Ryan Brewster ’14 wanted to capture the true community-based ethos of Middlebury College. Seeking to highlight the pride associated with the College’s spirit, Brewster spent his last semester at Middlebury wondering how he could best contribute to this dialogue.
“You go to the bookstore, and you see normal, generic, preppy clothing that doesn’t speak to the character of Middlebury,” Brewster said. “When it comes to capturing the real pulse of students, it’s lacking.”
From Brewster’s realization of this disconnect, Ron’s Closet Apparel Company was born.
“I saw it as my job to break down the gap between the students desire to identify themselves as a Midd student and their actual ability to do so,” he said.
Ron’s Closet Apparel Company, founded in February 2014, seeks to preserve and celebrate the many unique traditions of the College through clothing design. Brewster is in charge of all external facets of the company, such as design and marketing, while Jake Lessing ’13.5 plays a supportive role and is in charge of the legal side of the company.
For Brewster, clothing design seemed like the natural avenue to achieve his goal because he views fashion as a direct manifestation of personal expression.
“Midd students have this niche community that they are a part of,” Brewster said. “I thought clothing design would be a really great way to represent that culture. I really see one’s identity and self-expression communicated through what they are wearing. It’s what is right in front of you, and it’s the first evaluation you have.”
After its initial launch, the company experienced significant growing pains. At first, Brewster tried a top down business model approach in which he made all of the company’s inventory available upfront. With little marketing or advertising experience, Brewster realized that selling his product was more nuanced and complicated than he anticipated. With time however, Brewster realized how to create a business model that would best reflect this clientele.
“We are such a small, tight-knit group of students with, for the most part, shared beliefs and values,” he said. “I realized that the business model that would stem from that is one that takes advantage of this kind of tight-knit group of thinkers.”
Brewster credits Tee Spring, a company that helps designers sell custom apparel online, as the platform that really propelled Ron’s Closet Apparel forward. Tee Spring helps Brewster set a sales goal and give an estimate of how much each shirt will cost.
Then, Brewster launches a social media campaign to publicize his product. From there, when enough enthusiasm is solicited and the initial goal is met, the product can be printed and sold to the individual buyers. If the sales goal is not met, the buyers will receive a complete refund of their order. Brewster values this business model because it emphasizes the grassroots nature of the company, putting the prerogative on the consumer.
“The fact that the campaign cannot succeed unless people are involved makes buyers feel invested in the company,” he said. “It’s in the buyers’ best interest to promote the shirts and make sure they get printed. This is how I really want it to stay. This crowd-funded model really helps the products to have character behind them.”
Under its newfound business model, the company has had five complete campaigns. The company has sold around 70 shirts, of which the “Like a Prayer” shirt accounts for 25. In addition, Ron’s Closet Facebook page has over 300 likes. To help the company gain visibility, Ron’s Closet has started offering pro-bono services for clubs or events on campus that need marketing materials.
Brewster explained that his path to graphic design was not a typical one. Although Brewster has been an artist his entire life, he was not introduced to graphic design until his senior year of high school. His career as a graphic designer started to take off in his sophomore year at the College when he was asked to design that year’s orientation t-shirt and brochure.
As Coordinator of Communications and Social Media for GlobeMed, Brewster was offered a graphic design internship at Gardens for Health International in Rwanda, the club’s partner organization. With the pressure to minimize the budget as much as possible, Gardens for Health International had very limited and outdated communication with the outside world. By working to create infographics that brought life back into the organization, Brewster began to see graphic design in a new light.
“Through my work, I developed a greater passion for design work and how it can actually do good in the world,” he said.
As a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major who is currently working at Harvard Medical School, Brewster exemplifies how the success of his business is a direct reflection of what he learned from a liberal arts education.
“The liberal arts really taught me to think holistically and be critical of existing models,” he said. “It also encouraged me to think outside of the box and be willing to fail.”
Brewster calls for artists from all backgrounds to get involved, and stresses that experience is of little importance.
“We are looking for young designers, creative minds, anyone who wants to get involved with the company. Experience is really irrelevant here because we are really naïve as well.”
As for the future, Brewster hopes to build Ron’s Closet as both a clothing brand and a collective of like-minded graphic designers who want to use their artistic abilities to give back to the College community.
“My vision is for the company to serve as a guild, and a marketing hub for the college,” Brewster said. “I hope in years to come that students will be eager to follow up what I’ve started and make this a clothing initiative where designers not only can submit to Ron’s Closet but also gain visibility and experience as artists and learn important marketing skills.”
Midd Alum Uses Graphic Design to Leave Mark
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