Today we’d like to introduce you to Carl McAllister.
Hi Carl, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey in life began on the west side of Detroit. A place where anything can happen at any given time. I can remember shootouts and chaos being normal because it happened so frequently growing up. There were times where bullets were literally passing by me as a kid. I never thought that I would make it past 18 years old, let alone being half the man I am today. Even though I didn’t have much faith in the future, I pushed forward one day at a time. When I graduated from high school, I had to scramble to figure out my next move. I was always good with math and problem solving, so I figured engineering would be a good path to travel. I originally wanted to attend Wayne State because it was close to home, but my mom wanted me to get out of the city (mothers always know best). My best friend got accepted to Western Michigan University, so I followed his lead. I quickly learned that high school barely prepared me for college, so I started off far behind others.
I failed so much in college that there were many times that I began to feel like I was a failure. I had friends dying where I was from, and it felt like I was just wasting an opportunity that they were more worthy of. It was hard to focus sometimes. These experiences led to a downward spiral of alcohol abuse and darkness. To be honest, my little brother being born is probably the only reason I turned my life around because I knew I had someone who would look up to me. One of my biggest blessings is my family. Throughout all my trials and tribulations, they always believed in me, even when I didn’t. Remembering how much my mom and I struggled when I was younger made me appreciate all her sacrifices. Deep down, I pushed through for her because she deserved a son that would make her proud. I was down to my junior year where it was pretty much all or nothing. I used up all my financial aid and only had enough for a few more semesters. I pushed through with absolutely everything I had and made it to the finish line.
Throughout this journey, exercising has always been a stress-reliever for me, which began during football, and wrestling, season in high school. A gift and a curse to my personality is consistency. Sometimes the chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to break. During my senior year of college, I designed a headphone protector, for my over-ear headphones, that prevented them from getting sweaty during exercises. I filed a utility patent for it in 2016 (which is still pending) that began my entrepreneurial journey. This experience transitioned into the conception of Kamili Activewear. Since I’m passionate about health/wellness and problem-solving, I figured that the activewear industry would be a perfect industry to penetrate. My strongest attribute is perseverance. Throughout all of my trials and tribulations, I continue to move forward. In school, and life, there are negative connotations to failing. Conversely, sometimes it takes multiple failures to learn, reinforce weak areas, and to teach others how to be better. Aside from customers that expect high quality and comfort, if someone asked me “who Kamili was created for”, my response will always be “for those who persevere”.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The entrepreneurial journey is never a smooth road. I disclosed my headphone protector design to a manufacturer domestically, had them sign an NDA, and they essentially became my first competitor. In reference to our trademark, there were complications with “Kamili” because another company had a similar name. The USPTO had concerns about “consumer confusion”. By the grace of God, I was able to overcome that obstacle and continue with this journey. Lastly, sizing has been a challenge as well. We have to generate data on American body types and ensure that our apparel and shoe sizes are consistent, comfortable, and true to size. I’m certain that there will be other challenges in the future, but my past has prepared me to persevere through it all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We design, and manufacture, high-quality, long-lasting apparel, applicable to various industries. In addition to our offering, we partner with other organizations that provide value to our community to create jobs for veterans and individuals with disabilities/disadvantages. Our company is committed to understanding the needs of our customers, creating solutions that address those needs, excelling in customer service, while incorporating our community within the process.
Our specialty lies within our creativity in design. We utilize our engineering expertise/creativity to design robust products that address customer pain points. Below is our typical design process:
- Address customer issue(s)
- Determine root cause
- Conceptualize Solution Create Prototype/Sample
- Gain Customer Approval
- Mass production
So far, we are known for our shirt with integrated mask. I designed this product during the pandemic because the traditional masks were uncomfortable for prolonged use (especially during exercising). This product alleviated those pain points for our target audience. We are also known for:
- Ingenuity of the industry
- Ensuring ethical practices across all facets of business
- The unequivocal effort to surpass customer expectations
- Quality and design of our products
- Our partnership with other organizations that serve disadvantaged communities.
I’m most proud of our partnership with Goodwill Southwest Michigan. Our inventory is stored in their warehouse. Whenever someone makes a purchase via our website, someone from our Goodwill team takes it out of inventory, packages it, and ships it. This creates jobs for veterans, people with disabilities, disadvantages, etc.
We also promote ethical business practices. We abide by the SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) which includes labor standards, health & safety, environment, and business ethics. Our materials are ethically sourced and produced. We are always working to build and sustain local business partnerships. Moving forward we will also utilize more sustainable, and recycled, materials within our product offering. Today’s business practices are too focused on profits. I believe that if more companies served their customers, and employees, that profitability will be a symptom of those efforts. We will always place serving our customers first.
What are your plans for the future?
We are currently working on shoe designs for the future. We are in the sampling/validation phase where we will conduct quality assurance testing to ensure comfortability/durability for our customers. What will set our shoes apart from competitors is of course our design, materials, and personalization opportunities.
Pricing:
- Women’s Yoga Pants: $49.99
- Women’s Sports Bra: $34.99
- Men’s Joggers: $54.99
- Men’s Jacket: $64.99
- Filtration Shirt: 49.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kamili.com/
- Instagram: @kamiliwear
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kamiliwear
Image Credits
Westley Amica
Carl McAllister
