This is not a paid video. I purchased this shirt after discovering the brand from my peer Stephen Green (@PDSXStephenG).
Rockridge is a Black owned company. It’s important to state this because being a Black owner is an experience with added pressure and complexities. The founder, Randy Wells, learned the apparel industry and decided to take on the challenge of launching his brand. He made the difficult decision of producing the apparel here in the U.S.
In my opinion, starting a business is the most American thing you can do. Building your product domestically is equally as important as taking the leap into entrepreneurship.
I bought this shirt to support a Black owned business, but the purchase fit into my guidelines of supporting businesses that are both job creators in the U.S. and socially responsible. The company donates 5% of proceeds to the https://www.donorschoose.org/ organization in support of Oakland area schools. At 5:30 of the video I get into unboxing and trying on the shirt.
Now, this wouldn’t be my site if I didn’t discuss some of the business aspects. Right now Rockridge doesn’t have any video on the site describing the company and showing the people behind the scenes. If your construction takes place here in the U.S. show us the process. The lack of a YouTube channel limits the search of the site, and I know this is a difficult decision, the fact that it doesn’t state explicitly that this is a Black owned company, hurts search. When I ran ARCH as a footwear company, I avoided saying I was Black owned. I felt that it didn’t matter and people would label and stick me into a box. I look back on that decision as a mistake. Your story is your superpower and being Black is finally at the center of the table and with allyship in play, I don’t think it hurts your branding.
The design of the site looks more like an incubator than an apparel company. Above the fold, there should be pictures of people wearing the product. Beautiful product shots will tell me what the company is. The picture currently on the homepage gives no indication of apparel company. That’s not a good thing. The scroll is a good thing and should be the start of the page. All of the product pages need actual people wearing the product. I would also include women wearing the button downs casually. A picture of a model, height and size wearing the product will enhance sell through.
Enough of that, if you are looking to add a stylish, comfortable brand to your closet, give Rockridge a try.