The rising clothing brand, Vital Apparel (Vital) is proud to announce its official launch date of July 9, 2015. Vital is a socially responsible clothing brand founded by Novi (MI) High School graduates, Loren Branch (Owner/Founder) and Austin Kandt (Creative Director/Co-Founder), with the goal of playing a key role in what will become one of the greatest comeback stories in United States history; the re·vital·ization of Detroit. This brand is about much more than just being cool and fashionable while providing customers with quality clothing. It was founded to project positivity and make a difference in the legendary city that fueled its existence. Exactly 10% of every Vital purchase will be donated to Re·vital·izing Organizations. This group includes charities and organizations that work to re·vital·ize the city of Detroit and keep inner city youth off of the streets, such as; Motor City Blight Busters Detroit, Young Detroit Builders, and The Bravo Foundation.
The inspiration that led to the brand’s conception was drawn years ago. It was at a very young age, that Branch began to recognize the negative stigmas surrounding his hometown of Detroit and realized his desire to alter those perceptions. He states that “In elementary school, I started to notice the negativity around the city that I loved so deeply and realized that was something I wanted to change. In middle school, I began to understand the idea of owning your own business and being your own boss and developed an interest in entrepreneurship before I even knew what the word meant. And by high school, I knew that I wanted to be involved with a clothing brand. ‘The Hatch’ program at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) provided me with the opportunity to combine those desires into one concept.”
The Hatch is a globally recognized program at BGSU in which Branch began to incubate the brand in 2014. Similar to the popular television show, Shark Tank, The Hatch allows student entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their business ideas to alumni investors in front of thousands of viewers both live and online. Since its inception three years ago, more than $450,000 has been awarded to student startups. Students are selected from a pool of approximately 100 students throughout the University during an intensive application process. The final Hatchlings are then paired with a mentor who assists them through various activities during a 10- week curriculum to develop the business idea and prepare for their 4-minute pitch to the potential investors at the end of the process. For more information, see the blog page on VitalDetroit.com.
Upon launch, Vital released two colorways of the Revitalize Detroit Tee including the classic Black/White and the Detroit Tigers inspired Navy “Eat Em Up.” The first ten online customers received free Michigan bracelets from the Cleveland based brand, WoodChop Chains. Moving forward, the brand will be sponsoring the Beau Luxe Charity Fashion Show on August 15th and serving as a vendor for Sneaker Con on August 29th, Detroit Made ME The Showcase on September 4th, and Dally in the Alley on September 12th, all of which take place in Detroit. Vital also plans to release a graphic t-shirt in August in addition to more Revitalize Detroit Tee colorways and crewneck sweatshirts in fall 2015.
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