Well Made

Universal Standard is creating a world where size is obsolete. To hear co-founder and Creative Director Alexandra Waldman talk about it, what they're doing at Universal Standard is overdue and obvious. She said, "All of us actually believe in the body positivity movement, [but] the brand is not about that because we do not believe that you should have to make an emotional payment to buy a frock."It's as simple as that. But building that experience is not simple. Photographing each item on every size model is not simple. Offering free exchanges with the Fit Liberty program is not simple. All of it requires research, agility, and thoughtfulness. Listen to hear how Alexandra and her team are working to build the largest size range in the world.Find more links and images from this episode on the Lumi blog.

For founder Susan Tynan, the MVP version of Framebridge had to be maximum, not minimum. If they wanted people to feel confident sending invaluable art and artifacts for custom framing, there was no way around it. They had to launch knowing that they could get it all right the first time. Getting it right the first time meant building out a full factory, several rounds of fundraising, and most recently, launching two retail stores in their home city, Washington D.C.Listen in to hear how Susan sweated the details to build confidence through experience and how she's reverting back from her tech instincts to get to the root of efficient manufacturing.Find more links and images from this episode on the Lumi blog.

Jesse Genet, Lumi CEO and Co-founder, discusses the evolution of direct-to-consumer brands and the potential of empowering underserved communities. They also talk about the challenges of packaging retrieval strategy and fulfillment choices in e-commerce.

At first, Magic Spoon may sound like a tough sell, but there are a few reasons why people are buying it. Nutritionally, it's more in line with a protein bar than a cereal. It's made for adults, but aesthetically it channels a childlike nostalgia. And even at $10 a box, per gram of protein, it's a pretty good deal. This isn't the first time Gregory Sewitz and his co-founder Gabi Lewis have taken a gamble on a tough-sell protein. With their first company, Exo, they sold cricket flour protein bars. They learned a lot about regulatory challenges and supply chain complexities, then sold that company and tried their hand at cereal. High protein, low sugar, delicious, brightly colored cereal.As Gregory plans ahead for a future on grocery store shelves, he's sharing everything they've learned in the first six months since launching.Find more links and images from this episode on the Lumi blog.

In most states, you can't buy liquor on the internet, but you can buy Haus. Haus exists inside a loophole of the traditional alcohol model. It bypasses all the rules of what Helena Price Hambrecht calls the alcohol mafia.Before launching the California aperitifs brand (just a few months ago!), Helena lived many lives in tech. You may know her from Techies — her photo project spotlighting people who are underrepresented in tech. Her husband and Haus co-founder, Woody Hambrecht is a grape farmer. When you combine their shared passions and skillsets, you get Haus. Helena is using her experience in tech to guide how she markets the brand, raises money, and creates real life, lasting experiences with customers. Find more links and images from this episode on the Lumi blog. 

It's hard to believe that Blueland only launched this year. In fact, it's hard to believe that stores are still stocked with single-use bottles of cleaner. It's definitely not easy to change consumer behavior around CPG items, but Blueland has already made a real splash with their just-add-water cleaning tablets and this is just the beginning.We've heard how Leaf Shave, Seed, and Ollie have embraced the refill model, now, Blueland founder Sarah Paiji Yoo is sharing how she took that model and dehydrated it. Listen in to go behind the scenes of Blueland's rapid growth, the struggles to find a manufacturer for their cleaning tablets, and pitching on Shark Tank.Find links, images, and show notes on the Lumi blog.

Most runners don't end up on a Wheaties box or an Olympic podium. Most runners squeeze in their workout before coffee or after work. Those are the runners that Tracksmith is made for.Tracksmith has garnered a lot of attention for being the “anti-Nike,” but that certainly doesn’t mean that their customers aren’t serious about the sport. Founder Matt Taylor is on the podcast to share how Tracksmith not only captures the Amateur Spirit — they glorify it. In fact, that subdued, inviting, honest brand image is one that they hope will survive 100 years. From the photography to the product offering, every decision is forward thinking. They are strategizing for the marathon, not the sprint.Listen in to hear how Tracksmith’s passion for honest photography has paid off, how they’ve used their Boston retail space to become a leader in the running community, and how they stay focused on the long term.Find links, images, and show notes on the Lumi blog.

Even with sustainability being top-of-mind for many brands, ThredUp's Erin Wallace says, "We're still creating too much." This year, Burberry had so much extra inventory that they burned millions of dollars worth. ThredUp's open letter to Burberry got a ton of traction. In addition to nudging Burberry to end the practice, the letter made it clear that secondhand is a simple way to offset fashion industry waste. If ThredUp's massive distribution center is any indication, the impact of secondhand has gone way beyond the appeal of the treasure hunt. While part of Erin's job as Brand Director is to make the treasure hunt as seamless and as fun as possible, she's also tackling the stale stigma of secondhand, and giving consumers the information they need to make more mindful purchasing decisions. It's no easy feat, but the world of secondhand is more exciting than it's ever been. Find links, images, and show notes on the Lumi blog.

There was a time when the idea of shopping online was revolutionary. When you may have called yourself an ecommerce convert and swore to never step foot in a brick-and-mortar store ever again. But the truth is, while Prime Day gets bigger ever year, so does the line outside of Everlane's X retail stores. Dan Frommer knows that change is the only constant in how we shop and what we buy. He launched The New Consumer to track that change. Dan used to be the editor-in-chief at Recode and a reporter at Quartz and Forbes. Now, every other week, he sends out a members-only newsletter with a real point of view to help you digest the ecommerce and retail trade headlines. He's on the Well Made podcast to give us a state-of-the-ecommerce-union report, diving deep into everything from the Harry's acquisition and CBD to globalization and tariffs. Find links and show notes on the Lumi blog.

In the U.S., federal regulations are lagging decades behind the science of the beauty industry. That's why Beautycounter hired its own lobbyist. The last time the beauty industry had a significant regulatory update was in 1938, so Beautyconuter founder Gregg Renfrew hired Lindsay Dahl to lead the charge and bring U.S. beauty regulations into this century. As a self-proclaimed "professional agitator" and veteran public health lobbyist, Lindsay is in the trenches. She travels back and forth to D.C., holding strategic meetings with elected officials, and presenting Beautycounter's science-backed issues and proposed solutions. In just five years since she started as the Beautycounter SVP of Social Mission, Lindsay has already helped pass laws that have changed how beauty products are regulated — and this is only the beginning. Find links and show notes on the Lumi blog.