The Safari is a guided tour around the retail, brand and consumer landscape. We interview the brightest and most innovative industry leaders who share how they are shaping and evolving the industry in the years to come. Guests come from all corners of the industry from retail, beauty, fashion, CPG, academia, agencies, real estate, investing and more. At Traub we have the privilege of working broadly across these numerous fields and collaborating with these talented leaders.
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
Lori Coulter is the Co-Founder and CEO of Summersalt, a generation-defining lifestyle brand known for its data-backed fit and designer quality products without the designer price tag.
Lori and her Co-founder, Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, launched Summersalt to change the conversation around swimwear and address a true market gap by creating designer swimwear without the designer price tag. Summersalt’s product is data-backed with 1.5 million measurements taken from 10,000 women’s body scans.
Since launch, Summersalt has expanded to include adventure-friendly essentials that help make every aspect of a woman's wardrobe more joyful and comfortable—from sleepwear to intimates to activewear. Named one of the Top 100 Upstarts in the world by CNBC and The Lead’s Breakout Company of the Year, the brand has seen exceptional growth and consumer adoption, garnering praise from leading outlets including Vogue, Elle, CNN and Forbes.
Lori is passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs and students, and champions inclusive economic development and entrepreneurship!
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Kara Goldin is the Founder of Hint, Inc., best known for its award-winning Hint® water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. She has received numerous accolades, including being named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Northern California, one of InStyle’s 2019 Badass 50, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, WWD Beauty Inc.’s Feel Good Force and Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs.
Kara’s first book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters,was released October 2020 and is now a WSJ and Amazon Best Seller.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Nicole Eckels began her career as a makeup artist and eventually moved into corporate sales. After a stint in San Francisco, Eckels decided she needed a more challenging outlet. In 2006, she flew to Australia where she found her “true calling.” Shopping for bath and body products in a Sydney department store, Eckels was frustrated that she couldn’t find what she was looking for and quickly realized there was a huge gap in the market. A spirited entrepreneur at heart, Glasshouse Fragrances was launched with a spark of imagination and the firm belief in the power of fragrance to transform the everyday.
Today, Glasshouse Fragrances is a leading brand in the Australian fragrance market and has expanded its product offerings to include eau de parfum, body lotion, shower gel, bar soap, fragrance diffusers and more. Eager to bring her premium brand of electrifying scents to the U.S., Nicole is back in the States and launched Glasshouse Fragrances North America in the summer of 2021. In less than a year, the brand is being showcased in major retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Bloomingdale’s - as well as influential online platforms and independent doors across the country.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Romain Gaillard was raised in Paris, France by parents who were early adopters of the green living movement. After embarking on a career in tech, a friend’s health battle opened his eyes to the need in the beauty industry for healthier self-care and wellness options. Romain took the leap of faith to switch career paths and pioneer the green beauty movement. Thus the Detox Market was born. The Detox Market curates the purest, most unique and sought-after products, based on three criteria: zero toxicity, highest efficiency and style.
They are the beauty choice of the new generation: Beauty without toxins, Beauty with expertise, and Beauty with integrity.
The Detox Market started in 2010 as a 2-month pop-up curating the best of green beauty and was awarded Best Concept store by WWD. It is now recognized both by press and by customers as one of the foremost North American destinations for green beauty and living.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Catherine Bond Muir may not seem the obvious candidate to have founded the world’s first all-female single-seater motor racing championship. A former intellectual property solicitor, in 2000 she moved into corporate finance and spent more than a decade working on sports and gaming deals. W Series, born at Catherine’s dining table, is a free-to-enter championship that provides equal opportunities for women and eliminates the financial barriers that have historically prevented them from progressing to the upper echelons of motorsport.
By placing all participants in identical cars, the series ensures that talent takes precedence. Since its inaugural season in 2019, W Series has created the greatest number of professional women racing drivers of all time. In 2021, W Series entered a new landmark partnership with Formula 1 and supported the world’s premier motor racing series at seven Grand Prix weekends. This year, W Series will stage 10 races at eight Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends across three continents, including a first-ever race in Asia at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
In this week’s Safari episode, we feature Eliza Blank, Founder of The Sill, a direct-to-consumer brand that delivers perfectly potted plants to your door and empowers new “plant parents” by blending commerce, content and community. Eliza is an entrepreneur and business owner who has made it her mission to enrich life through connection and community, and believes in the power of plants to bring this mission to life. The Sill has nine brick & mortar locations in the United States. The first NYC flagship opened in 2014 and has now expanded to the West Coast with two new locations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Kyle is the founder and CEO of Win Brands Group, an omnichannel retail platform that buys and builds category-defining brands. Win’s stable of brands includes Homesick (scented candles and home fragrance), QALO (silicone wedding rings and accessories), Gravity (the original weighted blanket), and Love Your Melon (mission-driven outerwear).
Kyle has spent over a decade honing the art of consumer-focused venture capital and brand building. His background includes working side-by-side with branding guru J. Christopher Burch, as well as founding multiple best-in-class investment and marketing operations in the US and abroad.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Tuesday May 17, 2022
Thomas G. Struzzieri is the President and Chief Executive Officer of HITS, LLC, the largest hunter/jumper horse show production company in the United States. Based in the Village of Saugerties, New York, HITS is a national company producing horse shows in Ocala, Florida; Culpeper, Virginia; Wayne, Illinois; East Dorset, Vermont, and Saugerties, New York. Struzzieri is recognized as a skillful horse show facility architect, designing and building state-of-the-art facilities from the ground up.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer
Tuesday May 10, 2022
Tuesday May 10, 2022
In this episode, we profile Nicolas Bargi, Founder and CEO of Save the Duck, a brand whose mission is to create product that respects animals, the environment and people. An industry favorite, the Italian outerwear company has been at the forefront of sustainable and vegan fashion and is continuing to advocate sustainable and animal-free ethics with its collections and campaigns. Save the Duck was acquired recently by two private investors who raised their stakes in the brand through their personal investment vehicles. Nicolas will remain CEO.
In 2019 Save The Duck was the first fashion company in Italy to obtain the B Corp certification and has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Save the Duck also donates 1% of its turnover every year to support charitable initiatives to protect animals, people and the environment.
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
In this episode we speak with Justin Abrams, CEO and Co-Founder of Flagship, a retail service platform that helps brands scale their physical retail presence on flexible terms. We explore how technology meets retail, how one can completely supercharge brands and add huge top spin to retail environments “in real life (IRL)."
Interviewed by Mortimer Singer.