It's a new dawn for brands
and I'm feeling inspired.
A mentor of mine recently offered a refreshing perspective on this moment. He said it reminds him of the early 90s, when becoming a billionaire felt so impossible that people actually did cool shit. He called it recession mentality.
While some may find that depressing, I find it exciting. When we stop optimizing for billion-dollar exits, we might actually create the next generation of legacy brands.
Regardless of the impending recession, the playbook of the last decade stopped working a while ago — and that’s a good thing. It was unsustainable and frankly, boring. Reckless funding and “growth marketing” rendered interesting brands boring and broke.
You can’t have an interesting brand without an interesting product, and you can’t have an interesting product without an interesting perspective — rooted in curiosity, integrity and a love for problem-solving before ego and money (before, not without!).
Some mindset-starters:
Let instinct drive. Data and KPIs support intuition, not the other way around.
Do the opposite. As my friend and talented designer Taylor Giali loves to say, “just look at what everyone else is doing and do the opposite.”
Live a little. I say this with love: if your only inspiration is Pinterest and Instagram, get a life!
Be patient. There’s nothing wrong with a cash grab — that’s capitalism, baby. But to quote one of my favorite clichés, “things of quality have no fear of time.” Whether you’re building from scratch, rebranding or revisiting your strategy, remember — Nike wasn’t built in a day. That’s not to say we shouldn’t take advantage of all the technology and resources available to us that Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman didn’t have in the 1960s, but there’s a fine line between working smarter and working without integrity.
On that note, some brands on my radar that manage to be both culturally compelling and commercially viable:
DOCTOR STOLBERG — I’m biased as this is my client but…medicinal-grade tea developed by very cool/passionate acupuncturist
, who really knows her audience (they’re her patients!) and has already developed a cult customer base with the hero product ahead of launch? Plus me on marketing and Taylor Giali on creative? Launching next week 👀Rose Delights — On every art director’s Are.na board and one of the only cannabis brands that’s still relevant for a reason — they obsess over both product and creative, successfully elevating edibles from kinda sketchy to covetable amongst the most discerning consumers.
Moussse — When I saw how expensive this launch looked, I immediately googled how much they raised — turns out just $350K through a government loan (before you get excited, it’s based in Geneva). It’s a tight, focused launch: one product at a time, solving for “city skin” with both formula and creative vision. Feels super smart and considered.
BRAVO SIERRA — My beloved alma mater recently rebranded and it’s firing on all cylinders — packaging, fragrance, efficacy. Word is, there are some very cool partnerships in the works.
Violet Grey — The renaissance we need. Please Cassandra, save us from Sephora.
Perfumer H — A friend insisted I visit their London shop last year and wow, founder and perfumer Lyn Harris is in a league of her own. Salt, Smoke, Steam, Saddle?! Plus she gave BoF one of my favorite quotes when asked if she was afraid of opening a Shanghai store during a China downturn: “I don’t fear anything, really.”
Dehánche — Reimagining the belt — literally and figuratively — as not just utility, but accessory, shapewear and even ready-to-wear. It’s sculptural, sensual and unexpected yet wearable. I want it all, but I can only justify one…for now 😈
Monastery — For the cartons and color system alone. I haven’t even tried the products (acne-prone Sofie Pavitt girl here), but I’ve only heard great things. If packaging could convert me, this would be it.
— I started with her pore-clogging ingredient checker and now I use her products almost exclusively and sleep peacefully knowing none of them will break me out. A masterclass in building trust with your audience.
Paro — I’ve been a fan (and advisor) for a while, but recently got to taste-test some unreleased products they’re working on and haven’t stopped thinking about them since — breakthrough flavors for a very fun category. Paro continues to be one of the most thoughtful, quality-driven brands in the food space and I can’t wait for more people to experience it.
Dries Van Noten Beauty — A master of the Object of Desire. Every detail — from the sculptural packaging to the unexpected scent pairings — feels indulgent and completely original. Proof that beauty can be artful and sellable.
— Death to skincare as ritual. Lazy Boss is the new Girl Boss, and
, formerly co-founder of Sundae School, is building one of the most exciting beauty brands in the pipeline. Its purpose is sharp, resonant, irreverent and refreshingly honest — explored in depth on her brilliant new Substack ahead of launch later this year.Mine — No further commentary at this time!
x Jess
P.S. If you’re interested in working together, I might have bandwidth soon. I’m also launching a one-off strategy call offering — stay-tuned.
“If your only inspiration is Pinterest and Instagram, get a life!” YESSSSS
*Impatiently waiting for Orist to launch*