Herschel Supply Co.
also referred to as: herschel
19 statements across 2 episodes · 7 bullish · 4 bearish · 2 people on the record · first statement Oct 16, 2023 by Jamie Cormack · said 46 times in 3 episodes since 2023 · across every show →
Mentions by year
brought up most by Guy Raz (36), Lyndon Cormack (8), Jamie Cormack (2)
tap a year for its mentions
2025 18 mentions in 1 episode
2023 28 mentions in 2 episodes 14 per episode
Everything said about Herschel Supply Co., oldest first
Oct 16, 2023 negative
Oct 16, 2023 positive
Oct 16, 2023
Oct 16, 2023 neutral
Herschel took risk ordering 7,000 units against just 4,000 wholesale orders
“I mean, we had collected orders of about 4000 pieces, and I think the minimum order after talking to our facility in Asia was 7000 is what they wanted us to order to be able to produce every single SKU, and those are some big conversations for us.”
Oct 16, 2023 neutral
Herschel's founders launched the brand with no manufacturing knowledge
“The biggest weakness here, guys, is that we didn't know how to manufacture. We could see it. We could see it on the wall. We could see the lookbooks. We could see how we wanted to story. We could see and feel and hear what this brand even, like, we knew exactl…”
Oct 16, 2023 positive
Backpacks accrue higher sentimental value than footwear or apparel
“The value at point of purchase is so much less
Then the sentimental value they have once they own it.
And it's different than so many other industries that I've looked at more than footwear or denim or, you know, any other purchase.
Once they own a backpack, b…”
Oct 16, 2023
Oct 16, 2023
Oct 16, 2023 positive
Herschel operated like a sneaker brand rather than a bag company
“In the early days, we act like, more like a sneaker company than we did a bag company, because that's more what we were into. And we weren't into how bag companies, especially in our price category, were acting. And I think that was an important distinction.”
Oct 16, 2023 bullish
Hybrid work environments directly benefit Herschel's bag business
“The hybrid work environment now that most people are in, it's pretty good for Herschel too, because you're taking your laptop with you from your work to your home, from your home back to work, so you need a bag or something to carry your stuff.”
Oct 16, 2023
Oct 16, 2023
Founders cold-emailed hundreds of bag factories found via Google
“We literally turned to Google and started to Google things like how to make backpacks, how to start a backpack factory, where to make backpacks, and we took our little PDF on the same email, and we sent it to, like, hundreds of email addresses we found in comp…”
Oct 16, 2023 negative
Initial factory samples had quality stitching but failed the aesthetic vision
“Shapes were off guy, measurements were wrong, details weren't there. The bags were stitched properly, the quality was there, but the shape, the feeling, the drape, the total aesthetic we were going for wasn't even close so.”
Oct 16, 2023 positive
Herschel pivoted to 95 percent sustainable materials during the COVID pandemic
“We switched over a 95% of our fabrics and materials to be from a sustainable fabric. That's a big, big decision as a brand that is selling millions and millions of pieces a year to go and do that, and to have the team that has to touch every single department …”
Oct 16, 2023 negative
Pre-Herschel bags were too busy and lacked a generational brand
“So, for us, when we looked at bags in general, I think it was the one category that probably our generation didn't have. One that we could call our own. It seemed like there was the right denim, the right footwear, the right eyewear, the right watches. Bags ju…”
Oct 16, 2023 negative
COVID-19 lockdowns severely harmed Herschel's commute-dependent business
“COVID was not good for Herschel at all. The majority of the products we make are people going to school, people going to work, people going to the gym, people going to festivals, people going on trips and, you know, it really set us back. To be honest, it was …”
Oct 16, 2023 positive
Feb 27, 2025 neutral
Feb 27, 2025 positive
Trade shows were Herschel's entire initial retail launch strategy
“Our whole strategy was definitely going to trade shows. And it's where people congregate. It's where people after the trade shows have drinks at the bar if they drink or dinners. There's conferences around there. There's thought leaders in the space that usual…”