From L to R: Kenneth Fish, Jason Kibbey, Jeff Denby & Molly Doctors at the Global Green Fashion Show at the W Hotel in San Francisco, 12/2009. photo: Marques Daniels
This is part one of a two part interview with Jason Kibbey, CEO & Co-founder of Berekely-based PACT Apparel Inc.
KF - Part of me likes the name, PACT, and part of me wonders if it has anything to do with, you know, "that's a well packed pair of undies." Would it be way off base to think the company name has anything to do with underpants humor? (and by the way, I've read of the "team's well-endowed engineer" from the trade show back in 2007)
JK - Back in our earliest underwear days we had some different word combinations that when combined with the word PACT played on underpants humor. When we began working with Yves and fuseproject and they came up with PACT and a new visual identity for PACT, it emerged with its own voice that wasn't cheeky and wasn't really about an underwear joke. PACT refers to the pact our customers are making with their sustainable underwear and the organizations they support.
KF - I know that Jeff was really into the idea of starting an underwear company back in grad school but did either of you ever think that it would happen?
JK - We might have been full of hubris, but as soon as we started working together we always assumed that this was going to happen. We never thought in terms of "if we could make this work..."
KF - Did you think it would happen the way it did?
JK - I am surprised that we are working with Yves and fuseproject and the incredible people who we're working with from our photographers to our PR team. We knew that we would launch a company, but we didn't know if it would be something that would start off small and then eventually start getting recognized. Instead the response has been amazing and humbling. It's a lot of fun, and it keeps getting more exciting.
KF - How has hooking up with Yves Behar influenced PACT and the PACT product?
JK - Yves and his team at fuseproject have influenced everything about PACT after the original idea of sustainable underwear that give money back to organizations. If it is designed, we worked with fuseproject on it. They are fantastic partners and they own a substantial piece of PACT. We work together with them every week and I must say it's the most exciting collaborations I've ever experienced. From web, to packaging, to product, to the way we think about problem solving in our company design thinking and the work of Yves and fuseproject is there.
For more information and articles about PACT and PACT products click here, here or here.
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