In this interview, HiStrips founder Sam Posthuma explains why he abandoned the fashion niche. He describes how his brand’s seasonal strategy led to an unsustainable SKU explosion—about 2,000 SKUs per season across 15 products, 5 colorways, and 7 sizes. The business relied on a branded dropshipping model, sourcing each product type from a different factory. This created a massive logistical nightmare: each factory used its own sizing standards, resulting in inconsistent sizes for the same label (e.g., a medium shirt could be an extra‑small polo). To maintain brand consistency, Sam had to purchase inventory, label it himself, and coordinate a universal sizing chart across more than twenty factories, a process he describes as a never‑ending headache. The operational friction, rather than a lack of brand vision, drove his decision to leave fashion permanently.
