By Jacques Panis, President, Shinola

Authenticity

No matter the industry, we know that there is a hunger in this country for authenticity, quality, and for things made here by American workers. American consumers have been duped and are demanding transparency, demanding to know the “why, where, what and who” behind the products they are buying whether it be watches or produce or denim.

We, like many brands, found ourselves with the challenge of having to communicate effectively to the consumer the overall effort and scope of what we are doing.

Our response from the beginning has been transparency. We list our components’ origins on our website, and we offer public tours of the factory to press and any other visitors so that anyone can come see what we are doing for themselves. Until you see it, it’s hard to truly understand how much has gone into the building of this factory and the making of these products.

We believe that quality comes first. We don’t launch a product until it is absolutely perfect. Every Shinola watch is guaranteed for life under the Shinola Guarantee, a limited lifetime warranty. This is the expectation we have set for ourselves, to deliver immense value to the consumer, and in some cases it’s even at the sake of profitability.

We portray these values – hard work, quality, craftsmanship – as much as we can through our marketing, which often highlights the city which we call home and the real people, with real jobs, touching each product that goes out the door. 

From the Beginning

We came to Detroit five years ago with the mission to create world-class manufacturing jobs and to make watches of the highest quality that are built to last. We chose Detroit because we saw a city with a rich heritage in manufacturing and a population of people who collectively wanted to work on shaping the future of this town.

People thought we were crazy when we told them our plan but, with the help of some great partners, we transformed 30,000 square feet of raw space into a state-of-the-art watch factory.

In March 2013, we took out advertisements offering pre-order of our first “Built in Detroit” watch, The Runwell. It was produced in a quantity of 2,500 and available in two sizes. We sold out in eight days, and the watches were delivered in June 2013. 

Evolution of the Brand + New Product Categories

We’ve grown to offer multiple product categories beyond watches: bicycles, leather goods, journals, jewelry, audio equipment and soon even a Shinola hotel. We have hired over 650 people in Detroit and across the country. We’ve built an in-house leather design studio and factory where we produce small leather goods and the majority of our watch straps, as well as an audio factory where we assemble our turntables.

Many people ask us how we decide which industries to tap into next and what all of these products have in common. The short answer is that these are all industries where the jobs and skills have gone elsewhere over the years. It all comes back to our mission and determining: Can we train teams and bring these skills back to our shores to create more manufacturing jobs? Can we deliver the highest quality products in doing so? And if we can’t do it alone, who are the best partners out there who can help us? It’s about being able to find people who can teach us to do and make things that we want to make or build here in the United States. As we look to new categories, we look for people and we look for ways in which we can create more jobs and continue focusing on our mission.

In the near future, we are going to focus on growing these existing categories and perfecting our operations. In late 2018, we’ll be opening up the Shinola Hotel in Detroit, which will create countless opportunities to create jobs and share the Shinola spirit with guests who visit us.

 Unique Retail Experience

Storytelling is key to sharing our brand story, and our retail stores serve as a great vehicle for that. We recently opened our 23^rd store worldwide in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, and plan to open another 5-7 before the end of this year.

In today’s retail climate, we know that the brick-and-mortar experience needs to be exceptional. Our stores are designed to be a truly sensory experience: for example, we have our turntables playing and serve our signature “Shinola Colas.” Our products are not kept under glass, so shoppers can try on our watches and feel the quality with their own hands. All of our stores offer complimentary monogramming and a Willard Watch Bar, where customers can choose from a selection of watch heads and straps to build their perfect watch in-store.

Initially, our strategy was to open stores a bit off of the beaten path and offer something unique to drive customers. Our Tribeca Flagship in NYC, for example, houses a coffee shop in the front called The Smile Café. Our Downtown Los Angeles store has a Scott Campbell tattoo parlor and The Smile’s di Alba restaurant in the same space. As we’ve expanded, we’ve supplemented these stores with others that are more turnkey in higher-traffic shopping destinations, but we still pay the same amount of attention to the design and distinction of each one. We want guests to be able to visit us in any two locations and discover something special, yet receive the highest level of customer service that they’ve come to expect from Shinola. The hotel will be a great extension of the retail experience we’ve built.

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Jacques Panis joined Shinola in 2010 to lead the company’s product development and strategic brand direction. Prior to Shinola, Jacques oversaw the interactive division for ReelFX, a Dallas-based animation studio owned by Shinola’s parent company. While at ReelFX, he was a founding member of Webosaurs, a children’s online gaming platform. Jacques resides in the city of Detroit and is an active board member of The Detroit Institute of Arts and The Detroit Children’s Fund.