Auke de Geus is the founder of Ballin Amsterdam and owner of The Ecom Agency. In this week's blog, you can read about his time as founder of BALLIN and how he eventually started The Ecom Agency.
Auke Aslan de Geus (25), born in Hoorn, started the brand Ballin Amsterdam in April 2015. He was only 17 and, unlike his classmates, decided not to go to university after finishing high school. Instead, Auke started his own clothing brand, 'Ballin Amsterdam,' and used the savings he had worked hard for over the years to produce his first collection of caps.
The first collection was an immediate success. Caps featuring the 'Ballin Amsterdam' print sold like hotcakes and quickly sold out. Fortunately, Auke was able to restock quickly, and his business continued to grow. After that, he also began producing Ballin clothing.
Amber and Jonathan were good friends of Auke and helped him a lot during the startup phase of his business. When the first stock arrived, everything was stored in the attic.
The first collection was launched, and the logistics processes could begin. Unfortunately, there was no warehouse to handle everything back then, so Auke had to pack and ship the first packages himself. Luckily, Amber and Jonathan were always there to help and support him during the busy periods.
In addition to online marketing via Instagram, Auke was also looking for physical stores that wanted to sell his Ballin Amsterdam clothing. He could have emailed or called them, of course, but stopping by was just as easy. That is exactly what Auke did. He went into the city and visited various shops to explore potential partnerships.
By chance, one of these clothing stores led him to Purewhite. Purewhite was interested in collaborating with Auke, and Ballin Amsterdam quickly grew into a successful clothing brand.
A year and a half after the launch, and six months into the partnership with Purewhite, Ballin Amsterdam was a major success by the autumn of 2016. Suddenly, the 'Ballin Amsterdam' logo was everywhere on the streets—on caps, shirts, and sweaters. Thanks to Purewhite's extensive network, Auke's clothing brand made a massive breakthrough in the Dutch fashion world.
A year and a half after the launch, and six months into the partnership with Purewhite, Ballin Amsterdam was a major success by the autumn of 2016. Suddenly, the 'Ballin Amsterdam' logo was everywhere on the streets—on caps, shirts, and sweaters. Thanks to Purewhite's extensive network, Auke's clothing brand made a massive breakthrough in the Dutch fashion world.
