Local Pair Take Entrepreneurial Spirit Online

A local duo is endeavoring to stir up social interaction using the Internet and T-shirts.

Bolingbrook resident Adam Kestel and Mike Voss of Oswego are the creators of William Stickers Interactive Apparel, with the mission, they said, of developing the most interactive experience ever to come to the fashion industry.

Through the company, when someone purchases an item online, they will receive an e-mail letting them know an identical product was given away for free to someone else. The e-mail will include a link to a photo or video of that person receiving the same item of the purchaser ordered. A code on the item joins the purchaser and the receiver together, giving the pair a way to connect on the William Stickers Interactive Apparel site.

“It’s kind of unique social interaction,” Voss, 29, said. “We wanted to find a different way to make a simple thing — purchasing a shirt — into this cool, interactive experience for people.”

Voss and Kestel, 25, became friends through their jobs at Edward Hospital.

“We’re both computer geeks professionally,” Voss said.

The duo started kicking around business ideas and came up with the interactive apparel.

“We really like the social aspect of it,” Voss said. “We wanted to see if we could contribute to the growing conglomerate of socially tied businesses. We thought this was a cool avenue.”

“We want to change the way people interact through apparel,” Kestel said. “It is such a cool feeling bumping into someone wearing one of our shirts. It makes an instant connection and gives you the feeling that you are part of something bigger. I find myself instantly wondering, ‘Did that person buy a shirt, or did they receive one from the street team?’”

They’ve launched their idea on Kickstarter.com, a funding platform for creative projects.

The pair are in the process of raising money to upgrade the print shop they have and purchase professional screen-printing equipment. Currently they are working out of a garage with equipment they made themselves. They would also like to invest in better filming equipment to better document those receiving the free items.

Voss and Kestel have already given out about 50 free shirts.

“People seem to really enjoy it. It’s like, ‘OK, I’m getting a free shirt. That’s cool.’ But the fact that another person is tied to that shirt is a cool way to bring people together,” Voss said. “It’s a total stranger and you get to see that item handed out to them on video."

Kestel said he is often asked how the pair plan to make money giving away shirts without charging a premium. He said it's not about the money.

“It's about giving people more than what they are used to getting for their money, having fun, and making a difference,” he said. “William Stickers will always do a one for one match for any item purchased, even as we expand to more than just T-shirts and sweatshirts. In the future we would like are apparel line to include items like dress shirts, accessories, and possibly shoes.”

For those wondering about the company’s name, William Stickers, the duo are staying mum about its origin for now.

“We would like to keep that a mystery, to keep people guessing,” Kestel said. “I will tell you that the name has ties that go back over 100 years.”