Company:Rareform
| File:Rareform company logo.png | |
| Industry | Fashion Surfing accessories |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Alec Avedissian Aric Avedissian |
| Products | Bags Accessories |
| Website | www |
Rareform is an American fashion company that produces upcycled bags and accessories from discarded billboards and public advertisements.
Founding
Rareform was founded in 2012 by brothers Alec and Aric Avedissian.[1] The idea for the company came from Alec, who spent six months living in El Salvador[2] and took note of how old billboards were being used by residents as roofs for their homes. He hypothesized that the same characteristics that made them valuable in keeping their homes dry could be used to make products like surfboard bags. Following this, the brothers began to repurpose discarded vinyl advertisements into surfboard bags and wallets.[3] The business was first run out of their parents’ home, but moved into its own offices in 2015 in Santa Monica, California.[4]
Manufacturing
Initially Rareform received about twenty thousand pounds of discarded billboards from Lamar Advertising and Clear Channel Outdoor, and then moved onto other retailers, including Disney[3] and Best Buy.[5] Products were made in the United States until 2017, when final stitching moved to Mexico.[6] By 2015 the company was upcycling about ten thousand pounds of vinyl billboards each month,[7] which increased to repurposing 50,000 pounds of billboard vinyl monthly by 2019.[4]
Products
The company produces items including duffle bags, tote bags, iPhone cases,[3] crossbody bags, totes, pouches,[4] and backpacks. The first chain retailer to retail the items was Patagonia, which sold them in both the United States and Japan,[5] followed by chains like Whole Foods and REI.[7] As of 2017 the line was sold in about 300 stores as well as online.[5] The company also has a corporate division that creates custom bags for particular company clients looking to use only their own advertisements in a design.[4] The company has also produced limited edition lines, including a 2015 line made from the artwork of Milton Glaser.[8]
Television
In 2017 Rareform was featured on the US television series Shark Tank, in which the company received a $300,000 investment[3] from Kevin O'Leary at 8 percent interest over three years in exchange for 10 percent equity in the company.[5] The company's story and manufacturing process has also appeared on The Today Show.[9]
References
- ↑ Ethan Chazin (2017). The Compassionate Organization: And the People Who Love to Work for Them. p. 110. https://books.google.ca/books?id=9DBCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT110.
- ↑ Mike Simone. "The Brand That Turns Billboards Into Bags". Men's Journal. https://www.mensjournal.com/gear/brand-turns-billboards-bags/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Joe Carlisle (April 8, 2018). "Agents Of Change: These Brothers Are Making Boardbags Out of Billboards". Surfer Magazine. https://www.surfer.com/blogs/agents-of-change/these-brothers-are-making-boardbags-out-of-billboards/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Theresa Hegel (April 16, 2019). "Brand Recycles Billboards Into Unique Bags". ASI. https://www.asicentral.com/news/web-exclusive/april-2019/brand-recycles-billboards-into-unique-bags/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Tyler Hersko (April 20, 2017). "Shank Tank Bites Agoura Hills Company Rareform". VC Star. https://www.vcstar.com/story/money/business/2017/04/20/shark-tank-bites-agoura-hills-company-rareform/99979474/.
- ↑ "Rareform Re-purposed Billboard Bags Shark Tank Pitch by Alec & Aric Avedissian". Investigate. April 15, 2017. https://www.investivate.com/rareform-repurposed-billboard/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Phillip Haid. "How a West Coast Company is Turning Old Billboards into Stylish One-of-a-kind Bags". Financial Post. https://business.financialpost.com/entrepreneur/how-a-west-coast-company-is-turning-old-billboards-into-stylish-one-of-a-kind-bags.
- ↑ Jeff Beer. "Soon You Can Wear a Milton Glaser Climate Change Billboard on your Back". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/3052555/soon-you-can-wear-a-milton-glaser-climate-change-billboard-on-your-back.
- ↑ "Meet the brothers repurposing billboards to make bags". Today. February 27, 2020. https://www.today.com/video/meet-the-brothers-repurposing-billboards-to-make-bags-79530053938.
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