After high school, most people wait to have a degree or a better education before they start their career, but Blake Warmenhoven, C/O 2015 decided to risk starting his business right after her walked the stage at Safeco.
Kilo Threads was a business founded by Warmenhoven with the help of a few friends and family members. They sell clothing mostly made for winter such as hoodies, long sleeves, and balaclavas which are manufactured at a warehouse in Seattle.
“Coming out of my senior year at Liberty a lot of my close friends were supportive and a lot of Liberty students bought tie-dye Kilo shirts from me which really helped get things going. The sales from the tie-dye t-shirts helped me buy our first round of fleece for hoodies I was making towards the end of summer. But as a whole, anybody who has purchased a Kilo product has been supportive of the company,” Warmenhoven said.
Most of the support he got from his friends and family motivated him to not give up on his business, even when it got tough.
“Getting feedback from people about the products Kilo has introduced so far definitely helps encourage me to keep building new things and grow the company,” Warmenhoven said. “Seeing other entrepreneurs who are really creative and passionate about their products is motivating as well. Along with hearing good feedback about our products, probably being able to do what I love and am passionate about is one of the most motivating things of all. I get to put all of my energy in building and creating products for people who love the outdoors.”
Many people from Liberty have invested in his products to support his business and to spread the word of Kilo.
“The fact that Blake started his own company was a really cool thing and that he was pursuing his passion really interested me in buying some of his products,” senior Haley Johnson said. “I respect that he’s putting so much time into Kilo. The idea is really cool and it promotes the outdoors which is awesome since Washington is such a great place to be active. Kilo worked really hard to get where they are and they deserve to be recognized.”
From his senior year to present day, Kilo has expanded to different towns, stores, and people.
“Kilo started out as me hand sewing samples of our very first version of face masks and giving them out to friends I ski with. Today, we are working with a manufacturer here in Seattle and retailing in Gerk’s Ski & Cycle in Issaquah as well as at Crystal with plans to expand into more retailers coming next fall,” Warmenhoven said.