Hive Apparel
An Apperal Brand with a mission of supporting beekeeping and a vision to Save The Bees!
PROBLEM
In an effort to 'Save The Bees,' Cole Ehresmann created Hive Apparel to promote his goal and create a buzz around the diminishing bee population while creating cool clothes for the skater community he was intertwined with. Coming up with new designs for each season became a daunting task, however, and finding designers who were passionate enough to get behind the idea a difficult endeavor.
SOLUTION
Luke and Cole met in a marketing class while attending the University of Minnesota–Duluth, and immediately connected. Cole brought the business know-how and drive, while Luke provided the ability to come up with ideas rapidly, and produce designs that people wanted to wear. After a number of years donating profits to local apiaries, Cole decided to dive headfirst into beekeeping — using all the money he made from the clothing to sustain and grow his hives. With all the honey his bees produced, Cole and Luke began working with local breweries, collaborating on special-edition beer with the honey and doing annual events to promote the release.
CONTRIBUTION
From creating a 'Skeleton Bee' Halloween design for sweatshirts and hats, to the pastel-colored 'May Flowers' collection for Spring, Luke has designed a number of hand-drawn collections for Hive Apparel that were great successes for the business. However, the most successful designs were the beer packaging and accompanying merchandise for the 'Honey HiBEEscus Kolsch' that Hive Apparel and Lupine Brewing Company collaborated on. The release, which had 5 successful annual events, featured custom glassware, hats, shirts and handmade cornhole boards that were awarded to the winner of the Bags Tournament.
click an image to enlarge
