Villy Custom

Villy Custom is an American lifestyle brand specializing in a luxury custom fashion designed cruiser bicycles for adults.[1] Based in Dallas, the company was founded and is privately owned by entrepreneur Fleetwood Hicks, a former menswear fashion designer, and health enthusiast, and it was chosen by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the 100 Most Brilliant Business Ideas of 2010.[2] The company also aired in season 3 of ABC's show Shark Tank according to WFAA[3]

Villy Custom
IndustryBicycles
Founded2009 (2009)
FounderFleetwood Hicks
HeadquartersDallas, Texas
Area served
United States
ProductsBicycles and accessories
Websitevillycustoms.com

History
DeVille "Villy", Villy Custom Mascot

In 2006 Hicks discovered beach cruiser bike riding on Venice Beach while in Los Angeles on a business trip. After renting a beach cruiser for a scheduled one-hour ride, he brought the rental back 6 hours later and was hooked;[4] relishing the simplicity, comfort and style of the bike and the fact that you could wear street clothes and look stylish riding. Two years later, Villy Custom was founded in 2008 and began as a brick and mortar retail store (selected by Daily Candy as “Sweetest Things” 2009)[5] specializing in sales of Felt Cruisers, Hawk Classic Cruiser bikes, specialty accessories and apparel. After experimenting with minor bike customization, Hicks soon realized he could infuse fashion, texture and unique color combinations to create a customizable luxury fashion bicycle company. The Icon of the Brand is the owner's Bullmastiff dog, named DeVille. The Brand is known for its unexpected product features, such as powder coated handlebars, neck stems, seat post, seat post clamps, fender braces, seat hardware, and wheels in a multitude of colors.[6]

Innovation

Villy Custom is a “fashion” brand of cruiser bike.[7] Villy Custom uses an e-commerce platform with a 3D Flash-based user interface, allowing customers to change, add and remove features and colors.In June 2010, Entrepreneur magazine awarded Villy Custom with one of the 100 Most Brilliant Business Ideas of the year.[2]

Orange Villy Custom fender
One of Villy's Elite Edition bicycles

Logos

The official company logo is a shield including a graphic of DeVille's (nickname “Villy”) head wearing a starred collar. The color scheme is Gold, Black, Red and Silver.

Company headquarters

The company's warehouse and assemblage facility is located in downtown Dallas, Texas. Villy Custom also has a few bicycles showcased at the Omni Dallas Hotel.[8]

Mentions in the press
  1. Selected by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the 100 Most Brilliant Business Ideas for 2010 (June 2010 edition)[9]
  2. Feb 2011 featured on national T.V. by NBC's First Look[6]
  3. Full feature by the Dallas Morning News as the Sunday “Entrepreneur” feature (Sept. 2010) business section[10]
  4. AOL National feature story[11]
  5. Modern Luxury magazine (April 2011 issue, Page 121)[7]

References
  1. "Villy Custom, Happy Bikes for Happy People". Villy Custom. Retrieved 2011-10-05. Build your own custom beach cruiser at Villy Custom
  2. Ohngren and Wang, Kara and Jennifer (2010). "Entrepreneur's Annual 100 Brilliant Ideas". Section. 2011 Entrepreneur Media, Inc. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
  3. "News 8". 2012. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015.
  4. Sherman, Rebecca. "Spin Class". Modern Luxury.
  5. "The Wheel Deal". DailyCandy, Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21.
  6. "1st Look Video". LXTV.
  7. Sherman, Rebecca (April 2011). "Spin Class". Modern Luxury. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  8. "Villy Custom's thousand-dollar bikes". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas News. March 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  9. "Entrepreneur's Annual 100 Brilliant Ideas". Entrepreneur Magazine.
  10. "Dallas entrepreneur's multihued bikes catch eyes". Dallas News.
  11. "Villy Customs' Fleetwood Hicks: Cruising to Success, On Two Wheels". AOL.
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