While traveling around the world on a study abroad program, Jeff and Ryan took interest in the fabrics of native people living in the areas they visited. They saw the beautiful colors the interesting textures and the ancient techniques used in making so many cloths in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Each town and culture really described themselves through their fabrics, taking their specific resources and creating beauty.
But these people, although creating beautiful fabrics still lived in very poor conditions. Jeff and Ryan decided to create a business that would better distribute these beautiful fabrics in order to make “positive change” in these third world countries.
Starting out in their dorm room, they purchased fabrics from twenty-five different countries and used them to make pocket tees. 10 percent of their profits go back to improving the lives of the people who made them, as well as keeping up old fabric making traditions, which is important considering we live in the day and age of mass production. Their business, Serengetee, officially started in 2012.
This is a great example of a successful business with a social aspect to it. In today’s day people really want to support fair trade markets and go past all the middle men or suppliers. Serengetee has found a way for people to connect and help other parts of the world, as well as experience the fabric makers culture as they go about their day. To quote the founders “The stories of these fabric makers and causes are baked into every product we make, so when you wear Serengetee you are truly wearing a piece of the world.” Entrepreneurs are people who grow, broaden, and even create markets, they have an eye for what is beautiful and what people will want. These guys traveled the world and with no experience in the fashion world created a market for beauty to be shared from culture to culture.
Jeff and Ryan are great examples of entrepreneurs, they were able to see a problem that no one else saw and create a unique product. The fact that they were able to add a social aspect to their business that aided the very people who led them to their idea is great. I never really thought about the significance of fabrics, but I admire Jeff and Ryan’s eye for such a unique quality in the world that was overlooked.
This is great example of how someone carried their personal experience into the realm of entrepreneurship. It’s really cool how they started young and stayed focused on social impact.
WOW!!! AUTOWORKER!!!! I respect that this business was started in a dorm room. I love how entrepreneurship can bring cultures together!!!! They also found a way to bring clothing and culture from all around the world, helping to support so many people around the world and provisional a new style to Americans.