The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 12 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 1 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Cormack: Brands should act as co-stars to their customers
“We've always wanted to be sort of a co-star in the movie. We didn't want to be the star of the movie, and we wanted the individual to be the star”
Regional origin should be a secondary story for emerging apparel brands
“I would say Alaska is probably good. I would move it down to a secondary or third story and figure out what the story one and story two are, and then have that as the foundation or background for it.”
Multi-brand retailers validate new brands to consumers
“Their job as retailers and as merchants is to curate offerings. So if you're sitting next to other awesome brands, they're telling the end consumer that this brand is cool too.”
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…”
Vans sales contacts became Herschel's initial retail accounts
“Conveniently enough especially with how a brand like Vans bridged itself from action sports to fashion, we were already going to places and selling to stores that would ultimately end up being some of our first accounts.”
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.”
Herschel was featured on the cover of the GQ gift guide
“GQ the next day requested one of our bags to be shot in their studio, and we ended up on their, the front cover of the GQ gift guide for that year”
Herschel Supply Co. has been consistently profitable since 2011
“Year one didn't turn a profit, albeit it was a very small year, but since 2011 and on, we, we've always been profitable.”
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 …”
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.”
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…”