On this special episode I am thrilled to be sharing with you my interview with Universal Standard Co-founder and Canadian retailer Alexandra Waldman with a special Conversations with CommerceNext podcast edition of The Voice of Retail.
Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
On this special episode I am thrilled to be sharing with you my interview with Universal Standard Co-founder and Canadian retailer Alexandra Waldman with a special Conversations with CommerceNext podcast edition of The Voice of Retail.
I launched Conversations with CommerceNext podcast with my partners CommerceNext co-founders Veronika Sonsev and Scott Silverman in early June, and its been an amazing start with a great audience. Check it out where you enjoy your podcasts today.
So here is my full length feature interview with Alex from women’s apparel retailer Universal Standard
Who just last week, The Times of London called "the most revolutionary brand in fashion."
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of The Voice of Retail. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss out on the latest episodes, industry news, and insights. If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a rating and review, as it really helps us grow so that we can continue getting amazing guests on the show.
I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!
Until next time, stay safe and have a great week!
Michael LeBlanc
Welcome to The Voice of Retail. I'm your host, Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.
On this special episode, I am thrilled to be sharing with you my interview with Universal Standard Co-Founder and Canadian retailer, Alexandra Waldman. With a special Conversations with CommerceNext podcast edition of The Voice of Retail.
I launched Conversations with CommerceNext podcast with my partners, CommerceNext Co-Founders, Veronika Sonsev and Scott Silverman in early June. And it’s been an amazing start with a great audience. Check it out where you enjoy your podcasts today.
So, here is my full length feature interview with Alex from women’s apparel retailer, Universal Standard,who just last week the Times of London called, “The most revolutionary brand in fashion”.
Michael LeBlanc
Welcome to the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, Season 1, Episode 2. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc. This podcast is brought to you in conjunction with CommerceNext and presented by Wunderkind.
Alex Waldman, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Universal Standard, has guided the company's marketing process with two truths. The first, authenticity is everything. The second, generosity is never lost on the consumer.
In this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, Scott Silverman and I talked with Alex about joy as a career strategy, the marketing process for ethically motivated brands and building genuine consumer-company relationships.
Alex Waldman
And this is where I find myself right now. I am a changer of the thing that has brought me a lot of anguish through my life.
Michael LeBlanc
Alex sheds light on what it's like to be a champion of change for women in an industry that has otherwise been hostile and exclusive. Universal Standard is a New York based eCommerce fashion brand that represents a paradigm shift in the inclusive size segment, delivering fashion fundamentals and a style footprint not available until now.
Alex Waldman is a trailblazer, who is determined to deliver impactful change from the product and the bottom line to the consumer and the greater community. Let's listen in.
Alex, welcome to Conversations with CommerceNext podcast. How are you doing today?
Alex Waldman
I'm very well, thank you. I'm looking forward to this.
Michael LeBlanc
Fantastic. And I'm joined here with Scott Silverman who's Founder of CommerceNext. Scott, how are you doing today?
Scott Silverman
I'm doing great. Happy to be here with both of you.
Michael LeBlanc
So, Alex, I think you and I have something in common. Did you go to Carleton University?
Alex Waldman
Oh, my gosh, I did. Yes.
Michael LeBlanc
So did I am a graduate of Carleton University.
Alex Waldman
Wow.
Michael LeBlanc
Come on. Right.
Alex Waldman
That's, yeah, it's rare enough to get another Canadian in these conversations. But one who went to the same university, that's nice.
Michael LeBlanc
Go figure, go, oh Canada. Well, that's it's such a, such a funny coincidence, right.
Alex Waldman
That's amazing.
Michael LeBlanc
But a fellow alumni will have to reach out and tell him we connected. Well, listen, let's, let's, let's jump in. That's a great piece of, piece of background. But let's jump in and tell us all about yourself, your personal professional journey, and, and what you do and all about your company and give us the, give us the background on you and the company.
Alex Waldman
In order to make it at least somewhat interesting to people who have never met me, I can tell you this, I never in a million years anticipated that I would be sitting here having this conversation doing what I'm doing where I'm doing it. And, I think that that's an important thing to remember. Because it doesn't matter where you are right now. Everything can change, if you want it to. I've always imagined that having a career in the creative sphere, especially visually creative, was something that you know, really meant something to me, but I never saw a clear path to it. I didn't know in which way I might actually get there. So, for me to, to be sitting here and talking to you about the company that I co-founded, and that I get to be creative in every single day is a real pleasure.
Michael LeBlanc
It's a real juxtaposition, right? The creative and the business of running, of running Universal Standard.
Alex Waldman
Yes,
Michael LeBlanc
That's, that's unique, right? And so, you know, for many people in retail, it's, it's kind of described sometimes as the accidental career. For you, it feels like this intersection of the, of the personal and the professional, expand on that a little bit more and tell us all about Universal Standard. It's very, is such an inclusive brand. It's a wonderful concept. Tell us all about it.
Alex Waldman
Well, I think that this is a result of a lot of personal experience and a lot of personal lack of access to the things that I wanted. So, you know, when I was growing up in the world, and I was trying to hone into how I wanted to present myself in the world, I found that it was a bit hostile out there. That people either didn't believe I existed, or they didn't believe I deserve to have the same access that people with another type of body did. And I found myself in this very strange crux between really living in the world of fashion, because I was a fashion journalist and I was writing about it, and also being firmly told over and over that I cannot participate in it. And that's a very sobering situation because you have to understand for some reason, that the thing that you love is not, is not allowed for you.
Michael LeBlanc
Right.
Alex Waldman
And when you have the opportunity to grow as an individual and really think that, that is wrong and it can be changed and it should be changed. Every once in a while, you'll get the opportunity to be the changer of that thing. And this is where I find myself right now. I am a changer of the thing that has brought me a lot of anguish through my life. And, I'm very happy to be able to bring that to not just myself, obviously, but a lot of other women.
Michael LeBlanc
Well, as I, as I said, it's a real intersection of the personal and the professional. So, let's talk about the professional. Let's talk about Universal Standard, take, for the listeners who may not know of the brand, or know as much as they need to, tell us all about how you go to market and what your, your, what you do and what your product is, and all those great things.
Alex Waldman
So, Universal Standard is a women's apparel brand. It's been around for just over five years. We set out to create a new country, really, more than a company. We knew that this would have to be a change that was led by culture rather than the industry, the fashion industry. So, we wanted to create a brand of clothing that was for women, it was not for small women, it was not for plus size women, it was just for women. And we wanted to sort of bridge that divide that had for, you know, for some reason developed into,
Michael LeBlanc
Right,
Alex Waldman
Two completely different offerings, to a lot of, a lot of women in the United States and around the world. So, we thought we would start a brand that went from a double zero, which is very small, to a 40, which is considerably large, it's so large, in fact that a lot of people on the plus size are confused about what that means. Like, they think it's some sort of different measurement, because it's very rare to hear a brand that goes all the way up to 40 in increments that everyone is used to. So, we really wanted to be as inclusive as possible. And, we started this company, we started in a smaller sort of area, because you have to, you know, I'm a big believer in biting off more than you can chew and chewing it. But, then you have to make sure that you actually can chew it. So we started from a 10 to a size 28. And over the years, we expanded to our full-size range.
Michael LeBlanc
Right, didn't want, you didn't want to, you didn't want to make it so big you choke on the first bite kind of thing.
Alex Waldman
Well, exactly. And, we weren't going to start with smaller sizes, because we weren't prepared to, you know, out of the gates to compete with the Zaras and the Forever 21 and whoever else was out there.
Michael LeBlanc
Right,
Alex Waldman
We had absolutely zero knowledge about this world. And I think that this is another somewhat interesting thing. We were not experienced anything. We were not experienced manufacturers, designers, producers, we were none of those things. In fact, when we decided to actually take the plunge, the first thing we did was we went to stores, department stores, and we looked at the brands that we liked, that we admired, and we literally looked for the made in tag to see where they make their clothes.
Michael LeBlanc
Yeah,
Alex Waldman
This is the zero at which we were starting,
Michael LeBlanc
But at the same time you weren't bound by the same conventions, though, right? I mean, you're starting with a fresh, clean slate. So, you know, you got to figure out some things. But you know, they're not unforgettable, so to speak one way or the other, that's interesting.
Alex Waldman
Spot on, and it was actually in retrospect, one of the best things that, that we had, the best tools that we had in our, in our pocket, which we probably wouldn't have considered it at the time was our lack of knowledge and our lack of commitment to the way things that always been done. We were starting with nothing, and that nothing is a clean slate, which is often a good thing.
Michael LeBlanc
And so, just practically, online site, do you have physical stores again, just for the listeners who may not know the brand,
Alex Waldman
Yeah so, we are going to we're primarily a direct to consumer. So, we live on the net. We had some showrooms where people could see and experience the clothing, you know, in a tactile way. The COVID-19 situation sort of shot everything of that sort down. But, we've been trying to make up for that by making it really, really easy for customers who do shop over the Internet to make the right choices and then give them a myriad of options that allows them to feel confident in those choices without feeling like they're trapped into something that they've you know, they haven't tried before.
Michael LeBlanc
Last quick question on the business and then and then I'll pass, pass the mic to Scott so to speak. Do you ship in the United States? Do you ship internationally? Just the scope of the business from an,
Alex Waldman
We ship internationally, we ship internationally, and we have pretty much from day one. Which is one of the beauties of direct to consumer. You know, you, you step into the whole world. And, the response has been tremendous because this is such a lacking kind of space. This is such a place where women are just like, come on, give me something. So, it made a lot of sense for us to just like open it up to the world and the world responded very well.
Scott Silverman
it's great to hear this story on so many different levels. I am a father of college age children. And, I feel like they are in this position where they feel like they have to have this very clear path of how they're gonna get from A to whatever. And just hearing the twists and turns that you took, is really inspiring.
And, it's a real thrill to talk to you and learn more about you. We had you as one of our speakers at our virtual summit. And, the reaction to the concept of Universal Standard was so strong when you were talking about the inclusive in, you know, how inclusive you were, the reaction of people, the you know, everyone was cheering you on, it was really inspiring to see that. And, I think one of the things about Universal Standard that makes it unique is that you aren't afraid to take positions on social issues. And, I was wondering if you could share an example, you know, of one of those positions that you took, and perhaps you know, how you involve your customers in something like that.
Alex Waldman
So, first and foremost, first of all, thank you very much, it's very kind of you to say. And, I think that we now live in a world where just what I call cold consumerism is a bit of a turnoff. So, it's not just about hawking goods, it's not just about offering another frock or a t-shirt that cost as much as a sandwich that has a myriad of issues attached to it on the back end. People are, you know, becoming more and more aware of how they vote with their wallet, and especially the last five years have really provided us with a framework to be better, to do better, to care more and to show that.
And now it's become almost like a requisite sort of relationship builder between brand and consumer, where they want to know what you're about. They want to know, what you care about, you know, how you spend your money, what you're putting your energy into, because they want to be on the right side of so many social issues that have been brought to light over the last, especially five years.
So, we sat down as two founders, and as a group of people who, who work very hard to make this company what it is. And we asked ourselves some very candid questions like what mattered to us. What were we willing to say? Okay, you might not like this, but we believe in it, and we will stand behind it. And so, one of the first we did, we did a lot of things we worked with dress for success to make sure that women who for whatever reason, whether they were coming out of prison, or whether they were had not worked for a very long period of time, or whether they, you know, had no skills, could walk into a place and actually prepare themselves a sartorially for an interview process.
We worked with the Coalition for the Homeless four step program, which also did that for women. One of the more controversial positions we took was in something we very firmly believe in, we're still have a very strong working relationship with Planned Parenthood, because we believe in access for all to women's health. And, you know, once we understood that this was something we really truly believed in, we were ready to say it publicly. And we sort of backed off and we waited to see what the reaction was. And the reaction was tremendous. There were a few people who were like, you know, I'm not really into that. That's fine. That's your choice. This is what you know, freedom of choice is all about. But a vast, vast majority of women really respected the fact that we were willing to support both financially and socially, such an important organization.
Michael LeBlanc
We'll be right back with our interview with Alex Waldman. right after this message.
Wunderkind is a leading performance marketing engine that delivers tailored experiences at scale. Digital businesses use Wunderkind to remember who users are better than ever before, allowing them to deliver high performing one to one messages on websites, through emails and texts, and in ads at a scale that's not otherwise possible. Wunderkind drives $1.2 billion annually in directly attributable revenue for top eCommerce brands like Uniqlo, Sonos and HelloFresh. Often ranking as a top three revenue channel in their own analytics, learn more at wunderkind.co. That's wunderkind.co.
Scott Silverman
That's amazing to hear how proactive you've been in advocating for these different social issues, and interesting to hear you talk about how things have really evolved. And, you know, especially in the last five years or so. You know, CommerceNext is you're familiar with it, we focus on marketing. So, I would be remiss if, if we didn't ask you to talk a little bit about how you approach marketing. And, you know, what's unique in your marketing approach, the channels that you're using, some of the messaging, how you balance brand, and performance marketing, anything along those lines, I think our listeners would be interested to hear a little bit more about that.
Alex Waldman
So, there are two truths, probably more than two truths, but two truths that really stand out to me that we learn through the marketing process. One was authenticity, there's absolutely nothing like it. The consumer is very sophisticated, they have information about your brand from a myriad of perspectives. They do their homework, and you have to be who you claim to be. I think that once you establish that it changes the relationship between you and the consumer. And that is something that has really made itself very clear. In the five years that we've been around,
Scott Silverman
If you could just give an example of, you know, maybe something that you were considering doing, and you said, you know, that's not authentic to who we are, let's not do that.
Alex Waldman
Yes, we have said, we have said no to certain collaborations, which we felt did not align with the brand that we wanted to be, the example that we wanted to set. We have said no to certain opportunities that could have been lucrative for the company but we're just not, not who we are as a group of human beings who started this new country, as I call it.
So, you know, there were things, criticisms that we got when we first started where people were, because we were doing things quite differently. And, they were like, why are you doing that? Like nobody else is doing that, are you sure that's a smart thing to do. And we said, 'We don't know. But this is how we feel'. And all of those things, kind of gathered together over the course of five years to really show who we are, you know, in the most earnest way possible. And so now, the people who do believe in our brand are true believers. And, we always try to be as honest and earnest as we can be.
The second incredibly important thing that we learned by doing that was also a reflection of, of our character, was that generosity is never wasted on our customer. We were doing things where people were scratching their heads and going, how does that make sense from a financial perspective? We were like, 'We don't know yet. But we do know that it would be really fantastic if there was a company that offered this', for example, you know, we believe in something called fashion freedom, and one of the things that we know is that women's weight fluctuates. So, we came up with an offering that allows you to buy exactly for the size that you are right now, regardless of that perfect, whatever that you think is just around the corner, and wear it with confidence and joy because it fits you just as it should at this moment, and should you lose weight, or gain weight over the course of a year, send that worn garment back to us, and we will send you your new size for free.
Michael LeBlanc
Fantastic,
Alex Waldman
And people went,
Michael LeBlanc
I never heard of such a, I never heard of such a thing.
Alex Waldman
Nobody else does this and people went, 'Wait, what's the catch?' And we're like there's no catch here. This there is no catch. We want you to feel confident in your purchase. We want you to feel confident and see yourself as you are right now not imagine yourself as a better you around the corner because that's what causes all those mental health issues. You are just fine as you are.
Scott Silverman
It's truly amazing. I kind of go back to what you were saying earlier about, that you started from zero. I think anyone that would have started a company like this that had a whole career in apparel, probably would have never done anything like that it would have been, they would have killed that,
Michael LeBlanc
A promo maybe.
Scott Silverman
As soon as it was uttered.
Alex Waldman
It sounds naive. It sounds naive. And this is why all this sort of established and experienced commerce people were saying how can you afford that? Because what they're imagining is that every single person who purchases something is going to wear it for a year and then send it back and get a brand new one, and that's not how it works. What it does is it makes the consumer go, 'Okay, I'm covered, I'm fine. I'm going to wear this because it fits me perfectly right now. And then I have options that are not going to cost me more. That are given to me by a company that actually cares about how I feel in my clothes.' And what we found is that a lot of, there are a lot of people who use it and there are a lot of people who don't. They just need that peace of mind and that confidence that we have their back if things should change in either direction.
Michael LeBlanc
If you're enjoying this interview, you may want to join us for CommerceNext IRL on September 28, 29th, at the New York Hilton, Midtown. Some of the speakers you'll be seeing including Noam Paransky, Chief Digital Officer at Tapestry, Ekta Chopra, Chief Digital Officer at E.L.F. BEAUTY, Matt Garrett, G.M. of eCommerce at Everlane. Alex Waldman, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Universal Standard, Jennifer Patrick, Global Branding and Packaging Director at Patagonia, and many more.
CommerceNext IRL will cover themes such as the resurgence of brick and mortar retail and its impact on eCommerce, and how to prepare for a cookieless future. We can't wait to get the CommerceNext community together in person. And hope you'll join us learn more and register now at commercenext.com.
Alex Waldman
What that did was it, the bond between customer and brand became so much stronger. Because there was this confidence that was, that was provided through this particular program. So, you know, there was that there was, we do all sorts of things that allow our customers to participate in creating a better world. I don't want to confuse anyone. We are a women's apparel brand. We're not a political brand. We are not a, we are a women's apparel brand. But isn't it lovely to know that the great things that you covet and want to have and save up for or just, you know, purchase for yourself, are also doing something great in the world? I think that that's been one of the most reached for feelings in the past five years, that people, there's a helplessness that we circumnavigate by saying, Do you participate in this, it's not just a great piece of clothing, like you're actually making something better. And,
Michael LeBlanc
You're actually making some kind of contribution, right? Like there's a there, there. There's something there.
Alex Waldman
Exactly, you know, it has largely revolved around, you know, women's issues or the environment. But every once in a while, you know, our reaction is a responsive reaction. So, you know, something might be happening in the world where, you know, we can step in and have an initiative. But that flexibility, and the, the breadth of being able to do all of these things has been really great from just a social interactive kind of perspective, which as we know, in marketing is everything these days.
So, it all started one day with a single coat. It was very, very early on. And I think we were like I think it was our first collection. And our most expensive item was a coat, a wool coat, a Peruvian wool coat that was I think $380. And, we had been using a service for delivery that, you know, when you're first out of the gate, you make mistakes, and we, we had to learn. But we had sent this code to a customer and she sent us back a letter with photographs and said, 'You know, I paid $380 for this coat which is not a small amount of money for me. And this is how it arrived at my home'. And she showed this enormous brown box with the coat basically in a ball in a corner of it. Like it was just so carelessly sent. And so, it was actually my business partner Paulina, who said, 'We're gonna send her another coat, and we're gonna let her keep this one'. And I said, 'That, are you what?' She said, 'I would rather have her dry-clean that coat and if she doesn't want it, I mean, it's, it's a perfect coat and, you know, brand new coat she can have, she could give it to family members, she could give it to charity. But I want to say I'm really sorry. And we're going to do this by giving her a pristine, like hand wrapped, perfect coat. And we're going to allow her to keep the one that we sent.' Is, from that moment on that we realized like the power of generosity, and the reaction from the consumer.
Michael LeBlanc
It's a wonderful story. I mean, it really illustrates such a different and unique approach. Last couple of questions. I wanted to switch gears into the career side you mentioned, you know, like every one, you make mistakes and you learn from your mistakes, putting a different lens on that, knowing what you know today, what would you have done if anything, a little bit different that, that you would say to someone who was starting out on the journey, looking to start a company or being in the creative space, is there any advice you would have to them based on, well, if I, again, if I knew what I knew today, then I would have done this different.
Alex Waldman
In retrospect, hindsight being 20,20, and all that, there's not a lot I would change. But I would say this, I would have listened more carefully to my emotional responses to the various things that I had done leading up to this job. There were things that I really enjoyed, but put aside because they didn't suit, you know, the lifestyle that I wanted to have. There were things that I dredged through, and tolerated. But, it was the flip side where I was like, yes, but you know, I can afford to actually, you know, pay better rent and have a nicer thing. And those are all experiences that, you know, they're, there, they accumulate, and eventually they shape, you know, your understanding of what's important in the world.
I wish I was paying closer attention to the things that brought me joy, and trusted in leaning into them and pursuing them more than financial security. And that's a big thing to say, you know, it's, it's a big thing. And I'm, I'm an immigrant, I'm a kid of an immigrant, I'm an immigrant. So, you know, my parents were the parents who said, 'Don't be ridiculous as your option, don't, don't choose art, art is useless, choose typing, typing is a useful skill'. So, and I did, and look what I wound up doing, you know, I wound up doing something that art would have been much more useful for, but paying attention to the things that bring you joy, because that is the thing that steers you towards your best self.
Michael LeBlanc
If someone was doing your role five years from today, even yourself, what would you imagine the difference would be? What, how do you imagine your role in the years to come?
Alex Waldman
I think they'd have to beat the drama a lot less. I think that we hopefully within five years will have managed to convince enough of the world that all women are worthy of dignity, and choice, and the creative freedom to present themselves to the world in whatever way they want to. I think that we're still banging on the door, we're still you know, really sort of trying to change culture in order for fashion to catch up. And it is going quickly because of the extremities of you know, the extreme situation of the last five years. But I hope that with, you know, five years from now, the all of us as we are is an absolute given and it's not like a revolutionary slogan. It's just something that everyone says yes, of course, all of us as we are.
Michael LeBlanc
Wonderful.
Scott Silverman
Well, this has been an amazing conversation to hear how you created this business with your business partner through new eyes. Things like you know, generosity as a marketing concept, I think is one that our listeners can really dig into. If for, for our listeners if they want to learn more about you or Universal Standard, where can they go?
Alex Waldman
universalstandard.com. That's where we live. And that is where we are an open book.
Michael LeBlanc
Listen, it's been such a fantastic interview it since you mentioned the word joy. You know, joy is a career strategy. I would come on. It's been a joy to chat with you and learn about your business and fun to have a personal connection. I'll see I guess at the next alumni event Carlton University. I’m sure I speak on behalf of Scott wishing you must much continued success and admiration. And thank you for joining us on Conversations with CommerceNext.
Alex Waldman
Thank you very much. Thank you for bringing this, this conversation to the public.
Michael LeBlanc
Thanks for tuning into this episode of Conversations with CommerceNext, please follow us on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform, where we'll be sharing career advice and marketing strategies from eCommerce and Digital Marketing Leaders of retailers and direct to consumer brands each and every episode.
CommerceNext is a community event series and a conference for marketers at retail and direct to consumer brands. Through our online forums, interviews, webinars, summits and other in person events, we harness the collective wisdom of the community to help marketers grow their businesses and advance their careers.
Join CommerceNext events to meet other industry leaders and learn the latest eCommerce and marketing strategies, you can find upcoming events at commercenext.com.
Have a fantastic week, everyone.
Michael LeBlanc
Thanks for tuning in to today's episode of The Voice of Retail. Be sure and follow the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts so you don't miss out on the latest episodes, industry news and insights. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review as it really helps us grow so that we continue to get amazing guests onto the show. I'm your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. And if you're looking for more content or want to chat, follow me on LinkedIn or visit my website at meleblanc.co.
Michael LeBlanc
Until next time, stay safe. Have a great week.