Exposing the Secret of Madhappy’s Incredible Success

You know that really cute baby blue embroidered sweatshirt the trendy girl in your Econ 220 class wears

Yeah – it’s probably Madhappy.

Madhappy is a Los Angeles based clothing label that specializes in simple, yet stylish, sweatshirts. The company has quickly expanded in both following and profit. Their latest collaboration with the popular Los Angeles restaurant Jon and Vinny's sold out in under five minutes. The genius behind this brand is not necessarily the sweatshirt designs themselves, but rather the thoughtful marketing of the company. The creators of Madhappy have cultivated a unique brand which is equal parts relatable and aspirational.

The brand maintains its aspirational aura through hosting pop up shops in only desirable, trendy and “Instagrammable” cities across the nation. With pop ups in Brooklyn, New York, on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and in Aspen, Colorado, only those who frequently venture these idyllic locations will be able to get their hands on the sought after sweatshirts. Even if you do not purchase a sweatshirt, taking an Instagram story in front of the famous ‘Madhappy’ block print logo is enough to symbolize your connection to this new, hot brand.

With their sweatshirts selling out online in minutes and the  sweatshirts costing close to 200 dollars, you may be wondering how this brand could ever be considered relatable to college students. Well, what if I told you that the founders of Madhappy were in a fraternity at the University of Michigan, a school just 200 miles away from Northwestern. Yes, this brand was started by four men in their early 20s who graduated from either Michigan or Georgetown about a year ago. In fact, last year, the University of Michigan’s AEPI chapter had custom “Mad Paddy” sweatshirts for Saint Patrick’s day weekend.

The fact that the owners are basically the same age as their target audience allowed for Madhappy to have unique access into college culture allowing them to create the ultimate millennial clothing line. The combination of simple, yet elevated, sweatshirt designs and direct advertising through those that consume the product - Big 10 college students - helped to create the recipe for success that Madhappy is now experiencing.