In this episode of Déclic, Marc-Antoine welcomes Anthony Vendrame, founder of Poches & Fils, to discuss the evolution of a Quebec brand that has become recognizable thanks to its pocket t-shirts, its humor, and its ability to surf on popular culture.
Anthony recounts the company's beginnings at HEC Montreal, the first sales on Facebook, rapid growth, television appearances, entry into boutiques, and then the challenges related to wholesale, production, cashflow, and product development.
The discussion also covers more difficult moments: loss of direction, separation from a partner, the pandemic, dependence on end-of-year sales, debts, banking pressure, and the real risk of bankruptcy.
Anthony then explains how the company recovered, notably through significant cuts, Shopify Capital funding, the arrival of new partners, the creation of the FDB character, and a new growth vision. The episode also explores the acquisition of C'est Beau, the potential of B2B, the synergies between Poches & Fils and FDB, as well as future projects around storytelling, events, and investment in e-commerce companies.
A conversation about resilience, creativity, business models, profitability, and the ability to transform difficulties into a new growth phase.
