Ep. 26: Performance jackets inspired by NASA technology Podcast

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Ep. 26: Performance jackets inspired by NASA technology

In this episode of The WTiN Podcast, we talk to Hema Nambiar, founder and CEO of 13-One. The company specialises in performance travel jackets made from Heatsheet technology.

Jessica Owen
Hello. My name is Jessica Owen, and I am the Deputy digital editor at WTIN, and this is the WTIN podcast. For this series, I'll be talking to startups and other new brands across the textile and apparel industry, from sustainable swimsuits to jackets inspired by NASA technology. We talk about products the highs and lows of starting a business, and advice for others interested in entering this space. This week, I am joined by Hema Nambiar, who is the founder and CEO of 13-One, a brand that has turned heat sheet technology into stylish travel jackets, Hema talks about the astonishing story that inspired her to bring her idea to life, the technology behind the jacket, and how her children leaving the nest has given her time to start this new chapter. Hello and good afternoon. Hema, welcome to the WTIN podcast. It's great to have you on the show today. So before we ask any further questions, do you want to just briefly tell me about 13 one and what it is that your company does?

Hema Nambiar
Sure. Thank you so much for this opportunity. Jessica, I'm very excited to do my first podcast. So yes, so my company name is 13 one. I get a lot of questions on why I named the company 13 one, and it actually comes from the number of miles in half a marathon. I used to run half marathons, and the first time I completed one, I was wrapped in a silver heat sheet to keep me warm, and I learned that the heat sheet technology was similar to what astronauts used in space to keep warm. So I fell in love with this technology and realized that, you know, I wanted to have this in a fabric form, and I thought it would be more environmentally friendly to have something in a fabric form than a heat sheet that gets thrown out at every race. I

Jessica Owen
read on your website that another part of the inspiration for the brand came about after you had had surgery for a collapsed lung. And can you tell me more about this and how this ties into everything.

Hema Nambiar
Sure, it's a very bizarre story, and you're going to get a very quick anatomy lesson. So several years ago, I wasn't feeling well, but I had three children under the age of seven, and we had just moved into a new house, and I thought it was the stress of that. But the pain continued, and so after seeing three, three or four thoracic surgeons, they found out there was three things wrong. First, I had a rupture diaphragm. Second, I had a my left lung was collapsed, and third, my left lung cavity was filled with lots of organs, which explained why I was breathless and had chest pains for over a year. And so it took two massive surgeries to fix me. And what they did was they put a synthetic diaphragm inside. And if you don't know what a diaphragm does, it is a muscle that we all have. It's actually dome shape that separates your thoracic cavity from your abdomen. And if anything happens to your diaphragm, the organs in your abdomen migrate into your lung cavity. And what happens is, or what happened to me was, my pancreas, my liver, my intestines, they were all in my cavity, kind of stuck together. And the problem arises when the circulation, the blood circulation, stops in each of the organ and the organs might, you know, stop working. And so luckily, the doctors found that out and was able to fix me. It took five years to recover, and after the surgeon gave me the green light to exercise, I decided that I wanted to run a half a marathon. I thought running would help me get stronger, help my lungs get stronger, and it was something that I really wanted to do. So I trained for four months, from January to April, and when I crossed the finish line for the half marathon, you know, I was crying. My family was there cheering me on, and I got wrapped in a heat sheet. And I looked around, and there were 5000 other women wrapped in heat sheets celebrating in the most beautiful place in the world Central Park New York, and it was that magical moment that I felt alive again. You know, I felt normal for the first time. So, yes, that's the story. I

Jessica Owen
mean, it's an astonishing story. I can't believe how the human body can get itself into that situation, with how. Thing, all these different organs jumbled up together in a place where they should not be. So it's a remarkable story. And now obviously you've got this great company to sort of show for it, show how you've recovered. So I understand that you've taken these, this heat sheet technology, and you've made a line of jackets with it, is that right? Yes,

Hema Nambiar
so I made a collection of jackets in three styles. They're beautifully made. So one is a pullover, which is a very sporty look. Then I have a full zip, and these two are unisex, and then I have a classic trench that is just for females. All the jackets weigh less than one pound, and each jacket has a silver lining, which is the special technology. And what it does is it retains 90% of your body heat, which keeps you warm. The fabric is very durable, and it provides excellent protection in rain, snow and wind. The jackets are all windproof, waterproof, lightweight and packable, making them perfect jackets for training, for sporting events or traveling, right?

Jessica Owen
And so do you have a background in textiles at all? Or how did you go about setting up this brand of yours? Well,

Hema Nambiar
I studied economics in college, but I have a passion for textile. My mom, my sister and our family friends were all seamstresses. When we migrated in Canada from India in 1976 we settled in a city called Hamilton, Ontario. And Hamilton was a booming city with a lot of factories, and the two main industries were steel and textile. And for immigrant workers, you know, it was very easy to get a job as seamstresses. So I would go and visit my mom and her friends at these factories. And I just remember the factory floors being loud, and all the you know, sewing machines lined up in a row with women with their head down. And on each sewing machine there were, you know, piles and piles of fabric that they had to finish on their shift. And so that fascinated me. And also, oh, it's actually very similar to the movie Norma ray with Sally Field. If you watch that, you'll get an understanding what a factory used to look like back in the 70s. And also, I was born in a region called Gujarat in India. And Gujaratis in India, as well as worldwide, are known to be business people, entrepreneurs, industrialists. And currently, the four richest families are guja These and are entrepreneurs. So I guess you can say it's in my blood to have a business,

Jessica Owen
yeah, so when you decided that this was what you wanted to develop and make, what was the first step that you took to sort of get this off the ground?

Hema Nambiar
So after I ran my half marathon, I was, you know, at home, I used to make scarves and little accessories that I used to sell to my friends. And then I applied to a program called Goldman Sachs Tory Burch, 10,000 small business program. And at a 500 applicants, they chose 30 entrepreneur, female entrepreneurs, to go through this five month long program, and it required us to go to a college once a week. And in that class, it gave us knowledge, it gave us tools, and it gave us the confidence to, you know, take our business, our small little business, and take it to another level. And in one of the classroom, the assignment was how to think outside the box, and that is the class that I thought of the heat sheets. And I thought, hmm, you know, I love this heat sheet technology, but you have to throw them out at, you know, after the race. Wouldn't it be great if I had this in a fabric form, where I could create a jacket that I could have all year round, and it's better for the environment. And that was my big aha moment.

Jessica Owen
So obviously you need to then design the actual jacket yourself, and I'm guessing have to find a fabric supplier. So how did that all come about? So

Hema Nambiar
you know, because I knew what heat sheets were. They were given at Marathon. So I call the company that produces heat sheet, and I spoke to the marketing person there, and I said, Listen, I love your technology. Do you guys have this in a fabric form? And they're basically like, who are you? And I told them that I was part of this Goldman Sachs Tory Burch 10,000 small business program, and this is my idea. So after building a relationship for two months, they finally said, Listen, we do have a fabric. We've never done anything with it, but you seem like a, you know, an. It's very entrepreneurial. Why don't you take this and run with it? So they sent me 30 fabrics, and from the 30 fabrics I created some samples, I created some patterns, and here I am,

Jessica Owen
right? So from having the initial idea, then to your garment in your hand in your first sale. What? What time scale are we looking at?

Hema Nambiar
So I finished the program, the Goldman Sachs birch 10,000 small business program in February of 2016 I had the jackets made and ready to be delivered. 2007 1017

Jessica Owen
and so you've been in business now for two or three years. Then, yes,

Hema Nambiar
I wasn't able to work on it full time when I created it, because I had three children in high school, which required a lot of time. So I was working on the business in between their activities. And one day, I calculated that I was working with them or driving them to carpools for 25 hours a week, and I thought to myself, What am I going to do with this time? Once they leave, I needed to have a project. You know, I didn't want to be lonely or I didn't want to be depressed, so I created this business knowing that, you know, I had something to work on once they left. And you know, surprisingly, lot of people who are stay home, mom or dads are in this situation. So my one big advice is, you know, plan ahead while they're your children are in high school, plan ahead to do some courses at your community college, or start a little business, whether it's photography or art or cooking, and so you have something to work on once they leave. There's also a great movie called The intern, and it's with Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro. And Robert De Niro is a 70 year old widow who's bored at home and decides to go and intern at a fashion e commerce startup. And it's a brilliant movie, and I think it's very inspiring. 

Jessica Owen
Do you know what? I actually saw that film for the first time a couple years ago on I think it was a flight to the Caribbean, and I got off the plane and I was crying in that film. I just thought it was such a lovely story and that no one took him seriously because of his age at first, did they? And yet, actually, he was a real asset to the company by the end of it, isn't it? 

Hema Nambiar
I mean, you have to think, right, there's a huge market of people that are going through what he's going through, and like myself and, you know, raising children, you do have a lot of experience. You know it's a difficult job, and you do have a lot to offer, and so be excited for that next phase in your life, right? And don't let rejections stop you from doing whatever you want. Just keep at it. 

Jessica Owen
Yeah, and I think it's a good message as well, like, you're never too old to start something new, exactly. So do you mind me asking what it was you were doing beforehand? Were you a stay at home mom and you dedicated yourself to your children? Or what other jobs have you had?

Hema Nambiar
So my economic my degree was in economics, and then when my husband and I decided to have family. It was very important for one of us to be at home. We didn't have any family around in New York, and so I chose to be home for a certain number of years, and it ended up being 19 years. And my three children were very athletic and played a lot of sports. So there was, you know, lot of carpooling, there were a lot of soccer games, there were a lot of baseball games, and I had the best time, you know, being there, my husband traveled a lot for work, and so it was nice for them to have a mom to come home to, you know, it kept them out of trouble. And I also knew that I had a lot to offer, because I did a lot of volunteering work while they were in school, I taught them how to play baseball. I taught them how to kick a soccer ball. I know all the rules for baseball and soccer, and so that was my comfort level, and I maximized my time with them and enjoyed every minute of it.

Jessica Owen
So just going back to your brand then 13 one, can you tell me a bit more about the heat sheet technology and the fabric that you then chose to work with? What is it in, in the fiber content or technology that makes it so effective?

Hema Nambiar
The jackets are made from a reflective, lightweight polyester woven fabric. The fabric has a propriety silver lining. The technology is actually called radiant barrier that was created by NASA for the space suits and shuttles. The fabric has two capabilities. It can reflect 90% of your body heat back to you, or it deflects the sun rays. If the silver side is on the exterior, the fabric is very. Durable, even though it's very thin and it's perfect for performance wear or outdoor apparel.

Jessica Owen
And is it breathable and water repellent as well, if people are going to be wearing it as a jacket?

Hema Nambiar
Yes. So it's went proof it's waterproof, and you know it the the breathability is with all the zippers that you have, right? You can just unzip parts of the the jackets that can give you the air that you need, but the actual fabric is not breathable. Okay?

Jessica Owen
And whereabouts are these manufactured now?

Hema Nambiar
So they're manufactured overseas, in China, and originally I would I wanted to create the jackets here, so I reached out to a lot of manufacturers here, and they couldn't, you know, get the technology right or nor did they have the machines to to work on this fabric. So I had to outsource to China, and they do a wonderful job. And, you know, it took because this fabric is very thin and very new to the market. It took a lot of, you, know, knocking on doors in the garment district in New York City to find a person who could actually make a pattern for me in samples to get this line rolling. And

Jessica Owen
I mean, at the moment, we're obviously in the middle of this Coronavirus situation. I don't suppose your business has been impacted at all. If you've been manufacturing in China,

Hema Nambiar
actually, no. So I have inventory that can sustain me for a while and get through this. So I'm not worried. No, my business has not been impacted. Fortunately, I'm still staying afloat and shipping out jackets, you know, on a daily basis. So I'm lucky in that way.

Jessica Owen
Well, that's good to hear. So how well have your products been received so far? Then have you? Have you found that there's actually quite a lot of demand for this type of product?

Hema Nambiar
Yes, you know, and if you look at what's happening right now with what's you know, in our environment and politically and socially, there's a lot that's going on. So the first thing is, the weather is unpredictable, right? Due to global warming, we're getting more rain than ever, so rain jackets are in demand. Secondly, people are exercising more. It's not just the athletes anymore. You know, the average Joe like myself have bucket lists. We want to run marathons. We want to climb mountains. We're outdoor enthusiasts, so we're looking for advanced technology in our wear. Thirdly, you know, the travel is cheapest it's ever been. So people love to get away for the weekend, but they don't want to take a huge suitcase. They want to take a small carry on and pack, you know, lightweight garments, which my jacket offer. And finally, we're not working nine to five anymore, like Dolly Parton sang in her song in the 80s. We're actually working five to nine, and we have a lot more disposable income, but we don't have time to go shopping. So the internet is a big, you know, market for us. And my, my shop is an E commerce business. So that's, that's a bonus, also for me.

Jessica Owen
And obviously your product is, must be quite, um, well, it can be used for different situations, because I think I've seen in your website, there's someone who's wearing it for yoga. Another person's on the Inca Trail in Peru. Someone else is at Everest base camp. It's obviously got so many different sort of uses.

Hema Nambiar
Yes, so my two customers are runners or athletes who condition in harsh conditions, whether it's rained or cold day or windy day. And you know, I've had several customers who sent me a photo of them after running the New York Marathon. And one of my favorite photo is of Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Airlines, who wore my jacket after his first New York City Marathon, and when I got that photo, I was so excited. And the second group of customers are travelers. You know, people love to travel light now. You know, they also want to pack smart, and they want to look good throughout the day as well as the evening. So my piece, or our jackets, is a great transition piece, and I'm seeing the world through their adventures, because they're sending me photos of all these exotic places that they go to.

Jessica Owen
And so just going back again to when you first started the business, am I right? You're saying that you started on Kickstarter.

Hema Nambiar
Yes, Kickstarter is a wonderful platform. I pledge to make $10,000 in 30 days, but I made 15,000 I got orders from 10 different countries, and my offer was that I was offering the jackets at a discounted price. Yes, and it's a great platform, because you get exposure, right? You get to see if your if your product is actually liked by people. And it also gives you the urgency to produce your products, right? Because the people who are pledging the money you want to give them something in return, and for what you told them that you were going to give them. And so I learned a lot from Kickstarter, and Kickstarter takes 5% of your commission, but the only drawback is that you have to make the full amount that you pledge, right? So if I hadn't made the 10,000 I wouldn't receive any of the $10,000 so be realistic about your goal. And, you know, because it reaches an audience worldwide. Currently, somebody from Japan reached out to me and would like to bring my jackets to Japan. And I asked them where they found me, and they said, I saw your Kickstarter campaign. We think your jackets are really cool, and we like to, you know, bring your jackets to the Japanese market, which is kind of cool, right? Because I did something Kickstarter two, three years ago, and I'm still reaping rewards from it. 

Jessica Owen
And, I mean, since then, you've been featured in a lot of press as well. Because, I mean, I, again, was snooping on your website, and obviously saw that you've been featured in women's running Readers Digest. You also did an elevator pitch on, I think it was CNBC. So how have you enjoyed all of that since?

Hema Nambiar
Well, Jessica, this this company is actually teaching me a lot. It's bringing me out of my comfort zone, and one of my biggest fear is public speaking, especially in front of the camera. So when I was first asked to be on MSNBC, they basically gave me, I think, four to five days to prepare. And my original thought was, No way I am not going to do this. I can't do this, but when you're wearing all the hats of the company, there's nobody else that you can fall back onto. So I had to do it. So I prepared and prepared and prepared and practiced in front of the mirrors. And, you know, held my breath through it and got through it. And, you know, television media is a huge opportunity. I mean, the number of people that came to my website after that 62nd pitch was enormous. And then after I finished my MSNBC, CNBC also invited me to be on their station, and that also brought me a lot of attention. And from that, magazines like departures and travel magazines and Forbes, huge publications, wrote articles on the on the jackets. So it's, you know, it's a snowball effect, but, yeah, it creates a lot of anxiety in me, but I know that at the end of the day, I have to do it, because I'm a one woman shop

Jessica Owen
Exactly. And like you said, being outside your comfort zone is something. It's probably the best thing you can do in life. It shows you that you are capable of a lot more than you think, and you can get over those fears. And it's all worth it in the end, absolutely.

Hema Nambiar
And going back to, you know, being home for 19 years with my kids, and when you're raising children with one income, you have to be very resourceful, right? When they want to play travel sports, it becomes very expensive when they want to go on these school trips or when they want these, you know, new outfits, you have to be resourceful and frugal, and that's what I'm applying to this business. You know, I'm bootstrapping my business. I didn't take any investor money, and so learning the ropes from bottom up is very gratifying and satisfying for me.

Jessica Owen
So you obviously said that you're wearing all the hats for this business. Um, so are you You still only just yourself running this business, or do you have anyone else at all that you can call on, maybe just to do a bit of admin work, for example? Um,

Hema Nambiar
so currently, I'm finally getting to work on this business full time, because I only became an empty nester in September, so all my three kids are out of the house now. And you know, I can sit there from 8am to 6pm and work on this business. And yes, I do hire freelancers if I need help with marketing or if I need help with legal work or accounting. So I do have a staff, but I use them as I need them

Jessica Owen
being a startup or still a relatively new business. What have there been the biggest challenges so far? Oh,

Hema Nambiar
my goodness, that is so easy. Hands down, social media. Jessica, I am awful at computers and unfortunately, social media and digital technology is the way that we communicate now with customers, right and when you're struggling and don't know how to do all these new platforms that keep coming out on a weekly basis. It's hard to, you know, get your head wrapped around it. So that's my biggest challenge. Is digital media, and also, because I'm bootstrapping this whole business, I don't have the resources to hire an outside agency, which costs a lot of money. So, you know, working on this full time now, I am learning about social media. I'm learning what's out there. And, you know, I have the time to do this. So I'm hoping that this time I can spend on these, on this aspect of the business, which I really don't like, but I know I have to do it.

Jessica Owen
Could you not call upon your children at all? I mean, they're of the generation that's now grown up with them social media, a bit like myself. So can they give you any hints and tips at all?

Hema Nambiar
Okay, so I learned about Tiktok. So at one dinner time, I said, Hey guys, what do you think if I did some Tiktok videos? They all put their, you know, cutlery down, and said, Mama, you have no business on Tiktok that is for a younger generation. And no way, no way, no way. And so I thought, okay, then I will move on to something else. So they are aware of what's out there. They're very busy with their school and their sports. So I don't really ask them, but I do bounce off ideas to them, because they give me perspective of who the audience is, right? And I understand that the Tik Tok audience now is very young, so I have to find something else that will target my age group.

Jessica Owen
I think probably LinkedIn, maybe, and websites such as Twitter probably might chime a bit better with maybe the age group that you're going for?

Hema Nambiar
Yes, definitely. Those are two things that I do, you know, market my business on, and I do get response from them, from them,

Jessica Owen
okay? And so similarly, what have been your biggest successes to date? As well?

Hema Nambiar
There's two things. So the fact that I had this crazy idea, and it's an actual product. Now that customers are using and loving that makes me very, very happy, and I'm seeing the world through their eyes. Right wherever they travel, they send me photos of cool destinations. So that's the first thing. The second thing is it this business is it's teaching me, it's teaching me things that I don't know. Right? I was home for 19 years, and so I know the technology, the language of baseball and soccer, so I could scream at my kids game and be comfortable. But to talk in front of investors is, you know, very new to me, but reading magazines like Fast Company, the chief editor, Stephanie Matt, that does a brilliant job in creating content. Content for entrepreneurs really helps. It gives you the lingos, it gives you the trends. It gives you what what's happening in the entrepreneurial world. So Fast Company is a is a great magazine to read. 

Jessica Owen
Moving forward, then are you going to be bringing out any different styles of jackets, or what are the next steps for you?

Hema Nambiar
So my wish list would be to create these jackets in different colors. I think that would be very cool. And also having pants and vests would make a really cool collection.

Jessica Owen
Yeah, and then you could offer the full sort of full outfit, as it were. Yes. Okay. And then I think the last question that I wanted to ask you, I mean, you've actually been great, and you've sort of been very open with me, and said, like, a bit of advice already, but what would be your one main piece of advice that you would give anyone thinking about starting a company in this industry, a couple

Hema Nambiar
of things, the apparel market is very, very competitive, so have a thick skin, because you'll get a lot of rejection. Make sure you don't make too much of an inventory where it's sitting in warehouses and in your basement. And also, finally, don't take the investor money, run right away. You know, work with your own capital. Learn all the ropes of the business so you know where it's going. Right? Once you get investor money, there's a lot of pressure and there's a lot of anxiety, and you don't need that the first two years of of building a brand.

Jessica Owen
Well, I think that's very sensible advice, definitely. Okay. Well, thank you very much Hema for joining me today. I think that's all we've got time for. But it's been really great to learn about 13 one on your journey so far, and it'll be interesting to see if you do get those extra colors and the whole outfit.

Hema Nambiar
Well, thank you so much for this opportunity. And you. And it's, this is my first podcast, so today I learned something new. So thank you.