Susan Mocarski saw a problem and set about designing a solution: in this case, a boutique cape that protects commuters atop bicycles from both precipitation and perspiration.
Mocarski founded Cleverhood LCC to address the needs of a huge demographic of cyclists, like herself, who ride on an upright step-through bike, in regular clothing.
She wondered why no one was making apparel designed for “slow bikers,” a term recently coined to describe people who ride bikes for daily transportation, as opposed to fast-road bike riding as recreation or sport.
“I was tired of sacrificing look for performance in rainwear,” she said. “One thing led to another, and I found myself at a textile show in New York, trying to find a waterproof, breathable fabric.”
She became a fabric fiend, traveling to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer show, where she visited nearly 50 vendors and walked away with more than 100 sample fabrics.
Mocarski claims she only intended to make one piece, until a hurdle prompted her to go big: “The minimums were huge, and I thought, ‘I can do this.’ ”
Cleverhood LLC was incorporated in 2010, and the garment was launched in April 2012. The first place Cleverhood went into production was Jade Apparel Inc. in Newark, N.J., where she had to commit to at least a sample run of about 100. Mocarski says she quickly made adjustments, and there have already been two or three generations of the cape. “Meanwhile, [the first trial run] is what all my friends and relatives are wearing,” she joked.
The latest incarnation of the rain cape includes a fitted hood, to wear under your helmet; an outer loop for a coat hook or to hang a safety light; a zippered outer pocket; holes for your arms, snapped closed by magnets; reflective trim; and elastic loops hidden inside the cape to keep it in place over a bike’s handlebars.
“I hope it will ever evolve. Because we’re small, we can make those changes. We can be adaptive,” Mocarski said.
The first beta testers were buyers from the Brooklyn Bike Jumble, and the second round were New York City bike messengers, who filmed the cape in action. Cleverhood’s customers have been very helpful in shaping the product.
Cleverhood’s widespread success is predominantly achieved through word of mouth. In the early days of the company, Mocarski paid to advertise on a blog called Lovely Bicycle, but since then her marketing partner, John Coulbourn, has increased their brand visibility online, through social networking.
“Sales online have been brisk, and we’ve sold to folks all over the world,” Mocarski beamed. “At the New Amsterdam Bike Show in New York, we sold out 50 garments the first day, and had to drive back to Rhode Island [to restock].”
A self-described “Navy kid,” Mocarski went to 10 schools in 12 years and spent part of her childhood on the Newport base. She and her husband moved to Rhode Island from New York City in 1989.
“I think Rhode Island is a great place for this company to be from,” Mocarski said. “It’s a quirky, creative place, there’s a lively city here, and community and localism are important. I like all those things.”
The two cape models currently available sport local namesakes: the TF Green, a traditional green Glen plaid, and the John Brown, made from brown brushed microfiber.
On August 6, Cleverhood moved out of Mocarski’s home office, and into the fourth floor of the Irons and Russell Building on Chestnut Street, in an area being marketed by the city as the Knowledge District.
Though there are currently only four full-time employees at Cleverhood, Mocarski relies on a variety of local businesses, subcontracting to Alphagraphics, Alegra and Logica Design in Providence.
“I just want to keep our costs down as much as possible so that we can afford to make this in the U.S. with high-quality components, like the YKK zippers and the Metlon trim,” Mocarski said. “I’d rather pay people well than have a fancy office.”
Making a high-quality product locally is not cheap; the rain cape retails for $240. Mocarski said about 60 percent of the price tag comes from labor costs.
“I’m very conscious of the fact that Rhode Island is struggling. I really want to keep everything, as much as I can, in this state,” Mocarski said. •
COMPANY PROFILE
Cleverhood LLC
OWNER: Susan Mocarski
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Apparel
LOCATION: 95 Chestnut St., Providence
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 4
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2010
ANNUAL SALES: WND
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