America 1979

Chapter 123 How Can a Sporting Goods Company Make Stockings?

Inside Wolfgang's office at the University of California, Berkeley.

"This is polyester coolmax, a new material developed by DuPont, which effectively compensates for the lack of breathability of ordinary polyester and solves the stuffy feeling of this type of clothing. The only disadvantage is that the fabric is thin and only suitable for summer clothing. "

Half-bald Wolfgang, an assistant professor of materials science at the university, took on the private job of selecting suitable materials for the newly formed Under Armour.

In front of him, Bill and his former roommate Adam are sticking a whole piece of fabric on their arms to feel it. The assistant professor has selected ten polyester and nylon materials that sound suitable for Mr. Ferrari, but polyester coolmax is the most popular. A favorite of two rugby players.

Sophia rubbed the fabric samples, as if comparing the touch between different samples.

"Enough is enough, we don't even want to wear clothes when we're training hard."

Adam tore the polyester coolmax fabric a few times with both hands, and found that the wrinkle resistance is quite good, "Just use it, Bill, it is thin and elastic, and it is good for making stockings. Maybe your company can make some stockings we need in the future. .”

He prefers tight stockings, which can outline the beautiful lines of a woman's legs, but today's ladies prefer nylon stockings, which are not very elastic and have to be hung on their legs with laces.

This makes Adam feel sometimes not very good.

"What about the pros and cons of this polyester and nylon blend? I feel good about it, too."

Ignoring what his former roommate said, Bill pointed to the last fabric and asked.

Wolfgang picked up the tenth piece of fabric from the table and pulled it taut with both hands, "As you can see, this blended fabric combines the advantages of nylon and polyester, which is wear-resistant and soft, and is easy to care and maintain. Cleaner, just more prone to static electricity."

"If it's just made into clothes, there's no big problem, right?"

Except for close-fitting clothing for high-intensity training, this kind of fabric can be used for ordinary training clothes, as long as there are no major hidden dangers.

"Dry areas may be a bit inconvenient, and other places are the same as normal clothes." Wolfgang gave the answer.

Bill, who had just become the boss, made a decision. After picking out six favorite fabrics, he signed a check to the assistant professor, and then left with Sophia and Adam.

"Couldn't he be a DuPont consultant? Among these fabrics, some of the fabrics that you like the most are from this company."

On the way to the outside of the campus, Sofia Mority couldn't help but question.

Since UC Berkeley doesn't allow parking, they walked out with just two legs.

"It's not important, just find the fabric, we'll place an order right away, and make some finished training clothes to try out the effect."

Although his plan is good, Under Armour, after all, is only a small start-up company, and if he takes a slow step, he may miss the opportunity to sign Michael Jordan.

In a week or two, it will be the second session of the pre-match training for the Stanford school team. As the boss, Bill wants to persuade the school team to buy the initial products of Under Armor in the window between the first and second sessions.

Then, based on the feedback from teammates, improve the version and optimize the design, and quickly open up the market when the Parker Ten League starts.

"Okay, boss, after returning to the company, I will buy the corresponding six kinds of fabrics immediately. After the goods arrive, I will ask Ms. Anna to design a sample. After I show you, I will ask Mr. Dai Rui to contact the foundry to place an order."

Ms. Anna in Sophia's mouth is a newly hired pattern designer in the technical department of Under Armour, responsible for designing styles, and she also has two samplers under her.

Mr. Dai Rui is the supply manager of Under Armor. He used to work for a clothing company that mainly sells suits, women's professional dresses and other formal clothes. He was used because of his contacts and experience in the upstream supply chain.

Under Armour's start-up company employs only a few employees, plus a young Asian boy called a clerk who actually does odd jobs.As the progress progresses little by little, employees responsible for documentary, quality inspection, logistics and warehousing will also be slowly recruited.

For finance and legal affairs, there is no need to hire full-time personnel for the time being. The cost is too high, and it is a little bit of savings before the business grows.

The company's current headquarters is located in an office building in the southeastern part of Santa Clara County. The location is very remote, but the rent is also slightly lower. Mr. Ferrari rented a floor richly.

The current price of land in the Bay Area is not high. Although Bill intends to stockpile land, he doesn't have much cash on hand. The two things that are ready to invest in the Bosacks and support Under Armour's expansion are almost gone.

When he enters the NFL to play, he can use most of his salary to buy land in the Bay Area. First, he can avoid the personal income tax of California and the Internal Revenue Service. Second, the land in the Bay Area will rise sharply in the 90s and appreciate in value. space.

"You should pay more attention to these matters, Sophia, you should also find a general manager who can take the lead. It must be the kind of old man who has been in the clothing industry for many years. Once the job is done, I will give you a separate give out bonus."

In the last interview, Bill only picked Ms. Anna and Mr. William Darry, and the others didn't like it very much. It's no wonder that Sophia didn't find a good person. She is also a newcomer in the industry and can give It is quite strong for the boss to organize an interview, and others may not have such action power.

"We can try to advertise in newspapers, just for that kind of clothing." Sophia tried to suggest.

"My God, when will we find someone, and besides, will real capable people read newspapers to find a job?" Adam complained, "In my opinion, why don't you ask that Darry to see what they have? The method, people in the industry are always more experienced than us.”

The words of the former roommate finally reached the heart of Bill, the boss, "It's okay. In short, quickly set up the company. As long as our samples can be used, the school team will be able to pass. Whoever makes our colleagues do it well?" Worse!"

While chatting, the three of them walked to the off-campus parking place. Sophia drove her Toyota car, and Bill got into the pickup truck owned by former roommate Adam. The two cars drove south.

"Bill, we also have a company. Why don't we make some products that we love to make? After thinking about it, the elasticity of the polyester coolmax is still not good enough, and it has not opened up the quality gap with the nylon material. Why don't we take the time to do it again? Find a few types with strong elasticity and make a batch of stockings? Women like it, and men like it too."

As soon as he started the car, Adam couldn't bear it and began to bewitch his former roommate.

"Can you stop making trouble, now is the time for me to establish a brand, a serious sporting goods company makes stockings, what do you make potential customers of Under Armor think?"

Although Bill was also very tempted, he verbally rejected Adam's proposal.

PS: Ask for a recommendation ticket and ask for a monthly ticket.

(End of this chapter)