A Cape Cloth hoodie
Question: How do you capture the Cape Cod vibe in a line of clothing? Do you go with the rich preppy club scene like high-end locales like Vineyard Vines, or Murray’s Toggary Shop, home of “Nantucket Reds.” Or the cheap t-shirt outlet look that you find in the tourist stores along Route 28?
Cape entrepreneur Sean Fitzpatrick, 33, believes he has the answer with his Cape Cloth – clothing that captures the Cape look without breaking the bank or falling apart soon after purchase. His company’s motto is “Love The Cape, Wear The Cloth.”
Fitzpatrick’s Cape roots go all the way back to his birth at Cape Cod Hospital. He went to Dennis schools but after he graduated from college in 2005, Sean did what so many other young professionals do: He moved off Cape hoping to find that perfect place to work and call home. It wasn’t easy. But it also wasn’t easy to make a living on Cape Cod.
“It’s definitely a hard math problem to solve,” Fitzpatrick said.
But life off Cape wasn’t everything Sean had hoped for, so he decided to give it a go, and come home.
Sean Fitzpatrick
“Being away made me realize how special it was,” he admitted. “Of course, necessity is the mother of invention, so the Cape has forced people to become creative and carve out niches or develop skills that separate them to make and sustain a living. Everyone who’s been down here for a while realizes that, and I have a lot of respect for the people that can make it work because it truly is a labor of love.”
But the journey to launching a fledgling Cape clothing line was not an easy one. He worked as a bartender while trying to find the creative outlet he craved. Luckily, the Cape though is rich with inspirational places.
“I was on the beach before going to work one night,” Fitzpatrick recalled, “constantly looking at all the same types of clothes people wear in the summer. How they thought they were dressing in this Cape Cod style. They were capturing the Kennedys, while that’s not wrong at all, a majority of the people that live or frequent Cape Cod don’t dress like that.”
In addition to capturing an authentic Cape Cod style, Fitzpatrick had another deeper reason for creating Cape Cloth.
Sean Fitzpatrick sells his Cape Cloth line at local events and festivals
“Those clothes that people think are tied to the Cape and Islands don’t benefit the area that they’re trying to portray in any way, shape, or form. That needed to change,” he said. “I wanted a vehicle to impact the place I knew was so special to so many and a brand of clothing that actually captured the vitality of the real Cape Cod.”
So Sean established a partnership with CapeAbilities, the local nonprofit organization that supports and creates opportunities for disabled people, helping them to live meaningful and active lives. Fitzpatrick give $1 of every hat, t-shirt, and hoodie purchase to the group.
Fitzpatrick has been working tirelessly on his labor of love for over a year. He has been marketing Cape Cloth through word of mouth, friends, and making himself visible at countless local events and festivals.
“It’s very exciting developing new products and styles,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think those who have been with me since the beginning are going to be blown away, and those just seeing Cape Cloth are going to be just as excited. Things are already in development and I want all of the customers to know that I listen and read all of their suggestions and really value all of their feedback. And I think that will show in 2016.”
Check out Cape Cloth at CapeCloth.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Bravo!