Skip to content

ECS entrepreneurs make big bucks selling fashion locally

Although the economy at large is hardly in a good state these days, students in the entrepreneurship class at Estevan Comprehensive School didn’t let that get them down.
Eminent Apparel SUBMITTED
Justin Weinrauch, back left, Maddy Frehlick, Jack Tuttle, Quintin Davidson and Jake Ladouceur model clothing from their line, Eminent Apparel. Students who participated in Josh LeBlanc’s entrepreneurship class were owners of the business and bought shares into the company they started.

Although the economy at large is hardly in a good state these days, students in the entrepreneurship class at Estevan Comprehensive School didn’t let that get them down. They have thrived and carved out a name for themselves as successful entrepreneurs, running their company, Eminent Apparel.

Students surpassed their financial goal of $39,000, with $43,739 in sales. They were also able to sell 1,544 items of clothing, a number that exceeded the original goal of 1,450 items.
With a gross profit of $27,874 after expenses, students were able to provide a significant return for all 27 shareholders involved in the project, reimbursing them $952 for their initial $20 investments in the company.

“It was probably the most successful group we’ve had for the entrepreneurship class in the whole seven years I’ve taught it,” said Josh LeBlanc, a business teacher at ECS. “The clothing industry is rising again, and they created their own brand from scratch.”

Students started Eminent Apparel to sell clothes to local people in assorted styles, donating a dollar from every sale to fund the cancer treatment of Hitchcock resident, Denise Cossette. They were able, while running their business, to cover all the necessary expenses, and donate a total of $1,544 to Cossette.
LeBlanc said students in the class surveyed both children and adults to learn about what kinds of clothing were most in demand. They attended tradeshows in Regina and locally, and went to several community events, such as the Farmers’ Market and Bruins games, to consult potential customers. In doing so, they were able to gather information on what sort of clothing they ought to make. They surveyed people between the ages of 13 to 50 years. 

Eminent Apparel specifically sold men’s, women’s and unisex T-shirts and sweaters that were locally screen-printed. The company was the first of its kind in that it produced the clothing it sold in Estevan. They operated out of the old college building connected to ECS. 

The entrepreneurship class is done in conjunction with Junior Achievement, an organization that runs programs to help youth learn about and do business, and provides resources for young entrepreneurs to get started.

“They have to develop a business plan and do their market research,” said LeBlanc. “Then they have to actually produce the product they want to sell.”

LeBlanc said that while he is the teacher of the class, his role was more of a facilitator than a teacher, and that the class was an experience-based learning process, rather than instructional.

“You guide them to where they need to be, but you’re not the one making final decisions or telling them what to do,” said LeBlanc. “Sometimes, that means you can give them the information, but they make their own choices and mistakes and learn from it. I can’t step in and tell them that.”

Students involved with Eminent Apparel also set a goal to sell at least 50 items each. While not everyone involved was able to meet that goal, several surpassed it by far.

“This group was phenomenal. They had a strong leadership team,” said LeBlanc. “All of them worked their butts off to accomplish what they did, with very little motivation from me.”