Matteo Ferrer is putting his faith in an innovative new dress shirt idea as the professor leaves behind his steady job to pursue his dreams in a new episode of Discovery’s I Quit, airing Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. Alongside his new bride, Julie Ferrer, the former professor in Environmental Sustainability is putting everything he has into Versattire, the “breathable, comfortable” dress shirt you can wear not just into the office, but to the gym, bed and everywhere in between.
“You can think about it as versatile attire,” he explains in a PopCulture.com exclusive preview of Tuesday’s episode. “Originally, I made this product for me. I work in South Florida it’s very humid, so I was wearing these cotton, bulky, uncomfortable dress shirts. Just walking to work, I would already be sweating and you could see the sweat stains.”
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Coming up with a different kind of dress shirt, one made of 92% polyester, 8% spandex, Matteo recruited new bride Julie for help with the fashion and design aspect, drawing on her creative strengths and history in the design industry. “I always say, it’s his business, but I have industry experience,” she says. “I feel like I can add a lot of value to Versattire.”
Getting any company off the ground comes with plenty of challenges, but high manufacturing costs tied to the sustainable production practices Matteo is passionate about keeping within the United States, plus the difficulty of running a business mostly on the weekends, led Matteo to make the big decision to quit his teaching job and pursue Versattire fully. Will the entrepreneurs be able to overcome the obstacles in their way to make their business a success?
I Quit is tracking the stories of six business owners who gave up their 9-to-5 jobs to chase their dreams. Also in Tuesday’s episode, Marcus Sorensen and Chris Studdert are dealt a serious blow to their Blue Coolers business when newly-imposed tariffs threaten to kill their profit margin just a week after they took the leap to leave their jobs. Jen Prado and Jesse Klee struggle to find direction with Klado, their Brazilian dessert business, and childhood friends from Queens debate leaving their jobs to kickstart their wine business. Don’t miss these entrepreneurs’ journeys as they take the big leap to pursue their dream on I Quit, airings Tuesdays, at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery. For more about your favorite Discovery shows from PopCulture, click here.