In Shark Tank, season 6, episode 11 featured Julie Kalimian, a former media marketing executive, pitching her slimming yet fashionable women’s shirts, the so-called Skinny Shirt.
Company Overview in Shark Tank
| Company Name | Sleeveless Collared Shirts |
| Episode | Season 6 Episode 11 |
| Product Offering | Shirts with a collar but no sleeves |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Julie Kalimian |
| Required Investment | $100,000 For 20% Equity |
| Closing Deal | No Deal |
| Offered Sharks | No Shark |
| Current Business Status | Out of Business |
What is Skinny Shirt?
A skinny Shirt is simply a shirt with a collar but doesn’t have the full button down the shirt. This shirt is meant to be worn beneath coats, jumpers, and other blouses to give the illusion of wearing a full-collared shirt. The shirts look sleeker, slender, and are available in wide-ranging sizes and colors.
How Does Skinny Shirt Work?
Julie Kalimian used to work for a big corporation. Therefore, she liked wearing trendy and stylish fashions. But as a mom, she presently has less time pulling her looks together, so she has explored her new ideal look, button-down shirts and sweater.
She sought out a blouse with a collar of flexible quality, one that would be prone to wrinkles and messy. She was surprised that there was no such product on the market at the time.
As a result, it was the chance Julie had been hoping for. She created the Skinny Shirt, a mix of a button-down shirt and a camisole that could decrease crumples and wrinkles for users.
Accessible online and in some shops, the shirts are readily available to sell publicly around the country. At this point, Julie has made roughly $500K in sales. To expand the firm’s production and distribution channels, she was searching for more investment from the Shark.
Who Founded Skinny Shirt? Founder Backgrounds
Julie Kalimian was once an outstanding corporate climber. However, she became a stay-at-home mom when she had kids to look after.
Not long after, she discovered that she needed to do something about her business dream. She was hooked when the former high-flier found the Skinny Shirt as a business possibility.
In late 2010, Kaliman began marketing her clothing collection. A garment that felt and looked like a stretched, comfortable camisole was just what she was looking for. Her tailor attached the collar of a collared shirt to the top of one of her camisoles to create the initial prototype.
The founder then brought the Skinny Shirt from the drawing board to the store shelf with the support of her good friend, Alexandra Shuman, and Michael Kors designer.
Skinny Shirt Business Before Shark Tank
Early on, Julie Kalimian, the company’s founder, had a successful career in the publishing industry. During her peak corporate job, she was the Vice-President of Marketing at Newsweek Magazine. This was where she gained extensive expertise in sales and marketing.
Julie started SkinnyShirt in 201. The business seemed like a success at first. But later on, the firm was on the verge of bankruptcy when the founder ran into problems with low-quality suppliers. Consequently, she had cash flow issues that plagued her start-up businesses.
To seek the fund, she attempted to be on Shark Tank in May of 2013. Unfortunately, she was informed after a lengthy selecting procedure that she had been rejected.
When the show’s producers advised them, Julie did just that she could try again next year. She re-submitted her applications and was approved. Eventually, Julie was allowed to present her business concept to the sharks in late 2014.
Skinny Shirt During Shark Tank Pitch
When Julie came on the show, she was looking for a $100,000 invested capital for a 20% ownership in her company.
A beautiful model joined her during the pitch, but her shirt was wrinkled and messy. Julie revealed that she could change Kirsten’s wrinkled clothing issue with her shirt lines to the sharks.
Once the model started wearing the Skinny Shirt instead, she looked a lot more elegant and fashionable. Julie also exhibited a photo of how Kirsten had looked before, and after swapping the shirt, it was awe-inspiring.
Robert asked how many sales had been made. Julie said that the total sales had reached $500k in the past three years, making all Sharks stunned.
Julie went on to say that this year’s sales summed at $200kd. Then, Mark Cuban asked what the preceding year’s sales were; she seemed uneasy and revealed that it was only $50,000.
The founder admitted that she had troubles with production and stock. The producer delivered low-quality items for her, and she was obliged to take care of the damages.
Kevin insisted if Julie had acquired another producer yet. She replied that she had.
Robert questioned her pricing. Julie informed the Sharks that the sleeveless shirts could sell for $69 and the long-sleeved version could sell for $76.
Currently, each shirt cost was $12.75 per item, but with a substantial capital injection to place big bulk purchases, she could reduce the cost to $9.50 per unit.
Although the selling margins were exceptional, the sharks were still doubtful about Julie’s production troubles. It seemed like every time the sharks triggered the issue, Julie became more agitated and began to shake her impromptu responses.
Of course, Julie tried to make sense of the production’s sequence and challenges. However, under scrutiny, she seemed confused and could not elaborate her point well, making Kevin O’Leary ready to strike her explanation.
Kevin expressed his concerns over the company’s logistical issue, but Mark Cuban objected. Kevin also questioned Julie’s strategy to obstruct the shirt company from taking her business credit.
She claimed to have a strong trademark and a patent approaching. Therefore, she required extra money to cover production and distribution expenses. Kevin soon felt spoiled by her explanation and immediately announced that he was out.
On the other hand, Mark believed Julie deserved credit for starting the company, but he couldn’t see a solid business model. Julie tried to clarify how she planned to use the venture, but Mark cut her off.
He rationalized her data didn’t add any value; he was considerably more worried about her capital-management competence. Eventually, he was out.
Robert believed the Skinny Shirt was an excellent item, but he was less sure about Julie’s long-term inadequate plan for her business. With all these concerns, he declared to be out as well.
Lori Greiner saw potential in the Skinny Shirt idea and felt it might be a hit. Nevertheless, she wasn’t sure whether it was even trendy these days, and she didn’t understand the fashion trend. As a result, she also dropped out.
Barbara was the only Shark to answer. At this point, Julie looked desperate, but she appeared to realize she wasn’t going to close the deal now.
Barbara took her time, prudently evaluating the Skinny Shirt situation before speaking. She informed everyone that Julie had a respectable and firm manner during her presentation, even in the face of the scrutiny she had to experience.
Barbara showed her empathy towards Julie’s terrible experience with the production team. And she resonated that self-pity was the founder’s weak point, and as a result, she was out.
Skinny Shirt Closing Deal in Shark Tank
Julie joined Shark Tank, asking for $100k funds for a 20% equity in the company. Unfortunately, Skinny Shirt did not close the deal with any shark.
Skinny Shirt After Shark Tank
After Shark Tank, Julie whispered the sharks would regret not signing her.
A year after her episode aired, Julie told the media that in January 2016 that sales had climbed tenfold, in part because of the expanded network of stores she had established.
Nearly half of Julie’s sales come from the company’s website, where she sells a variety of new goods she didn’t present when she appeared on Shark Tank. With the help of QVC, the Grommet, and more than 300 retail shops, Skinny Shirts has become an enormous success.
A sweater for children has also been included in the collection. There were new jumper designs and many more classic options in 2016. That year, she began working on all-in-one items that gave her customers a seamless purchasing experience.
Current Update: Is Skinny Shirt Still In Business?
Following the broadcast, Julie shared some helpful insider information about the Shark Tank application process with other new innovators who would like to present their business proposals to the sharks.
Her experience sharing came in a blog post on the Skinny Shirt website, where she said that it might be a time-consuming procedure that can take several months and many processes, with no certainty that the applicants will be allowed to present to business moguls.
She expressed gratitude for the show’s assistance refining her business idea and prepping her for the types of inquiries that the Sharks were expected to mention.
Willpower and tenacity were the personal charismas she identified as most helpful in her selection for the program, and she recommends other applicants not to lose hope.
Nevertheless, by June 2018, her social media accounts had been inactive, and her business web page was also taken down.
