Maker: Shagane from Wolf Industries

I have a tradition (that everyone in my family hates) to start each New Year off with a whole house cleaning and organizing session. I tackle my stuff first, then my husbands, and then move onto the kids, then the garage. It’s highly anticipated (for me) and highly dreaded (for them).  It’s a mystery to me why my kids never have enough socks and underwear until we clean under the beds and in the toy box. And then I find them all. I’m never really sure how they end up there, but I’m always glad to find them, because the chore of buying new socks and undies is a task that I don’t really like. I would probably like it a whole lot more if I was getting cute pairs like Shagane’s in the mail for the kids though. Check out her story, and her cute designs!

{Angie}

Please introduce yourself.

I am Shagane Barsegian Launey, founder and product designer behind Wolf Industries , a kids brand inspired by my four year old daughter. I’ve been designing physical and digital products for over 10 years. I am half Russian, half Armenian, living in US now for the larger half of my life and married to a French. Last year I moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

What do you make or do?

I am really excited to be working on modern underwear for girls and boys. We’ve just added more colors to the Zig Zag line which is our high waist low hip brief with little triangles on the back. People love that the triangles stick out of the pants. The other style is Confetti , with little confetti in the front behind a light weight mesh, the fit is low waist low hip like a hipster.

I make every single piece myself in my studio based on demand. For me with my daughter it’s all about enhancing little moments in our routine. Choosing underwear everyday should be fun. I’ve been testing the two styles for two years now, so the fit is very refined. For fabric I’ve been working with bamboo rayon knit for it’s incredible wear performance, strength and quality over time. It’s hard to find quality underwear and I dare say as a category of products it does not really exist. The quality and the aesthetic of basics on the market with licensed characters is not very authentic and extremely disposal. My collection is permanent so parents can easily reorder again. I offer repairs and free shipping on the next order when undies are sent back to be recycled.

Where can we find your creations?

Our website features all the styles as well as fun updates on events, drawings, and sales.   I’m at events in downtown Los Angeles so parents can stop by and try things on with kids.

For staying in touch, I am getting our newsletter set-up to share folklore stories . With Facebook it is hard to tell if you posts reach your customers, so it has become less reliable. Instagram on the other hand is lovely since it’s visual and people love seeing the making and the personality behind what we make.

How long have you been creating and is it your full-time job? 

I kicked of Wolf Industries in 2011 and have been working nights and week-ends ever since. When you just get started a lot of what you do is trying to prove that you can do it. Can you rely on a concept? Will you make something people like? Over time the work becomes less about you and more about sustainability. Is there customer value? Is there a market to support a business? Can this be executed at scale?

I’ve had incredible opportunities in my full-time job over the course of these years that has definitely strengthened me as a design practioner, manager and entrepreneur. I’ve had pauses, setbacks, and zig zags with Wolf Industries but the work goes on.

When you’re not making things, what do you do?

Reading books at Vromans, having a sandwich at Fiore Market Cafe in Pasadena with my family , having mint ice cream at Carmela, tasting at Russian and Armenian mom & pop deli’s like Old Sasoon bakery, swimming, a lot of swimming and tinkering with my daughter in electronics.

What’s on the horizon for you and what you do?

More colors and new photos are coming soon for the Confetti line! More sizes and styles specific to boys! I am currently researching organic cottons as a material option and reaching out to retailers to do more wholesale orders.

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One Comment

  1. We have 6 pairs of your undies and My 1year old daughter and I absolutely love them!!! They sit great on her, look stunning and the fabric is so soft!!! Thank you very much!!! We are waiting for more stuff from wolf industries!!!!

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