Loading summary
Unknown Speaker
Foreign.
Maddie
Welcome to the very first episode of Face To Face, our exciting new miniseries proudly presented by Longcom. In this series, we're inviting you to sit down with us for a conversation with some incredible game changing creatives who are making their mark on the industry. Within each of these chats, we'll deep dive into their inspiring journeys, uncover their best kept tips and secrets to success with whilst offering you the ultimate inside look at the highs and maybe a few lows of life as a trailblazer, all while exploring their unique world of beauty. This series is all made possible by the legendary Lancome and their new revolutionary genifique, Ultimate Serum. A true game changer that visibly transforms skin in just seven days. Discover it now@longcomm.com.
Hi, I'm Maddie and welcome to Face To Face. This is the series where I get to sit down opposite some of fashion and beauty's best experts so that I can get us all of the industry's best kept secrets. Today we're focusing on brand with Rebecca Harding. Hi.
Rebecca Harding
Hi, Madison.
Maddie
Beck. And I always laugh because I call Beck Beck and Beck calls me Madison. I don't know what, but maybe I'm just going to Rebecca you right back.
Rebecca Harding
No, don't do that.
Maddie
Very formal this entire time.
Rebecca Harding
It would be fair.
Maddie
Beck, I'm going to give you a little bit of an intro, but I think I'd love you to do it some justice after too. But Beck is a business owner, media personality, brand ambassador, model, and you have a background in media and communications. You majored in PR and completed your master's in comms. After years spent working in the fashion and beauty industry, you've become an expert on how brands cut through all the noise and connect with customers and your body care brand, Louis, your baby launched in August 2023 with a razor and shaving cream. You now have a body polish, a body moisturizer, and you're making a really sizable impact on a really big industry and market and you've really become a bathroom must have.
Rebecca Harding
Thank you. That's so nice.
Maddie
Oh, we're just being honest. We're just, you know, teaching my proud mom. We're lucky to have you here today to share your ultimate guide on all things brand. But we want to start off with a bit of a tip and a trick because we love a little bit of a recommendation here at Stylish, we call it the swap. But today we want a little bit of a PSA or a recommendation that you'd like to kick us off with.
Rebecca Harding
So this is around Shaving naturally. It's sort of what I've lived and breathed for the last sort of eight years of my life in all of Louis inception and since launch. But something that I didn't realize, and it took me a few years into doing a lot of research into shaving, is how to properly shave your legs, and we've been doing it wrong.
Maddie
Okay, great. Do tell.
Rebecca Harding
So I don't know, how do you normally shave your legs? You sort of lather your shave cream up and then take your blade and go against the grain, right?
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Well, you're meant to actually go with the hair growth. So you shave down the leg to trim the hair and then shave back up against the hair growth, and that just gives you, like, the closest shave you'll ever experience.
Maddie
Okay, so my entire life has been a lie, and I've been doing it wrong.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
Okay, good to know. I think our listeners are going to love that tidbit, and I'm definitely going to go home and reshape my legs because I've been doing it all wrong.
Rebecca Harding
It also just keeps your blade sharper for longer, and it means you have to go over the area less times and. Yeah, just a better shave.
Maddie
I also just didn't know we were supposed to use a shaving cream. I just thought that was, like, for men. And I didn't know that until I went and bought a Louis razor and a shaving cream and then was like, oh, this can be girl thing, too.
Rebecca Harding
Well, I used hair conditioner for years.
Maddie
Really?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. But it's so weird because, like, if you think about it, hair conditioner is, like, meant to nourish and, like, help your hair grow and be more healthy. It's kind of counterintuitive. Silly.
Maddie
Silly. Okay, I love that wreck. I think that's a very productive one for our listeners and, well, quite frankly, me. So I spoke about your credentials and, I mean, one hell of a resume, and I love that. I think a lot of people wouldn't know that your background is in pr, media, and comms as well. But what excites you the most about the world of branding, particularly in fashion and beauty?
Rebecca Harding
I think this probably goes across the board with sort of everything but brand. The way in which it can make you feel and really take you to another place. I think that's what excites me the most about it. And for us with Louis, for example, shaving isn't an exciting, beautiful thing. And we've used this brand to really transform the way in which people think about it, their experience and brand is just so important, important in that. So, yeah, that gets me excited. I think the fact that you can really, if you've got a good brand, you can really transform or take someone to a different place. I think that's pretty magical.
Maddie
I love that that's such a beautiful way to look at it too. That it's about the feeling as much as the interaction and not just the product.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
Obviously there's so many brands in market across fashion and beauty. When you're looking at brands, what makes you personally go from admirer to purchasing or interacting with a brand?
Rebecca Harding
I think a lot of it is that story, how it came to be. Why? I don't know. I think of some of my favorite fashion labels, for example, and. And hearing about their history and why they've designed things in a certain way. Yeah, it's all about that brand story and that experience. So, yeah, I think just how it can make you feel is.
Maddie
Yeah, you've obviously got Louis, which was your baby. And what a lot of people may not know is that Louis was three years in the making. You spent a lot of time establishing the brand. Why did you feel like it was so important to take that time to create Louis?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah, well, I mean, I originally came up with the idea eight years ago.
Maddie
Wow.
Rebecca Harding
And sat on it for. And sort of. Well, I just didn't get my act together really. And I wish I did earlier, but here we are. But yeah, I sat on it for ages. And with something like this, you really do need to take your time. I invested a lot of my own money into it and obviously a lot of time. So I really wanted to make sure that what I was doing was really considered and thoughtful. And, you know, it takes time. You've got to, first of all, research. You've got to make sure that there is an appetite for it out there. For us, there was a lot of design involved for the razor handle because for the first time, we're a female first shaving brand. So we had to do a lot of research into the way in which women hold their razors as opposed to the way in which men do, because a lot of other brands on the market are sort of male first. And I don't know, in the 50s, they decided to paint them pink and market them at women. And not a whole lot has changed in that category since then. So for us it was. Yeah, it took time because we had to do that research. We had to figure out how it's going to best fit in our hands and work the best.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And so you've developed the razor and you also launched it alongside the shaving cream. Did as much time and energy go into the shaving cream? And why a shaving cream? I mean, you mentioned the hair conditioner, which I find hilarious. So counterintuitive.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. So I think if you look at other products on the market, there's a lot of sort of artificial foaming agents, a lot of artificial dyes, and for me, I've got very sensitive skin, and they always were quite irritating on my skin. So it was really important for us to formulate this product that was super nourishing. It's got 97.8% natural ingredients in it.
Maddie
I love that you've memorized that to the decimal point.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. It's important because customers are so educated now and they really want to know what is in their products and what's going on their skin. And unfortunately, up until now, there's been so much important. Well, it's fortunately, I guess, but so much importance on our face and the rest of our body has sort of been pushed to the side and people just put conditioner on their body and they're shaving their legs. So we got to change that.
Maddie
Shall be unnamed.
Rebecca Harding
Don't do it, guys.
Maddie
So, like, obviously it's such a competitive space in the beauty and lifestyle space. And you mentioned the idea was, you know, conceptualized eight years ago. What gave you the, like, kick that you needed to be like, okay now?
Rebecca Harding
Oh, gosh. I mean, I think it was probably just when it was ready.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
There was that initial kick to actually get it started, which was 2020 lockdowns.
Maddie
Like, don't say.
Rebecca Harding
Sorry to bring it up where I did have a lot more time on my hands. But, yeah, it was really just I wanted to get it out into the world as soon as I got started. I wanted to get it out as quickly as I could.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
And it was three years, so we did take our time, but I was, like, so ready to get it out there.
Maddie
And I can imagine when you're in that phase, there's lots of things you're learning on the fly.
Rebecca Harding
Oh, my gosh. Google is still my best friend.
Maddie
Well, Google, and now you've got ChatGPT. Thank God. Where was that in 2020 when we needed.
Rebecca Harding
I figured ChatGPT had a concern.
Maddie
We can. We can do that off Mike. I can help you there.
Rebecca Harding
Thank you.
Maddie
What do you think, though? Most brand founders or even yourself struggle with in those stages? What are the mistakes you think they are making or things they're not considering in those concepting stages.
Rebecca Harding
Oh my gosh, there's so many and we have made so many mistakes. We've only been in market for just over a year. And the amount of mistakes are just scary. But you have to make them like lead times. First of all, that's something that you don't really think about when you start a brand.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
Now, some listeners might not know what lead times mean. Can you just explain it to me?
Rebecca Harding
Like I'm five lead times. So when you place an order with a manufacturer, say for a bottle, there will be a certain amount of time from when you place the order for manufacturing. And that may be just. There's a waiting line of other orders that you need to sort of get in line. But then things take a certain amount of time to actually manufacture if other parts need to be brought in. So like a spring or a different cap from somewhere else, then printing and then shipping. Yeah, that was a fun one to learn. Yeah, we had some mistakes there with shipping.
Maddie
And isn't it funny because we get these bottles and as consumers we're just like, there it is.
Rebecca Harding
I have a newfound level of respect of like every single element of packaging.
Maddie
Now I'm like, like admiring your pickle jar, being like, someone really made this label beautiful.
Rebecca Harding
Someone made it and they did. Shipping times and dealership delays and packaging and figuring out to make sure that that sticker on that jar sticks and you know, if you put it in the fridge, it's not going to slide off. Things like that.
Maddie
Do you feel like as well what your original launch time was versus what came to fruition were different?
Rebecca Harding
Yes. Yeah, it was a year. So we started posting on our Instagram what we thought was going to be three months before launch. And we didn't launch for another year, which was devastating. And you go through a wave of emotions. We were like, someone else is going to think of this in this 12 months and launch without us launching. Or someone's going to steal our idea or create a new razor that looks exactly like ours. But you know, it's so silly because they would come up against the same struggles that we did.
Maddie
So totally. And do you think that's a result of just how fast paced fashion and beauty industry feels that fueled that panic?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah, it's kind of scary if you think about it. You think about trends and how quickly fashion, I think is, is another one that's like, that actually terrifies me a little bit more than the beauty space. Because what works, works for beauty, whereas for fashion, you know, something can Be in Vogue like one month and then be out the next. And if you miss that, if you've got a shipping delay, too bad.
Maddie
Oh, I'm really going to miss this one.
Rebecca Harding
You got 10,000 units or like 10,000 shirts just sitting there in a warehouse.
Maddie
And you're on the outs list for the.
Rebecca Harding
And you're. Yeah, you're done.
Maddie
So you've been a media personality and you've been the public face of other brands before as an ambassador. What do you feel like the difference has been publicly managing a brand and now privately having this brand, but also being the public face for it as well.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. It's an interesting one. My life is. A lot is far less glamorous than it was when I was working with other brands and being the face or an ambassador for certain brands. A lot of the time I'm sitting at my desk alone or with my business partner, you know, in trackies, just working away, doing invoicing. But I think also there's just another level of care and love that you put into it because it is yours. Like you said before, it's your baby. It literally feels like my baby. I mean, instead of nine months, it just took three years to grow.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
And because I do have that public profile to some degree, it feels very personal.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And I guess obviously we know the beauty of social media and social commentary, but I guess there also is a darker, more sinister side to it, which is that everyone's opinion can be at their fingertips. Were you nervous to launch the brand and see how it would be received and it being the first time you'd put your name to something that you had created?
Rebecca Harding
Yes. I was so scared. But then at the same time, I was like, I love this product. We'd done a lot of testing with friends and peers, so they all loved the product. So I did have that level of confidence behind it. But no matter what, I think it's always scary.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
It reminds me of, you know, handing in your final essay at the end of semester.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
It's like, I've put everything into this. I really hope I get a good grade.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
I don't want just a pass.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. I worked really hard on this.
Maddie
Let's go. A high distinction. Yeah. Come on. It's funny, you talk about your family and friends and getting them involved. How much collaboration was involved for you in those early concepting stages?
Rebecca Harding
A lot, because I knew that this was a product that I wanted. But at the same time, I was like, do other people feel the same way? My sister, Poppy, she has super sensitive skin. Like when I say I've got sensitive skin, she literally looks at cut grass and breaks down into hives. Less pots. And so I'd seen the struggles that she'd experienced over the years and was like, we need to do better. We need to do better for Poppy.
Maddie
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Justice for Pumpkin, justice for Puffy. And so speaking to other women and getting their advice and their thoughts on creating this new product was really helpful.
Maddie
And I think so beautiful that this is a product ultimately you've created for women. And as you mentioned, an industry that has been developed largely for men that has maybe been labeled in a bit of pink every now and then. To have them involved in that process, I imagine was really special as well.
Rebecca Harding
Definitely. And I've got a lot of friends as well that work in the beauty industry, that work in brand. So having their thoughts as well really sort of cemented that this was a good thing.
Maddie
And so then Louis comes out into the world, as you said, like not a nine month baby, a three year baby. Louis comes out into the world. And I mean you've had tremendous success. And there's also been heavy partnerships included in that as well. And I say heavy but like deliberate. And maybe that's a better terminology for me to use. It's deliberate partnerships that you've had with like minded brands and like minded content creators or people of influence. How much thought goes into who you partner with and who have you partnered with that you've felt like has really great synergy with your brand?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah, we did. A few months ago we did a collaboration with a S where their team designed a really beautiful Louis colored toiletry bag that could also be used as a clutch. And I think you've got one and I see you wear it out in a bag.
Maddie
It might have come to a wine bar here or there. I'm like, cosmetic pouch interesting. I've gone more the clutch route.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. And that was really. I mean, I have always looked up to Amanda, the owner of aesc. She's such an incredible businesswoman and what she's achieved in her career is just amazing. She started Mimco all those years ago and now has got a S Can Ask is a beautiful leather wears brand based here in Melbourne and everything is handmade here in Richmond. And I just love what she does, I love her aesthetic, I just love everything about the brand. So it was really nice collaboration. She also held an event where we got to speak to our friends and customers and that was really special. But yeah, that was intentional because we Saw a lot of synergy between our two brands. Even though she's in fashion and we're in beauty, it was just a nice way to sort of join forces and make something really beautiful.
Maddie
And so do you think that adjoining yourselves or joining yourselves with like minded brands or like minded brand founders is something that you've found as a pivotal part of building the Louis brand?
Rebecca Harding
Definitely, because it goes back to that sort of, that experience, that world that you're creating for your customer and it makes it not so two dimensional. You can see beyond the bathroom.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
And how it expands.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
I love the saying beyond the bathroom.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
But what I love most about Louis is that it is like bathroom furniture. It's the first razor I've ever put in my bathroom that I haven't tried to hide in the cupboard. I'm like quite proud of it.
It looks quite chic on my shelf.
Rebecca Harding
That was why we wanted to do it. We. We got sick of staring at fluoro pink plastic razors.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
Or yellow, you know, bright blue. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They're doing all the shades. All the shades.
Rebecca Harding
All the shades.
Maddie
What do you feel has been the key things? Like, we've spoken about collaboration, we've spoken about people you've worked with, but what do you think has been the secret sauce to creating a brand that has such a strong DNA?
Rebecca Harding
If you go look at the supermarket aisles and go into the beauty aisle and go and look at the shelves where all of the women's shaving products are housed, we joke that it's like an assault of the senses. Like an assault on the senses. Because there is like pinks, purples, florals, like frangipani scented. There's so many frangipanis, so many frangipanes, airbrushed legs. It's just there's a lot going on. And so we were like, well, how can we stand out in this rainbow of color and pattern and sense? And we were like, let's just pair it right back. Let's take out the pinks. Let's take out those gendered colors now. And so all of our branding, we played a lot in negative space. So our branding is like very white with very black, simple text. And then we do have pops of Louis yellow I love throughout it. But yeah, it's very minimal, it's very clean. Yeah. We wanted to remove that gender stereotype as well of like the pinks and purples. Yeah. We've moved on from that.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
I could not agree more. And so, so much of this is inherently your thought Bubble of eight years. But what part of the business in the day to day do you manage? And I know you mentioned invoicing and you squirmed as you said it, because you. I could tell that maybe isn't your favorite part.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
But what areas of the business do you manage in the day to day?
Rebecca Harding
We pretty much do everything.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
There's two of us at the moment. We do have a warehouse and they do the picking and packing for us.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Which is hugely helpful because all of the stock wouldn't have fit in my pub.
Maddie
Yes. Fair bedrooms. Just like Louis hq.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. So it's just the two of us, but we do everything. Marketing, invoicing, like all of the financial forecasting. I got some advice really early on when I was feeling quite overwhelmed around everything that I had to learn. And that advice was just to learn how to do everything.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Because it means that, well, first of all, you can stay lean for as long as possible, which is better for the business. Yeah.
Maddie
Saving money.
Rebecca Harding
Saving money. But it also means that you can learn when you do get to a point, which for us will hopefully be soon, when you do get to that point of being able to hire people for those roles that you don't like as much or that aren't your strong suit. You understand, first of all, what that hire is. You understand what's required of that role, but you also can lead with compassion, which I think is really important because you have an understanding of what's involved. You know, you've been there, you've sat there for six hours screaming at zero, like, you know what's involved and you can understand their frustrations. So, yeah, that's every time I'm like, about to cry over invoicing or like, I'm just like, no, this will be good one day. This will be helpful one day.
Maddie
And you'll be able to show compassion for when someone else is crying looking at you. So obviously Louis is in the beauty space and I guess has synergies in the fashion space. Thanks to the collaborations or collaborators that you've worked with. Do you personally have a bit of, like, a controversial beauty take or tip that you swear by?
Rebecca Harding
I mean, I don't wear foundation. I go back to, like, good skincare. Means that you don't need to cover up as much now. Although you're probably looking at me now under these lights, being like, girl, we could have put a little bit of.
Maddie
Foundation under these lights going, girl, I could not be more jealous if I'd fallen.
Rebecca Harding
You did just powder my face before we started this, but yeah, foundation, I don't know, for me personally, I don't think we need it. I think if you've got a good concealer.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
You've got a nice bronzer blush. Yeah. I also prefer to see skin.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
I think foundation ages you. Ages me?
Maddie
Oh, definitely. It ages me too. But I think you're so right. And I think a lot of the time in the beauty industry, we're looking to cover.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
But really the ultimate beautiful foundation is.
Rebecca Harding
The skin that you have skin.
Maddie
So if you're caring for that, caring.
Rebecca Harding
For that and working on that, I think that you can throw out our foundations.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
I had a girlfriend once who said, you don't need a good face, you just need a good face, which is about your skin.
Rebecca Harding
I'm going to steal.
Maddie
I was like, well, are you talking like a. How conventionally beautiful? No, no, no. Like, how is the skin like? The face is the base.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
Not the foundation. So there you go. You can steal that.
Rebecca Harding
Thank you.
Maddie
Listeners.
I know you're diligent with your skincare routine. You cover up in the sun, you stay hydrated. But let's be real, especially, especially in Australia, skin damage is inevitable. Long days, busy schedules, constantly running from one thing to the next. Life might look glam from the outside, but the reality, not so much. Between early starts, late finishes, and carrying the weight of it all, literally, our skin takes a hit. That's where Lancome's new genifique Ultimate Serum comes in. Their OG cult favorite, advanced Serum just got a serious glow. Glow up with revolutionary new ingredients that visibly repair skin damage in just seven days. Beta glucans.
Ever heard of them?
They're inspired by dermatological actives known to boost skin repair.
If you know, you know. So whether your life is fast paced.
Or just full on, this is the secret to hydration, smoothness and a lip from within.
Glow.
Add it to your skincare lineup now@longcomm.com.
So we've spoken a lot about brands and Louis, and how you've built that, but I want to talk a little bit more about just brands in general.
Rebecca Harding
Yes.
Maddie
Is there a brand? And it can be any brand you can give me, ideally a fashion or beauty brand, but I'll let you have free reign that you live and swear by that you just love, that you think does a brilliant job at living and breathing their brand values.
Rebecca Harding
I actually think Zara does a really.
Maddie
Good job and so intrigued by this.
Rebecca Harding
I feel like everyone. There's all those, like, memes about model this bag as a Zara model and they're like. And they upside down or like biting it or something.
Maddie
They are my favorite Internet memes, by the way. Like, I have a chat dedicated to.
Rebecca Harding
Saves, but I just love they do such a great job at making the product look unique and different. And for a high street brand, I think that's quite difficult to do sometimes.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
And they look like high end. They look editorial all of their campaigns.
Maddie
You've completely opened my eyes because I've never thought about this. But I think if we do compare them to other high street brands, it has a total editorial feel.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
Especially online.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
Like they are producing some seriously good content.
Rebecca Harding
It is very different when you go into store, but I think from their campaigns, it's so editorial. It's so high end and very different.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
That's a great example. It's not what I thought you would go with, but I love how well you've articulated what you admire about them.
Rebecca Harding
I also remember when they launched into Australia. I'm not sure if that was like a tactical thing, but they held off for a really long time.
Maddie
Really long time.
Rebecca Harding
And when they launched their flagship store in Melbourne.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Oh, my gosh. There was like lines around the block. Like everyone was going nuts for it.
Maddie
And Aussies are always deprived of international. They come so late.
Rebecca Harding
You know what?
Maddie
Hold out.
Rebecca Harding
We hold out. There's another brand that sort of. They might even be owned by the same group. Massimo Dutti.
Unknown Speaker
Yes.
Rebecca Harding
That's another one I really love.
Maddie
Would love them to come out here.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. Maybe it's their tactical thing. Maybe it's what they do. Just hold off until we can't bear.
Maddie
It anymore and we'll go stand in the wrapped around wherever they line up. Speaking of great outfits, you have impeccable style and I think great style that is inherently you. What do you define your personal style as? I don't know if you've heard of Alison Bornstein's like three word method, but are there words that you would use to define your style?
Rebecca Harding
I think it really is always around comfort.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Me just dressing day to day.
Unknown Speaker
I don't know.
Rebecca Harding
I think maybe there's like an element a little bit classic.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
A little bit eclectic. There's always a little bit of whimsy in there somewhere.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
What are your go to pieces in your wardrobe? Like what are those things you usually reach for or that you have as your wardrobe staples?
Rebecca Harding
It changes a lot. But I mean, what T shirt? I discovered this brand called Floor Floor a few years ago. And they just make the best white T shirts. The fit. They wash. You can put them in the dryer.
Maddie
Oh, and they don't shrink, say less. Send me the link I needed immediately.
Rebecca Harding
It's a game changer. They're a little bit more expensive, but for me, one that I've got at the moment, I've had probably for about two years. And it gets worn at least twice a week. And she goes in the dryer and it is. You pull it out and it's pretty much ready to go. It's very good.
Maddie
Okay, so white teaser staple. Do you have any other staples?
Rebecca Harding
Kate? Jeans.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
Great jeans.
Rebecca Harding
They're great jeans.
Maddie
They do go on sale.
Rebecca Harding
They do go on sale.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
The Danielle Jean, I've got them. They're just the Jean that you put on and you instantly feel taller.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
They're comfortable. You can wear them with heels, with sneakers. And every time I wear them, people ask me, where your jeans from? Yeah, yeah.
Maddie
That's like the best compliment in a fashion landscape, don't you think? When someone on the street stops you and goes, where'd you get that?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
You're like.
Rebecca Harding
You're like, yes.
Maddie
It's like every time they do that, a dollar comes off whatever the price was, you know?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah, There we go. That's a nice way of putting it. I like that.
Maddie
Yeah. And cost per wear. If it's denim.
Rebecca Harding
Oh, obviously. Well, and that's another thing, like investing in those core pieces.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
I do believe it's worth it.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And we talk a lot on stylish about where we choose to invest our money. And, you know, we were even talking about when we were younger, we'd go and spend like 5$600 on a dress for an event that we'd wear once or twice. But I used to gawk at an expensive pair of jeans and now it's like, spend the money on the jeans, not the dress for the wedding.
Rebecca Harding
Literally.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Isn't that so funny? Yeah, it's just, you know, my friends rented a dress for a wedding the other day and I was like, I am going to do that more often because the amount of dresses that I've bought for weddings are never worn again.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
I mean, I resale them and loan them to other people.
Maddie
But you're like, do I really need it in my wardrobe, though?
Rebecca Harding
Do I need another, like, floral midi length dress? No.
Maddie
A classic black LBD that, on the other hand, we love to try.
Rebecca Harding
There we go. That's an investment. You do wear it over and over again. Core Piece.
Maddie
So you wear a lot of hats at Louis. You also obviously still have all of these tremendous commitments on the side. You're also building an incredible, or I should say renovating an incredible home. But what is your daily routine? I imagine not every day is the same. But what's kind of your go to non negotiable routine? Must haves.
Rebecca Harding
So I will wake up, everyone does wake up, and I will go and jump in the bathroom. Andy normally likes to sleep in a little bit later. Just got to put that out there. I'm up before he is, and I dry body brush, which is like one of my non negotiables. That's an everyday thing for me. I travel with it like it goes. Yeah, that's every morning. And then I will go off to reformer Pilates. At the moment I'm back into my reformer era. So I'll go and do that. Pick up my oat matcha.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
Beck doesn't drink coffee.
Rebecca Harding
I don't drink coffee. I'm a psychopath.
Maddie
I feel like you have, like, cheated the situation.
Rebecca Harding
I remember when you realized that you were like, well, you were speechless. And I don't think I've ever seen you speechless.
Maddie
Spoiler. The little extrovert doesn't really not. Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Have my oat matcha and then come back, shower, take the dog for a walk if Andy hasn't done that, if he slept in. And then head into the office.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Go home, cook dinner. Cooking dinner is one of my favorite things to do every day. I feel chopping vegetables. I find it very therapeutic.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And you are an incredible cook and you do love cooking. You said that like one of your favorite pastimes.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah, it is. I think it's just being able to sort of take my mind off everything and just focus on a recipe or.
Maddie
Nice escape from the voices.
Rebecca Harding
A nice escape from the invoice. It definitely is. And there will obviously social media at night for Louis and my own social media, which has been a little neglected the last year or so.
Maddie
So you run all the socials for Louis?
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
I didn't know that. That's a great tidbit.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And do you find that a creative outlet or do you feel like it feels like a chore now?
Rebecca Harding
Oh, it depends on the day I've had, really. On the most part, it's a creative outlet. That's the part that I really like doing. And that goes back to, like, my strong suit. I can't wait to get like a CFO or like, someone to be in charge of the Operations, finance.
Maddie
Go, go do your thing.
Rebecca Harding
I can't wait to have someone to do that because then I can get back to spending all day on the stuff that I am good at.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Which is social media and, you know, the marketing and that stuff that gets me excited.
Maddie
The brand DNA.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
And so Louis, as you said, you know, it lives in the bathroom, but you want to be on the bathroom. But I know that social media has kind of blown up with the everything shower.
Rebecca Harding
Yes.
Maddie
What are your like, post everything shower, go to's and how can we like consolidate it? What's the Lazy Girl guide? Do you post everything?
Rebecca Harding
My bathroom cabinet. I'm a bit of a body care junkie. I think that doing all the research for Louis.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Really started that fire in me and it hasn't really stopped. And Andy, like jokes that always got like my potions. He'll be like, what are you putting on now? Or like, what are you spraying? Like last night he's got a bit of a cold at the moment and last night he jumped in the shower before bed and I was there like squirting essential oils and I like pulled out this shower steamer which I'd bought in America. And you like put it on the bottom of the shower and fizz. Then I put.
Maddie
It's like shower version of a bath bomb.
Rebecca Harding
Yes, that's exactly what it is.
Maddie
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
To be honest, it wasn't great. So I went in with like my lavender and like eucalyptus oil. I was like squirting it at him. He's like, stop it.
Maddie
You're like hazy. I'm like, just him and his illness.
Rebecca Harding
I'm like, turn the heat up. Inhale, breathe deeply. Like flicked off the fan. He was like, stop it, I'm suffocating. It'll kill you. So I've got a lot. I've got a lot. But generally dry body brushing before jumping in the shower is a must. It gets the circulation going. It gets rid of any sort of dry skin before shaving. It helps lift the hair to prep the skin for shaving.
Maddie
Sold.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. Then I will wash my hair first because I like getting all of the shampoo and the conditioner off my body.
Maddie
How far you've come?
Rebecca Harding
Yes, we've come a long way. So I will do that. Then I will wash my face and then I will finish with my body care routine in the shower because the warm water and the steam has like softened your skin. So I'll exfoliate to finish buffing the skin, shave. And then at the moment, I'm really loving I've got this Aha body wash. I mean, I've tried a couple. I'm still trying a couple, but I really like an Aha. Especially in summer.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
Is that a little spoiler that maybe we're just like trying a couple of.
Rebecca Harding
We're just trying a couple of Aha body.
Maddie
We're just saying.
Rebecca Harding
We're just seeing if we like them. And I do like them.
Maddie
What could we afford to keep out of our routine? What are you like, I'll ditch that. Everyone's doing that. But we don't need to do that for the, like, everything shower or the post shower.
Rebecca Harding
I'm so bad.
Maddie
You're like, I'm doing all the things.
Rebecca Harding
Doing all of them.
Maddie
You're like, just ditch the disposable razor.
Rebecca Harding
Oh, ditch. Of course that's a given.
Maddie
Are there any shaving myths? I mean, the wreck at the start is incredible because that is totally like. I remember my mum teaching me to shave my legs and it was like my mom go again and I'm like, cut, cut, cut.
Rebecca Harding
I think, well, just like you shouldn't be doing it quickly.
Unknown Speaker
Yep.
Rebecca Harding
I know that's hard. Sitting down in the shower also helps a lot.
Maddie
I thought you were gonna say, don't do that. And I was like, I don't think I've ever. I just learned the hard way not to stand up and try and balance. It never ends well.
Rebecca Harding
Flamingo doesn't. Yeah.
Maddie
No, you've got to be coordinated to do that and I am certainly not that. Are there any tidbits on how often we should be shaving?
Rebecca Harding
I shave every day. Like my legs and under eyes. But that's just me. I have Italian background, European background.
Maddie
Have you seen my hair color? I'm not shaving once a fortnight with this hair.
Rebecca Harding
But that's just how I like to do it. Everyone's different.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Also, I'm the owner of a razor brain, so it checks.
Maddie
And the longer lasting shave, how do we get it to last longer?
Rebecca Harding
Well, that's the thing. Shaving down and then against the grain will definitely help replacing your blades. Every. We say six to eight shaves. Yeah, I know that that sounds. Sometimes that sounds a bit intense, but it just means that you've got like the cleanest shave possible. And then exfoliating before shaving, not after.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
Because when you shave, you actually it's a micro trauma to the skin. So I'm not sure if you've noticed ever. Like, if you've got fake tan on and you shave and you get out of the shower and you're like, why are my legs all splotchy? What happened to my tan? Or you can see where you've missed.
Maddie
Absolutely. Oh, perfect. I still got a tan kneecap. My favorite.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah. So it's a micro trauma to the skin. So you don't want to be doing anything abrasive after shaving. You want to be nourishing and soothing the skin.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And so great tips for shaving. And obviously, you've built this incredible razor in a category, as you mentioned, is quite underrepresented by women, as you said, lots of pinks and purples and fragipantis. What is the differences in men's and women's raises? And what's your point of difference? If you got in the lift with someone and you were like, I have found, like, my dream business partner or dream brand buyer or someone to just spend 30 seconds with, what would you say is the Louis point of difference?
Rebecca Harding
Well, the way in which women hold raises compared to how men hold raises is very different.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
You think about men, they hold it like this, and they shave in front of a mirror, and they shave also this area, maybe this area.
Maddie
Face, Face and neck.
Rebecca Harding
And they're doing it in front of the mirror in the basin. Women are doing it in the shower sitting down, but we're doing it in the shower, and we hold it differently because we're shaving like this.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
So the way in which we hold it is different. We're moving over a lot more different grooves and curves of the body. So you want maximum control, but you also need to be able to move it. So we've got a little sphere at the bottom of our razor which sort of sits in your hand there.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
And that sort of easily means that you can maneuver around curves. It's also weighted, which adds more control. It just helps when you're, you know, when it's wet and you're in the shower and maneuvering around. Maneuvering around the body. Yeah, you need to have those things. And razors hadn't been designed with those things in mind.
Maddie
Even hearing you say it, like, I just never thought of that. All of those things are the reason that I love my Louis razor. But I had never even thought the way that I shave, you know, the tops of my thighs is much different to how a man is shaving his beard in, you know, the vanity cabinet.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah.
Maddie
So what's next for Louis? What's on the horizon for you, do you think? I'm sure that's like the million dollar question.
Rebecca Harding
We've got a list of a lot of products that we want to do. We're hoping to do that in the near future. Like I said, we're testing lots of things all the time. We're shipping to New Zealand now, which is exciting.
Maddie
Fantastic.
Rebecca Harding
And we've had a lot of requests interestingly from the States. So I'm actually heading over there in two days time, which is exciting.
Maddie
So exciting.
Rebecca Harding
So trying to figure out how that'll work because obviously our warehouse at the moment is in Melbourne.
Maddie
So yeah, another skill set to potentially learn Google.
Rebecca Harding
Google hasn't helped me just yet on that.
Maddie
Well, that's where we might get ChatGPT to come in. Yes. So bec a lot of our listeners are at different stages within their career journeys, but a lot of career focused corporate girlies, I would say, I think we're safe to assume. What's the best piece of career advice you've ever been given as someone who's worked in the marketing, pr comms industry and also now has your own brand?
Rebecca Harding
I think for me around starting a brand was just to do it. Like I said, I held off for so long and I thought that I couldn't do it. I was like, I'm not equipped to start a business. And if you just sort of start a list. We wrote a really, really long list to do list of everything that we thought we needed to get to launch and just gradually started ticking them off. And I think that can apply to sort of anything. If you're wanting to do something, just write it all down because it can be overwhelming and I definitely felt that. I definitely felt overwhelmed at the very start. But just by listing what you've got to do out and just slowly ticking away, it did feel like some days the list got longer, which it did because you would be like, oh, with that item on that list comes another five items that I need to add on. But you just keep on adding and ticking them off and you eventually get there. Also just I sort of live my life by this rule which is you want to scare yourself a little bit. I think stepping outside your comfort zone is the best thing you can do. So if it's not exciting you or if it's not making you a little bit scared, it's probably not worth doing.
Maddie
Yeah, I think that's such great advice and I think writing everything down, everything seems far less overwhelming when you kind of just dissect it into small bite sized pieces.
Rebecca Harding
Totally.
Maddie
And also just all the things that scare us. Yeah, there's no growth in Comfort.
Rebecca Harding
There's no growth in comfort. And also, when your day does come to depart the earth, do you want to sit back and be like, well, that was easy.
Maddie
Yeah.
Rebecca Harding
No, that's boring.
Maddie
No, I always want to do something.
Rebecca Harding
That was like, what a roller coaster that was. Or like, yeah, how wild.
Unknown Speaker
Yeah.
Maddie
And hopefully like your tombstone can be like, and this many legs perfectly shaven. Wonderful. And you're covered. We'll do like a live stat for you. So it's a rolling.
Rebecca Harding
It's a rolling one.
Maddie
Beck, thank you so much for joining us today. This has been. I mean, I've learned so much and I hope our listeners will too. I think, for starters, we're all going to go sit at home on our shower floor and retrain on how to shave our legs. I know.
Rebecca Harding
I mean, I still forget sometimes. And then I'll, like, get halfway through and I'll be like, oh, damn it.
Maddie
You're like, no, no, down.
Rebecca Harding
And then back. Yeah.
Maddie
Thank you so much for joining us. And of course, thank you to Longcom and their genifique Ultimate Serum as well for making this series possible. And remember, you can follow like and subscribe to. Subscribe Starfleet. Thanks, Vic.
Rebecca Harding
Thank you.
Maddie
The Face to Face mini series is brought to you by Longcom's new genifique Ultimate Serum. Visibly repair skin damage like redness, pores and fine lines in just seven days.
Available now@longcom.com this podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land.
Unknown Speaker
Always was, always will be aboriginal land.
Rebecca Harding
Mish.
Unknown Speaker
I feel like now is as good a time as ever to remind the listeners that we now do two exclusive Shame More episodes a month.
We sure do. Shame More is such a special outlet to have the kind of conversations that just feel a little more personal. If that sounds like something you guys would enjoy, you are going to love our new series, Inner Circle.
Rebecca Harding
Yeah, totally.
Unknown Speaker
In our Inner Circle episodes, we answer some pretty philosophical questions from our closest friends and family. And the catch is we have to guess who asked the question and we have no idea what's coming for us when we get on Mike.
Yeah, we do sometimes have to phone a friend or two if we're feeling stuck as well.
Yeah, that's what we did last month. So that's one episode a month. And for our second monthly shame or drop, we discuss our current Roman Empire. The thing we just cannot get out of our minds.
I love recording those episodes. One of my favorite Roman Empire recordings was the discussion about our decision to actually close the Facebook group. Something we get asked about all the time.
Yeah, I think my favorite might be the one we just recorded last month about needing more parties in the world. The cool thing about Shame More is that if you subscribe, you get access to all of our past exclusive episodes. So if you're in a podcast listening rut, Shaymore's got you.
And of course, everything on Shame Moore is ad free, including our regular Monday and Thursday episodes.
Yeah, not a bad deal if you ask me. You can subscribe to Shame More on Spotify or Apple Podcasts on Spotify, just search for Shame More or One word on Apple. You can just go right to the regular Shameless podcast feed and subscribe there. Alrighty, that's all from us.
Podcast Summary: Style-ish Episode - "The Ultimate Guide: Rebecca Harding on Brand-Building and Beauty"
Podcast Information:
In this episode of Style-ish, host Maddie sits down with Rebecca Harding, a multifaceted entrepreneur renowned for her body care brand, Louis. Rebecca brings a wealth of experience from her background in PR, media, and communications, making her a standout expert in brand-building within the competitive fashion and beauty industry.
Rebecca introduces herself as a business owner, media personality, brand ambassador, and model. She holds a master's degree in communications and has dedicated the past eight years to developing her body care brand, Louis, which launched in August 2023. Initially starting with a razor and shaving cream, Louis has expanded its product line to include a body polish and a body moisturizer, rapidly becoming a sought-after bathroom essential.
Quote:
The conversation begins with valuable shaving tips. Rebecca emphasizes the correct way to shave legs by shaving with the grain first and then against the grain to achieve the closest shave and preserve the sharpness of the blade.
Notable Tips:
Quote:
Rebecca delves into the meticulous process of establishing Louis over three years. She discusses the importance of thorough research, especially in designing a female-first razor handle that differs from the traditional male-oriented designs. This attention to detail ensures that the product caters specifically to women's shaving needs.
Key Points:
Quote:
Rebecca candidly shares the hurdles faced during the brand launch, including lead time miscalculations and shipping delays that pushed their expected launch from three months to a year. These setbacks caused significant emotional stress, fearing that another brand might steal their idea or saturate the market with similar products.
Key Challenges:
Quote:
Rebecca highlights the strategic collaborations that have bolstered Louis's presence in the market. Notably, the partnership with Australian leatherwear brand, Aesc, resulted in a Louis-colored toiletry bag, blending fashion with beauty seamlessly.
Key Collaborations:
Quote:
Rebecca contrasts her previous role as a brand ambassador with her current position managing Louis. Owning a brand brings a deeper personal investment and a different set of responsibilities, often involving less glamorous but essential tasks like invoicing and financial forecasting.
Key Insights:
Quote:
Rebecca shares her personal style philosophy, emphasizing comfort, classic elements, and a touch of eclecticism. She discusses her daily routine, which includes body brushing, reformer Pilates, and a dedicated body care regimen that prepares her skin for shaving.
Style Philosophy:
Quote:
Rebecca offers invaluable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and brand builders. She underscores the importance of taking action, breaking down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps, and stepping outside one's comfort zone to foster growth.
Key Advice:
Quote:
Looking ahead, Rebecca reveals plans to expand Louis's product line and enter new markets, including shipping to New Zealand and the United States. She is excited about the growing demand and the opportunity to influence more consumers globally.
Future Endeavors:
Quote:
Rebecca Harding's journey with Louis exemplifies the dedication and strategic thinking required to build a successful brand in the fashion and beauty industry. Her insights on effective branding, overcoming challenges, and maintaining a strong personal style offer valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and enthusiasts alike. Maddie wraps up the conversation by expressing gratitude and encouraging listeners to apply Rebecca’s tips to enhance their own beauty and business endeavors.
Final Quote:
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
Key Takeaways:
Rebecca Harding’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance, innovation, and authentic branding in the beauty industry. Her approach to creating Louis offers a blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs aiming to make their mark.