The Tripod

You've just hung up your cell and are grinning like a complete idiot, because the interview you've been crossing your fingers for has finally materialized. You aggressively pounce on your closet to dig around for your sharpest interview attire. Unfortunately, you won't find any, because the only pants you own fit you last year. Oh hey, freshman / sophomore / junior / senior 15 … 20. What now? You peruse the selections at J.Crew and Brooks Brothers, hoping and praying that they have something that isn't painstakingly handcrafted by the limbless children of Senegal, from the fine, underbelly hairs of the endangered Tibetan antelope. After doling out an extraordinary amount of cash for your Spring Break shenanigans, you are, once more, a broke college student. Typical. You can't very well show up at this interview in a haphazardly-assembled Forever 21 ensemble, and nothing seems to be within your budget. Cue tears and a tantrum.

Enter DressMonkey.com. DressMonkey is the brainchild of Coley Dale, formally Richard Colegate Dale III, and Jeff Horowitz, who met during a semester abroad in China. A Trinity alum of 2003, Dale and Horowitz moved to Shanghai, China after graduation to escape the i-banking hell that we all seem to be pursuing so eagerly.

"Corporate culture is comfortable - a little too comfortable," said Dale, "I think if you don't mind some risk in your life, then you are a prime candidate for entrepreneurship."

As unappealing as spending your eternity in the confines of a cubicle sounds, entrepreneurship isn't all it's cracked up to be either. "I certainly went through some rough spells with it, though. You have to justify this decision, which sometimes no one else thinks is right except for you, and in the face of parental disagreement (but eventual support), I guess one has to really believe in the cause. But the difference between the corporate gig and bootstrapping (my lame word for entrepreneurship) is that I generally have fun doing the busywork for DressMonkey. Every time I work on something, whether it is doing Photoshop at midnight or riding the filthiest trains imaginable to get out to our factory on a day where I forgot to buy the premium train tickets, I do it all with a smile on my face, a real smile," Dale said.

The rock-bottom prices for luxury materials are easily explained by the fact that everything is "Made in China," though DressMonkey had a difficult time trying to convince anyone to produce small quantities of this-and-that. "Chinese factories produce 1,000 of this, 10,000 of that, and 99 percent of the factories I visited wouldn't have talked to me, except for the fact that I was a white guy who could speak decent Chinese. I think it was more of a novelty for some of their sales reps to talk to me, so they looked important to their colleagues or something. We started small, then moved to a new factory after searching high and low for a factory which could theoretically adapt to our high quality standards and customized ordering process," commented Dale on the wholesale nature of Chinese production.

But why China? Why Shanghai, in particular? As of late, there seems to be a trend of graduates moving eastward. The appeal of China's booming economy (as well as entrepreneurial potential) tends to draw in more grads New York's to experience city life. "I grew up in Hartford and then went to college there, and came down with cabin fever my sophomore year and decided to venture out and try something different. I actually was going to study Arabic or Japanese, but settled on Chinese sort of randomly. I just wanted to try something new and different," said Dale, "Shanghai is the place in Asia. It has changed three times over in the past four years I've been here. The entire world is focusing on China, and China is focusing on Shanghai. It is crazy, the amount of happenings in this city that are just inspiring and gripping. I thought New York was full of action. This place has a new subway line every month, it seems, and there are tons of interesting people here to share the experiences with."

Being an ex-pat certainly has its perks. Living in Shanghai, or China in general, as a "foreigner" is an entirely different experience, as Dale noted humorously, "Well, the cheap labor isn't so bad, but also, the fact that I can get out and see some interesting stuff pretty easily. Shanghai is getting too full of ex-pats, so any time I want to feel special, I just head out to the factory, and while en route, I have someone random come up and ask to take their picture with me, every time. Just kidding, sort of. I suppose I like it here because I have a great network that loves to party and are really plugged into the scene here. Having friends as chefs, food critics, journalists, and corporate lackeys gives you a variety of options on a Saturday night."

The novelty of the situation can certainly abate, and the obscenely industrial city of Shanghai can wear you out rather quickly. "I certainly miss the Trinity campus quite a bit. I was back for Homecoming last year, and that was quite a treat," relished Dale. "Shanghai isn't exactly the most natural place and to see so much green grass and giant elm trees was a little strange for me after a 22-hour travel." To miss Trinity's Quadrangle is one thing, but to miss Hartford as a city is an entirely different issue. Dale joked that "the gunshots on Park Street" make him homesick, but that he definitely misses his family. "My family was always near, in Bloomfield. I remember going home every so often and having a nice home-cooked Sunday dinner on a random weekend. I would kill to go back with such ease now, but my calling is here in Shanghai, God, that sounded weird, but its true ... "

Getting back to business, literally, DressMonkey is quite the fledgling company. Born in October of 2005, Dale and Horowitz brainstormed the idea of custom, luxury (but ridiculously cheap) blazers. It's safe to say the men have all their bases covered, should your poison be linen, seersucker, or wool. Coley claims he is a "tweed guy" himself, but that, "our new wools are light and perfect for the summer. I think I'll be phasing those in pretty soon." Currently, there are plans in the works for a women's line, but don't hold your breath, "Not until the fall, at the earliest. We're now working on launching suits for men (pants to complement the blazers). We work quite slowly at DM. We want to get good at our very complicated products, then move on to new ones … I do envision us coming out with at least a few prototypes by the end of '08." Alas, J. Crew will have to suffice for now, but I will be waiting patiently for the chance to order my own custom blazer (with Trinity insignia emblazoned on the lining, of course.)

Coley's parting words of advice, though, hold true for many at Trinity, who seem to be on a one-track road to the corporate (read: cubicle) world. "I suppose one thing I'd like to impart on anyone looking to either start their own business or do some intense travel: do it. Life is too short to have regrets like that, just go for it and don't look back. Was that cheesy enough? I don't mean it to be. I just wish someone would have told me that when I was sitting in Jarvis trying to make up my mind about taking Chinese or being just another boring Econ major."

Well then, the Registrar and I have a date.

Visit DressMonkey.com for more information.

Article Tools