>> ... Next Generation ...
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3 L I I um' ULIMI
Siblings blend entrepreneurial skills to create a clothing brand.
LESLIE SPECTOR I JN INTERN
.
ith a passion for art and
a love for fashion, Evan
Berman began sketching
designs in high school, not
realizing these drawings would turn into
something more.
In 2009, Evan was living in Lansing, and
the concept of F.you.N.K. (Freedom You
Now Know) just came to him.
"I was introduced to the Black Keys,
downloaded their CD and all I did that
night was listen to music and sketch,"
said Evan, 25, of West Bloomfield. "I was
mostly doing typography and 'funk' just
came out in a drawing. The design sparked
a whole thing inside me, and I went with
it.
"I'm a fan of acronyms, so I wanted to
give 'funk' more meaning. I want people
to see funk and wear it as an expressive
thing," Evan added.
Evan brought his brother, Jared, 23,
on board. They decided to make T-shirts
and sell them at the 2009 Electric Forest
Festival, a music festival in Rothbury, Mich.
"We thought it would be a cool event
to go to and sell our shirts," said Jared,
who lives in Detroit. "We put 100 shirts in
a backpack, walked around and sold every
single one of them."
This success launched a business for the
brothers. Between 2009 and 2011, Evan
was growing as a designer and learning
the business. In 2011, the two received
a grant from Hebrew Free Loan. They
filed an LLC and officially sold F.you.N.K.
products at the Movement Electronic
Music Festival in Detroit.
The brothers recently finished their
summer collection; they were in the print
shop every day for a week perfecting it.
"Every time a color was printed, we
checked to make sure it was right," Jared
said. "We even talked to the lady who
sews on the tags and made sure she put
them where we wanted. It's important to
be hands-on in the factory."
34 July 11 • 2013
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Brothers Jared and Evan Berman sell their F.you.N.K. products at a concert.
Designs are printed at different factories
in the Metro Detroit area, depending
on the print. F.you.N.K. products can
be found at entertainment venues, art
festivals, street fairs and online at www.
freedomyounowknow.com .
The two have good connections with
local shops; however, they are taking their
time to make sure the product is exactly
how they want it before they sell it in
stores.
"The best way for our brand to survive
right now is vending, wholesale and
online. We're starting wholesale this
summer," Jared explained. "We sell the
most merchandise at entertainment
venues."
This year, the Bermans have set up
tables at the Movement Electronic Music
Festival in Detroit and the Orion Festival
at Belle Isle. They plan to sell F.you.N.K.
products at a street fair at Campus
Martius in Downtown Detroit on the
fourth Friday and Saturday in July and
August.
To promote the brand, they advertise
and publicize on social media websites. It
is the easiest and most cost-effective way,
Evan said. They also have connections
with musical artists who wear and
promote the product. Local artists such
as Claude VonStroke and GRiZ as well
as Israeli dubstep producer Borgore
have been spotted wearing F.you.N.K.
merchandise.
"Jared and I have a network of friends
who help promote F.you.N.K.," Evan said.
"Some we've met at music festivals, some
are musicians who perform in different
states and promote the brand there, and
a lot of friends we grew up with love to
help us out promotional wise as well."
Friend Steven Betel of Farmington Hills
said, "People tend to stop me whenever
I wear the shirt and ask where I got it or
what it means. I like the shirts because of
the unique designs, bold colors and the link
to Detroit. I also like the message of the
brand, 'freedom you now know. —
Shirts are either made of 100 percent
cotton or a variety of cotton blends.
Pricing varies between $22-$28,
depending on the design and style of the
shirt. Hats are $42.
For now, F.you.N.K. is a side job for the
Berman brothers. Since this endeavor, Evan
has accepted a scholarship to College of
Creative Studies in Detroit where he is
currently studying graphic design.
"School is something I want to continue
as a designer to keep growing and
learning," he said.
Evan also is working part-time at Urban
Outfitters and ANC Sports, where he does
media integration at Comerica Park and
Joe Louis Arena. This summer, he has an
internship doing freelance design work for
MyLocker, an online custom gear shop.
Jared is part of Challenge Detroit
and works full-time in accounting
for Farmington Hills-based Mango
Languages.
"At times, working with my brother can
be hard," Jared said. "We hear all the
time not to work with family."
"It's our greatest strength and greatest
weakness," Evan said.
"Yeah, totally," Jared responded.
In the future, the Bermans hope to
make this a full-time job. They want
F.you.N.K. to become sustainable before
they start making a profit from selling
clothing. Right now, all the profit they
make goes back into the company.
"We're going on our third summer, and
we finally feel like we've got it figured out,"
Evan said. "We're ready for the world."
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