person I’m till at some point it clicked, after which I’m similar to, “That’s who I’ve been without end” now. It’s simply sort of humorous how that works.
Mokuyobi merchandise can be found for wholesale buy from $300. Discover all the vary of obtainable wholesale merchandise on their profile web page.
