Student starts menswear subscription company


When Alec Goldberg, a senior majoring in art, noticed the dearth in high-quality menswear subscription services, he decided to start one himself. Three Arrows, a premium menswear line that combines activewear, social wear and career wear was born.

Three Arrows has already been featured in outlets such as Yahoo Finance, Huffington Post and Haywire, and is well on its way to making a mark on the subscription business. Additionally, all clothing is manufactured entirely in the United States.

“I’ve always really been into fashion,” Goldberg said. “When I came out here, I got to work at [a top men’s clothing subscription company]. I realized that there’s a huge gap in menswear where there’s a lot of people who want subscriptions, but they don’t seem to offer high quality.”

Goldberg said that his experiences working in the fashion industry inspired him to build his own brand.

“Seeing all these different issues made me want to combine everything I love about the clothing industry while fixing all the things we have issues with,” Goldberg said.

In seeking to distinguish his clothing line from others, Goldberg ensured that his clothes were made with the highest quality materials and modeled his startup after other successful companies-turned-lifestyle brands, such as Lululemon.

He also decided to allow customers to pick and choose what to receive in the subscription kits, allowing the process to be more personal and interactive.

“What really distinguishes us is our quality,” Goldberg said. “We’re the only subscription line that allows you to curate kits yourself or have one of us, a personal stylist, curate for you.”

Considering the startup is still in its fledgling stages, Goldberg has encountered difficulties in directing his marketing towards a larger audience and generating interest in his product, as well as establishing rapport with manufacturers without a solid foundation backing him up.

“It’s very difficult to get people to understand the quality of your product without substantial brand recognition and getting your product out there so people can feel it.,” Goldberg said. “I’m figuring out how to get the audience I’m looking for. Long term, I’ve struggled with developing good relationships with manufacturers that you can trust, when you’re still a very small player in the game.”

Despite his difficulties, however, Goldberg experienced an enormous sense of accomplishment when a couple articles of clothing were produced, and he was able to witness his designs come to life.

“A high point was definitely the first time I actually got to wear my clothes to school or to the gym that I had been designing, manufacturing for over a year and actually getting to see that come to fruition,” Goldberg said.

Goldberg has high hopes for the future of Three Arrows if successful, he wants to expand into women’s clothing and set up several brick-and-mortar stores.

“Ideally, by 2019, we’ll have a women’s line, and we’ll be able to be one of the first subscription lines to actually have retail locations as well,” Goldberg said. “After the kickstarter, we’re definitely planning on approaching investors and getting some more people onboard.”

While most students are studying at USC to prepare for an already-established career path in a certain field, Goldberg has already taken steps towards launching an entirely self-directed, self-made career. 

“Realistically, I see this as my future career,” Goldberg said. “I realized last summer I can never work for someone again — too many suggestions that weren’t listened to, and I just didn’t like that.”

Goldberg hopes that Three Arrows will grow into a lifetime career.

“It’s interesting because I feel like I go to school for my career, and yet here I am in the midst of my career and I’m struggling with school,” Goldberg said. “I see myself working at Three Arrows for the rest of my life.”

Austin Murphy, a junior majoring in art and design, was one of the few to receive an advance sample of Three Arrows merchandise.

“I currently have his pants,” Murphy said. “They’re stylish, they fit my body well, and allow me to be active while looking good, it’s all about the craftsmanship and the material.”

Murphy, who looks for high quality and reasonable prices in his apparel, firmly believed that the Three Arrows garments fit the bill.

“It’s a good bargain. Usually I’m a guy who finds good deals, and this one I thought was well worth it,” Murphy said. “All the clothing is done is small batches right now so it’s made to last.”