The Secret To Racer Worldwide's Success

An interview with Racer Worldwide founder Mihhail Zigadlo.

Esteban: Let’s jump in Misha. Give us a brief intro, just about you, the brand, the story. You know, doesn’t have to be super long—just a quick summary. But feel free to expand if you want; people are definitely curious about how you got here.

Mihhail: Sure. So Racer Worldwide started about seven years ago, when I was still in high school. I was 17 at the time. It was winter in Estonia and I just started printing t-shirts with my friends, who were also my classmates. That’s how we kicked off. A lot of those same friends are still part of the team today, which is something I’m really proud of.

At first, it was small, really just for our local market—selling to friends, family, and people in Estonia. But it quickly became clear that if we stayed local, we’d hit a wall. Estonia’s population is only 1.5 million, and Tallinn, where we’re based, has around 600,000 people. So, we knew if we wanted to scale, we had to think beyond that.

Esteban: You had to go beyond your borders pretty quickly. Was going digital the big turning point for you?

Mihhail: Yeah, for sure. We realized early on that focusing online was going to be the way to grow. But what really pushed things forward was when COVID hit. Suddenly, everyone was shopping online, and we were already in a position to take advantage of that. We’d been focusing on e-commerce for a while, so when the pandemic forced everyone online, we were prepared.

That’s when things really exploded for us. We went from shipping maybe 100 pieces a month to thousands. Our revenue shot up, and we were suddenly shipping worldwide. It was a huge shift from being this small local brand to selling internationally.

Esteban: Wow, that’s an insane jump. So, you started off screen-printing for your local market, and now you’re shipping globally. How long did that process take?

Mihhail: It took about two to three years for things to really take off. In the beginning, it was super small—we were selling mostly to friends and family, and then we started shipping to neighboring countries like Finland and Latvia. But even then, we weren’t making much money. None of us were earning a salary or anything. It was more of a passion project.

But when the first wave of COVID hit, that’s when everything changed. Suddenly, we were shipping thousands of pieces a month, and our revenue quickly grew to over $100,000 a month. That’s when we realized it wasn’t just a side project anymore—it was a real business.

Esteban: So you went from being this high school kid, just printing t-shirts with friends, to running a global business. What was that like for you personally? How did you handle that kind of growth?

Mihhail: It was pretty overwhelming at first, to be honest. I mean, I started the brand when I was just 17, so I didn’t have any real experience running a business. At the beginning, it was all about creativity—designing clothes, experimenting with ideas. None of us really knew what we were doing on the business side.

But as things started to grow, I realized that I had to shift my mindset. I couldn’t just be an artist—I had to learn how to be a businessperson too. That was a big learning curve for me. I had to teach myself how to run a business, manage a team, handle logistics, and everything else that comes with growing a brand.

Now, I feel like I’ve found a balance between the creative and the business sides. For me, the two are interconnected. The business side is just as creative as the design process. Building the brand, structuring the company, managing the supply chain—it’s all part of the same creative vision.

Esteban: That’s such an interesting way of looking at it. I feel like a lot of designers struggle with that balance—trying to keep their creativity while also handling the business side of things. Did you always think of yourself as both an artist and a businessperson?

Mihhail: Not at first. In the beginning, I was totally focused on the creative side. I didn’t care much about the business stuff—it was all about the designs, the clothes, and the art. But as Racer grew, I had to get serious about the business side. I didn’t have a choice if I wanted the brand to succeed. And I found that I secretly had a passion for that as well.

Over time, I’ve come to see the business side as just another form of creativity. I think of the brand as one big project, where everything—from the designs to the operations to the way we communicate with our customers—feeds into the same vision. I’m not just running a business; I’m building a world, and that takes both creativity and business strategy.Esteban: Nice. And going back to your creative-business balance—what do you think has been the key to Racer Worldwide’s success compared to other brands?

Mihhail:: I think it’s the mix of creativity and operational consistency. We’ve managed to be really organized and consistent while also staying creative. I’ve seen other brands with amazing artists who struggle to manage the business side—shipping on time, managing production, customer support. And then there are brands that are great at the business side but lack creative depth. We’ve been able to merge both without compromising.

Esteban: That’s a rare balance. How did you find that “pattern of thinking,” as you called it?

Mihhail: It’s been a process. When we started, it was all about doing what we loved, expressing ourselves without much thought for structure. But as we grew and had a team relying on the brand for their livelihood, we had to think more strategically. We faced a lot of questions about whether to stay niche or go mainstream, and how far we could push our creativity without losing sight of growth. In the end, the answer always came back to doing what we love, and I happen to love the creative aspect of having a brand, but also the business aspect of having a brand.

Esteban: Now, strategically—what are you focusing on as the brand continues to grow? How do you make sure Racer Worldwide stays true to its roots while expanding?

Mihhail: It's about constantly asking ourselves the right questions and staying adaptable. We never want to fall into the trap of doing something just because it’s expected, or just because its contrarian. Like, we could spend $100,000 on a big show in Paris, or we could invest that into a unique project that aligns more with our values and has a bigger impact. We're always exploring how we can do things differently.

Esteban: How do you keep that balance in check as the brand continues to grow?

Mihhail: It’s definitely a challenge, but I think the key is to stay true to your vision. For me, the creative and business sides are two parts of the same whole. When I’m working on Racer, I’m always thinking about how the business side can support the creative side, and vice versa. It’s about building something cohesive.

Another big part of it is my team. I can’t do everything myself, so having people I trust to handle different aspects of the brand has been essential. It allows me to focus on both the creative and business sides without spreading myself too thin.

Esteban: That makes sense. Speaking of your team, how big is it now? Are most of the people still the same friends you started with, or have you expanded a lot?

Mihhail: Yeah, a lot of the original crew is still with me, which is amazing. We’ve been through a lot together, and that’s something I’m really proud of. But we’ve also expanded quite a bit. Right now, we have 16 full-time people working out of our office in Estonia. We also collaborate with freelancers and contractors from all over the world, but the core team is here.

Esteban: So with that kind of mix of old friends and new talent, how do you approach leadership? How do you manage a team that’s grown so much?

Mihhail: For me, leadership is about giving people the freedom to do their best work. I’m not a micromanager—I believe in hiring people who are passionate about what they do and then giving them the space to excel. I’ve always wanted Racer Worldwide to feel like more than just a job for the people who work here. It’s a community, and I want everyone to feel like they have a stake in the brand’s success.

I also try to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Some of the best ideas we’ve had came from brainstorming sessions where everyone was contributing. That’s the kind of culture we’ve built at Racer—a collaborative, creative space where everyone’s input matters.

Esteban: How do you maintain that close-knit culture as you scale?

Mihhail: It’s definitely something we’ve had to work at. I think it comes down to staying true to our values. From day one, we’ve always approached Racer as a collaborative project. It’s not just me or the people at the top making all the decisions. Everyone’s input matters, and that’s something we’ve kept even as we’ve grown. We still have regular team meetings, and we make sure communication is open and transparent.

Another big part of it is staying hands-on. Even though we’ve grown, we still make sure we’re involved in every aspect of the brand. We don’t want to lose that personal touch.

Esteban: I know you’ve mentioned Virgil Abloh as an influence before. Can you talk about how he and other figures like Kanye have shaped your approach to creativity and business?

Mihhail: Yeah, Virgil was definitely a huge influence when I was starting out. I think I’ve watched every interview he’s ever done, read every book he put out. When I was 17 and just getting into fashion, Virgil was at the top of his game. He was one of the few people who had made it from the streetwear world into the luxury space, and that was really inspiring to me.

What I admired about Virgil was how he blurred the lines between what was possible for people like me who came from small places. He wasn’t just a designer—he was a mentor who understood how to bring different worlds together. But over time, I started to see that while he made incredible strides, he was also constrained by the structures of the industry, especially when he moved into the corporate luxury world.

On the other hand, Kanye West has been another huge influence, and in many ways, I relate more to his approach now. Kanye is someone who has always stayed true to his vision, no matter what. He’s built a business empire, but he’s done it on his own terms, without compromising his creative integrity. That’s something I really admire, and it’s what I want to achieve with the brand.

Kanye never let the industry box him in, and I think that’s what makes him such a powerful figure. He’s shown that you can build something massive without sacrificing your values, and that’s the balance I’m striving for with the brand.

Esteban: That’s fascinating. So in a way, you’re looking at Kanye as a model for building something that’s both creatively pure and commercially successful, but without the compromises that can come with being part of a big corporate structure?

Mihhail: Exactly. I don’t want to be just another creative director working for a big luxury brand. I want to build something that’s independent, something that can stand on its own. Virgil was a genius, no doubt, but in the end, his work still benefited these huge corporations more than it benefited him or the culture he represented. That’s where I feel Kanye is different—he’s built something that’s not just financially successful but also creatively authentic.

For me, that’s the ultimate goal: to create a brand that can grow and succeed without compromising the vision. I want Racer to be a brand that stays independent, that stays true to its roots, while also being a global player.