For Uniform Firm, a Sales Approach That Wears Well

Clotee McAfee has been designing sportswear, costumes and uniforms for more than 20 years. A few years back, she experimented with making uniforms for high school students and quickly realized that she was ahead of a trend. Last year, McAfee and her business partner, Ruby Eddie, opened a company to make school clothes for teens that allow individuality and style within a strict dress code. McAfee’s goal was to place her uniforms in Macy’s department stores, and she decided to aim high, learning that going to the top makes sense. McAfee was interviewed by freelance writer Karen E. Klein.

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I started by calling a local Macy’s manager. He said they were not selling uniforms but they might in the future. Well, I never heard back and kind of forgot all about it.

Then I called the Los Angeles Business Team [a city business development group]. I explained my idea and asked if I could use the business team’s name in approaching Macy’s again--but this time taking my idea to the top. They agreed.

I faxed a letter and sent a packet of publicity clips, a videotaped television segment on the uniforms and my proposal to Michael Steinberg, chairman of Macy’s West, at the company’s San Francisco division headquarters.

I got a fax back within two days from Steinberg saying he thought I had a great idea.

It seemed like things were going along fine. But by the time I was able to get a meeting with a buyer, the time frame was really getting tight for launching the uniforms this fall. Eventually the buyer decided we should wait until fall 1998.

A few days later, I was at an event and Macy’s was receiving an award. Mr. Steinberg was there. He asked how things were going, and I told him we had to wait until next year. He basically said: “No way! I want to test it this year.” Within a couple of days, we were back on track and everything was moving rather quickly.

In August, we opened a Uniformity boutique at Macy’s Crenshaw/Baldwin Hills store. The store clerks have told me that parents from the San Fernando Valley and Long Beach have driven in to buy our uniforms because kids are so resistant to the traditional-looking uniforms.

I definitely learned that you need to go directly to the top when you are proposing a revolutionary idea. The individuals who work in the top jobs are the visionaries, the ones who have the ability to see new ideas and plan strategies that will come about in the future. And they have the freedom to do that.

If you are doing something that’s innovative, the people working at the lower levels are not going to understand it. They deal with the day-to-day, not the long-range planning.

Also, once the top people are on board, you have more security that your idea will be carried out.

For next year, my goal is to do large-scale advertising and have Uniformity in 10 Macy’s stores.

And I have already sent a packet to the CEO of J.C. Penney so I can get into their uniform catalog. They are one of the few retailers that already has an established market for school uniforms, but they don’t have a high school niche. If we can partner with them, we’ll help them and they’ll help us.

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UNIFORMITY

* Owner: Ruby Eddie

* Nature of business: Manufactures and sells high school uniforms

* Location: Los Angeles

* Year founded: 1996

* Employees: 5

* Annual sales: $300,000