Thesis is the culmination of every college student’s undergraduate life, but as soon as we march off with our diplomas, many of us leave behind the fruit of our labor along with the memories of caffeine-fueled days and all-nighters.
For this Entrepreneurial Management student, however, her thesis blossomed into a passion project that she can work on even after graduation. Julianne Tamor from University of Asia and the Pacific needed to put up her own business as her thesis, which led to the birth of Snooze Apparel.
“Snooze Apparel is a clothing brand that aims to combat fast fashion and its impacts like the fast turnover of trends, unfair labor treatments, and the negative effects on the environment,” explains Julianne in an interview with Candy.
Snooze Apparel’s inception was also a product of an interesting story as it was not Julianne’s original plan for her thesis. “My initial plan to meet the requirements for school was to put up a food stall in a mall in March 2020,” Julianne shares. Unfortunately, the world was struck with a pandemic, so a business that relies on a physical shop is out of the question. This, however, seemed like a good opportunity for Julianne to finally bring her passion project to life while having something to present as a thesis project.
Contributing to the local community
With locally made pieces sewn using locally sourced materials, Snooze Apparel is also doing its part in lending a helping hand to local workers and businesses during the pandemic. “When you’re given a chance to put something out in the world, it should at least contribute something positive to the community,” Julianne explains.
The brand also boasts of unique and versatile designs which are produced in limited stocks. She adds, “We see clothes as investments and prioritize quality over quantity so we chose the best fabric that we saw fit for each design durable enough to withstand at least a hundred washes in a year with minimal effects.”
The struggles of being an online brand
Snooze Apparel, like many other clothing lines, only need to rely on social media to reach its intended market. One downside to operating in the digital world, however, is that your consumers don’t have firsthand access to your products. “It’s difficult to translate quality through the screen,” Julianne points out. To address this, Julianne tries to be more aggressive with their marketing strategies by putting out content that shows off their pieces in different styles.
While Snooze Apparel may seem promising, establishing it was a “long and difficult” process for Julianne. “It starts from designing, and then to finding prospects for suppliers. This also includes monitoring financial statements, setting and organizing the budgets to use per week, creating a platform and consistent content,” she explains.
Despite the arduous process of running a business, Julianne also says it’s a process worth hustling for. While juggling these responsibilities together with her other commitments as a student, it also allowed her to keep an eye out on her brand and make sure things run smoothly and according to the brand’s principles and core competencies.
The next step
Despite starting off her business as a thesis project, Julianne has long-term goals for Snooze Apparel. One is to come up with seasonal collections and create a line for men’s wear. For instance, the brand is launching a campaign in line with Earth Day in April.
When speaking of long-term goals, Julianne is hoping to one day open a flagship store for Snooze Apparel so her customers can finally see the pieces in person. “I’m very much excited for what the future holds and I really hope people don’t sleep on Snooze Apparel’s upcoming collections,” Julianne says.
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