people care about giving back. When our customers put on one of our ties or a set of our scrubs, they feel good about supporting a child or one of their colleagues on another continent. We like to think we are bringing everyone a little closer together and helping people understand others’ experiences. We have partnered with phenomenal organizations, such as International Medical Corps, to execute on our mission. When did you expand to the scrubs market and what made you do so? We expanded into medical apparel about a year ago. A few of my friends are nurses and they could not stop complaining about their scrubs and how ugly they were. I was determined to find them something better. After a few months of research, I came up empty handed. Instead, I decided to make a few sets to basically help them out, not realizing that their entire hospital would want my scrubs. We produced our first collection of scrubs about a year ago and have already started production on our second collection where we are expanding into shirts, jackets and other apparel. During my travels for FIGS ties, I realized that we could help medical professionals as well through our Threads for Threads program. For every set of scrubs sold, we give a set to medical professionals in need in resource-poor countries around the world. We have donated and
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will continue to donate scrubs to hospitals and universities as they travel far and wide on their medical missions to help others in need. What countries benefit from the sale of FIGS scrubs? We have donated scrubs to medical professionals in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Kenya, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Honduras, among others. How do you connect with the hospitals, clinics, and schools that receive the uniforms and scrubs that you provide? We have built strong partnerships with universities, hospitals and healthcare organizations. Some of the organizations we work with include International Medical Corps, Blanca’s House, and MAMA Project.
of the time, I am not even aware of what the rules are. Kidding aside, I have never been afraid of challenging the status quo. It is the reason I get up in the morning every day – to push boundaries, change perceptions, and give back. Can you provide any words of wisdom to others who may be looking to start a company that gives back? Figure out if your business makes sense before tackling your social mission. The more successful your business becomes, the more you will be able to give back and help others. Giving back is a lofty goal but it needs to be backed up with real business execution. Make sure you have both pieces of the puzzle before moving forward.
What is unique about the scrubs you sell? We aim to provide a unique experience on a number of dimensions. To make it simple, we summarize them into the following categories – fit, comfort, and functionality. We achieve this through our understanding of what our customer wants and our unwillingness to compromise on any dimension. What has been the best business advice you've received since starting FIGS? If you don’t like the rules, change them. Fortunately for me, most
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