User:Movethetiger/Couch Guitar Straps

Couch Guitar Straps is a vertically integrated design, manufacture, and web store located in Signal Hill, California. The company was founded by owner Daniel Perkins in his Long Beach apartment and later garage in the late 1990's and early 2000's. At the time, he couldn't otherwise find a guitar strap in music stores or online that he liked for his Fender Telecaster guitar. Couch primarily makes vegan guitar straps, belts, and wallets out of automotive and upholstery vinyls, including some vintage found or "deadstock" fabrics. Couch brands itself as company that manufactures its products in the United States, and was featured in December 2008 print issue of Entrepreneur Magazine and US News And World Report where Perkins says "vision design and ingenuity can't be exported, these are the things that Americans specialize in".

Couch is also known for it's vegan, animal-products-free construction materials, and has associated itself with animal rights organizations like PETA donating products for giveaways and is listed on the PETA's "Shopping Guide To Compassionate Clothing" at Peta.org.

Couch primarily sells its products through its web store couchguitarstraps.com, and also sells wholesale to over 100 retail stores worldwide. The Couch factory ships orders daily from Los Angeles County to the United States and world including shipments to customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and over 30 countries world wide. Couch was featured in June 2010 "Go Global" issue of Success Magazine about the international component to their business.

Production
Couch bases its production at its 1000 square foot facility in Signal Hill, California with 4 employees who work to design, manufacture, and ship their products. Additional production is done by subcontractors in downtown Los Angeles, and the surrounding areas of East LA and Vernon. Couch identifies its in-house manufacturing employees as being guitar players and designers, and identifies itself in its newsletters, packing materials and many product descriptions as a "sweatshop free" company, a term originally credited to US clothing manufacturer American Apparel. Couch helps to offset their higher US production costs by subletting their facility for band rehearsal in the evenings.

Vertical Integration
Couch Guitar Straps is a vertically integrated company. This extends from the concept and design of products, to most product production, to operating their web store and fulfillment of direct customer orders worldwide. Couch has developed a strong relationship with their customers, many whom send in pictures with their straps that can be found in the product descriptions on their web store.

NAMM
Couch is an exhibiting member of The NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants) and won one of 4 Best In Show Designations from a field of over 1500 exhibitors at the 2009 NAMM tradeshow in Anaheim, California. Couch was also covered by Wired.com for the "Best New Gear" at the 2010 NAMM show.

Artists Associated With Couch Guitar Straps
Nels Cline of Wilco appears in a photograph of the May 2010 Issue of Premier Guitar Magazine wearing a Couch Guitar Strap on his 1959 Fender Jazzmaster, and mentions “I’ve had neck and shoulder problems, and the Couch strap is vinyl so it seems to be a little more comfy. " Other artists who have purchased or worn Couch Guitar Straps include Beck, Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, touring members of Keith Urban's band, Mastadon, Man or Astroman? , Scott Crouse of Earth Crisis , Eric Wilson of Sublime , Tegan & Sara , Nicki Monninger of Silversun Pickups , John Cale of Velvet Underground, Mike Gordon of Phish, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's, Lou Barlow of Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., Nick Valensi of The Strokes, Jon Brion, Matt Costa , Supernova, T.S.O.L. and Perkins' band The New Fidelity. Singer and bass player Tyson Ritter of platinum selling All American Rejects appears on Season 2 Episode 3 of Fox Television's House MD as a fictitious rock star wearing his guitar in a photo shoot. Hugh Laurie, the actor who plays "House", was given a Couch Strap as for his 51st birthday present in June of 2010 by Vince Duque, an Assistant Producer on the show. Couch provided all white straps to match similar all white Vox Amplifiers and Gibson Guitars for the guitar players in the Green Light video by R&B Artist Beyoncee.

Collaborations
Couch has produced design collaborations with Fox Racing, Man or Astroman?, street and gallery artist Skullphone, i am 8-bit, and Social Studies Designs.

Philanthropy
Couch is a member, contributor, or donor to many animal rights organizations including PETA (People For Ethical Treatment of Animals), Farm Sanctuary, and ARME (Animal Rights Media Education), as well as the Surfrider Foundation and Schools of Rock Nationwide.