Ugly sweaters for sports teams have "come to life" in the retail fashion world "to the tune" of $10M in sales for New Jersey-based Forever Collectibles, according to Ilan Mochari of INC magazine. Forever Collectibles' "overwhelming success with ugly sweaters almost didn't happen," as the most "resistant employee" was company Founder & CEO Michael Lewis. He was resistant because he knew sports leagues "already had relationships with apparel licensees." While none of them "made ugly sweaters, there was still a concern, on Lewis's part, that apparel was the last thing his licensing partners needed from his company." There also "was the inherent design challenge of the product." An ugly sweater "has to be" ugly, yet pro and college sports associations "have a vested interest in the iconic logos of their teams." The sweater "would have to be ugly enough to qualify as ugly, yet still something of a beautiful product that could honorably represent the valuable franchise brands." Moreover, Lewis "was concerned about the ramifications of a product flop." The last thing he "would want is for the licensers to become skeptical about his company's ability to deliver sales on a new product." His employees eventually "persuaded him to refrain from a final judgment until they drew up some sketches of the sweaters" (INC.com, 12/18).
