Fernando Carrillo and twin brothers Guillermo and Álvaro Ferre are 22 years old, but they started their business adventure at 16 after a drawing class. They were asked to design a piece of clothing and that was their inspiration. “We wanted to create something new, different, and we did it,” says Carrillo. A starting point that allowed them to sell personalized sweatshirts at parties and light clubs, with which they earned their first 1,000 euros, which they reinvested in producing more sweatshirts in a small workshop in the center of Madrid. They stored them in their garage at home, sold them through a “very basic” website, they say, and on Instagram with the brand You Choose —you choose, in the Spanish translation, which eventually led to their brand Yuxus—, and delivered them by hand. After two years, sales skyrocketed, the garage became too small and they had to look for a larger factory and a delivery company. Since then, Yuxus clothing has been produced in Portugal, a country where manufacturing costs are expensive, they say, but where they found alternatives, which they did not find in Spain. From the beginning until now, their concept of unisex clothing has not changed and their challenge is to create a community that identifies with their garments. “Unlike large multinationals, which have nothing attached to them, Yuxus emerges as a feeling that unites,” explains Carrillo. In fact, their entire strategy is centered around the brand and for this reason they have decided not to appear publicly. “Sometimes the figures of the founders influence the product for better or worse. For us, the focus is Yuxus. We do not want to be famous,” says one of the Ferre brothers on behalf of the founding trio.
Physical sale
After more than five years focused on online sales, in 2023 they landed in the physical store with the help of WOW Concept, where they have a space in the center of Gran Vía, in Madrid, and Newcop, a specialist in limited edition sneakers and clothing, which displays Yuxus products in its stores in Barcelona, Madrid and Paris. A first step that in September of last year led them to open their first store on Madrid's Fuencarral street. «We invested a lot in quality and in developing a good product that we wanted people to be able to touch. In addition, the best way to create a community is through a physical store in which to improve the customer experience,» Carrillo emphasizes. From here, their expansion has not stopped and they already have a space in El Corte Inglés in Castellana in Madrid, another in Zaragoza and soon in Valencia. They will also arrive after the summer in Seville, but with their own store. With a staff of 22 employees, their turnover in 2023 was three million euros. Between 20% and 25% comes through the physical store and the rest from the online channel. Their sales are mainly urban, with cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville in the top positions. In 2024 they hope to earn 11 million, with the boost from physical stores, after the precedent of the good performance of the Madrid company that since its opening has invoiced more than one million euros. They do not plan to carry out financing rounds, because, as they say, it is like selling the company and they do not want to lose control. They are now immersed in projects such as expanding the range of products to accommodate a greater variety of consumers – which today focuses on girls and boys between 16 and 30 years old – with garments such as coats, footwear or accessories. They are also in the opening of new stores, more spaces within the geography of El Corte Inglés and reinforcing sales outside Spain, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States, to reach 25% of total income. Follow all the information on Economy and Business on Facebook and Twitter. Xor in our weekly newsletter