Basic Outfitters Update | Shark Tank Season 8

Kimberly Elizabeth Graf December 11, 2021

During Shark Tank Season 8, Laura and Michael Dweck entered the tank to try and pitch their NYC-based apparel company, Basic Outfitters. After asking the aharks for $125,000 for 10% equity, the two were unable to close a deal. Let’s have a look at our Basic Outfitters update to see exactly where the company is a few years later.

Shark Tank Basic Outfitters Update

Entrepreneur: Lauren and Michael Dweck
Business: High-quality and affordable men’s essentials
Ask: $125,000 for 10% equity
Result: No Deal
Shark: None

According to the company’s official website, Basic Outfitters is the “most convenient way to shop for basics.” Its “Create-a-Drawer” feature sends at least 17 different clothing pieces to men with free shipping. Inside are high-quality underwear, loungewear, and socks. The company also sells these items individually for those who’d like to stock up.

To try and get the sharks to bite, Laura offered a nasty statistic about how men kept their underwear for an average of 7 years. Robert Herjavec’s look at that moment said it all. Michael also admitted that he used to be a part of the said statistic, with Laura telling the sharks a story from early on in their marriage.

As Laura and Michael explained the origins of Basic Outfitters, the sharks couldn’t help but feel impressed by the quality of the apparel relative to the price. Daymond John had reservations about the market for the product. The entrepreneurs countered by saying that they expected to make $500,000 by the end of the year.

As impressive as that sales number sounded, the sharks became discouraged when they found out that Laura and Michael only own 25% of the business after selling 75% of it. Because of this, Mark Cuban went out, followed by Robert Herjavec and Daymond, leaving only Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner.

Kevin offered $125,000 for 25% for the company if the percentage came from the other investors in the company. Lori Greiner also jumped in to make an offer. Laura and Michael then attempted to counter at 15%, which made Kevin back out as he realized that the two don’t own enough of the business anymore. Lori tried to counter back at 20% before ultimately pulling out for the same reason as Kevin.

The entrepreneurs walked away without a deal. A few years later, we decided it was time for a Basic Outfitters update.

Despite not getting a deal in Shark Tank, the couple ended up getting something more — education and exposure. Because of their appearance on Shark Tank, Lauren and Michael were forced to learn more about the ugly side of their business. Not only that, but they also received a huge boost in sales, as well as queries if they had women’s products.

Unfortunately, despite getting a lot of traction in the months and years following their Shark Tank appearance, our Basic Outfitters update research found that it is no longer operational. A quick look at their social media pages shows that they have not posted an update since January of 2020, and all their products have been removed from their website. It might be that the company had difficulty adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before you leave, check out updates for the other companies featured on Shark Tank Season 8 Episode 12:

For more company updates from Shark Tank, be sure to take a look at our Season 8 product page.

Kimberly Elizabeth Graf

Website | + posts

Kimberly is a writer for Shark Tank Recap. She has written episode summaries and updates across multiple seasons of Shark Tank, with a focus on complete and accurate information since 2021. She believes that getting the business aspects of each deal correct is extremely important for viewers and fans. Her favorite Shark Tank products are The Wobbles and Rocketbook!