Textile Insight

STRATEGIES | FAMILY-OWNED FIRMS 30 • Textile Insight ~ March/April 2018 textileinsight.com Relationships Matter in Business; These Ventures Take That Notion to Heart. By Suzanne Blecher e've all heard the saying "it's not personal, it's strictly business." Yet when family members are involved, the tide can quickly change. Textile Insight asks members of family companies what makes them rewarding and fruitful. Ultimately, the goal in this industry is to promote great products. Here are four firms with tight family units at the helm. Feetures! Hugh Gaither heads up hosiery brand Feetures! as president, while son John is VP of product and Joe is VP of marketing. Both sons joined the family business (launched in 2002) after college, with Joe being responsible for coming up with the Feetures! company name at age 15. "As a father, it creates a strong sense of pride to be working with my sons. The fact that we can work together in a successful and growing business is a real sense of accomplishment," explained Hugh. While the three are "pretty competitive," working toward the same goal helps keep the peace. "We are all really pleased to come to work every day and we know that's not the case for many people," added the exec. Admittedly, it can be sometimes hard to know when to stop talking about business. Currently the team is working toward becoming "the most recognized performance sock brand in the world," with options for running, lifestyle, golf, hike and bike. "We represent three different generations. We have different personalities and perspectives, which contributes to better decision making," noted Hugh. Being a close-knit family business keeps the brand nimble and agile. Above all, "we treat others the way we would want to be treated," Hugh said. Marc Joseph New York Marc Joseph is Marc Antebi's second fiddle, first making it big in the house- hold products business. Marc and his friends founded USA Detergents, creator of XTRA laundry detergent. After taking the business public (the company was sold in 2001 to household products firm Church & Dwight), he started Brooklyn-based footwear brand Marc Joseph NY with sons Asher (now CFO) and Joseph (COO and creative director) in 2006. Marc is now president and son Jacob is director of sales. All three boys joined the brand right after college. "As a privately-owned family business, I feel that one of our biggest advantage is our ability to adapt really quickly to an industry change or situation as well as being able to create unique strategic partnerships," commented Jacob. The Marc Joseph NY brand is known for its mocs and loafers that are designed in New York and handcrafted in Brazil. "I love the fact that I get to work with my father and be with him day in and day out, there's so much to learn and I don't take it for granted," Jacob said. The goal of the family is to build a brand and company that their children and grandchildren can be part of for years to come. Muttonhead Twin sisters Mel and Meg Sinclair sowed the seeds for what is now unisex Family Value John, Hugh and Joe Gaither of Feetures! Mel and Meg Sinclair of Muttonhead

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