EnTrends

with ties, however. Graham says, "I
didn't want to have a traditional job and I
needed new underwear so I thought I
would make my own and then sell it to
somebody else." He is now the CEO and
designer of one of the world's best-
known clothing companies, Joe Boxer,
LLC.

Graham had no formal fashion training.
He started sewing articles of clothing out
of his apartment and sold his design
pieces to friends and acquaintances after
giving his first pair as a wedding present.
Graham even designed a pair of boxers
with a detachable raccoon tail called the
Imperial Hoser. He said that he could not
sew more than twenty pieces a day on
his own, so after about three months, he
finally went into a sewing shop to
inquire about production help. He
originally had a staff of five people, but
expanded in the early nineties when the
company took off.

Graham originally named his company
Joe Blow, but after he asked two people
what they thought about the name, they
rejected it. So, he decided to change it to
Joe Boxer. Graham jokes, "Yeah, I did a
lot of market research at the time."

One of Graham's biggest successes has
been creating almost 80% brand
awareness with very little money. He
had always wanted to build a brand that
could be put on almost anything. Now
days, Joe Boxer markets over 1,000
designs annually in stores such as
Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman, and Saks
Fifth Avenue.

Graham says that Joe Boxer does not
aggressively pursue any one demographic.
He finds that can be limiting. "By the time
you make something for a certain
demographic, they have already moved on.
That is why we never do any focus groups
or market research. This industry can be
very fickle, so we don't follow trends. We
do what we want. " Graham says that the
one thing that sets his company apart from
others in the industry is a sense of humor.
"We don't take this very seriously, but we
work very hard."

Graham said that he does not have very
many typical workdays, but he usually
wakes up, takes his children to school and
drives to work. Once there, he is involved in
numerous activities and is currently
working on strategies for new retail store
accounts. "I use my cell phone A LOT,"
says Graham. He is also the chief designer
and works on marketing development for
the brand. In addition, he speaks on the art
of branding. Graham points out Richard
Branson as a "good example of building a
brand."

Joe Boxer has always been innovative in
their marketing strategies. Graham says that
the company was on the Internet very early.
The company's web address was even on
the elastic of its products in 1993.
Beginning in 1995, they had the world's
largest e-mail billboard for six years on the
side of a building in Times Square. Joe
Boxer has also done charity promotional
work in partnership with General Motors.
The two companies produced a designer
taxicab that people could use in New York.
All the fares collected then went to breast
cancer research. Graham told EnTrends that
his company is currently working on a
secretive promotion that will be the world's
fastest fashion show that will be about 2.3
seconds long in New York, this fall. "You
really have to see it," he says.

Of all the benefits of owning your own
company, Graham says that he enjoys the
flexibility of being an entrepreneur the most.
He enjoys being able to come up with
unique marketing strategies and making
people laugh. "We try to have fun and give
a great value in our product."

The company produces everything from
underwear, sleepwear, loungewear, and
even home furnishings. Some of
Graham's more wacky underwear designs
include ducks that quack, those that
inflate, 3-D boxers, and boxers with
glowing messages. About twelve years
ago, the Secret Service actually
confiscated over 900 pairs of boxers that
had been silk-screened with one hundred
dollar bills.

When it comes to personal clothing
preferences, Graham says that he likes the
design work of the late Moschino. While
he is acquainted with top designers such
as Donna Karen and Tommy Hillfigger,
Graham says that he is not into the
fashion clique that much. When asked if
he considered himself a rebel in the
fashion industry he replied, "Yeah, I hope
so. Somebody has gotta be."

As for advice he would give to other
entrepreneurs starting out, Graham says,
"Never borrow more money than you
need." He also says, "Never take
advantage of when things are going
great," and "sometimes the best strategy
is no strategy at all."