There’s a big sum of money in ‘little white shirts’

PHILIPPE Arenillo and Ryan David

Pals since high school, Ryan David and Philippe Arenillo often threw business ideas while hanging out with their friends.

Some were weird, others crazy, but there were days when, by a stroke of luck, they stumbled upon brilliant ones.

It was during these days when Ryan remembered his then girlfriend telling him how frustrating it was to find “that perfect white shirt.”

A white shirt, like the little black dress, is a staple in every woman’s wardrobe. Finding a brand that carries the perfect one, therefore, is like discovering the holy grail of shirts.

Ryan thought then that instead of finding the perfect white shirt for his girlfriend, why not make one himself.

He also knew that if he could actually make that perfect shirt, he could be on to something potentially interesting.

He told his buddy Philippe about this, and they liked the concept. Both were unemployed during that time, so pooling in their capital of P34,000 was a leap of faith for the two, but the venture also got them excited. After much consideration, planning and looking for resources, The Perfect White Shirt was born in 2007.

MARKET! Market! outlet

Business-minded buddies

Ryan and Philippe were friends since their Don Bosco days, and even though they went to different colleges, they still pursued their dream of starting their own business.

Their first venture was a smoked fish business in college. It actually did well, but the demands of college life were too much so they had to cease operations.

Prior to starting The Perfect White Shirt, the two have no knowledge about patterns, textile and fabrics, but they were determined to pursue their idea.

They attended business seminars, established contacts, researched, and looked for suppliers and tailors that meet the standards they set to achieve for that perfect shirt.

THE PERFECT White Shirt espouses a cause.

“We started with plain shirts, and sold them via Multiply.  Eventually, our Multiply friends suggested we put graphic designs in our shirts too. That’s how all the ‘Little Miss’ shirts started,” Ryan shares.

The “Little Miss” he was referring to were University-themed shirts carrying designs and statements representing major colleges and universities in the country. They started with the “Green Archers” shirt when the De La Salle University won the 2007 UAAP men’s basketball championship.

After a year of selling shirts on Multiply, they were contacted by the Trinoma Mall admin, inviting them to set up a kiosk for two days there and take advantage of the ongoing Ateneo-De La Salle championship.

“After their Ateneo-La Salle event, they told us about their ‘Entrepreneurial Program,’ and gave us a free one-month kiosk in Trinoma, and it went on from there. We were able to build a resumé so we could get into malls easily,” Philippe says.

Having the Ayala Malls’ (which operates Trinoma) faith in them, they were able to get into other Ayala malls in the metro.

Philippe, who was from UP Manila, has also set his sights on getting a space in Robinsons Place, since the mall has close proximity to several schools and colleges.

Becoming visible to places frequented by students and youngsters is important for them, especially during UAAP seasons.

Sales of the shirts increased dramatically with the release of the “Little Miss Growling Tigers” and other “Thomasian-inspired” shirts, which coincided with the quadricentennial celebration of the University of Santo Tomas in 2011.

Aside from the university shirts, they also came up with “course shirts,” “hobby shirts,” “couple shirts,” and events shirts.  They also accept bulk orders for customized shirts.

“After the ‘Little Miss,’ we’ve become more flexible to do other designs, as long as we think they are OK and are saleable. We still have limited resources to accommodate design-requests, but hopefully, someday …” Philippe says.

Not just white shirts

The two have lost count on how many times they have heard the comment about not staying true to their brand name—that is, supposed to be having only white shirts.

“It’s funny when people tell us ‘I thought you said The Perfect White Shirt but there are all sorts of colors here’ when they visit our outlets,” Philippe shares. “We just thought it’d be something for them to talk about, some mystery in it,” Ryan adds.

The two also make shirts for causes or organizations that they believe in and support, partnering with groups such as Tao Po, PAWS, Our Awesome Planet, Pinoy Fitness, Takbo PH, Pinoy Mountain Bikers, and Pinoy Mountaineers.

“We partnered with Tao Po—they’re a nongovernment organization which talks to government agencies to take actions regarding some certain issues, and we like their cause.

The Pinoy Mountaineers promote the Philippines as a hiking destination. And 10 percent of the proceeds from the PAWS shirts go to the organization as our way of helping them,” Philippe says.

Roster of talents

The Perfect White Shirt is a partnership between Ryan, who handles the finance, staff management, and production, and Philippe, who is in charge of marketing. The company employs six office staff and eight outlet employees.

They have three subcontractors who, in turn, employ their own tailors and printers. Ryan and Philippe are proud of the fact that they were able to help create jobs for these people, some of whom are only home-based. To ensure the quality of their products, and live up to their name, the two set up a standard that the tailors and printers should strictly comply with.

The two come up with the design ideas most of the time, and commission some artists-friends to draw or make the designs for them. These designs, especially the “Little Miss” shirts, have become so popular that they had to copyright them.

Though their concentration is on the shirts, they intend to sell other customized or statement items, such as mugs, hoodies, shorts, and eco-bags, when they get bigger outlets. And hopefully, expand to other parts of the country.

Presently, The Perfect White Shirt has five outlets—Trinoma, Glorietta 3, Market! Market!, Alabang Town Center, and Robinsons Place.

Five years since they had that shirt idea, The Perfect White Shirt has sold about 50,000 shirts per year from wholesale and retail outlets combined. Last year’s gross revenue totaled P13,000,000. Not bad for two unemployed friends who took a chance with their savings.

“We only make shirts that we (ourselves) would wear. You just have to believe in your product,” Philippe says.