Kyle Ng and Ed Davis transformed Brain Dead’s operations by integrating Cin7, which helped the global streetwear brand seamlessly manage their diverse lineup of apparel, accessories, and footwear. Cin7 assisted Brain Dead in tracking inventory across four global warehouses and eliminating outdated inventory practices like relying on error-prone Excel spreadsheets. This propelled their creative company, known for its unique designs, into a new era of streamlined operations and global reach.

In 2015, amidst the vibrant chaos of the streetwear scene in Los Angeles, Kyle Ng and Ed Davis embarked on a journey. What began as a fun project making graphic t-shirts quickly evolved into Brain Dead — a brand that defied convention, blending subcultures in art, music, literature, sports, and cinema into a unique tapestry of style.

Their ideas resonated with the public, and the new company quickly grew into a global collective of creatives, including artists, designers, musicians, and filmmakers. Brain Dead rebelled against the lack of authenticity in streetwear culture. They were determined to occupy a space one step inside the fringe of subculture. The company flourished, expanding from t-shirts to accessories, homewares, furniture, toys, games, and even ventured into food and beverage.

With this meteoric rise came growing pains.

“As you get more products, you need a better inventory management system.”

Originally, Brain Dead sold everything on Shopify and managed all its inventory using Excel spreadsheets, and their creativity was sapped by manual, error-prone, and time-consuming data entry. Brain Dead’s logistics manager Amanda explains, “We had a drive full of shared Excel sheets. They were clunky, not easy to use, and really easy to break.”

Rather than breaking barriers, Brain Dead was breaking down over spreadsheets. They needed an inventory management system that could support their global expansion and free them to focus on their disruptive creativity. Enter Cin7.

Cin7’s free trial highlighted everything Brain Dead had hoped to find. Its ease of use, modern interface, and powerful functionalities stood out over the rest. “It’s very robust. Cin7 is going to grow with us,” says Amanda.

Cin7’s transformation of Brain Dead’s operations put a makeover montage to shame. “Setting up Cin7 took a few months. However, once we got it started, it immediately improved our operations,” Amanda recounts. Cin7 improved accuracy, significantly reduced errors, and spotlighted items 3PLs had lost.

Brain Dead finally broke free of their spreadsheets. They spread their wings, establishing main warehouses in the U.S., UK, EU (Netherlands), and Hong Kong. Plus, integrating one of their brick-and-mortar stores with Cin7 allowed them to create a seamless system where orders flow smoothly from Shopify to Cin7.

“We wouldn’t have been able to expand globally without Cin7.”

Cin7’s impact went beyond their warehouse operations. Amanda highlights, “Our planning department loves Cin7 because they can know how many [products] we have, what we’ve sold recently, and how well it sold.”

This newfound clarity allowed Brain Dead to connect with their customers on a deeper level. They could now pinpoint exactly what resonated with their audience for each of their limited runs. “There is a t-shirt color that we just don’t do anymore because it always did poorly. And we knew that because of Cin7.” Amanda illustrates.

Cin7’s automations freed up senior staff to focus on strategic decisions based on real data. The brand now had the tools to push boundaries globally.

With Cin7-enabled warehouse hubs around the world, they could now offer their customers faster shipping at lower costs. Amanda illustrates this beautifully: “Instead of it costing $45 to ship from the U.S., it’s going to cost $10 with a local courier service.”

“The fact that Cin7 integrates with multiple warehouses is a huge deal for us. That has opened up a whole new world for us.”

Brain Dead’s partnership with Cin7 has propelled the brand from its domestic roots to the global stage.

Brain Dead is looking to the future. As they continue to grow globally with Cin7, they plan to integrate their Hong Kong warehouse and expand e-commerce sales in Asia-Pacific markets. These regions, with their rich tapestry of cultures, align perfectly with Brain Dead’s ethos of cultural fusion.

“We’ll likely be with Cin7 for a long time.”

From a small operation juggling Excel sheets to a global powerhouse redefining streetwear, Brain Dead’s journey with Cin7 is more than just a success story. It’s a testament to what happens when creativity meets efficiency and when passion meets precision. In the ever-evolving world of streetwear, Brain Dead stands as a beacon of innovation, their success inextricably linked with the transformative power of Cin7.