A Warm Idea
My friend complained regularly about how cold she was, even in mild weather. Since I can get through a Vermont winter with a flannel shirt and a denim jacket, this baffled me. Eventually I discovered she suffers from Raynaud’s Syndrome.
Then I met one of the entrepreneurial partners of a firm, who came up with an idea for how to use their experience to solve this problem facing millions…being perpetually cold. A simple problem but not such an easy one to fix. With ingenuity, perseverance, and lots of false starts they are now well on their way to building a successful business. There journey is a lesson in perseverance for all.
Raynaud’s Syndrome is a circulatory disease that is often hereditary and affects 28 million Americans. Among its symptoms is cold extremities. One of those entrepreneurs, along with some of his family, suffers from Reynaud’s and thus the impetus to found New York Knitworks LLC.
New York Knitworks started with three partners, Gabor Stein, Herbert Quinn, and Sid Estreicher. Between them they have years of experience in the textile and fashion industries; in textile design and manufacturing, sales and marketing, product development, and management. But one area of expertise was missing from the mix. Enter George Szekely, who has experience in managing high-tech businesses and is an electronics engineer who started out in the semiconductor industry.
Over several years of research, creating various fiber combinations and structures, and testing for heat generation and retention…they had the perfect fibers. A blend of these fibers knit into comfortable fabric resulted in the heat generation and retention they were looking for. And so UNIQKNITS™ was born. The new fabric was ready to become the perfect pair of warm gloves to keep the hands of Raynaud’s sufferers warm. And the Raynaud’s Association noticed.
They kept improving the fabric until it worked even better. They found people around the world able to manufacturer elements of their unique fibers. They partnered with Portolano®, a premier glove manufacturer, to make a glove utilizing UNIQKNITS™ fabric inside a beautifully knit wool exterior. They filed for patents to protect their intellectual property and inventions.
But a few things slowed their progress. The launch was scheduled for August 2016, just in time for the winter season. Delay after delay slowed things down as they worked out the bugs in manufacturing, marketing, their website, and fulfillment. Finally in late December 2016 all was ready…except it turned out to be an exceptionally warm winter in North America, the heart of their market.
They never despaired. They did get frustrated and aggravated by the delays, the extra costs, and how long it was taking. But they persevered.
Ultimately, with the perfect fabric in hand, they wove their way through the pitfalls of design, manufacturing, and partnerships to create an exceptional product that keeps Raynaud’s sufferers and others warm in a creative, comfortable, and beautiful way.
And next? Socks? Hats? What else?
How about winter gear for running or riding motorcycles or working outside? Think about all those workers driving snow plows, repairing frozen water mains, rebuilding fallen utility lines covered in ice and snow, standing there unmoving in their yellow suits directing traffic around fallen trees. The possibilities are endless.
As you read this, they’ve launched a nice website, sales are increasing, and they’re developing new products to keep you warm. UNIQKNITS™ products are well on their way to keeping people comfortable around the world.
This is s a great story about four entrepreneurs overcoming big odds and now being on the precipice of wild success. Take inspiration as you work to drive your own company forward in spite of the obstacles you face and the unknowns yet to appear.
Watch for the growing line of clothes that will undoubtedly appear before too long with the slogan UNIQKNITS™ WITHIN on the tag. And stay warm and persevere as you work to turn your vision into the next great company to emerge and prosper.