MENSWEAR STARTUP BRUMMELL RAISES $500,000 IN SEED FUNDING

Men’s lifestyle clothing startup Brummell has raised a $500,000 seed round from Chowning Group, a Houston-based private investment firm. The company, which was founded by two bankers who were looking for a more convenient and cost-efficient way to resupply their neglected top drawer – socks, underwear, and undershirts – has a subscription-focused customer base that spans all 50 states and over 30 countries.

Brummell launched in late 2017 as a startup for men’s dress socks. While comparable sock startups focused on colorful and gimmicky fads, Brummell focused on providing minimalist, premium-quality essentials as a subscription service.

Co-founders John LeFevre, former investment banker, creator of the popular @GSElevator Twitter account, and bestselling author, and Steve Staffan note that proceeds from the seed round will be used to continue funding online growth and expand their product line, with limited edition ties and wallets available in December 2019.

“We were always fans of replenishing our top drawer regularly; however, there was never a cost-efficient and convenient way of doing so,” the co-founders said in a joint statement. “Every other direct-to-consumer company in the market was neglecting our way of thinking, so we built the service that attracted us as consumers and figured there were others like us who care about value, quality, and convenience.” After the first ten months of business, Brummell was able to organically grow their product offering to include boxer briefs, and from that success, now offers undershirts – completing the top drawer offering.

“Even though we started as a sock company, we never viewed ourselves as such – but rather a lifestyle brand,” the duo added. “We were excited to quickly recreate boxer briefs that didn’t ride up throughout the workday and felt great in a suit or with shorts. Further, we were pleased with our ability to construct an undershirt long enough to stay tucked in all day, that was invisible, sweat-wicking and anti-odorous, but also exceptionally comfortable.”