Shopify Masters How to Save Lives & Build a Brand
Dec 2, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Gloria Hwang, Founder and CEO of Thousand, shares her journey of transforming the bike helmet industry with stylish designs that appeal to first-time wearers. Inspired by a personal tragedy, Gloria reveals her mission to save lives through a lifetime crash replacement guarantee. She explores the failure of fear-based marketing, the importance of understanding customer needs, and how adopting a design-led approach has helped her brand expand globally. With insights on balancing leadership and motherhood, Gloria encourages founders to prioritize solving real customer problems.
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Make Safety Desireable, Not Scary
- Fear-based safety messaging doesn't change behavior; people tune out PSAs that use scare tactics.
- Gloria reframed helmets as desirable lifestyle accessories to make people want to wear them.
Design By Emotional Reference
- Design products to evoke a feeling and cultural references rather than mimic existing category tropes.
- Gloria pulled inspiration from 50s/60s moto style and classic imagery to make helmets feel cool and familiar.
Founding Born From Personal Loss
- Gloria Hwang started Thousand after a mentor died in a bike crash and she realized she avoided helmets for style reasons.
- The brand's lifetime crash-replacement guarantee has resulted in over 1,300 replaced helmets, fulfilling the mission numerically.