Startup Hedlock appeals to fans of mixed martial arts, motocross
Noah Henderson is still amazed to spot complete strangers wearing the T-shirts and hats he designs for his startup label, Hedlok. His work, featuring angels and skulls, guns and crosses, shows up at Blazers games, Frenchman’s Bar Park and Oscar’s Bar & Grill, in addition to BMX, motocross, mixed martial arts (MMA) and other extreme sports events throughout the Vancouver-Portland metro area.
“It’s got a little cult following now,” said Henderson, 32, co-founder of Hedlok Clothing in Vancouver and the brand’s graphic designer.
Both extreme sports fans and former athletes, Henderson and his business partner James Kasch, 39, started Hedlok in May 2008 to build an apparel brand catering to the alternative lifestyle.
The brand has since grown in popularity among athletes and attendees of local extreme sporting events. And sales from their Web site, hedlokclothing.com, have seen “major growth,” said Henderson, who declined to disclose additional financial information.
o WHAT: Startup clothing design and marketing company with a line of shirts, hoodies, tank tops and hats geared to extreme sports enthusiasts.
o FOUNDED: 2008.
o LOCATION: Vancouver.
o CO-FOUNDERS: Noah Henderson and James Kasch.
o TOTAL EMPLOYEES: Three.
o WHAT'S NEXT: Owners are seeking venture capital funding to expand the company's presence nationally.
Munition Clothing stores and local gyms also carry Hedlok, which is printed in Vancouver on cotton garments.
Arsenal, a Kelso-based MMA gym that last week opened a new location at Westfield Vancouver mall, will start selling Hedlok clothing next year. The brand appealed to Arsenal owner Nick Kuning because Hedlok sponsors local fighters.
“Companies like Hedlok and Vicious FightGear in Portland, that pay for fighters to get medicals done and buy them shorts and gloves, they really push the sport,” Kuning said. “Some guys get into this thinking they’re going to make a buck because they can put their logo on any fighter. We don’t support that.”
Going national?
The partners are now courting venture capital investors in Seattle to expand the company’s reach to a national level, said Kasch. The company plans to hire more salespeople next year and grow the brand to include children’s clothing and designer helmets.
Henderson, who grew up skateboarding and snowboarding in San Diego and Vancouver, says he has always created art.
Clothing design is also in his blood. Henderson’s brother, Seth Aaron Henderson, has his own designer label and will be a contestant on the next season of “Project Runway,” the reality TV show that features up-and-coming fashion designers.
Hedlok is Henderson’s chance to combine his talents and create a brand to sponsor young athletes and encourage them to follow their dreams, he said.
Henderson now designs the company’s custom graphics while Kasch, who also owns a concrete-finishing company in Vancouver, oversees business operations. This summer they also hired consultant Annie Drury, 23, to create a public relations and marketing strategy.
The company’s most prominent sponsorship, which includes gym fees and competition entry fees, is champion fighter Willie Walden, who competes in the Full Contact Fighting Federation and trains at Team Quest in Vancouver.
They’re also working on a sponsorship deal with Hood River kiteboarder Amery Bernard and hope to add more athletes as they grow.
o WHAT: Startup clothing design and marketing company with a line of shirts, hoodies, tank tops and hats geared to extreme sports enthusiasts.
o FOUNDED: 2008.
o LOCATION: Vancouver.
o CO-FOUNDERS: Noah Henderson and James Kasch.
o TOTAL EMPLOYEES: Three.
o WHAT’S NEXT: Owners are seeking venture capital funding to expand the company’s presence nationally.
To expand their local brand awareness, Hedlok is planning a skateboarding tournament to be held in Vancouver next year, with a grand prize offering of sponsorship.
“I would like to help kids pursue that career,” Henderson said.
