Matteo Ferrer’s background in environmental sustainability and work for the City of Pittsburgh led him down an unexpected career path to becoming COO of his own clothing company.
Those twists and turns have more in common, though, than meets the eye.
“In that journey, I began wearing more dress shirts in and out of work,” says Mr. Ferrer, 31. “I was constantly sweating through them and being uncomfortable with sweat stains.”
It also bothered him that most were made overseas in factories that weren’t eco-friendly. That prompted Mr. Ferrer, who has a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, to embark on a mission to make “the world’s best dress shirts” in facilities entirely powered by renewable energy.
Mr. Ferrer, his wife, Julie, and his Florida-based clothing company VERSATTIRE caught the attention of Discovery Channel and are featured in the TV show “I Quit,” which chronicles entrepreneurs as they leave their day jobs and grow fledgling businesses with guidance from the show’s expert mentors. The show airs at 11 p.m. Saturdays.
He admits he didn’t know the first thing about launching a clothing brand.
“It wasn’t easy because I didn’t have the background,” says Mr. Ferrer, who returned to his home state of Florida a few years ago. “I finally met a consulting group who specifically helps people like myself take a fashion design idea and teaches them how to create the end product.”
That involved testing lots of fabrics to find one that looked and felt good. VERSATTIRE dress shirts are made with breathable polyester and Spandex for stretch and comfort. He said they also wick sweat and stay tucked in better than traditional cotton shirts.
They come in black, white and light blue and sell for $110 each. VERSATTIRE also sells men’s V-neck shirts for $35. Both styles are sold online at myversattire.com.
“It’s like a workout shirt for the office,” he says.
To stay true to his passion for sustainability, Mr. Ferrer wanted his shirts to be made in the U.S. to reduce the carbon footprint of producing and shipping them from overseas. He found a facility in Utah that’s powered by wind and solar energy to make them and another one in Miami that’s environmentally friendly as a backup.
“It’s not something apparel companies really do,” he says. “It took years to find a manufacturing facility that can do that and do it at an affordable price.”
As much as possible, VERSATTIRE strives to package products in materials that are recyclable or compostable.
Along the way to launching the company, he met his wife, who has a degree in fashion design and her own women’s loungewear brand, LOVE, BOMSHELL. Their dual paths as entrepreneurs and newlyweds caught the attention of Discovery Channel when they responded to a call from the network for people developing innovative products to be featured in a docu-series. VERSATTIRE was one of six companies selected to be on the show.
“They followed us around for a full year,” Mr. Ferrer says. “They wanted to capture the real moments. That’s what the show shows — those real moments of trying to start a company.”
He admits there have been bumps along the way, most recently as a result of COVID-19.
“A lot of ecommerce brands were kind of struggling from a little bit of an identity [crisis] from an advertising perspective,” he says. “It was a little bit awkward to advertise your product when there were a lot more pressing issues on people’s minds.”
People weren’t spending their money as freely either. Mr. Ferrer and his wife partnered on a plan to help both of their companies pivot by manufacturing and selling face masks on their websites. For each mask sold, one is donated to a hospital.
The TV show has given VERSATTIRE a boost in exposure and sales. Looking ahead, Mr. Ferrer’s goals are to find the company’s first investor and generate enough sales or capital to expand his team.
“Perseverance is the word of the year,” he says.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: September 21, 2020, 11:00 a.m.
