THIS IS A REPOST OF MY ORIGINAL BLOG about the giddythefup story. It is our underdog story. A small business story with a big idea...we know that such a fantastic idea is bound to be reworked, copied, mimicked etc by bigger fish in the pond...but we also know how fantastic our line is, and we are continuing to grow it everyday! We invite you to be part of our giddythefup revolution for all the small guys out there....
OG Blog post from February 1, 2019.
At one of our horse shows in 2017 there was a tshirt being sold by another vendor that everybody, for some reason, felt compelled to buy. It was just a plain white tee. Nothing seemed particularly special about the fabric or the fit. But it had the words Giddy Up on it in black bold caps. I think it retailed for around $35. So for a high end horse show, it was a price point after thought with a catchy phrase. A cute throw around barn tee if you will.
I was just amazed at how many people bought it. Not as amazed I am at how many people own hunt coats that are made out of scrim sheets, but amazed nonetheless. (Note to self: need to write blog about all the trends that I really just do not get) (Also note to that extremely nit-picky Equitation trainer that let’s there students where barn scrims, but fusses on about a silver logo on a sleeve Pfft! And don’t tell me how nice they look. They have freaking holes in them. You are not winning that argument). But it’s all good, some of my favorite peeps whom I love dearly, owns at least one if not 10 of those coats, and I still love them. At some point they are going to run out of mesh colors though right??? But I digress…. Week 3 of Thermal has been rough.
Ok onwards…I remember one day telling my partner in crime Jesse, that we should make the same t-shirt but put “the f up” in between the words. We both had a good laugh and said that would be a grand idea. It went on my to-do-list for the next round of eqgirl tees that I had been saying I was going to make for the past year. I think I talked about it all 2017, and then in 2018 too. Talk talk talk. But alas no new eqgirl collection. My forties came along and I just got lazy.
After a two month hiatus from horse showing at the end of last year, it was time that I got off my complacent butt and giddy’d the f up! But I didn’t want to just make a plain Jane barn shirt. I have a hard time selling clothes that I wouldn’t wear myself. And for me to love a shirt it has to be incredibly soft. It has to be flowy but flattering. And if it’s literally going to say something, it has to be sassy. I mean I really don’t want to drink Champagne all day and ride horses, shit gives me headaches and I have a hard enough time riding sober. So clearly I already had the sass, now I just needed the appropriate fashion vehicle for it.
On my inevitable post-Christmas exchange run (I am notoriously not easy to buy for), I was shopping at my favorite boutique and picked out the same super comfy fun tops I have been wearing for years. I think I have 4 or 5 of them in my wardrobe. And I was thinking, damn these are them, these are my perfect eqgirl vehicle. I did a little research and found out that, not only was my favorite brand based and manufactured in my home town of L.A., it was also owned by an equally savvy and sassy woman. #meant2be
Because it appeared to be a pretty established brand, I wasn’t sure if she would sell to a small store, sorry a small Equestrian store. But she called me up and was totally game! I was originally just going to buy some of my favorite pieces from her current collection to have something fun and new at Thermal, but she threw out mid conversion that I could do custom ones as well. Hellthefyes!
I told her my idea and what I wanted, and lickity split she went and by week 2 I had the first of my new eqgirl collection ready to go. If you happen to be at Thermal walking around then you are bound to see someone in a giddythefup sweatshirt.
And can I tell you…I rarely ever had website sales. Because let’s face it my website sucks, I have almost nothing on it. This is of course because I do it myself, and I NEVER shop online. I mean never. Amazon who? So I am totally unskilled, unmotivated, and just unloving of online shopping.
But just like that, one post to my also rather sad Instagram account, and BAM! sales. One after the other, shirts sold out first week. So we ordered more. And what do you know, sold out before the next week was even over. Other than keeping my Golden Retriever alive for almost 15 years, this could be my next biggest accomplishment. Ok well, after never strangling a customer, or an employee, or my boyfriend…then this.
I have been bombarded with messages from people asking when I am going to do tees? Will I do a hat? Are you coming out a with a whole collection?
Good news people. The answer is yes. I say yes to all the giddythefup you want!
All of these fabulous looks are currently in the giddythefup production for eqgirl.
Available on our website www.lasaddlery.com Happy shopping!