Last October, friends and family of Steven Mazur and Eric Huang gathered at the Madison Building in Detroit for a Shark Tank viewing party. The duo, who co-founded Ash & Erie, a fashion brand for men 5 feet 8 inches and under, had flown to Los Angeles a year prior to tape an episode of the show. The crowd filled the auditorium space and watched as the duo pitched the concept, the 鈥淪harks鈥 grilled the co-founders, and Mazur and Haung accepted billionaire Mark Cuban鈥檚 $150,000 offer for 25 percent of the company.
鈥淸Shark Tank is] one of those things where it feels like a one-in-a-million shot,鈥 says Mazur, recalling the cheers and congratulatory comments after the show.
In the weeks that followed the airing, the startup business was inundated with new orders, customer questions, and media attention. But despite all this, Mazur claims that life after Shark Tank isn鈥檛 all that different for the Detroit-based brand.
Prior to Ash & Erie鈥檚 moment in the spotlight, the co-founders were fellows at Venture for America, a nonprofit organization that pairs entrepreneurial recent grads with startups. Passionate about launching their own business, the self-identifying 鈥渟horter guys鈥 鈥 Mazur is 5 feet 6 inches, and Huang is 5 feet 8 inches 鈥 began searching for problems they could solve. That brainstorming resulted in the realization that they, as well as other shorter men, struggle to find off-the-rack clothing that works for them.
鈥淚 can never find clothes that fit well,鈥 Mazur says. 鈥淚 go to a store, and everything鈥檚 too long. It鈥檚 not really proportioned for a guy like me.鈥
Mazur and Huang began developing the brand, which started as Ash & Anvil, and held hundreds of fittings with 鈥渟horter guys,鈥 whose sizes ranged from XS to 2XL. In 2015, they launched on crowd-funding site Indiegogo with just an 鈥渆veryday鈥 men鈥檚 shirt and raised about $26,000 in pre-orders.
Despite the concept鈥檚 initial success, Mazur, a metro Detroit-native who studied chemical engineering, and Huang, a Washington, D.C.-native who studied entrepreneurship, knew they didn鈥檛 have the fashion background needed for long-term growth. Because of this, they鈥檝e been persistent about surrounding themselves with opportunities and people that can help Ash & Erie grow. They鈥檝e won funding competitions, and have linked up with people who are familiar with the industry, like Lorraine Sabatini, a Detroit-based former technical designer for national denim brands, and, of course, Shark Tank鈥檚 Cuban.
Today, along with the 鈥渆veryday鈥 shirt, the brand sells dress shirts, flannels, and denim from its own website. However, Mazur and Huang have bigger goals. They鈥檇 like Ash & Erie to be 鈥渢he first major brand for shorter guys,鈥 like what Lane Bryant is for plus-size women.
鈥Shark Tank was a good start,鈥 says Mazur, who anticipates the product lineup will expand with time. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 still a long way to go before every single guy in this country, five eight and below, knows who we are.鈥
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Fashion Tips from Ash & Erie鈥檚 Steven听Mazur
1. 鈥淭he chest has to be the first thing that fits. If [the shirt] doesn鈥檛 fit in the chest, it鈥檚 not comfortable. For a lot of guys, they鈥檙e so used to hearing things like, sleeve length, body length, and collar for a button-down shirt, but it鈥檚 all about the chest [first].鈥
2. 鈥淸An] obvious [fit issue] is things being too long 鈥 a body length that鈥檚 too long, sleeves that are too long. That just doesn鈥檛 look good, and it鈥檚 not comfortable. Then it鈥檚 also things like, the shape of the arm hole, or the wrist circumference, or the collar and how that鈥檚 shaped.鈥
3. 鈥淢en鈥檚 denim is sold with a waist and an inseam, and most traditional brands don鈥檛 go below a 30-inch inseam. Our rise is proportionate, and made for a guy with a smaller body [and] smaller frame. Our legs are shaped in a way where we actually know where certain points hit.鈥
4. 鈥淪omething we鈥檝e learned from talking to guys five eight and below, is that fit is still personal. If different people have a different idea about what looks good, and what fashion choices they want to make, that鈥檚 totally OK. Fashion is a personal choice.鈥
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