Fifteen years later and Mokuyobi continues to be very a lot fulfilling the purpose of bringing happiness by way of enjoyable merchandise. The model provides a spread – from clothes to luggage 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 potential.
Mokuyobi merchandise are at the moment offered in shops nationwide. When you’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 start out 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 baggage and building. I’d at all times rip luggage aside to determine how they have been made and put them again collectively earlier than I designed my very own luggage. However I used to be at all times stitching, at all times making stuff for my mates after I was in highschool, after which I truly didn’t know that you may begin your personal enterprise. That was one thing I didn’t actually understand.
I ended up going to varsity to check psychology, however as soon as I spotted that I may 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 in a position to mix my stitching expertise and my historical past of stitching with extra illustrations to carry the print design onto the baggage.
And from there, I moved to LA in 2014 as a result of the entire purpose at all times was to make every part within the USA – high-quality every part. As soon as I moved to LA, then we have been in a position to incorporate extra of the attire facet into it. We did some T-shirts to start with, however then I moved right here and connected with my now-fiancé, Alex who’s the manufacturing supervisor of Mokuyobi. And he truly had an enormous background in additional of the attire facet. My experience is luggage and stitching luggage and designing luggage and in addition designing prints; his experience is manufacturing clothes. So we have been in a position to do much more, actually develop our clothes choice.
Handshake: What does the enterprise appear to be as we speak in comparison with while you began?
Julie: Together with me and Alex, there’s 4 of us, after which we have now two extra in-house sewers. In order that was one other latest improvement that we have been in a position to develop our in-house stitching staff.
Handshake: It’s actually thrilling that every part is made within the US. I do know that for trend 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 neighborhood that I’m in. Why would it not be right here after which sending one thing or paying someone internationally to make one thing? It doesn’t make sense. I’m right here, so I needs to be supporting this neighborhood right here, or why am I right here?
Handshake: The place do you get your whole inspiration to your colours, and in addition the daring patterns?
Julie: Yeah, so a mixture of drawings and futuristic concepts, ’90s cartoons, like every part I used to be raised on. I’ve at all times beloved shade, I’ve at all times beloved enjoyable, illustrative designs, something that’s playful and daring. I simply love drawing bizarre stuff.
I don’t know fairly find out how to describe the palettes that I exploit, however they appear proper to me. I do know precisely what I’m in search of, and if I see it and I don’t prefer it, then it’s not working.
Handshake: So when did you begin shifting into wholesale?
Julie: So I began wholesale fairly early on. All the pieces I do, all of the enterprise, every part, 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 someone hundreds of {dollars} to make an internet 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 loads of in-person reveals like Renegade craft truthful. I did that for an extended whereas.
I’d attain out to shops on a regular basis, simply chilly electronic mail individuals, and I’d get mainly no responses. It was very difficult. Even up until 2013 or so, I used to be nonetheless chilly emailing individuals and probably not getting a lot of a response. However each every now and then, I obtained one that may chew, and again then, largely the patches have been what we have been promoting as a result of the patches had a giant development increase round 2012. In order that was the primary wholesale curiosity as a result of the baggage have been too costly for most individuals, or it was arduous to seek out the fitting match for us. After which we began working with City Outfitters and obtained linked with PacSun, did one with them.
Wholesale was at all times very difficult. It’s arduous to seek out consumers, and it’s arduous to get them to reorder, and direct-to-consumer is far simpler, and particularly with one thing like an costly product, you wish to have margin. In order that’s at all times difficult.
Handshake: It’s a wrestle.
Julie: The wrestle is actual. So you actually need to foster these relationships you could frequently get these reorders for.
Handshake: What different kind of challenges have come up from promoting wholesale over time?
Julie: Wholesale may also be actually costly too as a result of for those who’re going to do wholesale reveals, that’s the place you’re actually making an attempt to get your publicity is in a present, and the reveals could be hundreds of {dollars}, and never solely that, however you’d in all probability fly someplace as a result of it’s not at all times in LA, they’re everywhere in the nation. So on the finish of it, you’re hoping, “Okay, effectively, if I get some long-term prospects from the reveals, then it’ll be value it,” however there’s no ensures.
Handshake: Do you have got any recommendation that you’d give for individuals desirous 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 make certain that it’s one thing that you simply’re enthusiastic about, that you simply’re prepared to stay with eternally, since you may 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 very lengthy street, and I didn’t have success for a really, very, very very long time.
When you suppose it’s one thing that you simply wish to do eternally, do it. If you wish to make one thing, simply make certain that it’s one thing that doesn’t exist, that’s distinctive. Don’t simply bounce in and make one thing since you noticed someone else making it. That’s not useful. That’s already taking place. Do one thing totally different, new, carry your personal spin on it. Simply be true to your self and your imaginative and prescient and what you see your self doing.
Handshake: Is there anything you want to share about working within the wholesale sphere?
Julie: One other attention-grabbing factor about wholesale is that everybody buys in seasons, so every part could be very strictly like, “Okay, you’re going to purchase this, they’re purchasing for this season presently, and then you definately’re gonna ship it presently.” 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 truly simply do capsule launches.
We do nearly a launch each Thursday (for Mokuyobi). We’re mainly simply launching merchandise as we end them, which is way more lifelike 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 method.
However, yeah, wholesale timing could be very attention-grabbing and really difficult to work with consumers, particularly if it’s big-box consumers. These are the actually difficult ones. There’s so many laws and guidelines, and simply the precise method that it must be delivered and when. It’s simply too aggravating for us. So we’re shifting on extra to our personal rolling out system.
Handshake: What are your proudest moments as a enterprise proprietor?
Julie: My proudest moments are, truthfully, going by means of the dips, the arduous occasions. Working a enterprise could be very up and down; struggles on a regular basis, however good occasions too. So there’s no person making you do it however your self. I’m simply right here alone; no person’s like, “Get again to work.” It’s simply me. So simply having the persistence to actually simply stick to 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 in all probability an anomaly in that you simply knew what you wished to do straight out of faculty. Although you didn’t know you may begin a enterprise, you went and did it anyway.
Julie: Yeah, it was form 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 loads of sports activities, however I wasn’t the particular person I’m till sooner or later it clicked, after which I’m similar to, “That’s who I’ve been eternally” now. It’s simply form of humorous how that works.
Mokuyobi merchandise can be found for wholesale buy from $300. Discover the whole vary of accessible wholesale merchandise on their profile web page.
