How Joe Freshgoods Turned Viral T-Shirts Into a Global Brand

02 Oct 2024 (3 months ago)

Joe Freshgoods' Early Career

Joe Robinson, also known as Joe Freshgoods, started screen printing t-shirts at 14 years old in Chicago. (31s)
Robinson's first t-shirt design featured the mugshots of NBA players who had been arrested with the phrase "I love this game" printed in the middle. (6m22s)
Robinson's designs were inspired by pop culture moments. (6m31s)
Joe Freshgoods began selling t-shirts for $20 each in high school. (6m53s)
He created the t-shirts by printing designs on paper and ironing them onto shirts. (7m9s)
Freshgoods worked at Leaders, a Chicago retail store, where he started as an intern and eventually got hired. (9m18s)

Joe Freshgoods decided to focus on his brand after a pivotal phone call, marking a turning point in his career. (12m33s)
Early in his career, Joe Freshgoods faced numerous cease and desist orders from brands like Champion, Kanye, and Rihanna for copyright infringement. (14m5s)
Joe Freshgoods' design philosophy evolved from capitalizing on viral moments to crafting a more cohesive brand identity after a trip to Paris with his roommate, photographer Trashhand. (17m29s)
Joe Freshgoods' "Thank You Obama" collection, released shortly after Chance the Rapper's Grammy win, marked a turning point in his career. Chance modeled the collection, boosting its visibility and sales. (19m18s)
The success of the Obama collection provided capital and taught Freshgoods valuable lessons about taxes, profit-sharing, and order fulfillment. (20m29s)

Freshgoods emphasizes the importance of gradual growth, maintaining transparency with consumers, and infusing personal meaning into his designs, such as incorporating family birthdays and significant addresses. (22m12s)
Joe Freshgoods wanted to create merchandise that told a story and drew inspiration from his own life experiences, such as the location of a former disco spot in Chicago. (23m35s)
Joe Freshgoods initially pursued wholesale but transitioned to selling directly to consumers through pop-up shops, finding that it generated more profit. (24m13s)

Joe Freshgoods' brand gained early recognition and success in Chicago, with his presence and impact being widely acknowledged within the city's creative scene. (28m22s)
Joe Freshgoods was initially offended for not being included in the first ComplexCon event in Long Beach. He felt slighted for not receiving a call and expressed his displeasure by encouraging his network to spam ComplexCon's social media. (29m11s)
Joe Freshgoods's strategy of leveraging his network and creating a buzz around his brand led to ComplexCon reaching out to him. He eventually attended the event with Virgil's help and later secured a pop-up shop across the street from ComplexCon the following year. (29m41s)

Joe Freshgoods's growing presence and popularity, particularly at ComplexCon in Chicago, caught the attention of New Balance. They saw him as a key figure in the city and a valuable partner for their All-Star Weekend campaign. (32m32s)
There are two hypothetical brand deals offered. Deal one is described as having a $250,000 design fee and a 50 shoe minimum order requirement. (34m35s)
Deal two has no design fee, a $150,000 marketing budget, but requires the signee to purchase shoes at wholesale and sell them at retail. (34m41s)
Joe Freshgoods' first shoe collaboration with New Balance, the 992, was inspired by his love for the brand and his desire to create a shoe with bold colors that would stand out. (37m11s)
Between his first and second shoe releases, Joe Freshgoods increased his production run from 800 to 7,000 pairs. (40m7s)

Joe Freshgoods believes the most important qualities in an employee are trust and vision. (41m29s)

Joe Freshgoods started his non-profit, Community Goods, to give back to the community and help Black businesses. (44m39s)