Vanessa George Gulden does not expect Wall Street to hold a place for her on the New York Stock Exchange. And the 29-year-
The old entrepreneur runs her business from the table at her narrow Owen apartment, and he doesn\'t even care that venture capitalists haven\'t flocked to support her new company.
At the moment, the most important thing for Gulden is to sell her unique sports support top ---
By mail and small shops-
To pay her $30,000 bet at creative support systems in California.
After that, the energetic former PE teacher\'s goal was to get her top into the department store\'s underwear department, right next to the other sports bras that work today --out women.
Achieving this goal could be profitable for the small company, which left a deep impression on clothing critics of several major women\'s sports magazines.
Industry watchers say support bras and tops are one of the latest and fastest, designed to provide extra support for the chest, usually made from soft, absorbent fabrics
Growth of $1billion-a-
Women\'s sports clothing market of the year.
Although the sports bra market is still too small to be separated from the rest of the bra business, experts believe that sales are driven by three independent factors.
First of all, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, more and more women have discovered the benefits of fitness and the number of people participating in regular exercise is increasing. in Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Last year, according to trade organization statistician Thomas Doyle, nearly 50 million women participated in aerobic, jogging and other sports.
The benefits of these numbers on the cash register are considerable.
Doyle said female joggers spend an average of $250 a year on sports equipment, and aerobic dancers spend nearly $300 a year on fashionable sportswear.
Second, the price of the sports bra ranges from $15 to $30, and is increasingly seen as an important part of any sports group, in tennis competitions and cardio classes, tennis clothes and anti-slip clothes are essential.
Lisa Lindal, the boss of jogging bra, said: \"Our proposition is that the right equipment can improve performance . \"
Burlington Hotel in Vt
Created the entire market eight years ago and is still considered an industry leader Company.
Finally, underwear buyers reported that more than half of the sales of sports bras were not used for sports purposes.
According to buyers, women claim that sports bras are more suitable for daily wear than standard products due to high cotton content and strong structure.
But, as Gurden found, while the market seems to be growing, it is not easy to break into the market.
Goulden, a slim but plump jogger and aerobics dancer, decided for the first time that a sports bra would be 1982 because she experienced discomfort during her workout.
Although there are other products already on the market, she said they did not offer a full set of products
Think of athletes as the necessary support.
With the help of professional clothing designers and patent lawyers, Gurden came up with a shoulderto-
The waist support top can easily replace the bra and shirt.
The heavy Leica fabric she chose for the dress, similar in weight to the fabric used in the band, used to be a favorite for men\'s disco pants manufacturers.
In 1984, Gurden began selling $30 tops, which in women\'s sporting events and mail orders fit and cover more than anything on the market.
In a few months, top received a high degree of honor from the women\'s fitness and care publication self.
However, when the orders generated by the self-Article began to pour in, the last disco pants fabric was exhausted and Gulden could not afford to restart the special machine used to weave heavy fabrics
Lycra Leca she needs
So after she sold about 1,500 tops at the end of the year, she shut down production, returned orders for 600 tops and started thinking about a new career.
But 18 months later, inspired by the highest rating of the Utah State University research program, Gurden decided to resume operations.
She promised a minimum order of $30,000 for obtaining Leica material from the factory and submitted a bank letter of credit as her serious evidence.
She said the letter of credit was secured by cash raised by friends and family.
Five months ago, the first top was launched from the assembly line, and sales have since exceeded 1,300.
Still, the $30,000 worth of fabric Goulden promises to buy is enough to buy 12,000 tops.
So the promotion started.
So far, Gurden has persuaded 31 Southern California sporting goods stores to buy tops in six sizes and six colors. Mail-
The order sales were generated by flyers distributed by Gulden at sporting events, accounting for the company\'s remaining meager income.
Gulden is currently considering advertising outside her wallet.
\"I know, I\'m joking,\" she said with a smile . \".
Funds are not enough for any paid employee. \"We\'re a 1-
She said she was referring to herself and her husband, an oil engineer at Huntington Beach.
Gurden runs the business in the spare bedroom of her apartment;
The living room and dining area are used as storage space and can sometimes accommodate up to 1,000 people.
However, this effort has begun to work, and Gulden has begun to draw some attention.
Adele Doran, a women\'s wear buyer at the Southern California ski chain, said the support for top \"will eventually be quite strong \".
\"Dolan foresaw the popularity of aerobic dancers who need more than 30 minutes of continuous bounce for their workout.
However, Dolan said Gulden would be advised to offer more fashion in order to occupy the market --
Conscious colors and patterns, otherwise practical top.
\"It doesn\'t have the universal appeal yet, but it can have stripes, prints or bright colored blocks,\" Doran said . \".
Goulden agreed that in order to achieve her goal of distribution in department stores, she must develop more popular appeal and a wider product line.
\"It takes time and money.
\"I know,\" she said.
\"But others did it. why can\'t I?