DIP 024: The training wheels are off

PLUS: A deep dive into Deciem, Hims and Hers enter Target, and curated collage kits

👋 Hi. Like many, I’ve had a hard time focusing on anything lately. The initial adrenaline rush has worn off and I now feel more settled into this moment — one that we know will change the world dramatically despite not knowing exactly how. It’s strange to be so acutely aware that you’re living through history.

Watching Devs the other night, I was struck by a scene in which a character notes that our earliest ancestors lived in caves for millennia. Their goal was to survive. The virtues of growth and progress that are engrained in our contemporary society were nonexistent, at least in the way we perceive them today. That’s part of what makes all of this (*gestures wildly*) so surreal. Modern medicine allows people to survive, to be fixed, to be cured. But right now, as all of that is being threatened, we’ve had to revert to an almost primal state. Our goal right now is simply to make it through. As always, reply with questions, comments, or thoughts about anything you read here.

The Chips 😐

• This deep dive into Deciem and its controversial founder, Brandon Truaxe, is worth your time.

• Hims and Hers products are now available at Target.

• Apparently Claritin makes bedding.

• The Lobby applies a try-before-you-buy model to the multi-brand marketplace.

• Madewell is kicking off some new sustainability initiatives. So is Outdoor Voices.

• Topicals makes natural solutions for skin conditions like eczema, hyperpigmentation, and acne.

• Ani Acopian’s newest digital satire project is ScrubHub.

• The Rest is a new sleep wellness company.

• Ceramicist Jono Pandolfi made a fermentation crock in partnership with Bon Appetit’s Brad Leone.

• Glossier is launching hand cream on April 23, but first donated 10,000 products to frontline hospital workers.

• Akt makes natural deodorant balm that can be applied with a brass gua sha.

• I’m keeping an eye on Happy Medium, which makes products that facilitate art habits and hobbies.

• Ebi makes plant-based products for postpartum health.

• Cold Picnic’s new hemp rugs look nice. So do these bath rugs from Quiet Town.

• Wayfair’s Dotted Line collection is a direct riff on Yamazaki Home.

• In place of pages torn from Teen Vogue, Tezza makes curated collage kits for bedrooms and dorm rooms.

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The Dip 🙂

There’s a lot that can be said about what’s happening right now and how companies are responding. The reality is that there’s no right way and no wrong way to handle it. Business schools don’t teach about pandemics. We may all be steering ships through a storm without a compass, but here are some things that I do think are true:

The pain points we’re experiencing right now are laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s solutions. In the coming months and years, we’ll see better tools for remote work and online education, new ways to connect with those we care about, and safeguards to protect people and businesses in the face of unprecedented trauma and tragedy.

As the weeks slog on, I’ve found myself thinking about ways that companies are adapting, staying nimble and experimenting with abandon to maintain a semblance of momentum.

Build, play, learn

Leon and Son is my favorite local-ish wine shop. It’s not the closest one to my apartment, but I’ll go out of my way to shop there. As New York began to shut down, the team very quickly established protocols for local delivery and in-store pick-up, and refined the process as time went on.

As with many small wine shops, its digital experience left a lot to be desired. Most listings lacked images, descriptions were sparse, and poor tagging made browsing difficult. In the last month, the team has turned the store’s digital experience into something easy to navigate and intuitively curated, with suggested food pairings and accessible descriptors like “zippy” and “juicy.” Before all of this, Leon and Son didn’t have much of a reason to have a robust website, but now it does and it will likely be better off because of it.

Similarly, museums are exploring new ways to showcase their collections and galleries are experimenting with digital viewing rooms. Because they’re livestreamed, curatorial talks are more accessible now. The Tribeca Film Festival is releasing a short a day. Spaces that were previously dependent on in-person interactions are diving into digital formats in a way that facilitates new experiences and knowledge. That, to me, is really exciting.

Closer together, yet further apart

In my mindless browsing, I noticed a pattern of clothing companies using flat-lays to display new arrivals. In the ecomm space, on-figure photography will almost always be preferable. Consumers are more likely to trust a product if they can see how it looks on a body and more accurately imagine it on themselves. But our present reality prevents companies from conducting business-as-usual photoshoots.

With this limitation comes an opportunity, though. Companies can send product to top customers, influencers, and employees and showcase lo-fi, user-generated content on product pages. In fact, this seems to be exactly what Lou and Grey has done. User-generated content thrives precisely because it’s unpolished and because it allows customers to see themselves reflected in a brand and its products.

Too often, companies conflate community with customers. But in allowing customers to contribute pictures for use on product pages, brands are more able to support their claims of being human and community-driven. They’d no longer be saying, “we made this with you,” but rather, “you’re what makes us, us.”

People, not products

When stores shut down and the reality of the pandemic set in across the US, brands jumped on the IGTV train. Their broadcasts largely blurred together. As Ana Andjelic explains, the brands that stand apart are those that have introduced programming that focuses on the customer as a human, not strictly as a consumer. That, in turn, supports brand affinity.

Outside of Instagram, companies are exploring ways to enrich the digital shopping experience. Everlane is offering virtual styling sessions and Glossier is making gTeam editors available for 15-minute video chats about all things skincare and beauty. Ceres, a forthcoming activewear label, has delayed its launch and is building an audience in the interim by livestreaming yoga classes.

Watching all of this unfold, I kept thinking about Packy McCormick's treatise on IRL social clubs and the importance of space-agnostic products:

For IRL Clubs 1.0, the space was the product. For IRL Clubs 2.0, the space is a home base for the community, a place that facilitates interaction, community building, and growth. But it's not the product. The product is the facilitation of access to people who share your passions and help you achieve your goals.

Ethel’s Club, the six-month-old social and wellness club for people of color, executed the pivot from space to community seamlessly. Care For Your Homies launched the day Ethel’s Club closed its doors. It’s $17/month and open to people across the country, not just in New York. Not only is it a way for Ethel’s Club to engage its existing audience, but it lays the foundation for future growth. The team can use its digital membership to identify hotspots ripe for future physical spaces.

Through all of this, I find myself most excited and encouraged by the open willingness to try new things. In the face of chaos, the stakes become lower in some ways. Because there’s no playbook, there’s no clear right or wrong. So the only thing left to do is try. This is not an endorsement of hustle culture. There’s a distinction. The companies that stand out are acting quickly and thoughtfully. They’re adding value, not contributing to the noise.

Crisis has a funny way of reminding us of what we’re capable of. When businesses are able to open again, I hope that we can continue to engage in authentic experiments — driven not by sales but by the knowledge that customers are human.

Still hungry?

• Virtual try-ons and AR-powered shopping have the potential to gain traction in the clothing space right now. Levi’s partnered with Zozosuit to reduce uncertainty around sizing when shopping online — a partnership that was presumably already in the works, but launched at a good time.

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Real Dip 🙃

Spicy cilantro-pea dip (extracted from an Ottolengthi Simple potato recipe).

Thaw a bag of frozen peas. Add the peas to a food processor with one or two serrano peppers, half a preserved lemon, most of a bunch of cilantro, lemon zest, and a three-finger pinch of salt.

Blitz it for a few seconds, then drizzle olive oil for three seconds. Turn the food processor on and let it do its thing until everything is well combined.

Pair it with ghee-seared sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, and leftover matzo.

Thanks for snacking,

— Emily 😶

PS — I’ve been keeping myself occupied with Hoopskirt Distancing, an Instagram project that highlights historical clothing’s capacity to enforce physical distancing. Give it a scroll. Maybe even a double tap, if you’re so inclined.