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How Hypebeast and Afterpay are coming together to make streetwear and luxury goods more accessible to the next-gen consumer.

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The unique partnership anchored on buy now, pay later is making streetwear and luxury goods more accessible to the next-gen consumerIn 2022, Huan Nguyen and his team were looking for ways to make the products sold on <a href="https://hbx.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HBX.com</a> — a global e-commerce platform and retail destination of the Hypebeast Group — more accessible to shoppers. HBX consumers are predominantly Gen Z and Millennials, says Nguyen, who is the group’s Chief Revenue Officer.That, too, is the demographic most likely to use a buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform, which offers flexibility by allowing shoppers to purchase an item with no interest over four payments. For HBX, a partnership with Afterpay seemed fitting. “As a multi-brand retailer, we carry brands ranging from streetwear to luxury brands,” Nguyen says. “Offering Afterpay to our customers was something that was really important to us.”&nbsp;

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Consumer spending on BNPL platforms is on the rise and is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.juniperresearch.com/press/buy-now-pay-later-spend-to-accelerate-reaching/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">expected</a>&nbsp;to reach $437 billion globally in 2027, up from $112 billion in 2022. An Afterpay&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.afterpay.com/updates/nearly-half-of-bnpl-consumers-prefer-pay-in-4-over-credit-cards-as-they-look-for-more-choice-at-checkout" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;found that&nbsp;more than two-thirds (69%) of customers indicated that they would use BNPL more if it were more widely available, with the demand for BNPL services being higher among Gen Z customers and Millennials (79%).&nbsp;As a first step, HBX began offering the Afterpay option to customers checking out on HBX.com. The impact was immediate. “We actually saw a really interesting engagement when we launched the Afterpay feature,” Nguyen says. “A decent number of U.S. customers went through Afterpay, which we felt was really noteworthy. And it has exhibited a notable degree of consistency since that launch.”&nbsp;<h2>Boosting sales and engagement</h2>Because of their shared customer demographics, Nguyen quickly realized the potential to collaborate with Afterpay on experiential initiatives and cross-platform marketing programs that could build excitement and draw new audiences to HBX.For example, last holiday season, HBX collaborated on an Afterpay DROPSHOP program featuring the latest re-release of three different pairs of heritage Jordan-brand sneakers.

Over a three-week period in December, HBX shoppers had the option to access the shoes via a custom-designed landing page made available only to Afterpay customers or by attending a curated&nbsp;<a href="https://hypebeast.com/2023/12/afterpay-dropshop-hbx-new-york-holiday-sneaker-event-recap" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shopping event</a>&nbsp;hosted by HBX in New York, where the Jordans (“Royal,” “Olive Craft” and “Gratitude”) were available for purchase.&nbsp;The event was a success, recalls Nguyen. “We generated a noticeable sales result which really exceeded our expectations,” he says. In fact, both sales and engagement were higher than anticipated.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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"We generated a noticeable sales result which really exceeded our expectations."

In addition, a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://hypebeast.com/2024/2/afterpay-future-of-drop-culture-panel-event" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">panel discussion</a>&nbsp;during New York Fashion Week discussed the rise and evolution of drop culture and the importance of accessibility and innovation.Nguyen says Afterpay was involved every step of the way, from the integration on dot-com to the featured products. “Putting together that curation and having it be to the benefit of an Afterpay customer worked really well,” he says.

The collaboration with Afterpay has been a success so far. “The partnership has been vital to HBX in terms of providing accessibility to customers, with the hope that it will expand our customer base. That’s really important,” Nguyen says.“And it also helps us on the publishing side because Afterpay has been such a great partner in working with us and supporting some fun content initiatives that drive traffic to HBX.”

"Afterpay has been such a great partner in working with us and supporting some fun content initiatives that drive traffic to HBX."

<h2>A taste of what’s to come</h2>Nguyen is excited about future collaborations. “We are lucky to work with a multitude of brands, from large streetwear and luxury, to up-and-coming, influencer-led fashion brands that want to be on HBX,” he says. “With that assortment, we can choose and curate which ones we think would work really well in creating a drop moment that would be exclusive to Afterpay customers.”Plus, Nguyen feels good knowing that the buy now, pay later option is helping to accomplish his initial goal: making the products on HBX.com more accessible to more people.&nbsp;“We’re offering people a way to be able to purchase items in two ways,” he says. “No. 1, by using the buy now, pay later option. And No. 2, through the programs we’ve come up with that offer Afterpay customers access to exclusive products that are really exciting for them and provide them quite a bit of value."

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How Hypebeast and Afterpay are coming together to make streetwear and luxury goods more accessible to the next-gen consumer.

How HBX is gaining new customers and driving engagement with Afterpay

Hypebeast 

Luxury accessories brand founder, Mia Ray, explains how social media and persistence pays off.

The founder of affordable luxury accessories brand, Glam-Aholic Lifestyle, Mia Ray, will always remember the "mind-blowing" day she made $1 million in 24 hours - it was the same day her company turned ten years old."Imagine putting your blood, sweat and tears into your business for a decade and then all of a sudden it explodes overnight," she says of that pivotal moment, two years ago. "A lot of people think I'm an overnight success – I'm not."The reason for this sudden boom in business? Ray started utilizing Instagram Live by introducing a "Glam-Aholic Shopping Experience" every time she launched a new product.&nbsp;"It's always been a dream of mine to be on a home-shopping network like QVC so I started going live on Instagram in the same style," she explains. "I showcase the product, tell people the price [and] show them how it works or fits. Being in front of the camera really helped my business take off."

"A lot of people think I'm an overnight success – I'm not."

<h2>From blogger to business owner</h2>A college drop-out from Detroit, Ray started writing a fashion blog in 2009. From the very beginning she was the face of her brand and connected directly with customers – before she even called them that.&nbsp;"Back then, people weren't really thinking about followers," explains Ray, who only had a couple of thousand people reading her blog in the first year. "I was thinking more about the connection with readers. I wanted them to have something they could walk away with."&nbsp;Armed with a desire to make a "nice, affordable tote bag" as well as a friend's contact for a manufacturer in China (who she still uses to this day), Ray spent $99 of the $348 she had in her bank account at the time on producing a sample. She then posted a photo of the bag on her blog, instructing readers to 'pre-order now.' Having spent a year blogging without making much money, Ray was thrilled to receive more than 70 pre-orders.&nbsp;Almost 13 years on, Glam-Aholic Lifestyle – which spans everything from cosmetic bags to wallets, as well as the recently launched luggage and hosiery ranges – is on track to bring in $25 million in revenue this year.&nbsp;This is all the more impressive when you consider the brand's modest Instagram following (Glam-Aholic Lifestyle has 136,000 and Mia Ray herself 197,000). "I'm proud to say I have only a couple of hundred thousand followers on social media," says Ray who adds that engagement is more important than the total number of followers. "I like to say I'm pretty small but mighty. I'm only competing with myself. I definitely feel like I've found my own lane."

"I'm proud to say I have only a couple of hundred thousand followers on social media."

<h2>Get creative</h2>As well as relatable, personal direct-to-consumer marketing techniques, Ray says that Glam-Aholic Lifestyle's success owes much to a fun, creative approach.“[I recommend] definitely thinking outside the box and not doing what everyone else is doing. I always bring my customers a fun experience," she says. "Whether that's visually or through music, I like to dive deep when it comes to marketing."When new products drop, you'll find fun videos on the Glam-Aholic Lifestyle Instagram page starring Mia Ray herself. Think spoofs of the 1990s classic film Clueless or Sex and the City or recreations of pop videos. "When we dropped my hosiery line, we pretty much recreated the video for Beyonce's Single Ladies, and everyone loved it," she says.<h2>Listen to your customers</h2>"As a customer, you want to feel seen and heard and understood," explains Ray. "People who spend their money somewhere like to feel the comfort of, “Oh wow, they really care about what I want.” Customers want to feel comfortable spending their money with you."In order to achieve this, Ray prides herself on being transparent with her customers, inviting them to watch every step of the production process (via social media) and often using them as a sounding board when it comes to developing new products. In fact, it was her customers she turned to (by utilizing a poll) when she was deciding whether to take on Afterpay.&nbsp;"I am so pro being financially literate and financially strong that I feel like Afterpay speaks to my customers," she says. "It makes a big difference to them because while they are always excited to shop, a lot of them do like to budget. I would recommend Afterpay because it increases the profits of small businesses and it assists customers in getting what they want."

"Afterpay increases the profits of small businesses and assists customers in getting what they want."

<h2>Tenacity pays off</h2>Ray is open about the fact that for the first few years of the business, money was tight. “I went for seven to eight years without much income and without a car, and all the things I would have loved to have had.”In order to be successful, she adds, entrepreneurs have to be patient and persistent. "A lot of times people start a business and if it's not a success within six months they quit. You must stay consistent in order for it to pay off and in order for your customers to connect and believe in you," explains Ray.&nbsp;The benefit of slow sustainable growth, she adds, is that business owners have the opportunity to learn every facet of their business.Just two years ago, Glam-Aholic Lifestyle was made up of Ray and her assistant. Today, there are 12 employees including accounts, human resources and customer service.&nbsp;"I know how to do every single thing when it comes to my brand – I've worked every department! - but sometimes it's smart to hire help when it's needed," she advises.&nbsp;"You have to stay ahead of the curve, and not get so overwhelmed that you're not focusing on the bigger picture, so it's always great to hire help when you need it."

Luxury accessories brand founder, Mia Ray, explains how social media and persistence pays off.

The founder of Glam-Aholic, a luxury accessories brand, Mia Ray, explains how social media and persistence pays off.

Mia Ray of Glam-Aholic Lifestyle Shares The Secrets To Business Success 

How Glam-Aholic Lifestyle made $1m in 24 hours

Mia Ray Glamaholic 

The founder of vegan leather handbag brand Freja explains how getting personal with customers is the secret to their success.

It was searching for a suitable bag for an important job interview that prompted Jenny Lei – an Information Science graduate from Cornell University – to design her own. "I just thought, why is it so hard to find something understated that is made thoughtfully?" she recalls. "A lot of bags are designed aesthetically but are not functional. I wanted a bag that was both but didn't immediately scream functional."It's just as well that Lei’s job interview wasn’t successful.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, she spent the next 10 months working weekends and evenings, while completing a marketing internship by day, developing a line of beautiful, high-quality, sustainable handbags.

Lei leaned on personal contacts (her best friend’s family runs a textile factory and they introduced her to a leather-like vegan fabric called ultra fiber) to start her brand, <a href="https://frejanyc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Freja</a> (pronounced frei-ya), which means “love” in Danish.&nbsp;Freja launched with a single style – the&nbsp;<a href="https://frejanyc.com/collections/all/products/linnea-tote-cappuccino" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Linnea Tote</a>&nbsp;– and has since introduced eight new designs, each released in a limited batch, Each batch sells out quickly, and almost three years later – unlike her failed job interview – Lei’s company is an unqualified success, not to mention a seven-figure business.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But Lei admits she had to learn an important lesson first.

"Freja became Freja when I stopped trying to be like other brands," she explains. “I’ve never done this before, so I was trying things I saw other brands do [from website writing 'voice' to photography style]. It was only when I focused on doing what felt natural to me that we attracted our true audience."<h2>Failure can be the greatest teacher</h2>Lei also admits that the initial launch of Freja in February 2020 was a flop. "We didn't get a single sale, so I had to scrap the entire launch strategy [of running ads on Facebook to sign up potential customers to an <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/marketing/what-is" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">email</a> newsletter about the brand].”Lei realized that she needed to convey the story of Freja in a more thoughtful way to enable customers to connect with what was then an unknown brand.She had been keeping journal entries of the prior eight months of building Freja leading up to launch, and published them as blog entries on the website. The earnest transparency really resonated with customers, with many reached out citing it as why they chose to support the brand. This connection is a big part of the brand's ethos. “We also send a monthly <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/email-marketing/tips" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">email newsletter</a> sharing what we’ve been up to in the freja studio. The content is rarely sales-oriented, which I think is key to building a strong relationship,” she says.&nbsp;

For Lei, initial failure set up Freja for future success. "We didn't see good marketing results until a year in," she points out. "But not seeing early results doesn't mean you're not building a good base for the future."<h2>Get personal&nbsp;</h2>Lei started documenting Freja's journey through blog posts and photographs almost a year before launching, and she has no doubt that continuing to authentically share the highs and lows has cemented the brand's loyal following. "You need the audience to feel like you're a human, and to feel invested, they need to see the good and the bad," she explains, citing a blog post about why she was increasing prices as an example.&nbsp;The ability to differentiate between your product and your brand is also key to connecting with your customer. "Initially, I was like, 'People should want to buy this because it's a good product, it's vegan, it's handcrafted.' But those are adjectives to describe the brand, they are not what makes the brand. You need something more for people to believe in."

What makes Freja, says Lei, is its story. By communicating, "what it takes to actually make a bag and why we made the design decisions we did," Lei attracts people who feel the same way she does. "As a consumer, when I support a brand I'm buying the story. It's an emotional thing that's a lot deeper than a tangible reason."<h2>Finding strength in small&nbsp;</h2>"Becoming a big brand was not my goal," explains Lei. "We're growing at a sustainable pace, and because I don't have investors, there's no pressure to do seasonal collections."&nbsp;This is something Freja uses to its advantage.&nbsp;Although the company is big enough to outsource shipping to a fulfillment center, Lei's one-to-one contact with customers means Freja can create new products in response to consumer requests.

"I'm always writing down what our customers are asking for," explains Lei. "Our best-seller, the Paloma Tote, was born because customers loved the Linnea Tote but wanted it to hold a 16-inch laptop. At the end of the day, Freja is for our customers and community, I'm just the one making things happen."&nbsp;<h2>Offer options&nbsp;</h2>Partnering with Afterpay – which 11 percent of Freja’s customers use – was essential from the beginning as its bags are high-quality, investment pieces. "Sustainable options cost more money up front but they are designed to last, so giving someone the option to invest in something they can use for a long time and being able to spread that burden over a few months is really important to us," says Lei.As an unknown company starting out, Freja also benefited from the association with Afterpay, which "gives the payment process a level of trust we wouldn't have otherwise," adds Lei. And that's not the only perk.&nbsp;&nbsp;"It's definitely allowed us to reach a broader demographic," says Lei. "A lot of our customers are only just starting their first job and investing in their first bag – I don't want them spending the whole of their first paycheck on it!"

How this bag brand reached seven figures in three years

Jenny Lei, the founder of vegan leather handbag brand Freja New York, explains how getting personal with customers is the secret to small business success.

How Freja New York found strength and success with small 

How this stylish handbag brand finds strength in small

Freja success stroy

Inside the rise of Posh Peanut, which began as a one-woman start-up and quickly grew into a cult children’s brand loved by parents worldwide.

Numerical Highlight List

Fiona Sahakian knows a thing or two about doing business in uncertain times. Not only is her children’s brand <a href="https://poshpeanut.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Posh Peanut</a> thriving despite the current gloomy outlook, but it was in the midst of another financial downturn – the recession of 2008 – that she launched Posh Peanut in the first place.&nbsp;Back then, Sahakian was a successful Beverly Hills hairstylist. But when the recession hit, and <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/operations/customer-service-examples" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">customers</a> pulled back on luxuries like haircuts, Sahakian – a keen sewer – started making and selling handmade children’s items on Etsy — dresses, coveralls, pajamas, the like.At the time, Sahakian knew very little about e-commerce or digital marketing. “[But] I [was] like ok, let me try it. We just bought a house, I needed to pay my mortgage.”

Within 18 months, not only had she made her mortgage repayments, but after teaching herself <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/seo-tips/how-to-improve-seo-ranking" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SEO</a> and digital marketing, Sahakian had brought in a million dollars. There was just one problem: “I was a one woman show. I quickly realized you can’t scale a handmade business, it’s extremely hard,” she says.The 2010 and 2013 births of her children proved to be the inspiration Sahakian needed to launch Posh Peanut, a line of family lifestyle items.“When I had my daughter there was nothing on the market like what we made which was really bold, really comfortable, really soft fabrics and prints to really shine and to really make you feel good while you’re in the hospital, to match your kid back,” Sahakian explains.

"I quickly realized you can’t scale a handmade business."

Today, Posh Peanut has transformed from its beginnings as a one-woman show, and the brand employs 54 people in its Los Angeles headquarters and 50 more in its distribution center. Another 20 staff members are based overseas. The line is currently sold in Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Hudson’s Bay as well as hundreds of boutiques across the US.<h2>Finding a unique selling point</h2>Sahakian is very focused on maintaining the qualities that distinguish Posh Peanut from competitors. “I always say I make the softest clothes in the world. We’re really known for our bold sophisticated prints,” she says.&nbsp;Florals, kitsch-y and fantastical, all in luxe, buttery fabrics.On top of that, Posh Peanut pieces are priced affordably. “The [pieces] last a really long time. Unlike other brands, cotton bamboo is 30 percent more stretchable so it stays with your kids a long time rather than you going through it every week that your kids are growing.”<h2>Developing a focus group via Facebook</h2>Posh Peanut’s growth has been guided by input provided by <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/customer-service/customer-centricity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">customers</a> in the company’s VIP Facebook group.The group began as a place where customers would ask questions about products, but quickly morphed into a community of new parents. “When you’re going through the whole [parenting] process, it’s very lonely if you’re the first to get pregnant and you don’t have people around you,” explains Sahakian, adding that it’s the Facebook group that has “set the brand apart from the rest and disrupted the industry”.

Rather than having to pay for research or focus groups, Posh Peanut has direct access to its customers via the Facebook group, which now has 50,000 members.“We launch products in there, we get concept ideas, women share their stories. Sad stories, happy stories. Really, products of Posh Peanut, what their kids are wearing, how to style stuff. Anything you can think of is asked in the group and that’s how we built it,” said Sahakian.<h2>Using tech to add a human touch</h2>In addition to paid media and social media, Posh Peanut offers conversational text messaging which Sahakian likens to an online concierge service. “Just really any way we can elevate the brand and really touch point with our customers and really speak to them. I’m a true believer in having a human behind a computer or customer service and not outsourcing it to bots. I feel like it makes it really special,” Sahakian explains.<h2>Using tech to drive sales</h2>Afterpay has been a particularly critical tool. “I think it really helped scale the business because we are a more premium brand. People weren’t used to paying $42 for one footie [or onesie] and I think Afterpay really gave people the opportunity to test the product without paying the premium up front and garner that relationship and trust.”

Sahakian adds: “It’s very loud in every single category online so you have to really differentiate yourself with everything and be competitive, whether that’s having Afterpay or offering anything else. That’s one of the biggest things I think people don’t do. They’re scared of fees or different reasons. I’ve talked to founders who are like they charge too much. I’m like you are missing out on huge sale numbers."<h2>Future plans</h2>Next up, Posh Peanut plans to add luggage, travel and other categories. “We’re a lifestyle brand so we’re really coming out from the children’s [category], going more into family, going into home, curating around what has already been super successful and just adding to whatever customers are asking for,” Sahakian says.

“In our five-year plan, we want to be a product that you will see in most homes or children wearing. We’re already seeing the traction. I was just in Hawaii and this mom came up to me and her daughter was wearing our swimsuit so it’s really cool to see the brand grow.”

Fiona Sahakian knew little about e-commerce when she launched Posh Peanut. Today, it’s a multimillion-dollar success.

Fiona Sahakian explains how and why she launched childrenswear brand Posh Peanut. Discover her tips for business success.

The secrets to Posh Peanut’s multimillion-dollar success

Their golden rule? A commitment to customer service and satisfaction.

When Vahan Avagyan co-founded jewelery brand WJD Exclusives in 2002, he would stand on street corners handing out business cards and fliers to promote the brand.“We did anything we could to spread the word: online ads, social media, my personal Instagram page.”&nbsp;

Back then WJD Exclusives had a basic website and a handful of product listings. Today, the jewelry brand offers thousands of products and turns over millions in revenue. What hasn’t changed in that time is the brand’s commitment to <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/operations/customer-service-examples" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">customer service</a>.“If you take good care of your customers, in the long run, they’ll come back and they’ll bring their friends with them. We built our success by being persistent — very persistent.

“If you take good care of your customers, they’ll come back.”

“It was sometimes painful in the beginning because there weren’t a large number of orders every day. But even on the days when we didn’t have any orders coming in, we knew where we were headed.”<h2>Putting customers first</h2>Avagyan co-founded WJD Exclusives with the goal of creating high-quality, hand-crafted jewelry at affordable prices. He believes that the success of the business comes down to its customer-centric approach.That’s why WJD Exclusives offers 24/7 <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/customer-service/customer-centricity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">customer service</a> and live chat - features that grew out of a focus on understanding what customers needed and wanted, beyond just making the initial sale.

“Everything that we do is customer-focused, even if the customer is a business."

“Everything that we do is customer-focused, even if the customer is a business. Start by listening from day one to the needs of your target customers, be it excellent service or a superior physical product.”<h2>Efficient service</h2>WJD Exclusives handles as many services as possible in-house: not only are jewelers on staff, but product photography, video, marketing and inventory are all carried out on site.This means the business can be quick to respond to customers. “Because we have on-site jewelers, including my business partner, we can make basic changes really fast. When a customer has a repair request, instead of sending it out to an off-site repair company, which can sometimes take weeks, we’re able to provide the service in just a day or two, maximum.

“We get a lot of happy feedback from our customers,” says Avagyan, who notes that the business prides itself on communicating well with customers. “[Customers] send in a chain and we notify them it’s here and then within two business days, they get an email saying, ‘Here’s your new tracking number, it’s on its way back.’ They’re like, ‘Did you even do anything to it?!’ Yeah, of course, we fixed it.’&nbsp;“We’re much more efficient today compared to that first year. We now have a little over 13,000 product styles with various colors, materials, and measurements. We’re still focusing on building up a larger and larger quantity of products,” says Avagyan.<h2>Why WooCommerce powers WJD Exclusives</h2>The WJD Exclusives website uses WordPress and WooCommerce. They chose WooCommerce because of its flexibility, low startup costs, and ability to have full ownership of what they build.

WooCommerce allows Avagyan to modify and show multiple product variations and features like product images and videos, as well as quickly make back-end modifications, update SKU variations, and add custom data fields.&nbsp;“There are so many good factors with WooCommerce, especially its flexibility, I think that was the main reason why we went for it,” he says.<h2>How Afterpay assists customers</h2>Another way to increase customer satisfaction is to offer a variety of payment options, which is why WJD partners with Afterpay.Today, Avagyan estimates more than 30 per cent of WJD Exclusives’ traffic comes from the<a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/categories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Afterpay Marketplace</a>, and since activating the payment service, the company has not only seen improvements in their average order value (AOV), but fewer customer returns.

“Once that trust level goes up, your value goes up.”

According to Avagyan, Afterpay has also increased the trust level that customers have in the company.“Once that trust level goes up, your value goes up. Customers start thinking ‘Okay, if I can trust these guys for a $20 purchase, maybe I can go ahead and get this $10,000 necklace.’”“Afterpay is just insanely awesome. So many of our customers are benefiting from it that I don’t even want to think of a world without Afterpay. I don’t want to imagine our business without Afterpay!”

Find out WJD Exclusives' golden rule for success.

Vahan Avaghan, the co-founder of WJD Exclusives, on the jewelry brand's commitment to customer service and satisfaction.

WJD Exclusives: How this jewelry brand focuses on customer service

WJD Exclusives: How customer service helps this jewelry brand shine

How this jewelry brand went from selling on street corners to selling out 

Founder Haley Pavone may be young. But she's one step ahead in footwear.

When Haley Pavone slipped off her six-inch heels and hit the dance floor at a formal event in 2016, she had no idea that that simple act would change her life.&nbsp;Or at least the simple act that occurred a few moments later - when her stiletto-wearing friend stood on her bare foot.It was as Pavone, then 20, nursed her painful foot that she looked around the room and noticed something. “Easily 90 per cent of the women at this event were also barefoot, and at the side of the dance floor there's a growing pile of heels that have just been abandoned because they were just too painful to dance in,” she recalls.&nbsp;

"It struck me what a market opportunity this was."&nbsp;

“It struck me what a market opportunity there was: here's something billions of women are dealing with every day, it's making them uncomfortable and no one's really doing anything to make it better. And really the only solutions out there were, you go barefoot, you lug around backup shoes in your purse, or you suffer through it.”With just two years of a business degree under her belt, Pavone decided to go all in on her idea. “I think my naivete was actually a huge strength in the sense that I was not limited by those preconceived notions of how it had to be done. I had no problem throwing the standard for high heels out the window,” she says.&nbsp;

"I think my naivete was actually a huge strength."

It took three years to bring her vision - shoes with detachable heels - to market. But since then, Pavone and her brand <a href="https://pashionfootwear.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Pashion</a> has raised around $4m in funding and sold tens of thousands of shoes.&nbsp;Despite the pandemic (or perhaps because of it: Pavone observes that customers are more inclined to put comfort first these days), the business grew by 450 per cent last year. Equally importantly, Pashion boasts an impressive customer retention rate: 25 to 30 per cent of monthly business is supported by repeat purchasers.<h2>Early persistence pays off</h2>Fine-tuning the concept for Pashion shoes (it took 10 rounds of prototyping to get the designs perfect), pitching it to Shark Tank and getting investors on board took around three years.&nbsp;Securing patents was another time-consuming part of the process. However, as the daughter of an attorney, Pavone had anticipated that this would be a challenging aspect of the business.

"The venture capital and fundraising industry is very male-heavy, and very male-favoured."

What she hadn’t anticipated was the difficulties she faced with fundraising. “I was very surprised by the degree of challenges that women face in the venture world. The venture capital and fundraising industry in general is very male-heavy, and very male-favoured. I was 21, I was still in college, I was a young woman, I did not have a background in the industry,” she says.&nbsp;“It can still be very much an uphill battle to prove why this product is even needed, which is so funny because in a conversation amongst female peers it’s such a no-brainer. But in the fundraising community it has been very challenging at times to prove that this is a viable market.”

<h2>Building trust with customers</h2>Then there was trying to prove to potential customers that the shoe actually worked. “We've had to do a lot of legwork from a marketing perspective to build up credibility and earn their trust.”One solution was to prioritise reviews. “We shipped our first 300 shoes before the website launched so that we could have some initial feedback and star ratings up on the site to help ease people's minds.”Pashion offers free exchanges, and invested in videos that show exactly how the shoes work. The brand has also worked to secure press coverage in reputable media to strengthen trust in the products. Pavone has also leveraged video content through social media like Tik Tok, where some of their content has gone viral and clocked 20 to 30 million views.&nbsp;<h2>How Afterpay helps convince customers to buy&nbsp;</h2>Another key way to help people overcome purchase apprehension was to introduce Afterpay. “We’re offering a new technology from a new brand, it is at a higher price point, so Afterpay was a really great solution for us to be able to go back to the consumers and say, Hey, you don't have to make this big deposit upfront, it can be in more digestible amounts,” she says.

"Afterpay has allowed us to expand into different demographics."

“I have found that it’s led to higher purchase frequency and higher purchase volume and it's also allowed us to expand into different demographics. We had one consumer in particular that was a really avid user of Afterpay. I reached out to her to learn more about her and she said that if there was no Afterpay she would not purchase because of the price point. So it’s allowed us to expand across economic demographics more so than I think we would have otherwise.”&nbsp;Today, between 10 and 20 per cent of Pashion customers take advantage of Afterpay’s buy now pay later structure. “I know [customers who shop with Afterpay] tend to have a higher average order value, they’re willing to buy additional accessories on the first purchase and expand that relationship with us from the get go. I see nothing but upsides to using Afterpay, for sure.”

Founder Haley Pavone may be young. But she's one step ahead in footwear.

Pashion Footwear founder Haley Pavone may be young. But she's one step ahead in footwear.

How Afterpay helps Pashion footwear founder Haley Pavone drive sales  

How Pashion convinced customers to try its shoes and quadrupled sales 

How Pashion convinced customers to try its shoes. And quadrupled sales 

EveryHuman founder Matthew Skerritt is passionate about offering stylish adaptive clothing to every body.

Ask Matthew Skerrit to describe the best part of his job and his answer is simple: the customers.&nbsp;“We have people writing to us, on a daily basis, saying ‘I absolutely love what you guys do, you’ve changed my life.’”It’s no wonder Skerrit receives such heartfelt feedback; as the founder of <a href="https://everyhuman.com.au/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">EveryHuman</a>, an online adaptive fashion e-commerce site, Skerritt offers stylish clothing and footwear to people with disabilities.That means shoes with zippers for those with mobility restrictions; seamless jeans for people in wheelchairs; or clothes with magnets instead of buttons.

Skerritt’s aim? “To empower and inspire people to be proud of who they are”… It’s something I’m really passionate about. Clothes matter – they allow you to express yourself,” says Skerrit, who frequently receives messages from grateful mothers who have shopped with the site.“We had one mother writing to us, saying ‘I’m in tears. My 25-year-old son has been able to put on his own shoes for the first time’. Before then, she’d been literally getting a pair of scissors and cutting a slit along the side of the shoe [to make it accessible for her son].“It’s absolutely amazing. I find it very powerful.”This month, Skerritt and EveryHuman are showcased in Afterpay's Make it your way series, which celebrates entrepreneurs who are forging their own path, and building businesses that are true to their passions and convictions.

<h2>Make it inclusive</h2>Today, Skerritt lives and breathes adaptive fashion. However, two years ago, he knew very little about the industry – or the fashion world in general.Before launching EveryHuman, he was an accountant, who then worked in his dad’s retirement home business – where he witnessed many of the elderly residents’ struggling to dress themselves on a daily basis.“When you get older your ability to do up a button-down shirt really changes,” says Skerritt. “They get very frustrated, and you really feel for them.”&nbsp;It was while researching solutions that Skerritt discovered adaptive clothing – and soon realised the need was even greater than elderly people, with one in six Australians living with some form of disability.

After months of preparation, including attending trade fairs and speaking to those with lived experiences of disability, Skerritt launched EveryHuman in December 2019.&nbsp;He admits that the first six months were turbulent. “It was pretty tough. We had logistical challenges because of Covid-19… we had <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-AU/business/access/boosting-profitability/cashflow-management-tools" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cashflow</a> challenges. It was a little bit touch and go there for a while.”<h2>Make it empowering</h2>&nbsp;Through the challenges, Skerrit continues to be driven by a desire to help people with disabilities express themselves through their clothing. “Our clothes help empower people. We offer choice. For a long time, people with disabilities were overlooked by the fashion industry. Brands were nervous because they didn’t know how to approach it.“I think that’s wrong, but it’s slowly changing. And we’ve just got to keep persisting and working with people who are passionate in this space to make that change happen.”

<h2>Make it stylish</h2>A lack of stylish options for people – and especially young people – with disabilities can affect confidence, says Skerritt, who stocks brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Dr Martens on EveryHuman.“If you’re a young person – a child or a teenager – with a disability you’re already on the outer. To be wearing clothes that aren’t cool makes it worse.”<h2>Make it your way, with Afterpay</h2>Skerritt says that Afterpay has helped make EveryHuman’s products even more accessible to those with disabilities.&nbsp;“Afterpay has helped us attract customers. We put [the Afterpay logo] on all our social media. It’s very, very visible throughout the checkout process and on the homepage of our website,” says Skerritt, who adds that through Afterpay’s Cross-Border Trade Programme, EveryHuman has also found new customers in other regions such as New Zealand.“Afterpay provides choice] and we provide choice. We allow people to express themselves through choice… and be independent as well. Afterpay has been a great supporter of ours.”

EveryHuman founder Matthew Skerritt is passionate about offering stylish adaptive clothing to every body. 

EveryHuman founder Matthew Skerritt is passionate about offering stylish adaptive clothing and footwear to people with disabilities 

EveryHuman: Making fashion feel good for every body 

How EveryHuman makes fashion feel good 

Make it Inclusive: Every Human 

Natalie Fitch on why she partnered with Afterpay - and how it offers her customers options.

Natalie Fitch never intended to launch a business. When she first started making jewellery for family and friends, she viewed it as more of a creative outlet than a career.Fast forward 13 years and Fitch oversees a thriving jewellery brand, <a href="https://www.nataliemariejewellery.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Natalie Marie Jewellery</a>, based in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, which employs 12 jewellers.What hasn’t changed is Fitch’s passion for handcrafted jewellery, made with high-quality, sustainable materials - or her desire to connect with her customers and create highly personal, meaningful pieces.“It’s because I’m so engaged with customers and because I understand why they’re purchasing pieces that we decided to offer Afterpay,” says Fitch.&nbsp;

It's because I'm so engaged with customers... that we decided to offer Afterpay.

“We wanted to make our pieces as accessible as possible,” says Fitch, who notes that because the brand uses predominantly Australian materials and produces everything in-house, pieces can be expensive. “Afterpay provides our customers the opportunity to buy a piece that really speaks to them – it’s about giving our clients options.”

Natalie Marie Jewellery founder Natalie Fitch on why she partnered with Afterpay - and how it benefits her customers and her business.

Natalie Marie Jewellery founder Natalie Fitch on why she partnered with Afterpay - and how it benefits her customers and her business

Natalie Marie Jewellery: "Afterpay helps make our handcrafted jewellery accessible" Natalie Marie Jewellery 

“Afterpay helps make my handcrafted jewellery accessible.”

Natalie - “I wanted to make handcrafted jewellery accessible”

Natalie Fitch never set out to launch a business, but her passion for meaningful jewellery has propelled her to success.

Natalie Fitch has her own spacious office, but prefers to spend as much time as possible in the showroom of her jewellery store on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. &nbsp;&nbsp;“I just love seeing people come and pick up their jewellery. It’s amazing to see clients see their pieces for the first time.Through the highs and lows of the eight years since founding her business – <a href="https://www.nataliemariejewellery.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Natalie Marie Jewellery </a>– this personal connection to customers still matters. “It’s very humbling and rewarding.”Fitch is one of the business owners featured in Afterpay's Make it your way campaign, which celebrates entrepreneurs and founders who are carving their own paths and building businesses that reflect their values and passions.

<h2>Make it beautiful</h2>Today Natalie Marie Jewellery employs 12 jewellers. But the business began organically, 13 years ago, with Fitch creating pieces for her friends from her kitchen table.“I never set out to have my own business or even be a jewellery designer. But I’ve always been a really hands-on, crafty person.”Within a few years, Fitch was selling her pieces, and in the early years, she would arrive home from her day-job, only to spend hours every evening in her garage slowly building her first collection.

I never set out to have my own business - or even be a jewellery designer.

“It was a passion project,” she says. “It was a hugely developmental period, but it was really full on… as anyone who has built a business will know. I just worked! I don’t remember much.”After three years, Fitch hired her first <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/staff-management/hiring-millennials" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">employee</a>, but even today, the brand retains a personal approach and a commitment to meaningful and intentional jewellery.

<h2>Make it meaningful</h2>“Everything we make is created with a strong intention and sense of meaning behind it,” says Fitch, pointing to a recent Mother’s Day piece, called the Polaris Bracelet, which features a central diamond set like a star to represent the role of mothers as a guiding light.It’s this purpose-led approach that Fitch says sets Natalie Marie Jewellery apart.“For so many decades, people have gone into a store and bought something off a shelf, whereas now I think there’s a resurgence in a desire for something that feels unique and meaningful.&nbsp;“We create modern heirlooms… pieces that become a tangible expression of a moment or feeling.”

<h2>Make it handcrafted</h2>The jewellers at Natalie Marie Jewellery use sustainably sourced materials and are trained in traditional techniques. “There is an art to jewellery making, and something has been lost along the way with technological advances. We’re trying to nurture [our jewellery makers] in the studio and help develop the next generation.”<h2>Make it an empowering workplace</h2>Part of nurturing the next generation of jewellers means ensuring that Natalie Marie Jewellery embraces and supports female jewellers. “We have a really strong female staff, and we have four pregnant <a href="https://www.afterpay.com/en-US/for-retailers/access/staff-management/employee-retention" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">staff members</a> at the moment, so we’re focused on [working with the] team in new or different ways.”As a mother of two young children, Fitch rates flexibility is one of the biggest benefits of running her own business. “I love running a business – but it’s not for the faint-hearted! Having flexibility is so valuable.”

<h2>Make it personal</h2>Many of Natalie Marie Jewellery’s pieces are personalised with engravings or unique touches, while others are completely custom-made for a particular occasion or anniversary.“We have a lot of couples who will come in for an engagement piece and then come back for a wedding band and then when they have their first baby or an anniversary.”“I still find it incredible that our pieces can become such a significant part of someone’s everyday life.”<h2>Make it with Afterpay</h2>For Fitch, offering Afterpay comes back to her desire to put her customers’ needs first. “It’s because I’m so engaged with customers and because I understand why they’re purchasing pieces that we decided to offer Afterpay.“We wanted to make our pieces as accessible as possible. Afterpay provides our customers the opportunity to buy a piece that really speaks to them – it’s about giving our clients options.”

Natalie Marie Jewellery founder Natalie Fitch never set out to launch a business, but her passion for meaningful, handcrafted jewellery has propelled her to success.

Natalie Marie Jewellery founder Natalie Fitch never set out to launch a business, but her passion for meaningful, handcrafted jewellery has propelled her to success