Startups

Menswear startup Goods of Record pairs handmade with high-gloss

"Customers are caring more and more about where their products come from, how they're made, and the people behind them," said cofounder Trey Sisson.

Can an ecommerce startup lure customers with magazine-style photo spreads and longform journalism?

Goods of Record hopes so.

The menswear company, founded by a pair of Wharton MBAs with startup cred and a New York City art director, launched late last month, featuring a select few pieces from five American craftsmen.

The team traveled around the country to places like Portland, Ore., Minnesota and Brooklyn to create videos and write stories about each of the makers. The company seems to be banking on the made-in-America, “maker” trend.

Think of it as Thrillist for the shopper who cares about artisans and reads n+1.

Matt Pierce of Portland, Ore.-based shop Wood & Faulk. (Photo by Neil DaCosta)

Goods of Record holds inventory of each of the 17 pieces it sells (including duffel bags ($371), live edge cutting boards ($135) and leather passport holders ($130)). That’s because, as cofounder Trey Sisson wrote in an email, “we want to be in control of the entire customer experience: from when they visit our site, engage with us on social media, receive our package, and see their product for the first time.”

The company purchases the pieces from the makers at a wholesale rate, then sells them through its website.

“If there is a product that we are selling that they are also selling through other channels, we are selling it at the same price,” Sisson wrote.

Curation is clearly a major part of the company’s appeal, and its business model.

The Goods of Record warehouse is currently Sisson’s Rittenhouse apartment. “Very little room for me to walk around at the moment!” he wrote.

Sisson, 29, previously worked on StumbleUpon’s advertising platform, while his cofounder and fellow Wharton MBA Sathish Naadimuthu, 28, helped build menswear ecommerce site JackThreads, which was later acquired by Thrillist. The company’s third cofounder, Michael Kushner, 29, is the art director at New York City marketing agency Grey.

http://vimeo.com/100550279

Goods of Record is competing with menswear sites like Mr. Porter, Frank & Oak and Huckberry, but the startup believes it can stand out with the quality of their products and their content.

“Customers are caring more and more about where their products come from, how they’re made, and the people behind them,” Sisson wrote. “We think we’re providing all of this in a really creative and engaging way.”

Updated to add clarifying language about Goods of Record's business model. (9/5/14, 6:12 p.m.)
Companies: Goods of Record / Wharton School

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

SEPTA riders complain of more bus cancellations. Here’s why that’s a good thing for Philly transit.

Meet the contenders: Vote for the winners of Philly’s 2024 Technical.ly Awards 

How an experienced entrepreneur learned ‘every facet of business’ by challenging herself

What a second Trump administration means for local startup ecosystems

Technically Media