Bobbin Magazine
 
       
12-03-2002     Archetype Raises the Bar

With an experienced team and an end-to-end package, Archetype redefines the apparel industry, allowing consumers to create their own styles.
by Julie McElwain

Imagine your favorite brand, custom made for you. Twenty years ago when Robert Holloway, Archetype CEO, first began his career in the apparel industry, that was a veritable pipe dream. But with the emergence of new technologies, Holloway and Archetype have made that dream a reality. In just two short years, the company has tapped into an emerging market, partnering with catalog giant Lands' End to offer customized apparel at competitive prices.

From There to Here
Holloway, a former president of Levi Strauss North America, has not only observed the morphing of America — and specifically the apparel industry — into a hub of high-tech wonders, but he quit his job in 1999 so that he could be a part of it. "I've seen the challenges that humans face in apparel," he notes simply. "It's hard to find apparel that you like that fits you really well. That was the big dream, and we've solved that problem."

For Holloway, the solution meant creating Archetype, a company that offers fast and efficient mass customization. "The big idea here is: What if you could go online to a store, or phone up a catalog, and in two or three minutes design your own pair of pants, design your shirt, whatever, and have it made for you as an individual so it's exactly to your specifications, and it fits you absolutely? And what if you could do it at a price that was fairly similar to what you pay for off-the-shelf [goods]? That's what we set about doing for two years - solving this fundamental issue for the apparel industry," he adds. "We always talk about redefining the apparel industry. This is what this is about."

"Ultimately, what I'm excited about - and what we talk about - is redefining apparel."
Robert Holloway
CEO
Archetype

Joining him in this apparel industry revolution is Jeff Luhnow, Archetype president and an industry veteran who began his career as an engineer for Gore Fabrics before becoming a management consultant for McKinsey & Co. He was involved in a dot com company when he met Holloway and listened to his idea to bring mass customization to all retailers. "All the light bulbs went off," he recalls with lingering enthusiasm. "It was the perfect bringing together of technology, consumer demand and also issues retailers were struggling with."

Initially, the two dubbed the company DNAwear. They changed the name, says Holloway, because they soon realized the concept was bigger than they each had originally thought. "When we first set out doing DNAwear, it was more designed around doing pants, shirts, etc. However, we saw greater opportunities. Archetype works for us across multiple categories. It works in khakis and it works in swimwear."

  
         
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