Stacy Flax, a Haymarket entrepreneur, got a break she never expected last November. The unisex undershirts she created will be part of the famous gift bag Oscar nominees receive Sunday.
Bored Rebel’s undershirts will be part of this year’s “Everyone Wins” gift bag. This swag bag, which is filled with everything from vegan body butters to customized gemstone bracelets and valued at over $125,000, is gifted to Oscar nominees in the top actor and top director categories.
“I’m a small business, and this is a very big deal,” says Flax, a first-time business owner whose company launched two years ago and donates 10 percent of its profits to charitable causes.
If you’re scratching your head, there’s something you should know. Bored Rebel is not your average white T-shirt. In fact, Flax envisioned just the opposite.
On her mission to offer an alternative to those uninspired, often aged, sometimes gross white undershirts, Flax created Bored Rebel. It’s a collection of graphic undershirts with designs that won’t show through dress shirts. The shirts have a patent pending.
Since their creation, Flax says she’s seen customers connect to the sayings on the shirts she so carefully crafted.
Stars like Austin Butler, Steven Spielberg, and Ana de Armas are just a few celebrities who can now sport these stylish wardrobe staples, which feature sayings like “Unleash Your Inner Superhero” and “My Dog Thinks I’m Awesome.”
The printed phrases you see on the undershirts are positioned so they fall under the placket, which is the thicker fabric that surrounds a dress shirt’s buttons.
Flax says she filled out an application for her product’s inclusion in the swag bag after a friend suggested it would be a good fit. She was excited at the prospect, but admits she never expected Bored Rebel would be chosen.
“I’m still pinching myself,” says Flax, a former marketing and strategic planning executive.
Bored Rebel fits the bill for the “Everyone Wins” gift bag mission. Distinctive Assets, the marketing company that independently distributes these bags, calls the concept a “win/win.”
Celebrities win by simply receiving these products. And, since many of the companies, Bored Rebel included, are small businesses, this offers an opportunity to have their merchandise used and worn by influential people. (Locally, you can find the shirts at Highcliffe Clothiers in Middleburg and at Patrick’s Fine Linens and Home Decor at Tyson’s Galleria and The Wharf.)
Beyond the opportunity to get the word out about her business, Flax says her excitement also stems from a deep love for movies and film. Having her product featured in this way is a marriage of two things she loves.
“To be a fan of film and then to be connected in this way is extra special for me,” she says.
The Oscars ceremony begins at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 12, and will be broadcast live on ABC.
Feature image courtesy Bored Rebel
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