Martin Lemos
Nour Shaikh
Curtis Columbare
Bard MBA in Sustainability
Jeana Wirtenberg
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Those that know Serengetee, know they mean so much more than a company selling pocket t-shirts. Serengetee connects customers to the traditions of global artisans in nearly thirty countries through fabric-based goods, while giving back 10% of its profits to the communities that inspire them. Additionally, Serengetee works with ‘cause partners’ on grassroots initiatives in order to create a more sustainable environment for the company’s family of artisans around the world.
According to co-founder Jeff Steitz, “[There is] absolutely a movement among start-up clothing brands, especially for our demographic, where we need a mission….There are a ton of young brands that use their mission as a marketing piece and we’re a part of that movement.”
By connecting diverse fabrics acquired from around the globe to young adults, Serengetee has brought innovation to the fashion industry, while simultaneously becoming a brand centered on fabric and mission. At age 24, Jeff Steitz and Ryan Westburg found a profitable way to deliver unique global designs by traveling the world, meeting local artisans, and creating positive social and economic impact, all the while running Serengetee from their laptops.
Serengetee’s hope for continued consumer base growth is twofold: Not only does increased demand drive revenue, but it also impacts how much change they can make through donations and fabric purchases. Business growth has allowed Serengetee to expand into new products beyond pocket tees. The company now sells headwear, bags, accessories, and even pillows. Jeff’s favorite product is a hat with the rare harare fabric from Zimbabwe. Harare is handmade with a process that involves carving potatoes and stamping a design on the fabric. As business growth continues and more diverse products emerge, this will allow further material sourcing and will create a larger impact for local artisans.
However, Serengetee is cognizant of how they plan to manage growth, considering that there are many people directly impacted by their success. Jeff believes that expanding the product line and sourcing locations slowly will help do more for the business as well as their partners. “It’s about going deeper, rather than spreading too thin,” he says. By cementing relationships with cause partners and ensuring that these relationships are strengthened in the long term, Serengetee can continue to help the artisans – and their children – for years to come.
In 2011, while traveling on Semester at Sea, Jeff Steitz and Ryan Westberg began exploring markets and collecting fabrics from countries around the world. With these acquired fabrics, a pair of scissors, and several t-shirts, they began selling pocket tees from their college dorm. Serengetee was born.
Jeff and Ryan were truly appreciative of the stories behind the fabric designs and how they embody the culture of the communities. They felt that artisan traditions were dying across the world as cheap industrialized clothing continues to be the preferred garment of choice. Though some brands attempt to keep cultural fabric patterns alive, they typically circumvent local fabric makers by copying the patterns through large scale manufacturing. Serengetee saw an opportunity for delivering authenticity and a story. The fabrics are part of these indigenous communities’ legacies and they should be shared in a way that supports these communities. By giving back in this way, Serengetee enables their customers to live out their mantra, ‘Wear the World.’
Serengetee’s success comes from the personal relationships they have with their artisanal partners. As a result, the artisans from South/Central America, Africa, and Asia are more than suppliers: they are a part of the Serengetee community. Serengetee has earned their trust by supporting the artisans, not only in providing them with income for their daily work, but also in making the communities they live in more sustainable.
According to Jeff, “Finding the right partner, the right source of fabric, takes building relationships to get access. We have relationships with people on the ground in all [fabric sourced] countries, which is important because relationships are based on trust. ”For instance, prior to Serengetee’s arrival in Guatemala, their artisans did not have access to a market with a demand, and so their fabrics were typically made for local family members. However, Serengetee has given them a market and recourse to have sustained work and wages. Now 25 women who produce fabrics for Serengetee in Guatemala have formed a cooperative that empowers them as a collective within the community.
In addition to creating a forum for commerce in Guatemala, Serengetee has partnered with Mayan Families, an NGO that strives to facilitate enduring, sustainable programs that promote community development. This connection helps create greater access to food security, health, and other infrastructure support systems needed by the artisanal vendors in Guatemala.
For many twenty year-olds, there is no greater enterprise than traveling the world and meeting people from diverse cultures. The design of Serengetee’s business model affords its employees a work lifestyle that prioritizes employee flexibility and a sense of adventure. The intention is to be a very “lean” organization. Jeff says, “It’s about managing people rather than running a company.”
Their main workshop is situated in Los Angeles, California where most of the assembly takes place. Jeff and Ryan have created an incentive based structure that rewards efficiency rather than hours worked. But just like with their artisanal partners, Serengetee strives to empower its employees to work autonomously so there is less need for management oversight.
The success of their mission driven philosophy has led to collaborations with other like-minded brands, such as TheElephantPants and Chubbies Shorts. Serengetee is among the many young brands that are successfully appealing to the aspirational job and consumer markets in their ability to offer trendy products while doing good around the world.
According to Jeff, “…not only are we continuing the tradition of fabric makers, but we also directly support organizations improving those [communities]. We want our dollars to impact the most number of people in the biggest way.”
Beyond Mayan Families, Serengetee has established connections with cause partners around the world. In working with All Hands Volunteers, they’ve teamed up to source fabric from areas impacted by natural disasters in order to help bring economic relief. In Ghana, their donations go towards Serving Women in Ghana’s Obaatan Pa Women’s Hospital that provides cost effective and culturally sensitive health care at the highest level.
Jeff spoke about his particular love for Indonesia, not only for travel and scuba diving, but also because there are so many unique fabrics available. “The fabric pervades the culture,” he says. In Indonesia, they’ve partnered with Threads of Life to support indigenous communities on islands for access to greater demand for the island crafts.
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Jeff Steitz, Creating global connections through fabric and mission
