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Your brand, on my vest.
Your logo travels with me on the canonical founder vest: the Patagonia Better Sweater® vest. It's 30% off right now, which is honestly the only reason I'm brave enough to try this.
Auction ends in 15d 19h 37m · you can still outbid any spot
Tap any of the 10 spots to place a bid.
I'm financing the canonical founder vest by selling the one thing everyone reads on it: the patches.
Demo days, coworking spaces, coffee lines, every video call… get your brand into the room.
Patagonia stopped putting corporate logos on vests.I'm putting yours on mine.
Live auction — 0 of 13 patch spots taken · ends in 15d 19h 37m
The auction, live.
Every spot shows its current top bid.
Opening bids add up to $90 — the vest · Patches are Printful's standard sizes: 3.5 × 2.25 in rectangles on the front; an oval, a square and a rectangle on the back.
| Spot | Patch | Held by | Current bid | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Left upper chest· 1 look | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $6 0 bids | |
| 2Right upper chest· 1 look | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $6 0 bids | |
| 3Left chest — where the logo goes· 1 look | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $14 0 bids | |
| 4Right chest | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $8 0 bids | |
| 5Left rib | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $5 0 bids | |
| 6Right rib | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $5 0 bids | |
| 7Left pocket | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $5 0 bids | |
| 8Right pocket | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $5 0 bids | |
| 9Left hem | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $3 0 bids | |
| 10Right hem | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $3 0 bids | |
| 11Back — top | Oval · 4 × 2.6 in | Open | $11 0 bids | |
| 12Back — center | Square · 3 × 3 in | Open | $11 0 bids | |
| 13Back — bottom | Rectangle · 3.5 × 2.25 in | Open | $8 0 bids |
How it works
- 1
Pick your spot
13 zones, front and back. Opening bids add up to exactly the price of the vest; the auction takes it from there.
- 2
Win the bid
The top bid when the timer hits zero wins. You pay the balance, I order the patch.
- 3
Your patch rides along
Your logo becomes a Printful embroidered patch, a tailor sews it on, and everywhere the vest goes, your brand goes.
What the money buys.
The exact vest at the price Patagonia is charging this week — plus the part brandmymac never had to think about: embroidered patches cost real money. Opening bids cover the vest; the auction covers the patches. Anything past the goal buys the coffee I drink while wearing it.
- Fabric
- 10-oz 100% recycled polyester sweater-knit fleece
- Fit
- Regular fit, full-zip, stand-up collar
- Pockets
- Two zippered welted handwarmer pockets, zippered chest pocket
- Made in
- A Fair Trade Certified™ sewn factory
- Colorway
- Grayling Brown (GRBN) — the one nobody else at the meetup will have
- Patch spots
- 13 Printful embroidered patches — 11 rectangles (3.5 × 2.25 in), one oval (4 × 2.6 in), one square (3 × 3 in) — sewn on, not ironed
- Patagonia Men's Better Sweater® Fleece Vest, Grayling Brown (on sale)
- $89.99
- 13 embroidered patches × $8.25 (Printful)
- $107.25
- 13 logo digitizations × $6.50 (Printful, one per design)
- $84.50
- Sewing, 13 × ~$5 (a tailor — iron-on and knit fleece don't mix)
- $65.00
Patch prices from Printful; sewing is an estimate. If it comes in under, the difference goes to coffee.
Questions & Answers
Is this real?
Yes. I'm buying the Patagonia Men's Better Sweater® Fleece Vest in Grayling Brown, having your patches embroidered and sewn on, and wearing it. Bids are real Stripe charges; deposits are refunded the moment you're outbid.
What do I actually get?
A Printful embroidered patch of your logo — a real, standard-size one (3.5 × 2.25 in rectangle on the front; an oval, a square and a rectangle on the back) — sewn onto the spot you won; your logo and link on this page for as long as it exists; and me wearing the vest wherever founders gather for at least a year. Photos on request — and I will tag you.
How does payment work?
You pay a 20% deposit by card when you bid (minimum $10, never more than your bid). If you're outbid it's refunded automatically. If you win, it counts toward the price and you pay the balance when the auction closes.
What if someone outbids me?
You get an email the moment it happens, with a one-click link to bid again. The next bid has to beat theirs by at least 10 dollars. Your deposit goes back to your card (banks take 5–10 days to show it).
How did you pick the opening prices?
They add up to $90 — the vest. Each spot's opening bid is weighted by placement, not size (every front patch is the same Printful rectangle): the left chest — where the logo goes — is the most expensive, the back panels are next, hems are cheapest. If every spot sells at its opening bid, the vest is paid for; the patches themselves cost about another $260 with digitizing and sewing, which is what the auction is for. Vincent's MacBook lid opened at €125–400 per sticker and still cleared 278% of goal, so the market will take it from here.
Can any brand join?
Any real product, company, or person with a URL. I'll veto anything I wouldn't want stitched to my chest — scams, hate, crypto rugs — and refund the deposit.
Didn't Patagonia ban logo vests?
Yes, in two steps. In 2019 they stopped making co-branded vests for finance firms and anyone else not aligned with their mission (CBS News). In 2021 they dropped corporate logos on garments altogether, because a permanent logo shortens a garment's life (Fast Company). Patches are sewn on and can come off, which is my whole legal theory. Also I am not a finance firm.
Why a vest?
Because it's the canonical founder vest, and the canonical founder vest with thirteen sponsor patches on it is a story people tell. Also I'm cold.
Can I do this with my own vest / car / forehead?
Working on it. Leave your email below and you'll get one message when it opens.
Want to do this with your own vest?
Or laptop, car door, Zoom wall, forehead. You set the surface and the spots; the auction, deposits, refunds and emails are handled for you.
One email when it opens, nothing else.
Hey, I'm Lee 👋
Founder, building in public. I'm funding the canonical founder vest by renting out its surface area, one embroidered patch at a time. Questions, or want a spot? Find me on X @leeshadle.