GS Interview: Dicks Cottons CEO Rich Amundson, Creator of Snooki's Excellent Sunglasses (Part 1 of 2)

DJ Pauly D (left) and Rich AmundsonGoodSports presents Part 1 of 2 of our interview with Rich Amundson, founder of Dicks Cottons, which keeps sunglasses always on the face and in the wardrobe of new WWE surprise stud Snooki, who's also on some TV show called Jersey Shore. Apparently it's pretty popular. Rich talks with us about how his brand went from a joke—his words—to the international sensation it is today.

At the bottom of the post, you can see Snooki's wrestling video. Between here and there, Rich and GoodSports cover everything from his simplistic logo, The Stickman, to The Situation's simply awful performance during the Trump Roast (and how he's bouncing back), to partying in Cali and NYC, with everyone from the Jersey Shore crew to Keenan Cahill. And he even gives us some tips so you can be like him, too.

Swell guy, this Rich. Enjoy.

How’d you end up with Dicks Cottons?

One of my best friends since Kindergarten, Mike Burke, is a very talented musician. We both we working 60-70 hour jobs in NYC and realized we didn't want to do this forever. So I started a t-shirt line where I made a shirt for one of his songs. The agreement was that if he blew up first, he'd promote my clothing brand, and vice versa.

I decided on a clothing brand because I always hated shopping and thought I could make better stuff than what was out there. My name is Rich and everyone calls me Dikkie, and I was named after my grandfather Dick, so that’s where I got Dicks from. The Cottons was because the shirts were going to be your favorite, softest shirt, and the word means a versatile, easy, and durable product, so I combined the two, and there you have Dicks Cottons!

What’s your story, in a few sentences? Seems like you’ve gone from just another entrepreneur to this guy with this exploding brand. 

Back in 2009, I had made one t-shirt in 2 years. The brand was a joke and wasn't going anywhere. So (I know this sounds cliche) but I listened to the Secret and 4-Hour Workweek books on tape. I enrolled for classes at FIT at night. I realized there were so many shirt companies, so I decided on a new product that had harder barriers to entry and where I thought there was a market for well-priced and fun product.

Also, in one of my Social Media classes at FIT, I started a Mike "The Situation" Group page on FB. I immersed myself fully in everything Jersey Shore, so that my page would have the most up to date information. Through this page, I learned the power of social media, Jersey Shore, and how to run a Facebook Page. Ironically, one month later, the Jersey Shore got the shades and helped put my brand on the map and my Facebook fan page (now up to 112,000 fans) is the most powerful way I market and grow the brand. I guess as they say, everything happens for a reason.

I mean, Jersey Shore's all about your shades, but they've also been worn on The Bachelor, the Kardashians, Running Wilde. Mike Posner rocks them onstage. Gisele has been seen buying them. Connor Barth (former UNC kicker, now with the Bucs, I think) rocks them. How does that happen? And how psyched are you about it?

I never could have imagined this in a million years. In hindsight, if I could have picked my all-time perfect job, it would be one where I can travel, party, go to beaches, help people have a good time, and put people in a good mood. In reality, having a sunglasses and beach brand is the perfect answer.

Right now it's all based online so I can live and travel anywhere and the business isn't interrupted. It took a lot of hard work, and an equal amount of luck. Jersey Shore helped put our product on the map, and then it’s grown organically basically only through FB and Twitter. We don't do any advertising. I like how its kind of an underground brand, but everyone who sees the shades loves them and wants them. 

How did the sunglasses become the iconic thing you sell? 

My original idea was that there weren't a lot of fun, unique, school-colored sunglasses that were better than the cheap $10 pairs, so I designed a new style, added a great lens, and then a lot of school colors. I had Carolina Blue for UNC (my alma mater), then brainstormed other popular school combinations and did Maroon/Yellow (ASU, USC, BC, FSU, etc), Orange/White (Texas, Tennessee, Syracuse, etc), Maroon/Black (Umass, South Carolina, etc), Purple/Yellow (LSU, ECU, Lakers), Red/White/Blue, Red/White, Blue/Orange (UF, 'Cuse, etc) and on and on.

My goal was to set up a college tour and spend last summer and fall marketing at each school's football and basketball games, hiring school brand reps, etc. However, once they took off from the TV exposure, I was too busy to do that because I had to focus my time on the sales that were coming in. As it turns out, now college kids are starting to be brand reps and it’s spreading to colleges anyway. Just not in the path I had envisioned it!

So you’re like, the official supplier of Jersey Shore’s sunglasses, which pretty much launched your brand. Tell us that magical story.

It’s pretty much a case of right place/right time and having a product that was unique and stood out. It was the winter of 2009 and I had just gotten my first samples of the shades. A friend I know in NYC always throws big NYE parties, and hires the celebrity du-jour to show up at his party.  Since Jersey Shore Season 1 was airing and gaining steam, he hired Snooki, The Situation, and Pauly D to come to his party after they did their bit in Times Square for MTV.

I was down in Miami so I had friends bring tons of samples of the shades to give out at the party, and hopefully get pictures of the JS kids in them. Two weeks later someone texted me "go to people.com right now" and there is Snooki on the home page of the website wearing the prototypes in LA. We kept in touch via twitter, and everyone on the cast loved the shades. I sent them more of the real ones once they were ready and they wore them on Season 2 in Miami last summer.  They all look good in them, and because there are 19 colors, they could always keep a fresh outfit with a new color.

For the unfamiliar, such as my mom—heck, honestly, for me, too—explain Jersey Shore in one sentence.

Kids that were picked for a reality show that like to enjoy life, party, and portray a certain lifestyle that has garnered them unprecedented attention, both good and bad. 

(Ed. note: Here's a link to their site.) 

How well do you know them?

They are all very cool and down to earth people.  I've hung out and partied with Pauly D, Snooki, Vinny, and Deena. I know Pauly D the best. I've seen him spin a few times in Vegas and in Boston, and have a mutual friend between me and his bodyguard, Big Jerry. Partying in Vegas with Pauly and his crew was like being with Elvis...I've never seen anything like it, people go crazy when they see him. I'm meeting with Situation’s brother this week to give him some shades.

Any thoughts on The Situation’s Trump Roast performance? I didn’t see it, but word is he, well, could have done better.

I didn't see it, although I heard that he kind of bombed. I listened to the PodCast with Bill Simmons and Roast master Jeffrey Ross when they discussed it. Situation has unwavering confidence, so I'm sure he is over it and moving on with his other business ventures. And I'm sure he got paid a lot to be there, so I don't think it really bothered him.

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Part 2 coming soon.

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