Hello again; While most of my posts are related to the amusement industry and the equipment for sale on the website, sometimes I do like to post about personal experiences especially if they relate to my development as a business person.
Now, many of you are aware that I have had gastric surgery and lost a lot of weight. I have lost 247 pounds so far to be exact. One of the side effects of this is that I no longer have any good clothes to wear. With my weight constantly changing I couldn’t invest in new clothes. Most everything I own is either a t-shirt or has a draw string. And these aren’t suitable for wearing to meet clients or to attend trade shows and conventions. So, my question was how do I start to accumulate the professional wardrobe that I will need in the near future.
I decided to approach some clothing manufacturers and ask them to help with this. I did some research and selected Robert Graham Designs. I wrote them explaining about the weight loss and the need for new dress clothes for attending networking events. I also mentioned that I happened to be blind. Their representative Naomi Holland wrote back and explained that they usually didn’t do make overs. But she went on to say that in honor of my losing the weight that they wanted to give me a free shirt. I thought this was a generous offer.
Searching Their Site
They didn’t specify a price limit, so I went off to their site again to search through their shirts. I may have dropped from a 4xl tall or 5xl tall down to a 2xl tall in shirts, but I still started with their big and tall section. I found several shirts in there that sounded good. Then I went to their sports shirts section and looked around there too. I wanted to make things easy on them, so I gave them a list of four shirts I liked figuring that at least one of them would be in stock. Naomi told me she would place my order right away.
I think I should mention how easy it was to access their site. As a blind computer user I often have trouble using a site like theirs with my screen reader. Some of the larger sites like Amazon and Ebay have separate versions of their site just for blind and visually impaired users. But this wasn’t necessary on the Robert Graham site. All the buttons were labelled, and the descriptions were detailed. Search results were grouped in small batches and best of all my cursor didn’t jump around while on their site. this often happens when a site is set up to constantly refresh itself and it is a major pain when you are on a site that does it. I was so happy with my experience surfing their site that I wrote a review for their face book page.
Granite Sports Shirt
The first shirt on my list was this beautiful long sleeved sports shirt that they refer to as granite. It comes in black as you will see, and it has lots of amazing embroidery on it. My mom told me to tuck in the tail, but my brother Patrick thought this way you would get to see all of it. I will include the site description here just so you can compare the image with what they have to say about it.
Rich with texture, this solid jacquard tall long sleeve sport shirt features an all-over diamond pattern with an overlay of a tonal embroidered design. Single contrast stripe lines the inside neckband and double contrast stripes line the inside cuffs.
It is easily the nicest shirt I have ever owned. I can’t wait to wear it. I’m thinking about wearing it to church this sunday.
Bonus Shirt!
I am grateful to them for giving me this incredible new shirt, but when I opened the box; I was surprised to find a second shirt. The shirt is called a bourbon polo. It feels great against my skin. It is 95 percent cotton. I don’t believe it will shrink, but even if it does; the shirt is long enough to start with that it shouldn’t matter. My brother patrick and my nephew thought the color pattern was unusual. I told them all the better to make an impression.
The catalog description on the website says This short big sleeve polo is crafted from piqué cotton. It features a contrast ribbed-knit collar, placket and armbands for a color-blocked look. Contrast ribbon inside neckband.
About Robert Graham Designs
I thought I should include some background about this fine company. I took this next section from their linked in profile. It all started with the shirt. Then came the buzz, followed by a groundswell of fans and admirers. Since 2001, Robert Graham has captivated consumers with an aesthetic experience that transcends the ordinary. Each piece is an unconventional work of art designed for an individual who exudes confidence and a distinctive identity. Today, Robert Graham has expanded into a range of other categories, including knit wear, pants, shorts, jackets, ties, cufflinks, belts, hats, scarves, gloves and hosiery, as well as a full women’s collection. This comes as no surprise as the brand’s design influences cross cultural boundaries, pairing eclectic prints and patterns to unexpected yet refined results. Pushing the boundaries of status quo, Robert Graham strives to be one of the most innovative brands in the industry by consistently pushing boundaries and exceeding expectations. The Robert Graham consumer is a connoisseur, an individual capable of discerning nuances who appreciates products of high quality and unique caliber.
I am thankful to have received such a great gift from the nice people at Robert Graham Designs. And I hope that by sharing this with you that they will be rewarded for their efforts. If you have someone on your list that would enjoy a truly unique piece of clothing, then be sure and check out their site. I hope you will mention having heard about them through me. I would love to become an affiliate for them. Or even better I am hoping that they may decide to endorse me and my site by providing more of their amazing clothes for me to wear in my upcoming travels. To that end be sure and share this post.
This is the kind of blessing you can receive simply by asking with an open heart. Like it says on the back of my business cards never be afraid to ask because if you don’t ask they can’t say yes. If you or your company have a product you would like me to review, then please let me know. Just use the contact form. I obviously am more familiar with products and supplies having to do with some aspect of the amusement industry, but I am open to suggestions. So, don’t hesitate to ask.
This whole process was a lot of fun. I am looking forward to your comments. I love hearing from my readers, and I hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and take care, Max
Looks really good.
hi linda; thanks for being such a good friend. how did the photos turn out? patrick says i look good and so do the shirts, but he is my brother. Thanks and take care, max
What an inspiring story Max. As I was reading I could feel the gratitude you are expressing, and the compassion of Robert Graham Designs. That polo shirt is good looking on you too! How blessed you are. How blessed with are that you shared this with us.
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Hi Pat; Thanks so much for reading the post. I try to write the way I feel. I’m glad to hear that my gratitude did come through. The people at robert graham were great. would love to become an affiliate of theirs or have them sponsor me. Thanks for being such a good friend. Take care, max
Max you should be proud of yourself for losing the weight. It so nice to see that there are such good people out there and I am impressed with the compassion of Robert Graham Designs. That polo shirt looks good and it must make you feel so good. Enjoyed your story.
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Hi Arleen; Thanks for the complement. I do feel great with my progress to becoming healthier. And robert graham was great. I should also mention Naomi Holland and Justin Brown for being part of this. I would truly love to represent them as a company ambassadore. So i would love it if enough people visited their site that they decided to sponsor me with more of their amazing clothes. Thanks again and take care, max
What an excellent story and speaks wonders about the power of asking, a theme I have been thinking about a fair bit lately.
I hope you shared a link to your post with Robert Graham Designs. What they did was gracious and what you gave them in return in terms of good PR was well beyond the value of the clothes.
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Hi debra; So glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, the people at robert graham were very nice. and I did share the link with them. I have always been good at asking, but when you are blind; you get lots of opportunities to develop this skill. And on the back of my business card i wrote never be afraid to ask because if you don’t ask they can’t say yes. And thanks so much for reminding me how special i am. You are right they got or could get so much more out of this than i have. And I have to be honest when i asked i saw it the other way around. with the increased traffic and rankings I believe my site is in a position to do a lot for those companies smart enough to partner with me. I hope robert graham will eventually go beyond this one time gift. thanks and take care, Max
I finally made it by Max and glad I did. Aren’t you so handsome in your new shirts. Great job with picking them out and I’m sure everyone at church will be just as impressed.
That was really very nice of Robert Graham Designs to help you with this, just goes to show there are still some really nice people and companies in this world today. Bravo to them and to you as well for approaching them in the first place.
You did really well. Now have a good weekend and stay warm.
~Adrienne
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Hi Adrienne; I knew you would. You have always been a great friend to me. it is nice to know that there are some good companies out there willing to do something nice for people like this. and I’m glad to hear i did a good job picking them out. Although everyone seems to like the polo better. smile I figure that the best way to show people the power of positivity and taking chances is to do it myself and report on the results. I would love to become an affiliate for them or an ambassadore. Would be great if they would eventually sponsor team ivey. now, how do i get this story picked up by the news media? you know me I’m always trying for more. I am enjoying my shirts and I will have a great weekend with the family staying in and staying warm. you stay warm too my friend, max
Hi Max,
I never knew you’d had gastric surgery. That’s an amazing achievement to lose so much weight, and I can appreciate what a task it must be getting a whole new wardrobe together.
This was a great idea – a real win-win both for you and the lovely company that’s supplied you with these shirts. They both suit you very well indeed – I think my favourite’s probably the black long-sleeved one, but the other one is very striking and unusual and would be great for less formal occasions, I would think.
Thanks very much for sharing this story, Max – and congratulations 🙂
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Hi Sue; Glad you enjoyed the post. I think you are the first person to comment who has liked the black one best. My brother patrick and nephew seth actually laughed at the polo shirt. apparently, it looks better on me than it did in the package or does on the hanger. But I think that is what I am starting to love about r g’s clothes. Their stuff is all so distinctive. And I thought the women who responded to this would understand the problems about coming up with a new wardrobe. smile It could be worse. Men only have one form of undergarments, and we rarely own more than two pairs of shoes. haha And what would you pair the black shirt with? I may have picked it out, but I’ll be the first to admit that I will never be asked for fashion advice. thanks again for the comment. You are a sweety. Take care, max
Hi Max – the shirt looks very sleek. Awesome to see this kind of recognition for your hard work. I can say I didn’t know much of anything about Robert Graham until your review, and will be more likely to buy when I’m out shopping next time! Success all around 🙂
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Hi Greg; Thanks for visiting the site. I have enjoyed reading your posts and those by lorraine on deer blogger. I hoped that when I wrote about Robert Graham’s generous offer it would result in sales or in at least more interest for their fine products. After all, if I am honest; I was hoping this would lead to further opportunities to promote or endorse products in exchange for sponsorship of the site. Its no secret now that I want to travel the world and do a youtube show about the amusement industry; and that all takes money. So, thanks for the comment. It is right on point. Take care my new friend, max
Max,
Congratulations on all of your success with the surgery! Some people think it is an easy way to weight loss. I have learned from friends who have had the surgery that it takes a lot of dedication to stay with a healthy diet during and after recovery from surgery.
How cool that you had the idea to research and contact a company like Robert Grahams Design to help you with your makeover. They were indeed very generous and your new look is great!
Once again, congratulations on your success here at the website and also with your accomplishments in health and weight loss also!
Karen Hoyt
Hi Karen; Thanks so much for the kind words. I thought the same thing before i had the surgery. This is because I had two relatives who had it and who were successful even though they didn’t seem to be following the program very strictly. And i learned that some people do have good results without much effort. I also learned that some people will actually gain weight because they were never really serious about their given procedure. The surgery is just a tool. I have worked very hard in addition to the surgery and thank goodness it shows. I need to start some other form of exercise to target my upper body. this isn’t easy because i have an arthritic right shoulder that doesn’t tolerate even light weight training. I’m hoping to get a rower with my next commission check. I do love robert graham’s clothiers, and i so appreciate their gift. I would love to have more. smile perhaps you will visit their face book page and leave a comment. thanks again and take care, max
What a great story. Congratulations on your success. I can only guess at how hard it was to make the decision and to think through all the choices. You are an inspiration!
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Hi Beth; So glad I could share my story. It was a lot of hard work both before and aftr the surgery and I am feeling and everyone says looking so much better. I have also had dental work done after a lifetime of neglect. th other day my cousin who lives in california was visiting and she not only said she wouldn’t have recognized me but that i look so much younger than she expected. thanks for your comment. Take care, max