One image in Seager Company’s promotional video is of a surfer casually but expertly riding the waves, and the next image is of a few guys chasing after some cattle on a ranch in good fun. This combination of land and sea inspired Mattson Smith and Elliott Shaw, both Eleanor Roosevelt College seniors, to launch the apparel brand Seager Co. Alongside Smith and Shaw, Case Anderson, a Cal State Fullerton undergraduate, and Calvin Muusse created Seager Co. this past June.
Smith and Shaw loved the Wild West culture since they were young, and are devoted to the sea and surfing. As undergraduates, they had already decided on working for the surf industry, but upon looking around, never found anything they wanted — so they decided to start a brand that encompassed the two aesthetics.
“I’ve always been, and [Mattson] as well, inspired by the Old West,” Shaw told the UCSD Guardian. “Our grandparents kind of pushed it on us … I grew up wearing an old cowboy hat and boots, watching old Western movies, and we were always attached to Johnny Cash and that whole culture. But it was always in our own personal lives; we didn’t really push it. And we always loved the beach and surfing. We both realized how passionate we were for it, and then we just built a team. It was like at every step, [we thought], ‘All right what’s the next thing we can do?’”
As a result, Seager Co.’s theme is ‘unrefined Western grit,’ a phrase that concisely but appropriately describes Shaw and Smith’s vision for their brand. They aim to represent the American West as authentically as possible; their simple design coupled with the product’s durability is supposed to symbolize the rugged lifestyle of the West.
“I think what we mean by ‘unrefined’ is exactly what it is,” Smith said “We don’t want to be seen as a polished brand. We kind of just wanted to be everyday, workman kind of attire.”
These two entrepreneurs created Seager Co. because of their desire for a fusion of two visuals that had never been realized before
“Every time I think about our brand, I think of a funny idea: a surfer or skater wearing a cowboy hat,” Smith said with a smile. “That’s just not something that anyone has seen before. I think we’re unique in that regard. It’s a niche that hasn’t been touched, and I feel like we’re making a new style, and if it catches on, it catches on — if it doesn’t, I guess we’re goofy.”
Smith and Shaw first committed themselves to making this idea a reality in March 2013. After two long years of brainstorming, planning and researching, they and their two other friends finally launched the Seager Co. website in June 2015.
Although it is still quite a new company, when Seager Co. evolves into a more popular and profitable brand, Shaw and Smith plan on using their company as a platform for philanthropy. Befitting their company image, they intend to start by bringing more awareness to underprivileged Native American communities and become involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that gives aid to American service members who were injured.
“That would be success for us, if we were big enough to [the point] where we can host events,” Shaw said. ”It doesn’t have to be ‘here’s a million dollars; here’s a bunch of money’ to an organization, but just hosting events. I think that whole Western culture, and pretty much everything inland from the coast, is underappreciated. We both [think that]. That’s why we like it so much and we want to bring awareness to that whole situation.
Since their launch, Seager Co. expanded their products to Thalia Surf Shop, a small store with valuable floor space and rated as one of the top five surf shops in the world according to GQ Magazine. Shaw told the Guardian that it was not only his personal connections but also the marketability of their brand that Nick Cocores, the owner of Thalia Surf Shop, saw in Seager Co. and the individuals behind it.
“[Nick] knew that there wasn’t anything like [Seager Co.], and that’s what he prides himself on,” Shaw said. “[Thalia Surf Shop] has unique products that no one else has, and I think that excited him a lot. He didn’t have anything like [Seager Co.] and saw potential in it and us, really, which was great.”
Currently, Seager Co. sells seven different shirt designs and a low-profile cap. Smith and Shaw do plan on developing their modest clothing line to include not only outerwear but also more diverse merchandise, such as camping equipment. Although it will be costly to consistently produce high quality products, they plan on staying true to what they stand for.
“We want it to be workwear for the common man, but we want it to be as high quality as possible,” Shaw said. “We want it to be durable and long-lasting. It’s a matter of designing something that we think is creative and unique but stays true to conservative Western culture.”
As for personal goals, Smith and Shaw want to make enough to be able to live off of Seager Co., but money-making is not their end goal. Their version of success is based on how many people they can captivate with their unique vision.
“As a brand, [our long-term goal] would be to expand internationally and really open up a market to people who haven’t had this thought: that surf and skate can be mixed with old western culture,” Smith said. “Starting a new trend of how people dress would be a big goal for us.”
Although Seager Co. has established its foundation only in Thalia Surf Shop and The Old Well, another unique shop, it is also looking outward to broaden their scope of influence.
“That’s how we’re starting: We’re getting into core surf shops and trying to really capture our friends and the whole local surf culture, which in itself is a pretty big stepping stone,” Shaw said. “Our end goal would be to be a huge company in the surf industry as well as the outdoor industry. When it comes down to it, it’s not about being the richest, biggest company. I just want to live off of it. I want a little house by the beach, with a ranch. That’s really it. I think we can do some real good with [Seager Co.].”
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