HISTORY of ALPHABET CITY
- 2019
October: Decided to venture into underwear production.
- 2020
January: Began searching for factories and suppliers for underwear production, but faced challenges.
February: Decided on the brand name "ALPHABET CITY". Commissioned design work to 3&ONE as a old friend.
March: As the search for OEMs and manufacturers continued, expanded knowledge about manufacturing processes.
April: Met with a fabric expert from Taiwan and began learning about underwear production online.
May: Original design patterns and prototypes were completed.
June: Began designing the waistband and started collecting designs from forums and freelancer sites.
August: Waistband prototype completed.
September: Received the prototype, felt the thrill of holding the actual product.
December: Registered the company and applied for trademark rights.
- 2021
January: Started creating fabric samples for selection.
April: Began learning Illustrator and Photoshop.
August: Gained design insights from friends and online acquaintances, discovering the joy of design creation.
September: Encountered issues with the intended manufacturer. Secured an alternate production line, but due to an increased minimum order quantity, decided to expand the design range.
- 2022
March: Re-evaluated manufacturing methods based on learnings from production mistakes.
April: Ordered samples for final checks and announced a September launch.
June: Reviewed all designs to address misprint issues from the production line.
July: Production facility closed due to the effects of COVID-19, leading to a forced delay in the launch.
- 2023
February: Production line resumed. Restarted prototype creation for final checks.
March: Proceeded with a bulk order, despite some prototypes not arriving. Started product photography.
May: Completed production of all items and shipped to New York.
June: Launched sales on KICKSTARTER.
July: Exceeded funding goal by a significant margin on KICKSTARTER.
August: Began building own WEB STORE.
September: Grand opening of the ALPHABET CITY WEB STORE scheduled.