The apparel industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors when the world almost came to a close due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many clothing manufacturing companies shut down for the better part of the year, and Ryan Zimmerman’s full package apparel manufacturing and design service company Arzee International was no exception.
“COVID-19 halted our business, although very briefly, but completely halted it,” says Zimmerman.
This unprecedented event caused many shops to shut down. But Zimmerman, who built Arzee from the ground up in 2016, was not about to go down without a fight. Fortunately, as his clients soon recovered from the impact of the pandemic, so did the firm. Slowly but surely, he saw his sales pick up once more in 2020, but Zimmerman did not sit idly by to wait for the storm to pass.
Instead, the downturn spurred him and his team at Arzee International into action to better the community. Ryan Zimmerman saw and heard the cries for more reliable face masks as a person’s first line of defense against the virus, so the company launched a mask donation platform called Give A Mask (giveamask.co). The apparel manufacturing company transitioned from designing and creating fashion-forward pieces to producing simple but durable facemasks that an individual could use and reuse. The masks they created were delivered to pre-approved partners, including numerous hospitals and organizations in need throughout the United States. With this project, Zimmerman set aside profits and provided the masks for free as a way of giving back to the community.
2021 so far has seen the world steadily recovering from the virus, but the pandemic has forced the apparel industry to change permanently. For one thing, it has made global supply chains, especially manufacturing plants in Asia, less reliable. That’s why most customers who seek large-scale clothing manufacturing have turned their attention to onshore firms that can deliver quality services, just like Arzee’s operations in America. This event has given Arzee a chance to expand to a global scale.
In April 2021, Ryan Zimmerman launched his newest manufacturing plant in Mexico City to focus on Arzee’s export arm. This new facility is expected to help Arzee gain a strong position amid the unpredictable global environment. A month before that, Zimmerman also started a new venture in the fitness space: Buckleband, the first premium resistance band, and the first resistance band with a buckle. This was born out of the need for people to stay fit regardless of their current fitness and environmental limitations.
Ryan Zimmerman’s experience in dealing with the pandemic will give him valuable insight into running his companies moving forward. It has also given him the necessary strength to weather any storm that may come his way. His story proved that some challenges are out of one’s control, no matter how prepared they may be. But it is ultimately up to them if they will do something about it or allow themselves to be swayed by the tides.
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