Travis: My name is Travis Strote
and I am the founder and chief dreamer
of Yogavated Athletics.
Yogavated Athletics is an active wear apparel brand
that incorporates art from local artists
and artists across the country
to create an original art piece that we put on leggings.
It starts with, typically, one piece of art.
We find one piece of art that we fall in love with
or one idea that we fall in love with
and, from that point, we search for artists
that are passionate about their art work.
That all encompass that same idea.
So, for example, surrealism.
It's all art pieces that you would imagine in your dreams.
Places you would imagine that go to,
experiences you would imagine having.
So then we find all of these artists
that have very different art styles
but all are encompassed under this one common theme.
You narrow that down to a good chunk of artists
that you feel are very passionate
that are going to be amazing to work with
and that really have devoted their lives to art.
We don't want to promote somebody
that is making this art piece
because they want to put it on yoga pants.
We want to promote someone that
is painting night and day because they are an artist.
And then, from that point, once we have our art pieces,
then we go to our fabric sources
and we start picking fabric colors
that are in-line with the art.
Then we start sketching out flats,
hundreds and hundreds of flats
of different designs for leggings.
Where the art's placed,
whether we split the art in half
so that, when you put the legs together,
it creates the whole image.
Then we create samples.
And, we create a photoshoot and look-book
and that's when we go to market.
And then we go to market and we sell X amount
to wholesalers and then when that season's released,
about two months prior, we go into full production.
And that's where we order all the materials,
everything gets cut and sewn and put together.
Each season we do what's called a pre-order release,
a VIP fashion show.
And that's where we get everybody
that's ever been a customer
and they're invited to a preview of the product.
And once we do that, then we fill those preorders
and then we hit the road
and we do trade shows, we do events.
We are very grassroots marketing
so it's very involved in the community.
As a small business owner, as a startup, like
you do it all.
So, we go from conceptualizing the product
to doing the photoshoot
to making the product and then to selling it.
So, once the product is made,
then we hit the road and start selling it.
And we start selling the brand story
and we start selling the artists.
We do it all.