Moses Mandelbaum Speaks on Creating a Fashion Tribe
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Moses Mandelbaum founded True Outliers on his pursuit to design a luxury, warm and environmentally friendly coat that could withstand the frigid Canadian winters. As he started his business, he built a community of individuals that embody the core value “We are a group of people that are not concerned with what everyone else is doing. We beat to the tune of our own drum, making us True Outliers.” On September 12th, 2019, True Outliers was launched via an invitation-only TIFF party at Struck Contemporary in Toronto, Canada.
It took over 2 years of hard work and 30+ prototypes, before Moses discovered the perfect combination of sustainable materials and fashion to market the True Outlier parka. The parkas, crafted with a Teflon-treated cotton outer shell, 650 power fill down and a liner made from ethically sourced mink fur, have the ability to endure temperatures down to -40 degrees celsius.
In order to market the parkas in True Outlier fashion, the social media campaign focused on the contrast of the skin against the luxury of the mink lining. Contrast and going against the grain are values for True Outliers. Instead of distributing to the masses, sales are curated online and potential customers must explain how they represent the True Outlier ideals in standing apart from the crowd. Due to high demand, Moses Mandelbaum and his team want to focus on the exclusivity of the parka and being a part of the True Outlier tribe. Moses explains the process for becoming a True Outlier, “A True Outliers parka isn’t something that just money can buy. You need to apply before buying the coat. That’s correct. You have to be deemed a “true outlier” in order to be able to purchase the coat. The purpose of the screening process is to create a movement. The goal being that when you see someone on the street in their True Outliers parka, you know that they are someone special. They are a true outlier, in both their work lives and personal. They carry the values of our worldwide movement, and are someone that any passerby on the street would be lucky to get to know.” To become a member of the tribe, a person needs to show how they are true to themselves, proud of who they are and they don’t care about the opinions of others. After a careful screening process, select people are chosen to be in the True Outlier tribe.
Moses Mandelbaum understands that much of marketing today is reliant on social media in the various forms so he and his team continue to build the online presence representative of the core values. For Moses, the biggest accomplishment is that Outliers is a worldwide group of people that are different, yet joined together by the True Outlier mindset. After selling out the first season, the company is limiting sales to keep the integrity of the brand. Owners know that they are part of a collective group that appreciates the craftsmanship and beauty of the parka. A-list clients include Andrea Bocelli, Nicole Scherzinger, Nicole Kidman,Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Michael Jordan to name a few. This year, True Outliers is taking the parka game up one more notch by offering customized paintings on the coat. Each parka will truly be a work of art.
Beyond True Outliers, Moses shares his fashion ideas with his over 50k @styledbymoses Instagram followers, and he displays his more artistic side to his 40k followers @curatedbymoses. Moses says, “The most important thing you can do is to truly love yourself. Then, you’ll do what you really want to do, and will really be able to help others.” As he continues his journey with True Outliers, he will keep doing what he believes in what is right for the target segment. Follow the True Outliers journey here.