Interview by David Steele
There’s a trend: people in Montana seem to take the exceptional landscape as a hint towards their character and actions. Mountains and this big sky produce stand out people. I first heard of M.Elihu through some friends in Washington state, only to learn that it was being run by Miles Friedman, a fifteen year old in Whitefish, MT, just north of where I grew up. Friendly, easygoing, and thoroughly immersed in living his dream, I sat down to find out a bit more about him, his clothing company, and what it’s like to contend with homework while running a business.
Hey Miles. How’s the winter treating you so far?
It's been good. Fall and winter are always two busy seasons, with school starting, planning for future seasons, and the daily thoughts of snow falling on the mountain, I manage to keep occupied.
I’ve got these visions of you answering a Blackberry while in class. Is it strange to have the responsibility of running multiple companies when your friends are concerned about girls, skateboarding, and homework?
Haha... it’s an iPhone actually. To say the least, it’s a huge responsibility. The average freshman in high-school (as you mentioned) isn’t worried or even thinking about anything more than the next football game, girls, etc. Sometimes, it would be nice to shut off my phone, turn off my computer, and be able to sit back, and have no worries or thoughts of future plans in my mind. I enjoy what I do greatly, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Of course there will be those moments when I’m asked “Why aren’t you playing sports. Create a company when you’re older” but after over five years, I feel like its finally starting to pay off.
Drawing inspiration from the weather at Big Mountain, you started with Inversion Clothing Co. What made you move on to M. Elihu instead? How has the branding and direction differed between the two?
There were actually multiple reasons I decided to make the change. One of which was a small trademarking issue, which was a roadblock I didn’t want to have to go over. By this time, when I learned about the issue, I felt as though the brand was growing, but not at the rate I’d like it to. With the first Inversion line, the products were not suited for my personal style at all, which was a huge mistake. I quickly learned that if I didn’t feel comfortable wearing my own products, there was a problem. Purple and lime green beanies may be cool, they just weren’t the beanies I’d pull out of my closet if I had to choose one. Besides the legal issue, I wanted a fresh start. By creating M.Elihu I was able to do this. With M.Elihu, I’m trying to keep everything subtle (as much as I can without becoming boring) and focus on minimal advertising, mainly through social media and networks.
Could you elaborate on the legal issue? My guess is that as a small company, you got bullied legally by somebody with too much cash and the time to swing it around.
As I mentioned it was a trademark issue. My aunt actually suggested I trademark the Inversion name and it turned out to be unavailable. Someone had already trademarked it, so if the company grew, I was going to be in trouble.
Trevor Woods told me earlier this year that you two had a great conversation about clothing drops over the years. He was impressed by how much you both knew about specific pieces from all sorts of different brands. So why clothing?
For longer than I can remember, clothing has been important to me. Clothing defines a person. When I was looking to start my second company, I had pages of possible ideas; from selling phone cases in bulk quantities, importing electronics, etc. However, when I thought about it, ten years from now, would I really be happy selling cases used on mobile devices? Most likely, I would be bored with the concept, assuming it was still in business. Clothing is something that will continually expand and grow; in other words, an exciting business field, in my eyes. It’s been an absolute honor to be able to work with Trevor throughout the last year; he’s taught and brought things to my attention I may have never thought about. Talking to Trevor I have learned more about specific brands, but I’ve been able to voice my opinion on what I feel companies and brands are doing correctly, and incorrectly.
Seems like everyone is doing their own clothing line. How do you see M.Elihu standing out amongst all the companies making cut and sew?
Clothing is a huge market; thousands of brands are fighting for a small market share. When I decided that clothing was the next step for me, I wanted to do cut and sew. I really didn’t see a need to create another graphic t-shirt brand using blanks that anyone could purchase. The only problem is that most customers don’t seem to pay attention to the fabric and detail of the piece of clothing, rather the price tag and graphic on it. Because of this, M.Elihu has to stand out in a few other ways. One of which has been price point of the clothing, along with the quality. I’ve personally witnessed friends of mine spreading news to other friends about [other] company’s poor quality. Making sure that everything I create (even products as simple as t-shirts) are made to last, and won’t fall apart is an important aspect to the brand. Other than this, I’m always trying to create clothing that is timeless for the teenager/young adult age.
Interesting. You mentioned the other day that your Momentum vest was originally intended as a layer for spring park laps, but you’ve been wearing it constantly this winter. Would you say that happens often with clothing, where a piece functions or is used in a way that you didn’t foresee?
Actually, the Momentum Vest was intended to have those features, and I knew it would be better (for what I was trying to accomplish) than some other vests on the market. After receiving and trying the final products, especially on the mountain, I was very surprised. Materials were changed at the last minute, zippers were improved, etc. Small changes like this make this $58.00 vest worth much more in my opinion.
Definitely. This fall, I saw you had some alpaca wool hats. What's the story there?
This summer I had the chance to visit Peru and do some hiking and sightseeing. Before going to Machu Picchu we stopped in Cuzco to spend a few days. While there, we were roaming the streets when I walked into a small shop and met a couple who were weaving hats, scarves and other alpaca products. With minimal Spanish speaking skills, my dad and I communicated how we wanted the hats to fit, the colors (luckily I remembered some colors from a second grade teacher) and other details we thought would be important. After putting some money down, we figured we’d never see a product in return. We later returned and were pleasantly surprised seeing what are now my personal favorite beanies.
With an awesome story, too. M.Elihu sponsored some of the Toy Soldier Productions premieres around Montana this year. One of themes throughout their films has been the relative lack of ski industry scene here in the Treasure State. How does the remoteness of Montana affect M.Elihu? Does the lack of a big scene (like Colorado or Utah) hold you back?
I think Montana isn’t thought of when you generally think of skiing (in terms of being in the spotlight). Although we aren’t Colorado or Utah, Montana still has some amazing skiing and people. The state doesn’t offer nearly as large of a market, but with help of the internet, running a clothing brand is possible from Montana! It’s been great to see Toy Soldier Productions growing at the rate that they have, and to see the positive response shown by not only the state of Montana, but around the country. After traveling to Bozeman for their premier of Act Natural this year, it’s clear that Montana does have an active ski scene.
You’re right. Bozeman was loud. Really loud. Talk a little bit about the overseas sourcing scene. How’d you become involved? What processes are involved in manufacturing clothing from concept to something a skier will wear?
I’ve always preferred cut and sew clothing, and knew other companies would want to branch into this market. The problem is, it’s a very complex and complicated process, and most people don’t want to invest years of their time and resources into getting set up. Since I had already spent a few years gaining knowledge and building relationships overseas, I decided I’d help out a friend after I was approached asking for tips. Quickly, this grew into an operation that produces a wide range of clothing products. It’s easy to overlook what goes into each piece of clothing you wear, especially when it’s built from scratch. Speaking for myself, I design at least fifteen products before one is even sampled. Assuming it’s liked by friends of mine and fits into the line, it may be produced. I spend anywhere from two to six hours a day changing colors, moving embroideries, and refining details on digital mock-ups. It requires alot of work, but when it’s said and done, there isn’t a better feeling than putting on something you designed from scratch.
Your line has been steadily growing, and you’ve been adding new pieces each season. What’s your design process like?
Starting with just over $1000, I’ve been able to grow the line from two hat styles to roughly twenty five products in the course of 10 months. It’s taken outside resources that I have created, and hard work to get to the current stage, however I’m nowhere near done. You’ll see product lines continually growing and expanding, with more color-ways of each product, more size options, and a more encompassing clothing collection. Most M.Elihu designs are thought of after seeing multiple pieces of clothing and trying to collaborate them together, and fix all their weak points. I often will take note of clothing I like, and colors that catch my eye. From here, digital mock-ups are made, and sent to those who generally voice their opinion. Later, real samples are made and the process continues; fixing weak points, and changing areas of the garment.
What’s the next step for M.Elihu?
As of now, I’m focusing on expanding the line, along with gaining distribution through retails stores across the whole country... and hopefully the world! It’s always hard to know how a piece of clothing will fit (when ordered online), and I receive multiple emails a day asking for places where products can be seen in person. Because I feel like this is important in the clothing industry, I’m working with a group of people to promote the brand in the retail world. Hopefully we continue to grow in this field, and you’ll see M.Elihu on your local shops shelves! I’d just like to thank some friends who have shown support along the way. Erik Daniel Andersson, Austin Killips, Curtis Bietz, Trevor Woods, David Steele, and my parents who bring packages to the post office on a daily basis!
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