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

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 reta

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

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 t

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 rig

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 d

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

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

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 i

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 wi

FabFitFun built an extensive community of customers and influencers who share their quarterly unboxings all over social media. Daniel Broukhim is the co-CEO and co-founder of the FabFitFun. He believes bringing value to the customer through their full-size products, digital content integrations, and experiential marketing are keys to their growth. On Well Made, Daniel joins Stephan and special guest host, Lumi founder Jesse Genet, to talk about bootstrapping their newsletter business into a physical product sold direct-to-consumer (8:36), how storytelling and building a narrative are part of the FabFitFun DNA (8:06), and why staying intentional positioned them in a crowded subscription space (13:12). They talk about the operational obstacles of curating and shipping a quarterly box (14:01) and the initial challenges of sourcing and selling brands on their business (16:05). They dive into how they’re using data to improve the box experience via personalization (19:17) and lastly, they talk about the influence

Lauren Sherman is the Chief Correspondent at the Business of Fashion — an online publication delivering industry news on emerging and global brands, designers, and trends happening in retail. From Amazon to Allbirds, the former Forbes reporter and Editor-at-Large at Fashionista, covers why and how people are spending their money on fashion. On this episode, Lauren talks about how traditional retailers are adapting to go direct-to-consumer, how DNVBs can succeed at physical retail, and if brand identity matters. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Tabea Soriano is the co-founder and managing partner at sustainable innovation and consulting agency Futuremade. At Futuremade she advises startups on how to integrate environmental, ethical, and socially responsible strategies into identity and business. Before starting Futuremade, she came from a decade-long product and supply chain background. As the former Head of Product at ethical fashion line, Reformation, she lead the research and development of innovative materials and design. Operationally, she helped establish a more sustainable supply chain. On this episode, Tabea shares how brands can focus in on social and environmental issues, impactful ways to integrate sustainability, and the tools to help establish a baseline at any scale. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

Maria Thomas has 20 years of tech industry experience. From Amazon to NPR to SmartThings, if there’s one through line in Maria’s career, it’s having the curiosity and vision to help brands get off the ground at an early stage. She’s a seasoned consumer internet pro who experienced the evolution from Web 1.0 to its current state, navigating brands through good and bad times. On this episode, Maria talks about the value of a brand narrative, preparation, and seeing the potential in promising brands. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

ThirdLove set out to face two huge challenges in the bra industry: designing a fit for all women and selling it with no risk to the customer. Their solutions — the Fit Finder quiz and try-before-you-buy program — changed how people buy bras online. Early manufacturing mistakes and marketing struggles could have spelled the end for the brand, but ThirdLove found creative, radical solutions. ThirdLove has found success in a better fitting product designed for all women, with a risk-free buying experience, and a brand voice focused on inclusivity, that’s driven by data. On this episode, Heidi Zak talks about lessons she learned from her time at Google, experimenting with retail distribution models, marketing on television, opening a showroom, and the events that changed the course of the company. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi Blog.

Tina Sharkey has dedicated over 20 years to building purposeful online communities. From her role as CEO of the Sherpa Foundry to SVP of online messaging at AOL, she’s passionate about building platforms that enable people to tell their stories. Her latest venture is no different. In July 2017, she and co-founder, Ido Leffler, launched direct-to-consumer brand, Brandless, which sells everyday home and pantry essentials for $3. Brandless’s consumer product line covers everything from pantry goods to beauty products without the overload and markups of traditional grocery aisles. On this episode, Tina talks about reinforcing transparency through packaging, the future of brick-and-mortar retail, and the importance of nurturing the Brandless community. Link and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

For tech startup Meadow, there hasn’t been a more pivotal time than now. The legalization of cannabis in California marks the end of a modern prohibition era and the beginning of legal grey areas and logistical obstacles that Meadow is hoping to alleviate with their software enterprise. From seed to sale, Meadow Platform streamlines retail, operations, delivery, and data for nearly one hundred dispensaries. On this episode, David gives a brief history lesson on the cannabis industry, shares key metrics Meadow is focused on, and tackles the stigma surrounding cannabis. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog.

Co-founders Jesse Genet and Stephan Ango launched Lumi in 2015, and they're excited to share what's next. It's been a year since their last episode so it's a perfect time to loop back, talk about the fundraising process, and answer some of your questions. Links and images are from this post are on the Lumi blog.

Proper Cloth uses technology to power personalization in the form of dress shirts. From the beginning, Seph used technology to guide big decisions for the brand. But even while building the software, Seph and his small team would alternate weekends, fitting clientele in their showroom. They used fittings as opportunities to gather data points and refine their platform. Ten years later, their growth is still as calculated as ever. They're continuously improving their style quiz for a seamless fit while scaling a methodical supply chain and diversifying their catalog for a complete menswear experience. In this episode, Seph shares his bootstrapping experience, why Proper Cloth is building their tools in-house, how they're experimenting with marketing, and what’s in store for the future. Links and images from this post are on Lumi Blog.

Blending her experience in business development and marketing with a healthy dose of ambition, Daily Harvest CEO and founder, Rachel Drori, acquired over 100,000 customers in just three years. After challenging herself to eat healthier, Rachel realized the problem: eating healthy takes time. Daily Harvest is the direct-to-consumer solution, using the freezer as a tool for convenience. She started out in a test kitchen, filling smoothie cups on her own, and now she's expanding her product line to bowls and sundaes using a cold supply chain, and a network of organic farmers. On this episode, Rachel talks about reframing the freezer, fighting food fatigue, cutting through the noise of the grocery industry, and staying hungry as they scale. Links and images from this post are on the Lumi blog