Welcome to Holstee

Our Mission

Our mission at Holstee is to help conscious people (like you!) along your journey to live more fully and mindfully. In today’s complicated, fast-paced, hyper-connected, and often overwhelming world, it can be difficult to find perspective — to focus on what’s actually important and not just what is urgent. It’s hard to find the time, it’s hard to know where to begin, and it’s hard to do it alone.

That’s where we come in :-). We are passionate about bringing more meaning and inspiration into people's lives. Over the years, it has become clear to us that living with intention and reflection is an ongoing practice, not a destination. We’re honored to share that journey with you.

Founding Story

In the summer of 2009, brothers Dave and Mike Radparvar decided to quit their jobs in the heat of the recession to go all-in on their passion project — Holstee, a functional and sustainable t-shirt company they had started with their friend Fabian Pfortmüller. Without a business plan or experience in fashion, they reasoned that in the worst-case scenario, it would be the most memorable summer of their lives.

More than anything, Dave, Mike, and Fabian were looking to build a company that would allow them to live their dream. They wanted to create a company that aligned with their personal values and allowed them to have a positive impact on the world around them.

So one of the first things they did was take time to write down why they were starting Holstee. They sat on the steps of Union Square in New York City and, together, they defined what success would look like if they took the financials out of it.

Dave, Mike, and Fabian put that message up as the “About” page on their new website and called it the “Holstee Manifesto.” They couldn’t have imagined how much these words would resonate! Since then, the Holstee Manifesto has been shared millions of times, translated into over 14 languages, and called the next “Just Do It” by The Washington Post -- not something they could have predicted when their top t-shirt customer was their mom :-).

Since writing the Manifesto, the biggest question Holstee has received is what it means to actually live those words. They’ve spent the last eight years trying to answer this question, jumping headfirst into the literature of a life well lived, from classic philosophers like Aristotle, Seneca and Nietzsche to modern thinkers like Martin Seligman, Carol Dweck, Tal Ben-Shahar, and Brené Brown (just to name a few!). They decided to create the Holstee Membership as a way to share what they’ve learned and help others explore what’s most important to them.

Massiel

Leah

Madison

Dave

Mike

Fabian

The Holstee Family

As our product offering has grown, so has the family that brings it to life. Today, the Holstee team is a diverse and distributed group of cyclists, illustrators, yogis, writers, bakers, and creators. When we are not working from home, you can find us at our neighborhood cafes in Amsterdam, Austin, Santo Domingo, Seattle, and Ventura.

We are not currently hiring, but sign up here if you would like to be notified of future job openings.

A special thank you goes out to our Holstee alumni. Without them, this dream would never have come true and we are so proud of where everyone is today: Andrew, Andy, Ankit, Barrie, Cody, Deidre, Emily, Eva, Helen, Ilya, Jess, Kaitlyn, Mandy, Mary, McLane, Molly, Mullica, Nirav, Sarah, Thianh, and Yann.

In the news

We are honored that others have found our work as exciting as we do! Here are some nice words from people that we look up to:

“Most mission statements contain words like value and service but often fail to explain what the founders truly care about, much less inspire anyone else to care. Holstee's mission statement is an exception.” Inc. Magazine

“Scott Rick, a professor of marketing at University of Michigan, likens the manifesto to the “Just Do It” slogan popularized by Nike. The difference, Rick said, is that Holstee explained what the “it” is.” The Washington Post

“Using its marketing and design skills in Brooklyn, one start-up is helping to create jobs in Detroit via local sourcing.” CNBC

Here are a few other places that have mentioned our work:

Want to write about us, access hi-res photos, or learn more?

Download a PDF press overview and press photos here And, of course, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at press@holstee.com to get in touch!

Stay Connected

Join 60,000+ members of the Holstee community on a journey to bring meaning and purpose into their everyday lives.