Betarand's smoking jacket was a happy mistake, said Lindland.
The men's "jacket was originally designed to be a simple corduroy coat," he explained. He added a fun liner to give it some kick.
When the first one came off the production line, Lindland I reversed it to inspect the stitching. "It looked like a smoking jacket," he said. He added a few more details and the company's reversible smoking jacket was born.
The jacket can be worn to work or any social occasion, he said. The corduroy side features a breast pocket that can be pulled out to look like a silken pocket square. The smoking jacket side features a skull button enclosure.
The jacket is among Betabrand's most popular products. "We now offer it in six styles," Lindland said. About 1,500 have been sold since 2007.
Online fashion startup Betabrand subverts the rules of retail by getting design ideas from social media.
