America is hailed as the land of opportunities, which is why Danh Tran made the move to pursue his dreams. He founded Buttercloth, a fashion line for comfortable dress shirts. Along with his business partner Gary Falkenberg, Dahn swam with the Sharks and got a deal with Robert Herjavec. Today, Buttercloth is worth an estimated $5 million.
Danh Tran’s Background
Danh Tran grew up in Vietnam, where he worked in his family’s tailor shop. Although against his parent’s wishes, he relocated to Los Angeles and studied fashion at Otis College of Art and Design.
To fund his studies, he designed Barbie doll dresses for Mattel. After graduating, Tran was hired as an associate designer at 7 For All Mankind and then became the head designer at Hause of Howe. Next he moved to Affliction Clothing in 2009, and held the position for over a decade.
Stretching Dress Shirt Limits
Like most professionals, Tran had to wear dress shirts to work and hated wearing them. He made it his mission to make dress shirts more comfortable and left his steady job to start a clothing brand.
Tran used up his 401k retirement money to finance the startup. Gary Falkenberg linked up with him through a friend and became the marketing guy. He closely observed Dahn design his 6-way stretch fabric and grow the business.
Buttercloth was launched in 2017 and one of their first customers was former NBA star Metta Sandiford-Artest, who became their brand ambassador. The basketballer played a big role in driving sales and the business generated $500,000 in seven months.
A Memorable Pitch
The clothing startup caught the eye of Shark Tank producers and invited him to apply for season 10. Danh Tran and Gary Falkenberg didn’t pass up on the opportunity, they came in seeking to raise $250,000 for a 10% stake.
NBA legend Charles Barkley was a guest Shark for that episode. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect as the founders brought in Metta Sandiford-Artest and demonstrated how easy it was to dunk wearing Buttercloth.
After finishing their intro and telling their story, they got down to business. Four Sharks dropped out as the clothing business is cutthroat. Robert Herjavec had a soft spot for Danh Tran and offered $250,000 for 25%. Danh happily accepted and gave a memorable reaction to the offer.
Buttercloth’s Continued Success
A year after their episode aired, Buttercloth was featured on a Shark Tank update segment. Danh revealed the company made $3 million in seven months after the show and sold 30,000 shirts! The deal with Robert closed and he was so proud of what the company has achieved.
Herjavec’s background is mainly in tech so he took a big gamble on Tran and thankfully it paid off. With Robert’s help, the startup introduced new designs and collections. They have collections for Herjavec, Jay Leno and Van Gogh! You can find their products on Amazon and Buttercloth.com.
Robert Herjavec took an active role advising on product lines; by 2022–2023, Buttercloth broadened its men’s wear into women’s and added performance-driven accessories (like stretch polos and travel pants).
They also introduced the “Robert Herjavec Collection,” a limited capsule that pays homage to their Shark investment. Celebrity collaborations (e.g., with Jay Leno and other sports figures) continue to roll out seasonally.
Their website regularly features limited Shark Tank throwback promotions, for instance, commemorating the anniversary of that dunk demo- and they keep using social media influencers to target business and athletic audiences.
Their comfy dress shirts have a 4.9-star average rating from over 8,000 reviews. In 2019, it was reported that their annual sales hit $6 million. In 2023, their annual revenue should be around the same figure. Now, the fashion brand’s valuation stands at $5 million.
References:
https://www.mensjournal.com/style/heres-why-this-shirt-brand-got-a-250k-investment-on-shark-tank
https://buttercloth.com/pages/our-story
