1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Now on Bloomberg Radio, we take stock of small business. 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Small businesses want more streamlining and less red. Take small 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: business and then accept the no, but maybe kill them. 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: There's so many people that have ideas and it has 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 1: to be more than that. It has to be making 6 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 1: it real. Bloomberg taking stock small Business in focus on 7 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Radio. Listen up, all you potential male fashion easts. 8 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: You know, maybe you don't want to wear the same 9 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: uniform as everyone else, but you don't want to look 10 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: like you're trying so hard you push fashion. The fashion 11 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: envelope right off the table will enter Flag an Anthem, subtle, smart, 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: well made style for the kind of guy who values 13 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: hard work but also knows how to unwind and have 14 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: a good time. And I think, as even I've just 15 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: met him, that sounds very much like the co founder 16 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: and CEO of Flag of Anthem, Brad Gartman, who's joining 17 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: us now in our New York studio. Welcome, Thank you. 18 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: So First of all, what is Flag and Anthem? You 19 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: have a long career in fashion, will get to that, 20 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: But what exactly is Flagg and Anthem? Um? We just 21 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: I started this brand last last summer with my partner Zadmohi. 22 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: He and I've been together for several years and we 23 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: just saw a massive void that we believe in the marketplace. UM. 24 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: We believe that on a on a ball, on a 25 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: broad scale, there's a lot of teen retailers out there 26 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: in the marketplace, and then there's a lot of more 27 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: conventional UH brands that have been around for a long time, 28 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: a very a lot of very traditional brands. And we 29 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: feel for a twenty five thirty five year old guy 30 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: who's just the average guy who's entering into the workforce, UM, 31 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: he wants a digestible price point, he wants high quality, 32 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: he wants a fit that he can UH, that he 33 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: can understand. We just don't feel like there's been anything 34 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: introduced in a very long time, UM that's gonna really 35 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: cater to the everyday guy in this country and really 36 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: internationally over the long term. Brad speaks, he speak to 37 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: the issue of price points because I mean a fifty 38 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: dollar hoodie for example, or a fifty dollar shirt, things 39 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: like that, there must be a less a lot of 40 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: competition out there for that shopper. What distinct wishes the 41 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: quality of the product and also the delivery, the experience 42 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: in the brand. That's a good question because there are 43 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: there is a tremendous amount of competition out there. We 44 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: feel that there's a lot of commodity type product out 45 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 1: there that you can go get at any price point 46 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: in the marketplace, but we also feel that there's a 47 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:17,920 Speaker 1: lot of UM. When you want to go get a 48 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,519 Speaker 1: really high quality product with a with our taste level 49 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: and a lot of design detail, everything has some limitation 50 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: to it, whether it's so what we're looking to do 51 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: is provide that hundred and fifty dollars shirt that you 52 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: would get from some premium brand with a very comparable 53 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: or better quality UM, but we're going to provide it 54 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: for fifty on a shirt forty nine, which you know 55 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: it's it's always limited by fit, it's limited by being overdesigned. 56 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: There's always some limitation from our advantage point in terms 57 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: of what you see in the more premium brands out there. 58 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 1: So we want something that can really get out there 59 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: into the marketplace and in a very broad way and 60 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: something that America will understand. So, um, you like Bruce 61 00:02:57,400 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: Springsteen from New Jersey, how did you get from New 62 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 1: Jersey see down by the Shore to Macy's and where 63 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: you are now again. You have a kind of a 64 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: long and substantial career in the fashion industry. Sure, as 65 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: I mentioned, my partner and I are in this together 66 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: where UM. You know, we're tied at the Hippie's actually 67 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: in in Tokyo and traveling overseas and I'll be leading 68 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: UH this weekend. But we started as business majors in 69 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: college and we had, you know, a very financial driven background, 70 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: but we wanted to do something more tangible, so we 71 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: started out in training program, got a very solid foundation 72 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: of buying UM. We started Lord and Taylor Believe it 73 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: or Not UM, which was a tremendous foundation to our 74 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: to our careers and buying UM. In product development, we 75 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: did spend most of our careers at Macy's UM, where 76 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: we really had just an amazing experience and got the 77 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: entire life cycle foundation of everything with all of the sourcing, 78 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: all of the overseas production, building brands that we were 79 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: able to build from scratch into a hundred million dollar 80 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: plus entities UM and really build some really things that 81 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: we're very proud of over time. You also have the 82 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: photographer and artistic director Nigel Barker, who is a participant 83 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: as a judge and a photographer on America's Next Top 84 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: Model and is the host of the reality show The Face. 85 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: How key is that to the success of a brand 86 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: spend and market spend and market well. Nigel's involvement has 87 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,919 Speaker 1: been just a real fortune for us because we've always 88 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: had a UH focus on product and being able to 89 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: sell product. Nigel really elevates just the entire cache of 90 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: our brand his involvement. What he's been able to provide 91 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: is a multitude of things. First is just his taste 92 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: level and creative element in our design input, UM, he's 93 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: his just his photography UH abilities, and having his involvement 94 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: in a lot of our creative assets and our campaigns 95 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: as we go forward is I can't think of anybody 96 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: better that we would ever want to UM have as 97 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: our advocate. UM. A couple of other things that that 98 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: Nigel will be doing UH is in the marketplace, really 99 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: being our advocate and a brand ambassador. So he's been 100 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: just a real real UM. It's been very fortunate to 101 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: have him out in the media where you know, wearing 102 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: our product, having his network of advocates because they all 103 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: share a tremendous taste level and very UM very aligned 104 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: with where we want to go as a brand. So 105 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: final question, what's what's your what's your dream, what's your vision? 106 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: Where can we see flag an anthem now? And where 107 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: is it gonna take you? Where you gonna take the company? Sure, 108 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: we just have we have very broad, very big aspirations 109 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: for the brand. So we've been very fortunate to get 110 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: a lot of big retailers really out of the gate, 111 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: which isn't your conventional startup brand. Uh. So we've got 112 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,599 Speaker 1: a diversified approach of retailers. We've got subscription based UM retailers, 113 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: we've got online retailers, we've got brick and mortar retailers 114 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 1: both specialty, and we're in like the Ron Robinson's the 115 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: War Cash Cash a retailers of the world UM into 116 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: the Stitch Fix which is more of a subscription model 117 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: Buckle Dillard. So we've gotten a nice broad base to 118 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: start out UM. But where we want to go is 119 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: we we have much bigger plans. We we foresee this 120 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: can extend into other categories, accessories, more dress, women's, other 121 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: categories of business. We all feel can really elevate and 122 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: take this brand to another level. We've got to leave 123 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: it there, but I want to thank you very much. 124 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: Brad Gartman is the co founder and the chief executive 125 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: of Flag and Anthem. This is Bloomberg.