Colorful, SPF-50, edgy and collectible are just some of the characteristics that Greenville, North Carolina, apparel company What the Fin (abbreviated WTF) embodies in its shirts.
“All our designs are specific to a region or a specific species of fish,” says Hector Pineda, national sales manager. “It is just really beautiful artwork and it sets us apart from everyone else.”
Of course, using the letters “WTF” in its logo doesn’t go without notice even though the company’s full name is spelled out underneath. The concept behind using the letters WTF was to put a positive spin on letters that often have a negative association. Pineda says when people see the shirt from across a store, they’ll stop and take notice of those letters. Then when they get up close to it, they realize, “Oh it’s ‘What the Fin,’” and they love it.
Adding to the popularity of WTF’s shirts is their collectability. Similar to what Harley Davidson does, each physical location is identified on the shirts, a free add-on for retail customers.
“We do the same thing with our different stores because our WTF customers really become collectors. When they go to Key West, for example, they’ll wear their WTF shirt from the Bahamas,” says Pineda.
Pineda, who has been in sales his whole life, says he’s never had a product that sells itself quite like What the Fin apparel. When he and other WTF reps walk into a store, before they even introduce themselves, the owners will stop them and say, “Where’d you get those shirts? I have to have them in my store.”
“Funny you should ask,” he’ll say, “I am here to talk to you about them.”
