Spread all over campus, located on scattered flyers plastered on poles, the word “Hoolip” seems to be everywhere; but the question remains, what exactly is it?
Started this year by junior computer science majors Jonathan Ellenbogen and Alen Muminovic, Hoolip designs and sells soft, colorful T-shirts equipped with funny graphics and sayings related to both Binghamton University and pop culture as a whole.
“After making Bar Crawl shirts, we really got the idea for Hoolip and that’s what really started it all. We were like, why not?” Ellenbogen said.
It all started last year during winter break when these two friends, who met their freshman year in Whitney Hall in Dickinson Community, were throwing around witty lines and ideas. However, Ellenbogen and Muminovic never really expected much to come out of it.
“We never would have thought these things were going to become T-shirts, but it just happened,” Muminovic said.
Although neither of the boys have had any business experience or training, this did not stop them from undertaking this risky endeavor. Combining all their savings from the summer with some financial backing from their parents, Ellenbogen and Muminovic got to work making up the shirts, having them printed and trademarking the term Hoolip.
The word Hoolip doesn’t have any true significant meaning; rather it’s just a fun, spunky-sounding word that’s imaginative and their own.
“It’s a word we made up that just sounds upbeat and interesting,” Muminovic explained.
With the shirts made and ready to be sold, the next step for the duo was finding a group or organization that would back them up and enable them to have space to sell. After talking to many different organizations, Hoolip was finally able to work something out with Binghamton University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), a group that encourages entrepreneurship.
The thought process that goes into designing the T-shirts is a pretty spontaneous one that doesn’t involve any ritual.
“When one of us has an idea, we describe it to the other, go back and forth with it and see if we could make it work,” Ellenbogen said.
Right now there are only six different designs to choose from, but the boys are hoping that word of mouth and their advertising will lead to more popularity, which will allow for more designs.
The T-shirts, which are currently priced at $15, are all original designs and drawn freehand, printed on American Apparel tees. The T-shirts also come packed in 100 percent recyclable tubes for those who are environmentally conscious, and for those who want to save some cash, Hoolip also sells hats for $10 with the Hoolip logo and has special deals such as a shirt and a hat for $20. Ten percent of all proceeds go to breast cancer research.
The products can be bought in the New University Union once a week or online at Hoolip.com, with all major credit cards accepted.
Ellenbogen, Muminovic and Hoolip definitely hope to stick around for a while, and the two founders can see a real future in their company. They are finding success having fun and really hope to see their business build as the year goes on.