Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle McAllister.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I came up with the idea for Global Threads after studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I’ve always been an avid traveler and college was no exception. In 2013, while attending Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, I had the opportunity to attend the Gonzaga-in-Florence study abroad program with 150 of my fellow classmates. It was the experience of a lifetime.
I was super proud of the program I attended and was in search of apparel to celebrate the experience after returning home. That’s when I realized a gap in our university’s merchandise. At that time, Gonzaga-in-Florence apparel didn’t exist at our university bookstore. I began making small batches of custom-designed t-shirts and tanks for my classmates and a new company was born.
Since graduating from college, the concept of Global Threads has grown into a full-blown custom apparel and pre-designed merchandise company. We’ve iterated and tweaked our process to create the well-oiled machine we are today. We are proud to create authentic custom-designed apparel for dozens of business, events, schools and sports programs around the world.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course not. Anytime you start a new company – especially right out of college – it has its challenges. After earning my degree in Business Finance and Marketing, I started working as a stockbroker for TD Ameritrade. I was still taking orders for custom-designed shirts and apparel on the side, but wasn’t sure if I was ready to fully jump in.
As my passion and excitement for Global Threads began to grow, my work at the trade desk started to take a hit. My dream to have my own business began to interfere with my day-job and made it impossible to be successful in either endeavor. Something had to give. After one year at TD Ameritrade, I quit and decided to put 100% of my focus on Global Threads.
Diving head-first into Global Threads and building a successful and sustainable business model was a learning process.
Choosing the best textiles and materials.
Building an easy-to-use website with effective design tools.
Establishing a seamless customer-communication flow.
Facilitating the design process from beginning to end.
Creating high quality merchandise with quick turnarounds.
Building a company that provides a personalized design experience and meets the needs of its customers is a balancing act. We’ve spent the last 6 years becoming experts in this craft.
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Global Threads is a customer-first design company. While there are many custom-print apparel businesses, we pride ourselves in our expert design team, the high-quality materials we print on, and the personalized customer support our client’s receive throughout the design process. Our mission is to go beyond the threads and to delight and help customers create a final design they are happy with.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
I think we’ll start seeing mobile and desktop design and ordering capabilities continue to advance. We are currently working on a simple reordering platform for some of our regular clients. Soon, reordering their shirts and designs will happen with a click of a button.
The market trends and costs per shirt and material will also continue to change over time. There are so many variables throughout the design and production process that are constantly in flux. It’s our job as experts to stay on top of these changes and trends and to continue delivering great service and value to our customers.
Pricing:
- Pricing is variable depending on design need, t-shirt material, and quantity.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1601 elm street Dallas, TX 75201 & 5208 everglade rd Dallas, TX 75227
- Website: globalthreadsllc.com
- Phone: 425-233-4290
- Email: info@globalthreadsllc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalthreadsllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlobalThreadsLLC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlobalThreadsLL
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/global-threads-dallas
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=global+threads+google&oq=global+threads+google+&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3.5564j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#
Image Credit:
Global Threads, Gonzaga university, JBA select, Aleeyah Johnson, Thierry
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