Ten Minutes With Eric Schwers of Baskit

You know your business is going places when you have fans dropping their draws for you. Its not what you think!  Our candid conversation with Head Baskit Maker, Eric Schwers reveals his inspiration behind his popular men’s underwear line, as well as his personal preference for boxers. TMI? (Too much information?) This hard working entrepreneur talks to us about the joys, the obstacles and his future plans. Here is what he had to say.

Oligoville: Tell us about your brand and how it is different from your competition.

Eric: Quality. Pure and simple. We really try to produce underwear and swimwear that is high quality and fashion forward. So when you see Baskit it’s meant to be a bit edgy but not so much so that the guy feels like he’s out on a limb.

We also spend a lot time working out the details. For example, we use superior grades of cotton and higher gram weights than most of our competitors. When you look at the product it’s hard to distinguish but after you wear it and more importantly after you wash it a couple dozen times it becomes clear. Our quality is just better. Also, in our designs little things make a big difference. Take our Short Board (board shorts). We use a traditional Velcro closure on the pouch but we’ve put a nice layer of thin, soft fabric on the inside of the garment to protect the wearer from rubbing against the Velcro. It sounds like nothing but after a day playing around on the beach you’ll thank us.

Oligoville: How did your career or interest in design begin?

Eric: I am sort of an anomaly to this business. In fact, I am the first to say that I have no business running a men’s apparel company, I have no traditional training in design and my education and previous background have nothing to do with fashion. But I know what looks good and I know how things should fit and feel when you put them on.

However, if there was a defining moment in my life regarding making clothes I would have to say that it was at a young age. My grandmother used to make my sister and I western (read: Cowboy) shirts every year and part of that process was going with her to pick out the fabric and buttons and all that. I always wanted cattle branding irons and spurs on mine. So I guess I had some design experience after all!

Oligoville: Whom or what inspires your designs?

Eric: I find inspiration in a lot of things. I see things in everyday life that I just think need to be put on a pair of underwear. The idea for our Baskit Body Art line came to me one day while I was showering at my gym and saw this totally built fellow with an all-over Japanese body tattoo. I was hooked. I saw him a few more times and then one day we both stepped out of the shower at the same time and as we were toweling off I basically said, “Look this is going to sound really strange but I make men’s underwear and I’d like to make a pair that uses the design you’ve got tattooed on your body.”  He didn’t pound me into the ground and after a bit of discussion he was totally into it and hence….we made an entire line of Baskit Body Art underwear.

Oligoville: Describe a typical day for you?

Eric: Long! I get into the office around 5am most days. This helps me catch up with my office in Asia before they close for the day. I also like the quiet time before the rest of the crew comes in (sshh…don’t tell them I said this). There’s e-mail to answer… I still respond to most of the customer e-mails personally. Discussions with the design team on current development and I speak to my sales team a few times a week. I have to say as normal as some of the everyday business actions are they are still a lot of fun and always interesting.

Oligoville: Describe your fashion style.

Eric: You mean my own style? I worked in corporate America for 10 years where navy blue suits and power ties were the norm. While I can appreciate a fine suit, I can without fail say that they’re generally uncomfortable and certainly not conducive to hot weather. I lived in DC.

These days I go for edgy but casual stuff. Baskit underwear and classic Levi’s 501s tend to be part of my standard uniform.

Oligoville: Tell us about some unexpected setbacks you have faced since starting your business and what you learned from that.

Eric: I think we suffered from a lot of the things other start-ups suffer from. A lack of funding…you can never have too much funding when you’re starting out! Some of the other pitfalls… supply chain issues, seasonality, etc.

However, the one thing that has really surprised me is the attitude of some buyers and by buyers I mean commercial buyers who buy for stores.  It seems strange but I have found that a good many do not want to try something new. They want what they know. What they have tried before and what they know sells. When you introduce a new brand or even sometimes a new style they get nervous. “Why are you messing with the product!!”

We almost have to go back and walk them down the path…”In the beginning there was white underwear and it was good. Then came black and the people rejoiced! Then came colors and sawed-off briefs and the crowd went wild!”  It’s like telling a story to remind them that people do not want the same old thing. They want new cuts, colors, fabrics, etc. They both get it and breathe a sigh of relief or they have that deer in the headlights look.

Oligoville: What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

Eric: The process. I really like taking something from idea to production and then seeing it on someone at some random point in time. The more random the better.  For example, I cut my finger cooking dinner a few months ago and ended up going to the ER for stitches. Long story short, when the ER Doctor was stitching my finger up he was making small talk like how did I do it? My profession? Etc. When I told him I owned an underwear company and then mentioned the brand he stood up and dropped his pants. He was wearing a pair of Baskit.

That’s probably the craziest experience yet but I have had some similar things happen and that’s when the whole thing goes full-circle.

Oligoville: Tell us where you expect to see your business in the next 5 years and what are some goals that you have for your brand?

Eric: The long-term goal is to mainstream the brand so that more guys are reaching for Baskit. It’s not that they can’t do that right now. It’s more that the US market isn’t quite there yet and we’ve spent the past three years really working on the brand and making sure the product is good when they finally go to buy it.

In terms of some short term goals, we introduced a swim line last year. That has gone really well so I think further brand extension is the obvious way forward. We’ve been working on some active wear designs but I am not ready to put anything out there yet. I think in a year or two we’ll be ready to go there. I also want to get back into boxer shorts. We’re known for really form fitting designs but I am getting an increasing amount of requests for a traditional boxer short cut with our quality. To be honest, I have had some made for myself at our factory and that’s what I wear most of the time. You probably didn’t want to know that did you?

Oligoville: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Eric: You miss every shot you do not take. It’s that simple. If you think you have a good idea and you have a solid source of funding you owe it to yourself to give it a try. And keep trying. Don’t get discourage if you get a few doors shut in your face along the way.

Oligoville: What song never fails to make you happy?

Eric: Wow. Good one. I really like music and a lot of songs really speak to me. Although I am not sure it will make sense to people I really like, ‘Fields of Love” by ATB. It’s one of those songs that always picks me up and gets me going.

« Previous Page