Well Made

Nellie Cohen oversees Patagonia’s Worn Wear program. Worn Wear encourages people to do more with the clothing they already have through repair, reuse, and responsible recycling. They do this by offering trade-in credits for pre-owned Patagonia merchandise that’s then resold online at a discount. While a smaller operation, Worn Wear is part of Patagonia’s larger commitment to ethical environmental responsibility. More than that, the program is about the true stories of people and their Patagonia gear and preserving the planet in a small way. On this episode of the podcast, Nellie shares the origins behind Worn Wear (6:24). She illuminates on the process of launching their ecommerce site (10:58), managing the logistics behind all the program elements (13:07), and creating cross-functional trainable systems (14:23). Nellie talks about the revenue goals of the program (17:56). Stephan asks about the organizational systems and values that enable Patagonia to implement programs like Worn Wear (23:10). Nellie shares how they’re still a scrappy startup under a larger parent company (34:43). They get big picture with sustainability in ecommerce and its impact on Patagonia (35:44); and finally, they dive into Patagonia’s case study on plastic packaging for garment delivery (38:48). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

M.Gemi releases new styles every Monday, teasing a sandal, loafer, or heel online and immediately selling out hours later. It’s a new kind of retail model they’re able to execute because of a strategic supply chain set up in Italy. President, Cheryl Kaplan says that working with this timeline helps keep the brand agile. They can turn around a customized inventory of styles and sizes based on instant data from across their channels. Setting a new standard for a responsive, data-driven shoe company, M.Gemi seem to have their hands (and feet) full. On this episode, Cheryl talks about the flexibility and direct-response relationship they have (7:11). She gives examples of how they collect, use, and act on data (10:08). She talks about building authentic partnerships with influencers (15:47). She shares insights from her twenty-plus career in the retail industry (22:36) and lessons in working at startups (23:40). Cheryl details the logistical challenges of their weekly drop, and how it affects their different retail channels (32:54). Lastly, she explains how they’re building an engaged audience (34:57) and managing changing customer expectations (41:30). Link and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

Since joining Digiday in 2015, Hilary Milnes has worked her way from retail reporter to Managing Editor of Glossy, Digiday Media’s online publication covering the impact of technology on the fashion, beauty, and luxury industries. As the host of the Glossy podcast, she talks to founders, designers, and industry leaders at the forefront of that change. On this episode of Well Made, she’s discussing the resurgence of the retail store and where the luxury world is at in the transition from wholesale to direct-to-consumer. On this episode, Hilary talks about brands realigning their physical retail strategy to evolve with their digital strategy (1:30). She talks about the cost of customer acquisition changing how a sustainable digital-first brand gets built. (4:13). Stephan and Hilary talk about retail concepts moving away from the showroom model (8:42), multi-brand retailers as an offline solution for brands without a large product offering (13:20), and how brands can navigate partnerships with and against Amazon (20:20). With dozens of private labels popping up, Hilary answers if Amazon can sell luxury and be a fashion destination (26:40). She illuminates on the areas brands will need to focus on in order to scale and gain exposure (36:47), and lastly, she predicts how brands will evolve in this increasingly complex digital-first world (41:55). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

To bring clarity to the kitchen drawer, Material co-founders, Eunice Byun and Dave Nguyen did two years of research, testing, and sourcing for their kitchenware brand. The result? An eight-piece Fundamentals set of multi-tasking knives, spatulas, and tongs nestled in a sleek magnetic wood base. Eunice believes narrowing in on their product offering sets themselves apart in functionality. And by ultimately focusing on the people using their products, they're laying the groundwork for a shift from incumbent kitchen brands. On this episode of Well Made, Material CEO Eunice explains how they studied and identified core product values before designing their product (3:47). She dives into the form and function of their fundamentals set (4:41). She talks about setting themselves apart from heritage brands by telling a modern, consumer-centric story (11:19), and how they plan to do that with a new content series (12:33). She also talks about operating beyond the typical direct-to-consumer business model (20:14) and the duality of value in pricing and product design (22:02). Stephan and Eunice share their thoughts about the foodie movement and the power of Instagram in purchasing decisions (25:22), and lastly, the new traditions she hopes to create through the kitchen drawer (33:38). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

In his hyper curated newsletter, 2PM, Web Smith covers the latest ecommerce news, trends, and data insights happening in media and retail. It’s been eight months since Web Smith was last on the podcast and a lot has changed with 2PM. He launched a paid executive membership, hired a new editor, and is releasing their first series of original content. With the ecommerce landscape shifting beyond DNVBs, it’s the perfect time to loop back and answer some questions. On this episode, Web predicts how brands will advertise amidst Google’s shrinking reach and Safari’s expected disruption of Facebook tracking (3:57). He shares the digital and physical content strategies brands will use to acquire new customers (7:25), and his own approach to finding a formula for success (8:03). He answers who will be the biggest advertising company by 2025 (10:35) and why platforms that control conversion and commerce will win (14:20). Web talks trends we’re seeing in content and commerce, and how the New York Times is getting it right (18:19). Stephan and Web discuss Patreon (19:55), affiliate marketing strategies that are and aren’t working (24:08), and the tension for creators to operate as a business without losing their perceived status (26:14). Web shares what he’s learned adding a paid subscription model to his free newsletter (30:22), and lastly, why for DNVBs, brand matters (33:37). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

When friends and Birdies co-founders, Bianca Gates and Marisa Sharkey dove head, or rather feet first, into their shoe company, they didn’t expect they’d be outfitting royal duchess, Meghan Markle. They weren’t even sure how they were going to sell their first run of 2,000 slippers just two years ago. Both women held highly successful jobs before turning their side hustle into a full-time operation in 2017 and they’ve used their extensive consumer sales background to grow their business incrementally. In this episode, Bianca and Marisa talk about making their business concept a reality and taking the leap from Facebook and consulting (5:53). They share how leveraging their social networks (11:35), making key influencer marketing choices (14:35), and good timing (16:43) helped them to scale quickly. They also share some insider knowledge about the royal wedding (17:32). Bianca and Marisa talk about manufacturing for a whole new product category (24:04), operating lean (26:08), and investing in technology and data as part of their business strategy (32:15). Lastly, they talk about raising capital and the life-changing decision of entrepreneurship (36:30). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

After a career in retail sales and operations at Estée Lauder, Karen Young started Oui Shave. The ecommerce startup sells skincare and shaving tools specifically crafted for the female experience. Their rose gold safety razor is engineered to last longer and cause less irritation; when paired with their natural oils and rich balms, the whole experience is designed to elevate women's shaving. Raised by her uncles and grandmother, Karen's first business was an homage to her grandmother's colorful home, while Oui Shave’s signature razor was inspired by her uncles’ grooming tools. From Guyana to Brooklyn, where Karen runs the business, she’s embraced the culture of bootstrapping and leans into her scrappiness. On this episode of the podcast, Karen talks about learning from her first business, Hammocks & High Tea (7:11), and the path that led her to the beauty industry and Oui Shave (8:14). She talks about challenging behemoth companies and other direct-to-consumer brands by marketing to women (10:52) and why she’s positioning her razor as an heirloom product (14:18). She gets real about the slow and steady growth of bootstrapping (37:02) and making a purposeful choice not to fundraise right out the gate (38:01). Finally, she shares the lows (41:11) and highs (42:57) of seeing her grooming products scale beyond giant blue Ikea bags. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

From launching a creative agency to a real estate brand, Helen Rice isn’t afraid to try something new. In 2005, Helen and her husband Josh Nissenboim launched Fuzzco. From their bi-coastal offices in Charleston and Portland, Helen and her team have done branding, photography, illustration, and animation for companies like MailChimp and Google all while launching their own side projects with the same curious point of view and distinct design sense. Pretend Store is their pop-up-experiment-turned-ecommerce shop where they sell wildly creative and collaborative products, designed in-house. Serious Buildings is a design-driven real estate investment company where Helen and her husband restore historic buildings like Fuzzco’s 9th Charleston office. On this episode, Helen talks about creating strong brand identity systems (13:08), using design templates (16:55), and building trust through thoughtful design (10:30). Helen and Stephan discuss minimalism (18:05) and modern graphic design challenges (12:08). She shares how she balances Pretend Store as a business and passion project (39:25), how Serious Buildings began (24:40), and lastly, how she’s learning to pursue all her interests while setting boundaries (43:45). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Burrow aspired to create a couch you’d expect from high-end competitors without breaking the bank. Their biggest challenge? Shipping furniture through commercial carriers in compact boxes, quickly and for free. To make their couch manufacturable and shippable, they had to balance form and function, to meet specific technical benchmarks. They reversed engineered their modular couch to minimize weight and fine-tuned every aspect of their product and packaging to make assembly and unboxing functional for the customer. On this episode, co-founder Kabeer Chopra talks about designing an oversized product for efficient shipping (30:40). He talks about reducing purchasing barriers through online product pages (21:08) and offline showroom partnerships (22:27). He also shares the hardships of scaling a product from prototype to mass manufacturing (7:32), and manufacturing internationally (34:00). Finally, Kabeer shares how Y Combinator taught him to focus on learnings instead of perfectionism (11:12), and how they’re innovating their packaging design as part of their product experience (39:06). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

After 12 years and two other companies, Rachel Blumenthal landed on Rockets of Awesome — a kids clothes subscription that moms love too. Rockets of Awesome was a natural culmination of her past experiences and her new role as a mom. The brand simplifies parents’ lives by delivering a convenient, risk-free way to find stylish clothes for their children. Behind Rockets’ space-themed aesthetic and bright blue coloring box is personalization via data. From the initial style quiz to tracking what items are returned or repurchased, they’re using information to customize and improve the experience for parents and kids. On this episode of Well Made, Rachel talks about using data to lean into product choices and mitigate risks as a startup (13:57). She gets granular about where algorithms, keep rates, and clicks drive design and operational decisions (16:57), and how they stay lean while managing inventory (19:30) and reverse logistics (23:08).  Rachel also shares direct-to-customer lessons she learned from working with her husband, Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker (38:31). Lastly, she talks about building a brand that speaks to the current generation of parents and kids (46:38). Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.