August 14, 2025 • 58 mins
How does a moment of personal tragedy transform into a thriving 20-year fashion legacy? For Hadley Pollet, it began with a simple belt made from vintage trims wrapped around a buckle—a design that caught the eye of five strangers at a Boston brewery who all asked the same question: "Where did you get that belt?"
That serendipitous moment sparked the beginning of an accessories brand built on the radical notion that fashion should be personal, not disposable. With no formal fashion education but armed with innate creative talent and business savvy gained from publishing and PR careers, Hadley found herself at a crossroads after 9/11 claimed the life of her mother's husband. This profound loss became the catalyst for reinvention, pushing her to embrace design as both creative outlet and healing process.
What sets the Hadley Pollet brand apart isn't just its vibrant colors or distinctive jacquard designs, but its deep commitment to ethical production and female empowerment. Hadley personally visits every factory partner, ensuring they're locally owned (preferably by women) and that female workers receive equal pay to men—sometimes having frank conversations with male owners about wage equity. This matriarchal business model extends to an artisan training program that teaches craftspeople in developing regions how to cross-pollinate techniques and reach global markets.
While many designers chase department store distribution, Hadley deliberately shuns these channels, criticizing them for "building their business on the backs of creatives." Instead, she partners with small boutiques that create meaningful shopping experiences and understand the brand's unique value. As she explains, "There's too much sameness in the world"—a philosophy that's kept her brand vibrant while others struggle with unsold inventory and identity crises.
Ready to discover accessories that speak to your authentic self? Explore the colorful world of Hadley Pollet and join a community of women who understand that true style comes from expressing who you really are, not following what everyone else is wearing.
Learn more at:
https://twinteriors.com/podcast/
https://scottwoolley.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Voice Over (00:00):
This is iDesign Lab, a podcast where creativity and
curiosity meet style and design.
Curator of interiors,furnishings and lifestyles.
Hosted by Tiffany Woolley, aninterior designer and a style
enthusiast, along with herserial entrepreneur husband
Scott, idesign Lab is yourultimate design podcast where we
explore the rich and vibrantworld of design and its constant
(00:23):
evolution in style and trends.
Idesign Lab provides industryinsight, discussing the latest
trends, styles and everything inbetween to better help you
style your life, through advicefrom trendsetters, designers,
influencers, innovators,fabricators and manufacturers,
as well as personal stories thatinspire, motivate and excite.
(00:43):
And join us on this elevated,informative and lively journey
into the world of all thingsdesign.
On today's episode of theiDesign Lab podcast, we welcome
Hadley Pollitt, designer,entrepreneur and creative force
redefining what fashion can be.
With roots at Ariasd and afierce commitment to ethical
(01:03):
design, hadley's work blendsbold artistry, sustainability
and a deep belief that fashionshould be personal, not
disposable.
Tiffany Woolley (01:16):
Welcome to the iDesign Lab podcast.
A creative director and createdher own namesake brand and has
a very fascinating story on, youknow, creating some things
beautiful, so welcome.
Hadley Pollet (01:31):
Thank you for having me.
Scott Woolley (01:33):
So tell us a little about yourself.
You reside in New York.
Hadley Pollet (01:37):
Yeah, I reside outside New York.
Yes, I started my companyactually in Boston, but it
really it really.
I grew up in Connecticut so itreally does have.
It has a little bit of an EastCoast vibe.
Tiffany Woolley (01:51):
I would say it does have very much an East
Coast vibe.
Yeah, old money, my kids wouldcall it.
Hadley Pollet (01:59):
Oh, that's, very kind of them.
Yeah, I mean.
Scott Woolley (02:04):
Did you jump into fashion like immediately?
Did you go to college for it?
I didn't.
Hadley Pollet (02:09):
I went to college for English and American
literature.
Voice Over (02:12):
Okay, and.
Hadley Pollet (02:13):
I started in publishing at Little Brown
Publishers.
I'm a very hard worker, so Iinterned at Little Brown.
I went to NYU and I worked 20hours a week and took my classes
for three years.
So by the time I was done withschool I had a job.
(02:33):
I had a job three weeks beforeI was done with school.
Scott Woolley (02:35):
In publishing.
In publishing.
Hadley Pollet (02:38):
Then I moved into .
I worked for Mullen, which isnow, I think, what Mullen Loan
Partners.
I worked for Mullen, which isnow, I think, what Mullen Lohan
Partners, in advertising forcompanies like mine.
For specifically, yeah, atextile company called Malden
Mills and they make or at thetime they made upholstery,
high-end jacquard fabrics,upholstery fabrics and then
(02:58):
polar tech, and my job was tosupport 222 brands because
they're an ingredient brand, soI supported everybody from dkny
to patagonia very cool.
Scott Woolley (03:10):
Yeah, 220 brands, it's a lot of brands.
Tiffany Woolley (03:13):
Yes, and it's a fascinating insight into a
business that wasn't what youwere doing, right like it's kind
of kind of a backdoor entry.
Hadley Pollet (03:21):
It is a backdoor entry.
So the ceo wife, though she'snow passed away, her name is
Louise Fierstein.
She had a high-end specialtyjacquard division and I would
take her on press tours and webecame very close.
Scott Woolley (03:35):
When you say jacquard, jacquard, like
jacquard textiles, okay, yeah.
Hadley Pollet (03:39):
It's a woven textile.
So, actually on our belts aremade of jack thin jacquards.
Okay.
So I would always spend extratime with her picking yarn
colors and I mean they did notknow this at Mullen, but I I
loved her studio, I lovedpicking all the yarns and, you
know, learning how all thetextiles were made, and that
(04:01):
possibly could be because myfamily was in textiles okay in
the Barrington, rhode Islandarea, long before everything
moved south.
So you know, I think it's in myblood.
Yeah, um, but yeah, and then Iwent to a startup and then I
started my company but what madeyou decide to go out on your
own?
Scott Woolley (04:22):
well, let's see I was there someone that you know
you were inspired by someone.
That was something thathappened I?
Hadley Pollet (04:30):
yes, well, I was taking one class at rhode island
school of design yeah, that'sright and 9-11 happened and
during that time I did have twopublic relations clients.
But I really felt I wasfrustrated because the clients,
you know they didn't get topright corner or they were.
(04:53):
you know people always complainabout, you know where their
placement is way back when inthe press and stuff and I
thought how did I just go backto this after working at this
startup and now I've got theseclients again and I'm tired of
this?
Right and I was taking thisdesign course and 9-11 happened
and my mom's third husbandthat's another story, but anyway
(05:16):
, who's really her first lovedied and I was on the phone with
her Because of 9-11?
Scott Woolley (05:21):
Yeah, really, he was in the second tower to be
hit.
Hadley Pollet (05:23):
The first time he was on the 90, I think 92nd
floor and the plane came in at91 wow yeah, and she was on the
phone with me.
So I saw one tower burning ontv and I called her where's john
?
She was clicked over to him andthe plane came at him and he
(05:46):
said Jesus Christ on the phoneand bam.
Scott Woolley (05:50):
So she was on the phone with him when it happened
.
Hadley Pollet (05:52):
Yeah, and then it just the phone went dead and
she happened to be in RhodeIsland.
She had just moved to NewJersey from Connecticut because
they had just gotten married.
Wow, and she happened to be inRhode Island, near me.
And so you know cause they shutall the bridges, bridges down I
never would have been able toget to her but so we went and
picked her up and she camestraight to my, my place in
(06:14):
boston and at the time I reallyhated what I was doing.
Something like that has aneffect over you of Totally.
Tiffany Woolley (06:21):
It's so fast, Of course.
What a profound changeimmediately.
Hadley Pollet (06:24):
Just I'm doing the wrong thing.
You only live once.
Scott Woolley (06:28):
Right.
Hadley Pollet (06:28):
You know, let's go.
And my teacher had said to meat Rhode Island School of Design
she had taken me aside.
She worked for brands like AnneKlein so long ago, but you know
brands that we all know.
And she had said to me I'venever had a student like you.
You have a look, you have afeel, you understand branding
(06:50):
you have to do this, you knowand you have to do this hadley,
like I'm just telling you.
If you're thinking about doingthis, I want you to do this so
what is doing this?
Scott Woolley (07:00):
so you have to start this business and what was
the idea behind the businessthat when you started it?
Hadley Pollet (07:05):
well, my line, this is so funny.
So we were designing a line ofclothing and I was kind of
annoyed because everybody wantedto do, you know, ball gowns and
I was like, well, that's soboring, you know.
So I'm going to do modular.
I'm going to do a modularpregnancy line.
Oh, that is a riot.
And I had decided that, youknow, I had never been pregnant.
(07:30):
I decided that you could wear abelt.
You know that you could wear abelt up high.
So I decided that I was goingto use all these trims and
buttons and buckles and thingsand you could unzip the bottom
of your pants and change them soyou wouldn't have to buy a new
pair of pants to go out fordinner and you could.
It's very now, actually wasreally ahead of its time.
We're working on some modularpieces now, but, um, yeah, so I
(07:52):
that's what I decided and and Iwore a piece of trim around a
buckle, literally wrapped.
I mean it was not sewn out todinner.
One night with some friends inBoston we were at a brewery and
we were just waiting forsomebody's birthday party,
waiting to sit down, and fivepeople in line said where did
you get that belt?
(08:12):
And I, I, just I looked at themand I said how much will you
pay for the belt?
Tiffany Woolley (08:19):
Yeah, that was so like you had.
You had an aha moment in a way,probably right then and there I
did.
Like this is where we'releading.
Hadley Pollet (08:28):
This is my yeah, so then I involved my mom.
Scott Woolley (08:30):
Uh-huh.
Hadley Pollet (08:32):
So you know that was a way to take her mind off
the grief.
I mean, the grief was justoverwhelming for her.
I can't imagine so yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (08:42):
So then we started with vintage trims and
buckles, and did you go and playwith them in stores and collect
and get inspired?
How did you even know where tobegin to look for collecting the
vintage pieces?
Hadley Pollet (08:57):
Sorry to interrupt you.
My roommate's now mother-in-lawfounded Vera Bradley, okay.
So she said you know, foundedVera Bradley.
Okay.
So she said you know you havecarte blanche.
She was very kind.
What a great, like you know.
Tiffany Woolley (09:12):
Very matriarchal and very kind.
Hadley Pollet (09:15):
Yeah, so any questions?
Tiffany Woolley (09:17):
we had.
Hadley Pollet (09:18):
Yeah, we just asked and also people told me,
like you can go to this trimstore in New York or you can,
the trim store told me where toget the buckles Right and it
just started to.
It lined up very quickly withthe belts.
Scott Woolley (09:32):
So were you making these yourself?
I had a factory, you had afactory, yeah.
Hadley Pollet (09:37):
Yeah, I had a really small factory in Boston
making them Woman run Really,yeah, from day one.
Tiffany Woolley (09:45):
And was that sourced through the Vera Badly?
Connection that was somebody,somebody, you were just totally
led into.
Wow.
So that's like heaven sent, yes.
Scott Woolley (09:54):
So now you're making belts, and then how are
you getting in front ofconsumers?
Hadley Pollet (10:00):
Well, I went to my two favorite stores in.
Boston, where I was a goodcustomer.
Scott Woolley (10:04):
What stores are those?
Tiffany Woolley (10:06):
I went to college in Boston.
Scott Woolley (10:08):
Oh, you did, it's one of her favorite cities I
love it there.
Hadley Pollet (10:11):
I went to Wish.
Okay, and what was the otherone?
Eye of the Needle.
Eye of the Needle, that'sanother Palm Beach too.
Yeah, yeah, and they bought.
I had a little basket that waslike this hand-painted basket
with a little lid on it.
Tiffany Woolley (10:25):
And I would open it up and show them my
belts.
Hadley Pollet (10:30):
And a friend of mine from New Canaan founded
Wish, so she was very sweet andordered right away, but they
sold out In two days.
They each bought like a dozenbelts and the belts just went
really fast.
And so then they startedordering substantial amounts,
and in advance, you know right,and they were part of a network
(10:53):
of buyers or they knew otherbuyers in North Carolina, in
Florida, so they startedreferring me to other places and
you know I got myself into 50stores within like three months,
that is amazing yeah, I meanthat's like a pretty big start.
Tiffany Woolley (11:10):
Could you fulfill all these orders right
away?
Or did you ever get to thatstressful time of like we've
come with new collections and weneed new prints and we need new
always?
Hadley Pollet (11:24):
um well, one of the girls at Eye of the Needle
worked for Nanette Lepore oh mygoodness, All these really cool
brands.
Tiffany Woolley (11:31):
Like you had a lot of amazing connections which
I guess the Northeast kind ofthey're all there, they're all
there, yeah, the.
Hadley Pollet (11:38):
Northeast is really beautiful that way.
But she was looking for a jobin fashion and I said to her
well, how much do they pay youhere?
So I paid her $2 more an hourand said come, you know, you can
still work here.
I, you know, I can't give youfull time right now.
So she started with me.
Her name is Natalie.
(11:59):
I still.
I adore her still.
Scott Woolley (12:00):
What did she?
What was she doing?
What would you bring on for so?
Hadley Pollet (12:03):
she was.
She bring on, for she was adesigner for Nanette Lepore that
had just moved to Boston, soshe really, I mean then she knew
where to get the trims made.
So we started designing thetrims and I was going through, I
had, you know, a one-minutemarriage I would call it was a
mistake and I sold my weddingring.
(12:25):
To help finance To fund thefirst big slew of orders.
That's amazing.
I did Amazing.
Scott Woolley (12:35):
I took the ring back to Shreve.
Crumpin' Low and said, oh,that's funny, but you're just
doing belts at this point.
Hadley Pollet (12:41):
I was just doing belts and then I was on the
beach on Martha's Vineyard myfamily has a place there with my
cousins and my cousin's friendsaid to me you need to meet this
woman, cynthia O'Connor.
You need to meet her.
I mean, she's going to die overthis.
My friend works for her.
I'm on the beach and I reallydo believe in if you're aligning
(13:04):
yourself Well for sure, ifyou're in places, you love doing
things, you love things unfoldfor you this whole story has
been a story of unfolding, Imean even the one-minute
marriage.
Tiffany Woolley (13:15):
I mean right, like it was all part of this
process of becoming.
Hadley Pollet (13:20):
It really was.
And so she called me on Mondayand said okay, here's my
friend's number at Cynthia andthey showed Cynthia.
I had a website which a lot ofpeople, a lot of the stores, did
not like.
I did not care.
I knew that was the feedback.
Scott Woolley (13:40):
Because you were selling on the website.
Is that why?
Yeah, I understand why.
Hadley Pollet (13:45):
In 2003,.
Right, they're so mad, rightthat you have a website.
And I said well, that's too bad, you're going to have a website
soon too.
So Cynthia went to my websiteand she faxed me a contract
before we even talked.
Tiffany Woolley (14:08):
She just called me and said we're faxing a
contract right now.
I have to have you in myshowroom.
Well, she, she's the woman thatreally exploded Kate Spade's
sales.
So you've really been able todesign the life you wanted with
the brand you created byliterally trusting the process.
Hadley Pollet (14:18):
Yes, you just leap, you took a leap, you just
leap, you always leap success.
Tiffany Woolley (14:24):
Yes, you just leap.
You just took a leap.
You just leap, you always leap.
I, we have my husband, I havethis conversation.
You can't overthink it.
You take a jump.
Hadley Pollet (14:28):
You want to move, you just move so this is the
early 2000s.
Scott Woolley (14:31):
At what point do you start getting into other
items?
Hadley Pollet (14:36):
well, cynthia, cynthia, um, she's now retired.
And you said c O'Connor,o'connor, yeah.
Scott Woolley (14:43):
Because I knew O'Connor's and Martha's Vineyard
.
They own the big inn.
Is this the same oh?
Hadley Pollet (14:47):
no, no, she was in Manhattan.
Tiffany Woolley (14:50):
Okay, good fashion.
Hadley Pollet (14:51):
So she I think it was five weeks before a trade
show in January called me andsaid I'm putting you at because
she would have like a whole rowat the trade show and that's
where a lot of the buyers wouldcome first.
And to start I had a littlecloset of a booth, smaller than
you know than where we'resitting right here.
Scott Woolley (15:12):
Right, right Just belts.
Hadley Pollet (15:14):
And she said to me I'm putting you at the front
of the row, You're the feature.
You need to do bags.
I had five weeks to create bags.
And design them.
Yeah, it was crazy.
And she said I know you can doit.
So I was in New York City innegative six degree weather
designing bags and I did.
(15:35):
I came up with a whole bag linein six weeks, begging them,
begging every of themanufacturers.
You have to make these samplesfor me, please.
I know, I know, I know I'm nota big brand for you, but I will
be.
I promise you, I'll give youthe business.
Cynthia will sell it.
You know this is going to bereally great and they knew who
she was so that helped.
(15:56):
So we got into bags very quickly.
I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn'tsay they were the best bags.
What?
Scott Woolley (16:05):
type of bags were they?
Hadley Pollet (16:07):
They were.
So the canvas tote bags wereamazing and our canvas tote bags
are still great.
And those were inter.
Do you want me to pick that up?
Those were interwoven trims andvery sturdy.
They didn't have any leather.
Now we have a leather detail onthem.
Tiffany Woolley (16:24):
But then we also did laser-cut leather over
canvas, which we have laser-cutbelts and other laser-cut your
clutch that I gave you islaser-cut and I do like just how
the line has stayed somewhattrue to, like the Jacquard, Like
you're incorporating theoriginal designs into the newer
(16:45):
products, Like it's staying ontone.
Hadley Pollet (16:48):
Yes, Thank you.
Yeah, that's very important.
We've had some challenges withthe jacquards for a little while
because a lot of themanufacturers were starting to
use polyester and I was likecheap, cheap, no no, no.
We don't do polyester and nowit's funny, they're coming
around and realizing they can'tsell polyester in Europe.
(17:11):
You know, there are all theseregulations coming back saying,
no, you can't sell plastic.
Tiffany Woolley (17:18):
Right.
Hadley Pollet (17:18):
Yeah, so I really stuck to my guns on that one
and I've been kind of a pain toto some of them that I work with
only a true designer.
Tiffany Woolley (17:26):
Yeah, like that you can't get in the way of
that creative process, right?
You hold true to what you, yourvision is yeah, and you have a.
Hadley Pollet (17:36):
We have a certain quality that we really stick to
and, from consumer perspective,there's also a dialogue that we
like to create, a secretdialogue with our consumers so
that two-finger clutch.
only Tiffany will know that whenshe slides her hand in there,
that there's the trim that shehas on one of our belts Right,
(17:58):
she can feel the texture andjust.
We design our bagsergonomically.
We really think about theproportion of a woman's arm, how
it's going to look on them, howit's going to feel.
Is this something that is goingto become part of her?
Voice Over (18:16):
or is it?
Hadley Pollet (18:17):
something that she's going to really just want
to throw down when she getswhere she's going.
Yeah.
Scott Woolley (18:23):
But you now do bags where people can kind of
create their bag.
Hadley Pollet (18:26):
Well, yes, yes, we do so going to the website
you can select different options.
Tiffany Woolley (18:32):
It's a new personalization process?
I guess right.
Hadley Pollet (18:37):
Yes, and we did try the Personalize your Own
Belt back in 2005, and it wasahead of its time, but I think
Well, I think websites weren'twhere they are today, so that
might have been.
It was Flash.
Scott Woolley (18:51):
Oh.
Hadley Pollet (18:53):
If you know what that is yeah, yeah, yes.
Yeah, so we have the Make yourOwn Bag section, and it really
speaks to the characteristic ofour brand, which is that we want
you to be you.
That's your philosophy, yourfounding philosophy Authenticity
is the highest vibe.
(19:14):
Yeah, we all know that.
That means you love yourself.
So it is a form of love and sowe want you to be you, we want
you to see yourself in ourproducts.
So, you know, we do have storesin Vermont and stores in
California and different storesaround the world that carry our
product, where women might bebohemian or you know it could be
(19:37):
bohemian or preppy, and thebelts really do take on that
vibe.
Tiffany Woolley (19:41):
You can style them in your own style.
Hadley Pollet (19:46):
Yes, and that's the point.
So you really feel like we'reuplifting you and our products
are uplifting you and raisingyour vibe and making you feel
unique.
And right now, there's too muchsameness in the world.
Too much.
What Sameness?
Scott Woolley (20:02):
Yes and right now there's too much sameness in
the world too much.
Tiffany Woolley (20:04):
What sameness?
Yes.
So when I was like researchingfor the podcast and I, you know,
realized that was such a strongphilosophy with you and my
business, I had recently aconversation with a person in
real estate that we do some workwith and we were talking about
like, with all this fast fashionand this cookie cutter, because
(20:25):
we were talking about it inhomes, for example, and
obviously what I do in interiordesign and the way you're doing
in fashion design, you knowyou're wanting it to be unique
and obviously speak to an enduser.
And in this and I was sayinghow my, how my kids, like they
don't even think you wearsomething twice.
You know what I mean.
They're like well, and I waslike years ago people would
(20:47):
collect forever to create theirwardrobe.
You don't just clean out yourcloset.
I mean, it was like youcollected.
And I hope and we do talk aboutthis a lot, it comes up in our
podcast of kind of going back tosome of these old fashion
ideals.
Even we we had somebody who youknow was in the jewelry bit
like going back again, not justthis fast fashion, and really
(21:12):
start to build a wardrobe again.
You know, collect pieces.
Hadley Pollet (21:17):
Yeah, I, we, we do.
We have women that collect ourbelts and our bags and I've had.
I had a really close friend ofmine I knew her mother since I
was little and her mother passedaway and she had no idea.
She went into her mother'scloset and she said Hallie, she
has like 30 of your belts.
I mean, I knew she loved yourbelts, but you know, that must
(21:38):
have felt so good it was really,yeah, that was really touching
to me.
Um sorry, um, but yeah.
So that's definitely the intentbehind the products that we
create is that they last a longtime.
Tiffany Woolley (21:53):
They're timeless in their time.
Aesthetic they really are, Idefinitely.
And I, in their ageless, likeany child, I mean literally from
a teenager to any generation issomebody that could.
I mean on the golf course.
I mean you can pull it to yourown vibe.
Scott Woolley (22:12):
But your line is more than just belts and bags.
You have other items.
Hadley Pollet (22:17):
Yes.
Scott Woolley (22:18):
Tell us about the other items that you have.
Hadley Pollet (22:21):
So we've expanded .
So I love yoga, okay, and so wehave athletic wear now.
Tiffany Woolley (22:28):
Which is a huge thing in the world we live in
now this athleisure generationyeah.
Hadley Pollet (22:34):
Well, I would never do sweatpants.
Tiffany Woolley (22:36):
Right, good for you.
I'm all for that.
I'm on team athleisure, but nosweatpants.
Hadley Pollet (22:41):
I'm with Karl Lagerfeld on that one you need
to rethink your life if you'rewearing sweats.
Yes, I agree, but we do dothese really really bright,
vibrant, you know bra tops andcrop tops and leggings, and they
have inspirational sayings onthe inside to the conversation,
about creating a conversationwith our customers.
(23:04):
So when you put them on itmight say shine bright today or
you are loved, or whatever, onthe inside band of your yoga
pants or bra top.
Tiffany Woolley (23:15):
I love that.
So what is your efforts to getthe line out to the rest of the
world?
I mean, is it through stores,brick and mortar, is it through
social media, or is it?
Scott Woolley (23:28):
online.
Hadley Pollet (23:29):
It's all of the above.
All of the above, yeah.
Scott Woolley (23:32):
I read somewhere that I don't know if this is
correct or not, but like some ofthe big department stores
you've kind of shunned away from.
Hadley Pollet (23:41):
I have.
Scott Woolley (23:41):
Tell us why.
Hadley Pollet (23:43):
Because they're selling the same thing every
year over and over again to thesame group of people.
And whatever I can find there,I can find on Timu.
Scott Woolley (23:54):
Which I think makes your brand much more
unique.
Hadley Pollet (23:57):
Yeah, Also, there's some difficulties with
the department stores right now.
Tiffany Woolley (24:03):
You know, I mean you're right, they're kind
of on their way out.
Hadley Pollet (24:05):
Actually Saks is not paying people yeah.
And they were a big partner ofours, but I you know they're not
paying anybody and as adesigner and a creative, I feel
that creatives should beprotected, not taken advantage
of.
That's so important and thosestores have been taking
(24:29):
advantage of creatives.
They've been building theirbusiness on the backs of
creatives, not paying them ontime, giving them tough terms,
and you know this might be acontroversial thing to say, but
that's.
I've had the experience of itand, um, I don't really care
that it's controversial.
That's what's happening.
And if I were to guide anybody,I don't think it's
(24:49):
controversial, I think we'retrying to get back to a shop.
Tiffany Woolley (24:53):
Small mentality , I mean I, you know the
mass-produced nothings arereally not exciting anymore.
Hadley Pollet (25:01):
No, so, yeah, so we don't sell to any big
department stores, none, and Ireally believe in small partners
around the world that are adestination shop, correct, so?
Tiffany Woolley (25:16):
everybody here knows they have to go to a love
shop.
Scott Woolley (25:18):
Yep, yep, you're right, and those places know
more about the product as well.
Tiffany Woolley (25:23):
Yeah, they know us, they know you, correct they
know the connection, they knowthe love that's put into each
unique piece.
Hadley Pollet (25:31):
Yeah, and they're building community, and I think
everybody needs community,especially right now.
People are thirsting for morecommunity because of technology.
Right now, people are thirstingfor more community because of
technology.
Technology, I mean they, theythink they're finding community
online, but I I think it's muchbetter in person it's true, you
know, and women still lovetrying things on, I agree, and
(25:53):
so you know they want to.
They want their friends to tellthem what looks good and what
doesn't look good and it's anevent yeah that's such a really
beautiful philosophy behind thebrand.
Tiffany Woolley (26:05):
Do you use social media regularly, or
influencers or anything likethat, to continue to build, or
is it mainly the you know, therelationships that you're
building um stores we?
Hadley Pollet (26:16):
use social media.
We don't use a lot ofinfluencers um.
I think that that culture, theculture of influencing, is also
collapsing right now.
Scott Woolley (26:25):
Toxic yeah.
Hadley Pollet (26:27):
And if we do work with anybody that you might
call an influencer, she has tobe using her influence
positively, so she has to bebuilding something for young
girls or influencing a certainlaw that she believes in doing
(26:47):
something, using her voice in away and her platform in a way
that actually creates positivechange specifically for women.
I love that.
Scott Woolley (26:56):
Yeah, so the brand seems to have a lot of
positive direction around it.
Tiffany Woolley (27:04):
It does, it does.
I feel like that's such a hugepart of the brand, it almost
needs more.
That's the founding principle.
What do you see doing?
Are you going to incorporateany other new items in the near
future, or do you stay focusingon the belts and the bags?
Hadley Pollet (27:25):
So our accessories business is the
business that does the most forus monetarily.
We have clothing and otherthings that we do, but people
really love our accessories andI think we're economically at a
point where people are going tostart buying more accessories
and less clothing.
We're just in that kind oftrend.
Tiffany Woolley (27:44):
How do you find following these trends?
How do you stay up to date on,like the industry itself?
Hadley Pollet (27:51):
I'm very intuitive yeah.
Scott Woolley (27:53):
Are you creating your own?
Hadley Pollet (27:55):
Yeah, I'm creating my own.
Scott Woolley (27:56):
That's how I kind of think that you are kind of
creating your own path.
Hadley Pollet (28:00):
Thank you so much for saying that you do it.
Look at the sustainability youhave too.
Scott Woolley (28:06):
I mean.
Tiffany Woolley (28:07):
That's huge to me that you're able to continue
and grow.
I mean, that's what everybodylooks for when you're creating a
brand.
I mean.
20 years is a long time.
Hadley Pollet (28:18):
Yeah, 20 years is a long time and our
sustainability piece happenedbecause we had trouble with a
factory in China.
They were sending us like redbags when we ordered yellow.
Voice Over (28:29):
Yeah, I mean it was crazy, Like the factory only has
red leather.
Hadley Pollet (28:32):
And then we're like, but we didn't like, are
you kidding?
Yeah, so at that moment weactually had to sue them and we
won the lawsuit, the lawsuit,and we were able to, which is
very unusual.
But we had a pivot this reallyclose friend of mine from Peru
he's now a very close friend ofmine, he worked for the Peruvian
(28:54):
government and he reached outto me and said we want you to
come to Peru.
It just happened.
I was so down and out thinkingI cannot believe all these
things are showing up bad and Ihave to sue this factory and
this.
You know, this is terrible andit just happened at the same
moment and we were a littleskittish because, you know, we
were meeting him in like a hotelin Boston and he had these, you
(29:17):
know, bags full of products andhe had to change the
appointment twice and I had myhusband come with me.
And then he said well, you knowbags full of products and he had
to change the appointment twiceand I had my husband come with
me.
And then he said well, you know, we're going to fly you down
there.
And we actually told him well,we need to meet you at the
consulate in New York.
Tiffany Woolley (29:32):
Oh, that's so funny you really protected.
I really felt like I'd beenscammed from previously.
Hadley Pollet (29:38):
So now I've got to really make sure.
Scott Woolley (29:48):
Now he's like a brother to me.
Hadley Pollet (29:49):
I mean he's just like the nicest man and and I
mean he's.
So you're having stuff nowmanufactured and made in Peru.
Yeah, we, we actuallycross-pollinate between lots of
different countries, so but wedo have some things made in Peru
, we have some things made inSoutheast Asia, some things made
in South America, you know, inthe United States.
It just depends.
Tiffany Woolley (30:04):
And I feel like that's fitting with the brand
ethos too.
I mean repopulating and, youknow, bringing good energy into
all those being.
You know economic systems too.
Hadley Pollet (30:16):
Yeah, the economic empowerment piece is
really important to us, so we dovisit every factory that we
work with and we prefer them tobe owned either locally by women
or a family, small family owned, and we make sure the women are
paid equally to their husbands.
We've had instances wherethey're not and I've had to talk
(30:39):
to the husband and say I'mhappy to do business with you
when you pay your wife.
I love that.
Tiffany Woolley (30:47):
So how did that get incorporated, as the
business was growing and youtaking on such a obviously not
only the design role, thecreator role, but taking on that
whole business aspect and doingthese negotiations and
everything Like?
How does that look like?
Hadley Pollet (31:06):
It's very fluid, to be honest with you.
I mean, if we, you know, if wemy husband and I we travel a lot
.
So if we're traveling somewhereand we think that there are,
you know, artisans or peoplethat we want to meet or see, or
we hear about something, then wego and we meet them and see
them.
We do have certain governmentsreach out to us, Like the Indian
(31:27):
government just reached out tome from India to come to like a
textile fair.
So we do have, you know,relationships, you know, and we
have been to different or sortof like organized things like
that which help.
You know, I can't say I do itall.
Voice Over (31:45):
I was going to say what is your team EJ off camera
here?
Hadley Pollet (31:47):
Yeah, he's critical.
My husband's very critical inthe the whole process.
How we met was he was supposedto be my consultant I was being
knocked off and really we werefinding our stuff in chinatown
in new york and it was reallyterrible.
And somebody introduced me toyi zhang, to um, to help with
(32:09):
redesigning the entire line sothat it would not be knocked off
.
And so he says I got a gooddeal so when you're on a date
right away when you sayredesigning the line so it
doesn't get knocked off yeahwhat do you do to redesign a
line so?
so you introduce a lot ofdifferent elements um, like that
(32:32):
about even like the two-fingerslide or different elements into
all of the design that ifsomebody were knocking it off,
they wouldn't even notice it.
Right, and also you create adialogue with your consumer that
they know what's real andwhat's not real.
Right.
So you know whether it be the,the two finger slide on the
(32:55):
clutch that I gave you or um,you know we have bags with
handles that are woven like ajapanese sword.
Oh, so cool or um, you know, Ihave a bag over there that, um,
the tassel is hand beaded intaiwan and the bag is made, you
know, in South America and thetextiles are made in Europe.
(33:15):
Wow, they really are qualityit's really cross pollinating
different countries and whattheir strengths are as well.
Scott Woolley (33:25):
So these different elements are being
made in different locations.
So then, they're all beingbrought to one location for it
to be assembled.
Hadley Pollet (33:33):
And is that here, either the United States or, if
I think, you know there's aplace that's better, then we go
there.
Scott Woolley (33:42):
Yeah, yeah so from a retail standpoint and the
products being sold.
Is it throughout the UnitedStates?
Where could like the audiencefind your?
Hadley Pollet (33:54):
I I would love it if they went to our website
first yeah, but um, there arealso a lot of small stores, so
in places like nantucket and thevineyard, and shopping little
districts, yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (34:06):
yeah, there are a lot of small stores, yeah,
but like you said too, californCalifornia has that little, you
know, like the bohemian side,that they can fit right on into
as well.
Hadley Pollet (34:15):
Yeah, I would say the East Coast, california,
illinois and Texas have alwaysbeen kind of like our biggest
areas.
South, where people love brightcolor.
I mean, I really I do believecolor is energy and I think
people in the South understandthat more For sure.
Scott Woolley (34:36):
No, your line is very colorful.
It is and it has.
Tiffany Woolley (34:39):
I mean, I think it is a preppiness to it too.
Hadley Pollet (34:42):
Yeah, which I love.
I mean, I grew up in New Canaan.
Yeah, exactly, we're thepreppiest of prep.
Tiffany Woolley (34:47):
Exactly, and I love that.
But yet they have a whimsy too.
Hadley Pollet (34:52):
Thank you, that can be incorporated.
Yeah, and we sell in othercountries as well.
The Japanese love cute thingsand we have occasionally this
one store that will pick up oneof everything in the line.
They really get uniqueness, sowe can't make them stick to the
minimums.
It's like I just want one ofeverything, okay.
(35:14):
That's fine, because ourcustomers don't want to look
like anyone else.
Right, which I love.
Tiffany Woolley (35:21):
Yeah, I bet.
Hadley Pollet (35:23):
Yeah, if I could do that for every store, that
would be great.
Tiffany Woolley (35:26):
So do you typically still go to markets to
sell the line we?
Hadley Pollet (35:31):
don't, you don't, I don't think the markets are
working anymore.
Okay, so what makes you, whenyou've said like Well.
Scott Woolley (35:37):
I think the markets have kind of dwindled
away in terms of the amount ofpeople that are attending.
Hadley Pollet (35:42):
Yeah, they'll just go on.
We have a wholesale section ofour site and people can just you
know they can the stores canjust log on and they can order.
Yeah, if they have anyquestions we have you know
salespeople they can talk to andif they want to see samples,
we're happy to send them samples.
Tiffany Woolley (36:01):
Wow, so you really, what does your team look
like?
Hadley Pollet (36:03):
today we have just a few salespeople.
You don't really need that many, so we have three and yeah, and
then it's Yi jung and I and adesign assistant, and that's it,
yeah but someone's doingmarketing because your website
has a lot of good photographyyeah and sort of.
You know well, that's modelsyou guys, I I cannot take credit
(36:27):
for all of it.
I mean as I, my husband reallyis a huge part of this business.
He takes all the photographs.
Scott Woolley (36:35):
Oh, really Amazing.
Hadley Pollet (36:37):
And designs.
Scott Woolley (36:38):
He's here in the studio with us.
He's here in the studio.
Hadley Pollet (36:43):
He's always the quiet, humble one in the corner.
I love that.
But yeah, all the design work.
Everything is collaborative, soeverything work.
Everything is collaborative, soeverything that we do is
collaborative.
Ej has a branding company,uh-huh Okay, and because I
worked in branding before,sometimes I help him on projects
for his branding company.
Tiffany Woolley (37:04):
Right, yeah, we collaborate on everything Are
you looking to grow the brand?
Hadley Pollet (37:09):
Yes, I'm looking to grow the brand always.
Tiffany Woolley (37:12):
Okay, okay, yeah, I know, because I feel
like there's so many little likeback to this boutique shopping
and, you know, shopping small,which I know there's like a
certain Saturday every year,that's like shop small or
something that they're like kindof promoting and I just feel
(37:32):
like like this has so many homesthat could be, you know,
nestled into it yeah, we'realways looking to grow the brand
and we're always looking forgood new partners.
Scott Woolley (37:40):
And yeah, so what's the price point of um we
started?
Hadley Pollet (37:44):
originally they were 98 at retail and we've been
able to hold them at 115.
I don't know how that's goingto go with tariffs, but we're
trying to hold steady at 115concern the tariffs, have you
(38:08):
seen any?
I haven't nothing yet.
Yeah, we't.
I think we will see.
You know, I don't know, I don'tknow if it could change.
Scott Woolley (38:17):
We haven't seen it in our business whatsoever at
all and we're actually hearingyou know from some manufacturers
and vendors some of the priceshave come down just a slight bit
yeah.
Hadley Pollet (38:28):
Well, there is negotiating room for negotiation
now Definitely.
Yeah, yeah, well, there isnegotiating room for negotiation
.
Definitely, yeah, um, and ourmost expensive bag is probably.
It's a huge tote bag with thetrims all intertwined and that's
around 1700.
So it really just depends onwhat you mean.
If you want a bra top, it'sunder 100 you know, it depends
(38:50):
on what.
Scott Woolley (38:50):
It's a pretty good.
Hadley Pollet (38:52):
It is price line yeah, if you want a makeup bag
or makeup bags, I think are, youknow, around fifty dollars.
It just depends on what you,what you want to buy from us.
We have a really wide range andthat's intentional.
Um, you know, if you could, I,I want people to be able to get
a piece of the brand.
If they want a piece of thebrand, yeah, so what is the
(39:12):
website?
Scott Woolley (39:13):
Because people should go to the website who are
listening, because it's quitean interesting fun scroll
through to see all of your itemsand the colors and the fabrics,
and so forth.
Tiffany Woolley (39:25):
Oh, totally, and I truly do remember seeing
it in Love Shack.
I mean, they're memorablepieces and they're so unique, oh
, thank you.
Hadley Pollet (39:35):
It's um HadleyPollettcom, which is
H-A-D-L-E-Y-P-O-L-L-E-Tcom.
Tiffany Woolley (39:45):
Yeah, so who fulfills the order, like the
custom orders, like what's thetime frame on a custom order or
the customization process?
Hadley Pollet (39:54):
So we tell people three to four weeks.
Tiffany Woolley (39:57):
Okay, that's pretty quick and reasonable.
Hadley Pollet (39:59):
Usually they're done faster.
Yeah, seven to ten days.
Tiffany Woolley (40:03):
Do you do any monogramming or anything like
that?
Hadley Pollet (40:06):
We can do monogramming.
I don't have that.
It's interesting.
I've been thinking aboutputting that on the
customization piece and thenletting people pick their tassel
.
That's another thing.
We're just adding littledetails now, but we can do
monogramming yes, which is agreat idea.
Tiffany Woolley (40:25):
And like when do you in your own creative
process for the brand?
When do you decide, like it'stime, like you got into yoga, so
like the yoga line came inbrand.
When do you decide, like it'stime, like you got into yoga, so
like the yoga line came in.
Like when do you say, oh, it'stime to add to it.
And what does that process looklike for you?
Hadley Pollet (40:41):
Well, there are certain touch points of a
woman's life, like a Hadleywoman, that we talk about
internally, and so where can wetouch her in different places of
her life?
Scott Woolley (40:52):
What's a Hadley woman?
Hadley Pollet (40:53):
Exactly.
So tell us more about theHadley woman.
Okay, so she's very empowered.
That probably would be thenumber one.
She's very empowered.
She understands that her soulis unique and she likes to
express that, and she likes toexpress that she loves color.
(41:14):
She likes things that aredifferent.
She also does things like goesto yoga, you know, likes to shop
, takes care yeah, takes care ofherself, sees dressing up every
day as a form of creativity.
So she might go to Aspen in thewinter and she might be in
(41:38):
Greenwich during fall and spring, and then she might be in
Nantucket in the summer so shemight play tennis a lot, she
might play golf.
We do have some Hadley womenthat love horseback riding,
because our belts are soft.
Tiffany Woolley (41:53):
You know, they would be so cute with riding
pants.
I mean, they really have somuch character.
But understated too, it can goboth ways.
Hadley Pollet (42:02):
Yeah, yeah.
And you know they have thatuniform they wear and the only
thing they can change is theirbelt, so it's a form of
expression for them, yeah, yeah.
So we talk internally aboutwhat does she do?
Where does she travel?
Does she travel to the south offrance in the summer, does she?
You know where does she go.
What does she need?
You know what's going to helpher.
(42:23):
I had a woman at yoga the otherday who came to we did this
really fun event in greenwich ayear ago with this kind of
high-end little cafe and shepopped by and bought a belt and
she got out of her car we weregoing into yoga and she said I
just took that belt for sixweeks to Europe with me and she
(42:46):
said I have to tell you that isthe best thing I've ever had.
I wore it this way, I wore itthis way, I wore it that way,
and so we do think about thatthat.
You know they have a, you knowa lifestyle where they travel a
lot and they need pieces thatstand out and something that's
easy, are interchangeable alittle bit.
Tiffany Woolley (43:03):
You can use it with multiple different dresses
or shorts.
Hadley Pollet (43:08):
Yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (43:09):
I know the belts are really sweet.
Shorts yeah, I know the beltsare really sweet.
So how did the design of likethe jacquard become?
Hadley Pollet (43:17):
like the signature part of the line.
Well, we started with thevintage trims and it's funny, I
gave a talk at my school that Iwent to my boarding school and
they wanted to find out about,like how I became who I am
basically.
And I was pulling up picturesone day and realized when I was
three, you wore this belt, I hadthese jacquard trims on my
(43:40):
little robe that I wore at thebeach.
And then my mom always tellsthis story where we moved into a
new house and there was thiswallpaper that was like bright
flowers and she just wanted torip it off the walls and I mean
I screamed at her do not takethese flowers off my wall.
You know, like so I really youknow that's kind of where they
(44:02):
were, like a comfort thing foryou.
Tiffany Woolley (44:03):
It's just a part of me.
Hadley Pollet (44:04):
Yeah, it really is, and so I really just loved
the whole thing, and so when Iwas sourcing the vintage ones, I
knew that was going to become asignature of ours.
Yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (44:15):
Where else do you look for inspiration?
Nature?
Voice Over (44:20):
Yeah, nature.
Hadley Pollet (44:21):
Yes, all the color combos that we use come
from pictures that I've taken.
Scott Woolley (44:25):
Oh.
Hadley Pollet (44:26):
Yeah, I probably.
If you open my camera rollyou'd see, you know, moss and
flowers and bugs and animals andyou know sunsets and yeah.
I take a walk twice a day withmy dog and I take pictures the
(44:46):
whole time so how many times ayear do you curate or go to, you
know, create new collections?
Scott Woolley (44:54):
Do you follow the seasons or follow like the
industry?
Hadley Pollet (44:57):
We are always creating, you are.
Tiffany Woolley (45:00):
Yeah, always.
So when, like, do you uploadnew things like literally all
the time, All the time, Wow.
Hadley Pollet (45:07):
Yeah, yeah, as a creative, and I think that the
easiest way to stay clear-mindedand fresh is to keep creating.
Scott Woolley (45:18):
True, so I just keep creating, we keep creating
From a business standpoint,because we have a dear friend
who, in a crazy way, he's beenin many different businesses and
he went to Vegas and got offthe plane with these three women
.
He was with friends and theysaw the magic show and they were
like, let's go to theconvention, let's go see the
(45:39):
fashion, and by mistake theycreated a fashion line and just
going to the show, by mistake.
Tiffany Woolley (45:47):
Well, when you first yes, when he started by
mistake, he started by mistake.
Scott Woolley (45:51):
But mistake, he started by mistake.
But you didn't start by mistake.
But when you first started, thefirst like sales that you got
was was there like a lot ofpressure, concern, like I.
Hadley Pollet (46:05):
I didn't feel pressure, but when I was in PR
public relations before that andwhen you're selling a story, my
forte in the public relationsdepartment was getting people
press.
And so when you're sellingsomething to a publication that
gets I don't know how many callsa day, you have to figure out
(46:31):
what they need.
They need it, how they need it,what that person is like right
and then you sell it.
So I'm very good at reading atthe target yeah, yeah.
I'm very, very good at thetarget and analyzing, kind of
like, okay, this store I know aidoes all this for you now maybe
, but you know this really thisis what they need.
(46:54):
So there is a lot of analyticalkind of component that goes
into it.
But for the first two stores Iwasn't afraid.
But maybe I wasn't afraidbecause I was pitching USA Today
and the New York Times.
Scott Woolley (47:09):
Was there a point where you felt like, okay, I've
got this going and this isreally starting to work?
Hadley Pollet (47:17):
Once I had a sales partner because before
that I was wearing too many hats.
Scott Woolley (47:21):
Right.
Hadley Pollet (47:21):
And that's very hard.
You really need people thatknow more than you do that can
lift you up, and I think that'sreally important, um, as opposed
to feeling like you have to doeverything all the time right
yeah, so I I've had momentswhere I've I've felt like oh wow
(47:42):
, this is really big, how did itget this far?
Like I've had those kind ofmoments right you know um, but
I'm, I'm very willful.
Would you ever want to?
Tiffany Woolley (47:51):
open your own store Brick and Mortar.
Voice Over (47:54):
I would you do Because, like I mean and I think
of this.
Tiffany Woolley (47:57):
you know, like, as like Stony Clover, Are you
familiar with that brand?
Yeah, you know, and it's, andmy husband has a friend who does
it in like the sports world andwhere they add patches.
I feel like this has such asimilar concept.
Where you come into this cutestore, it becomes like an
afternoon activity and youcreate something unique.
(48:21):
Between the vintage ribbons andthe tassel, you kind of can put
together your own signaturepiece.
Hadley Pollet (48:29):
I would love that , and I have certain places that
I like the store first.
So where do you?
Think that would be the firstplace I want.
One is, um, uh, saint bart's.
Oh, that would be amazing thewhole fashion industry just like
descends on there and I justremember like buying this bag
really well during new year'seve at that time.
(48:50):
Yeah, I just like to pop upthere, even for like a season,
and see how it goes Well, andthat's what's so cool is pop-up
is a thing now.
I think that would be brilliant.
Tiffany Woolley (48:59):
Even Palm Beach Delray, I feel like you could
explode.
Yeah, it's like, how much doyou want to explode really?
Hadley Pollet (49:07):
We want to explode.
Scott Woolley (49:08):
Everything that you talk about your brand and
what you just said a few minutesago about what your average
customer or your client lookslike Palm Beach fits really well
.
Tiffany Woolley (49:21):
I know that I really feel so strongly that it
really goes the gamut for agesyou really could have, from
little tweens all the way tograndmas.
I mean that would appreciateand enjoy.
You know the newest bag?
Scott Woolley (49:40):
Yes, you know, I was mentioning about this friend
who started this brand.
I know one of the biggestthings that he ran into problems
with and I think a lot of ithad to do with because he went
to big retailers is inventory.
Do you have to keep a lot or doyou keep a lot of it had to do
with because he went to big?
Hadley Pollet (49:56):
retailers his inventory.
Do you have to keep a lot or?
Scott Woolley (49:58):
do you keep a lot ?
Hadley Pollet (49:58):
of inventory.
We try not to.
Yeah, we really try not to.
We did have a problem withinventory at one point, um,
because you had too much or notenough.
It's the minimums, right.
I think that the factories,they have these ridiculous
minimums.
I gave a speech about this inPeru, about the problems in
retail and all the elements thatcause problems.
You know, part one is minimumsright, well, minimums.
Scott Woolley (50:22):
And then, if you're seasonal, or you're
changing with the season, andnow the season's changed and
you've got all this inventory.
Hadley Pollet (50:31):
It's not sustainable and I don't think
that the future is going to liein these minimums.
We just had somebody I was.
We've been designing thesereally beautiful, almost like
pashmina, like shawls.
That's another great and onefactory who we met at an event
(50:53):
said to me oh, you can orderwhatever quantities you want.
And I thought, okay, that'sgreat, because we're going to
test these you know I I'm notgoing to order thousands right
off the bat.
I want to know that they'regoing to do well.
And then he came back to meyesterday asking me for, like I
don't't even know, $3,000 forone color, and I just emailed
(51:16):
him back.
You know, philippe, you changedyour tune here.
And this is not sustainable.
This doesn't align with ourbrand.
You know, if you want to workwith us, this is how we work.
And it's that simple right andat this moment in time
everything's on sale.
I mean, saks is on saleyesterday for 70% off.
I've never seen Saks on salefor 70% off right, yeah, so what
(51:40):
does that?
Mean.
So that means, there's too muchstuff.
Scott Woolley (51:43):
Yeah.
Hadley Pollet (51:44):
There's too much stuff and people aren't buying
all this sameness all over theplace, all over.
And so there is a big reckoninghappening right now and we just
happen to be ahead of the curve, you know, in not taking
people's minimums, as you know,at face value.
(52:05):
So if you want to work with usand you want the reputation of
working with our brand and theyou know panache of working with
our brand, then you know youhave to meet the minimums that
we want you to meet right, yeah,so what did philippe say?
he came back and said how do wework together?
Tiffany Woolley (52:22):
I like that.
Yeah, because I think addingthe shawl component would be
amazing right your aesthetic.
Hadley Pollet (52:28):
I I'm thinking weddings.
Now, like all my friends,daughters are starting to get
married and I feel like it wouldbe great for brides to design
bags for their, for their, youknow what a great idea yeah, for
their bridesmaids and and um,and give them pashminas.
You know they could be initialedor they could have their theme
on them.
So I mean they would beHadlefied, like you know, they'd
(52:52):
have the Hadley aspect to them.
But you know, I do think thatthere's like kind of this whole
other, because they're reallyexpressing themselves at their,
you know, at this moment in time, which is a sacred moment when
they're getting married and, youknow, start, you know, kind of
pivoting into a new life.
So wouldn't it be fun to helpthem express themselves through,
(53:13):
you know, some reallyinteresting things?
Scott Woolley (53:15):
So yeah, so at any one given time, like right
now, how many different SKUs,how many different items do you
have on the site?
Hadley Pollet (53:22):
Oh gosh, I don't know, 100, 200?
Oh we probably have 200 SKUsright now.
Scott Woolley (53:27):
I would say that's a lot of SKUs.
Hadley Pollet (53:35):
Yeah, now I would say yeah, yeah, but we don't
have too much of everything,right?
Yeah, and yeah, it's a goodvariety.
Scott Woolley (53:39):
Yeah, it's enough so that you can see a whole
lifestyle.
Hadley Pollet (53:40):
yeah, we want you to see the entire lifestyle,
like the the event I was talkingabout that we did in greenwich,
because it was at this high-endcafe and he has has really
beautiful foods and stuff.
We launched a home line, so wetook his really Like towels or
placemats or.
Tiffany Woolley (54:00):
Placemats table runners, tablecloths, beautiful
.
Hadley Pollet (54:05):
Yeah, and I used the lotus theme for all the
products because I felt like theworld needed peace and so I was
feeling.
I had been to Taiwan Say that.
Felt like the world neededpeace, and so I was feeling.
Scott Woolley (54:13):
I had been to Taiwan.
Say that again.
The world needs peace.
Hadley Pollet (54:16):
Peace and the lotus flowers about coming out
of the darkness into the lightand peace.
So there was a whole lotustheme at this event and he has
these big window seats withthese just very bland pillows on
the bottom, you know, just thebottom, the bottom, and I
thought I mean, if we're doingan event here.
(54:36):
We need like we need some colorand we need right right, so I
did pillow pillows, and thosepillows would be amazing too.
Yeah, they're on our site.
Yeah, so I saw that yeah, so wetransformed the whole space
into you.
You know Hadlefied.
Scott Woolley (54:52):
So when I first went to your website and looked
through it and Tiffany looked atit right after me.
Yeah, I'm going to tell you,the first thing when I kind of
walked away, that came into mymind, came into your sight, was
three words yeah, peace, loveand happiness.
Oh, it kind of has that vibeand feel to it.
Hadley Pollet (55:10):
Oh, thank you.
I don't know if I'm off trackthere.
No, you are.
You're on track, you'recompletely on track.
Scott Woolley (55:16):
That's exactly how I felt when I walked away
from the screen, going peace,love and happiness.
It's kind of how you feel whenyou see everything.
Hadley Pollet (55:22):
Thank you.
You see all your items.
That's really.
That's a big compliment.
Thank you so much.
I truly did.
Tiffany Woolley (55:32):
And they all are so purposeful.
You know each piece is sopurposeful and unique, which you
know we're all wanting purposeand to be our own authentic self
.
So I think it's really special.
Scott Woolley (55:47):
I design lab.
I always have to ask thequestion do you love designing I
?
Hadley Pollet (55:52):
love it.
I mean have to ask the questiondo you love designing?
I love it.
I mean any kind of creativity,but I think designing is, for me
, the ultimate form ofcreativity, and creativity is
authenticity, Right.
Tiffany Woolley (56:06):
I know and I feel like we get to hear so many
wonderful stories and it's sofunny, as these shows evolve and
we talk to people, how manypeople really do get to end up
doing what they love.
You design a life around whatyou love and you took that leap,
(56:30):
leaving what you studied andeverything like that, and were
able to truly take your passionand create something really
special and unique and make itcontinue for 20 years.
I mean to me that's a reallyprofound legacy oh, thank you.
Hadley Pollet (56:48):
Yeah, I mean I my hope is is that a lot of women
that we touch get inspired thatway and do that for themselves?
I know yeah, I mean, that'sreally the hope.
Yeah, even the artisans that wework with, we have an artisan
training program and you knowwe'll drop into a country and
train them and teach them whatdo you mean?
Scott Woolley (57:10):
an artist in training program?
What do you mean by that?
Hadley Pollet (57:13):
We train artisans in different countries, so
we'll drop in and we'll, youknow, depending on the group
that we're working with, theymight pull together 10 to 30
artisans and a lot of them workin silos, so they might just
make baskets or they make, youknow.
But we talk to them aboutcross-pollinate,
cross-pollinating with othertechnologies, and you know,
(57:36):
we'll look, do an evaluation ofall their products, um, look at
their brands, um, and see, youknow, teach them where they can,
you know, do better and how tosell internationally, and and
all of that is just really abouta matriarchal point of view of
(57:56):
business which is just upliftingeverybody, right?
I don't have to extract what Ineed from you and run and run.
Tiffany Woolley (58:04):
I love that.
Hadley Pollet (58:05):
I have knowledge and information to impart to you
that will help your economygrow and help the women and
children in your in, in yourarea, for the future, yeah yeah,
thrive, yeah, really reallybeautiful story.
Tiffany Woolley (58:21):
Well, thank you for joining us today on the I
design lab podcast.
I know and everybody, please gocheck out hadley, paulette or
paette if you want the Frenchway.
Dot com.
Hadley Pollet (58:35):
Dot com.
Thank you so much.
This was so lovely.
It's so much fun.
Voice Over (58:41):
Welcome.
Idesign Labs podcast is an SWGroup production in association
with the Five Star and TWInteriors.
To learn more about iDesign Labor TW Interiors, please visit
twinteriorscom.
This is iDesign Lab, a podcast where creativity and
curiosity meet style and design.
Curator of interiors,furnishings and lifestyles.
Hosted by Tiffany Woolley, aninterior designer and a style
enthusiast, along with herserial entrepreneur husband
Scott, idesign Lab is yourultimate design podcast where we
explore the rich and vibrantworld of design and its constant
(00:23):
evolution in style and trends.
Idesign Lab provides industryinsight, discussing the latest
trends, styles and everything inbetween to better help you
style your life, through advicefrom trendsetters, designers,
influencers, innovators,fabricators and manufacturers,
as well as personal stories thatinspire, motivate and excite.
(00:43):
And join us on this elevated,informative and lively journey
into the world of all thingsdesign.
On today's episode of theiDesign Lab podcast, we welcome
Hadley Pollitt, designer,entrepreneur and creative force
redefining what fashion can be.
With roots at Ariasd and afierce commitment to ethical
(01:03):
design, hadley's work blendsbold artistry, sustainability
and a deep belief that fashionshould be personal, not
disposable.
Tiffany Woolley (01:16):
Welcome to the iDesign Lab podcast.
A creative director and createdher own namesake brand and has
a very fascinating story on, youknow, creating some things
beautiful, so welcome.
Hadley Pollet (01:31):
Thank you for having me.
Scott Woolley (01:33):
So tell us a little about yourself.
You reside in New York.
Hadley Pollet (01:37):
Yeah, I reside outside New York.
Yes, I started my companyactually in Boston, but it
really it really.
I grew up in Connecticut so itreally does have.
It has a little bit of an EastCoast vibe.
Tiffany Woolley (01:51):
I would say it does have very much an East
Coast vibe.
Yeah, old money, my kids wouldcall it.
Hadley Pollet (01:59):
Oh, that's, very kind of them.
Yeah, I mean.
Scott Woolley (02:04):
Did you jump into fashion like immediately?
Did you go to college for it?
I didn't.
Hadley Pollet (02:09):
I went to college for English and American
literature.
Voice Over (02:12):
Okay, and.
Hadley Pollet (02:13):
I started in publishing at Little Brown
Publishers.
I'm a very hard worker, so Iinterned at Little Brown.
I went to NYU and I worked 20hours a week and took my classes
for three years.
So by the time I was done withschool I had a job.
(02:33):
I had a job three weeks beforeI was done with school.
Scott Woolley (02:35):
In publishing.
In publishing.
Hadley Pollet (02:38):
Then I moved into .
I worked for Mullen, which isnow, I think, what Mullen Loan
Partners.
I worked for Mullen, which isnow, I think, what Mullen Lohan
Partners, in advertising forcompanies like mine.
For specifically, yeah, atextile company called Malden
Mills and they make or at thetime they made upholstery,
high-end jacquard fabrics,upholstery fabrics and then
(02:58):
polar tech, and my job was tosupport 222 brands because
they're an ingredient brand, soI supported everybody from dkny
to patagonia very cool.
Scott Woolley (03:10):
Yeah, 220 brands, it's a lot of brands.
Tiffany Woolley (03:13):
Yes, and it's a fascinating insight into a
business that wasn't what youwere doing, right like it's kind
of kind of a backdoor entry.
Hadley Pollet (03:21):
It is a backdoor entry.
So the ceo wife, though she'snow passed away, her name is
Louise Fierstein.
She had a high-end specialtyjacquard division and I would
take her on press tours and webecame very close.
Scott Woolley (03:35):
When you say jacquard, jacquard, like
jacquard textiles, okay, yeah.
Hadley Pollet (03:39):
It's a woven textile.
So, actually on our belts aremade of jack thin jacquards.
Okay.
So I would always spend extratime with her picking yarn
colors and I mean they did notknow this at Mullen, but I I
loved her studio, I lovedpicking all the yarns and, you
know, learning how all thetextiles were made, and that
(04:01):
possibly could be because myfamily was in textiles okay in
the Barrington, rhode Islandarea, long before everything
moved south.
So you know, I think it's in myblood.
Yeah, um, but yeah, and then Iwent to a startup and then I
started my company but what madeyou decide to go out on your
own?
Scott Woolley (04:22):
well, let's see I was there someone that you know
you were inspired by someone.
That was something thathappened I?
Hadley Pollet (04:30):
yes, well, I was taking one class at rhode island
school of design yeah, that'sright and 9-11 happened and
during that time I did have twopublic relations clients.
But I really felt I wasfrustrated because the clients,
you know they didn't get topright corner or they were.
(04:53):
you know people always complainabout, you know where their
placement is way back when inthe press and stuff and I
thought how did I just go backto this after working at this
startup and now I've got theseclients again and I'm tired of
this?
Right and I was taking thisdesign course and 9-11 happened
and my mom's third husbandthat's another story, but anyway
(05:16):
, who's really her first lovedied and I was on the phone with
her Because of 9-11?
Scott Woolley (05:21):
Yeah, really, he was in the second tower to be
hit.
Hadley Pollet (05:23):
The first time he was on the 90, I think 92nd
floor and the plane came in at91 wow yeah, and she was on the
phone with me.
So I saw one tower burning ontv and I called her where's john
?
She was clicked over to him andthe plane came at him and he
(05:46):
said Jesus Christ on the phoneand bam.
Scott Woolley (05:50):
So she was on the phone with him when it happened
.
Hadley Pollet (05:52):
Yeah, and then it just the phone went dead and
she happened to be in RhodeIsland.
She had just moved to NewJersey from Connecticut because
they had just gotten married.
Wow, and she happened to be inRhode Island, near me.
And so you know cause they shutall the bridges, bridges down I
never would have been able toget to her but so we went and
picked her up and she camestraight to my, my place in
(06:14):
boston and at the time I reallyhated what I was doing.
Something like that has aneffect over you of Totally.
Tiffany Woolley (06:21):
It's so fast, Of course.
What a profound changeimmediately.
Hadley Pollet (06:24):
Just I'm doing the wrong thing.
You only live once.
Scott Woolley (06:28):
Right.
Hadley Pollet (06:28):
You know, let's go.
And my teacher had said to meat Rhode Island School of Design
she had taken me aside.
She worked for brands like AnneKlein so long ago, but you know
brands that we all know.
And she had said to me I'venever had a student like you.
You have a look, you have afeel, you understand branding
(06:50):
you have to do this, you knowand you have to do this hadley,
like I'm just telling you.
If you're thinking about doingthis, I want you to do this so
what is doing this?
Scott Woolley (07:00):
so you have to start this business and what was
the idea behind the businessthat when you started it?
Hadley Pollet (07:05):
well, my line, this is so funny.
So we were designing a line ofclothing and I was kind of
annoyed because everybody wantedto do, you know, ball gowns and
I was like, well, that's soboring, you know.
So I'm going to do modular.
I'm going to do a modularpregnancy line.
Oh, that is a riot.
And I had decided that, youknow, I had never been pregnant.
(07:30):
I decided that you could wear abelt.
You know that you could wear abelt up high.
So I decided that I was goingto use all these trims and
buttons and buckles and thingsand you could unzip the bottom
of your pants and change them soyou wouldn't have to buy a new
pair of pants to go out fordinner and you could.
It's very now, actually wasreally ahead of its time.
We're working on some modularpieces now, but, um, yeah, so I
(07:52):
that's what I decided and and Iwore a piece of trim around a
buckle, literally wrapped.
I mean it was not sewn out todinner.
One night with some friends inBoston we were at a brewery and
we were just waiting forsomebody's birthday party,
waiting to sit down, and fivepeople in line said where did
you get that belt?
(08:12):
And I, I, just I looked at themand I said how much will you
pay for the belt?
Tiffany Woolley (08:19):
Yeah, that was so like you had.
You had an aha moment in a way,probably right then and there I
did.
Like this is where we'releading.
Hadley Pollet (08:28):
This is my yeah, so then I involved my mom.
Scott Woolley (08:30):
Uh-huh.
Hadley Pollet (08:32):
So you know that was a way to take her mind off
the grief.
I mean, the grief was justoverwhelming for her.
I can't imagine so yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (08:42):
So then we started with vintage trims and
buckles, and did you go and playwith them in stores and collect
and get inspired?
How did you even know where tobegin to look for collecting the
vintage pieces?
Hadley Pollet (08:57):
Sorry to interrupt you.
My roommate's now mother-in-lawfounded Vera Bradley, okay.
So she said you know, foundedVera Bradley.
Okay.
So she said you know you havecarte blanche.
She was very kind.
What a great, like you know.
Tiffany Woolley (09:12):
Very matriarchal and very kind.
Hadley Pollet (09:15):
Yeah, so any questions?
Tiffany Woolley (09:17):
we had.
Hadley Pollet (09:18):
Yeah, we just asked and also people told me,
like you can go to this trimstore in New York or you can,
the trim store told me where toget the buckles Right and it
just started to.
It lined up very quickly withthe belts.
Scott Woolley (09:32):
So were you making these yourself?
I had a factory, you had afactory, yeah.
Hadley Pollet (09:37):
Yeah, I had a really small factory in Boston
making them Woman run Really,yeah, from day one.
Tiffany Woolley (09:45):
And was that sourced through the Vera Badly?
Connection that was somebody,somebody, you were just totally
led into.
Wow.
So that's like heaven sent, yes.
Scott Woolley (09:54):
So now you're making belts, and then how are
you getting in front ofconsumers?
Hadley Pollet (10:00):
Well, I went to my two favorite stores in.
Boston, where I was a goodcustomer.
Scott Woolley (10:04):
What stores are those?
Tiffany Woolley (10:06):
I went to college in Boston.
Scott Woolley (10:08):
Oh, you did, it's one of her favorite cities I
love it there.
Hadley Pollet (10:11):
I went to Wish.
Okay, and what was the otherone?
Eye of the Needle.
Eye of the Needle, that'sanother Palm Beach too.
Yeah, yeah, and they bought.
I had a little basket that waslike this hand-painted basket
with a little lid on it.
Tiffany Woolley (10:25):
And I would open it up and show them my
belts.
Hadley Pollet (10:30):
And a friend of mine from New Canaan founded
Wish, so she was very sweet andordered right away, but they
sold out In two days.
They each bought like a dozenbelts and the belts just went
really fast.
And so then they startedordering substantial amounts,
and in advance, you know right,and they were part of a network
(10:53):
of buyers or they knew otherbuyers in North Carolina, in
Florida, so they startedreferring me to other places and
you know I got myself into 50stores within like three months,
that is amazing yeah, I meanthat's like a pretty big start.
Tiffany Woolley (11:10):
Could you fulfill all these orders right
away?
Or did you ever get to thatstressful time of like we've
come with new collections and weneed new prints and we need new
always?
Hadley Pollet (11:24):
um well, one of the girls at Eye of the Needle
worked for Nanette Lepore oh mygoodness, All these really cool
brands.
Tiffany Woolley (11:31):
Like you had a lot of amazing connections which
I guess the Northeast kind ofthey're all there, they're all
there, yeah, the.
Hadley Pollet (11:38):
Northeast is really beautiful that way.
But she was looking for a jobin fashion and I said to her
well, how much do they pay youhere?
So I paid her $2 more an hourand said come, you know, you can
still work here.
I, you know, I can't give youfull time right now.
So she started with me.
Her name is Natalie.
(11:59):
I still.
I adore her still.
Scott Woolley (12:00):
What did she?
What was she doing?
What would you bring on for so?
Hadley Pollet (12:03):
she was.
She bring on, for she was adesigner for Nanette Lepore that
had just moved to Boston, soshe really, I mean then she knew
where to get the trims made.
So we started designing thetrims and I was going through, I
had, you know, a one-minutemarriage I would call it was a
mistake and I sold my weddingring.
(12:25):
To help finance To fund thefirst big slew of orders.
That's amazing.
I did Amazing.
Scott Woolley (12:35):
I took the ring back to Shreve.
Crumpin' Low and said, oh,that's funny, but you're just
doing belts at this point.
Hadley Pollet (12:41):
I was just doing belts and then I was on the
beach on Martha's Vineyard myfamily has a place there with my
cousins and my cousin's friendsaid to me you need to meet this
woman, cynthia O'Connor.
You need to meet her.
I mean, she's going to die overthis.
My friend works for her.
I'm on the beach and I reallydo believe in if you're aligning
(13:04):
yourself Well for sure, ifyou're in places, you love doing
things, you love things unfoldfor you this whole story has
been a story of unfolding, Imean even the one-minute
marriage.
Tiffany Woolley (13:15):
I mean right, like it was all part of this
process of becoming.
Hadley Pollet (13:20):
It really was.
And so she called me on Mondayand said okay, here's my
friend's number at Cynthia andthey showed Cynthia.
I had a website which a lot ofpeople, a lot of the stores, did
not like.
I did not care.
I knew that was the feedback.
Scott Woolley (13:40):
Because you were selling on the website.
Is that why?
Yeah, I understand why.
Hadley Pollet (13:45):
In 2003,.
Right, they're so mad, rightthat you have a website.
And I said well, that's too bad, you're going to have a website
soon too.
So Cynthia went to my websiteand she faxed me a contract
before we even talked.
Tiffany Woolley (14:08):
She just called me and said we're faxing a
contract right now.
I have to have you in myshowroom.
Well, she, she's the woman thatreally exploded Kate Spade's
sales.
So you've really been able todesign the life you wanted with
the brand you created byliterally trusting the process.
Hadley Pollet (14:18):
Yes, you just leap, you took a leap, you just
leap, you always leap success.
Tiffany Woolley (14:24):
Yes, you just leap.
You just took a leap.
You just leap, you always leap.
I, we have my husband, I havethis conversation.
You can't overthink it.
You take a jump.
Hadley Pollet (14:28):
You want to move, you just move so this is the
early 2000s.
Scott Woolley (14:31):
At what point do you start getting into other
items?
Hadley Pollet (14:36):
well, cynthia, cynthia, um, she's now retired.
And you said c O'Connor,o'connor, yeah.
Scott Woolley (14:43):
Because I knew O'Connor's and Martha's Vineyard
.
They own the big inn.
Is this the same oh?
Hadley Pollet (14:47):
no, no, she was in Manhattan.
Tiffany Woolley (14:50):
Okay, good fashion.
Hadley Pollet (14:51):
So she I think it was five weeks before a trade
show in January called me andsaid I'm putting you at because
she would have like a whole rowat the trade show and that's
where a lot of the buyers wouldcome first.
And to start I had a littlecloset of a booth, smaller than
you know than where we'resitting right here.
Scott Woolley (15:12):
Right, right Just belts.
Hadley Pollet (15:14):
And she said to me I'm putting you at the front
of the row, You're the feature.
You need to do bags.
I had five weeks to create bags.
And design them.
Yeah, it was crazy.
And she said I know you can doit.
So I was in New York City innegative six degree weather
designing bags and I did.
(15:35):
I came up with a whole bag linein six weeks, begging them,
begging every of themanufacturers.
You have to make these samplesfor me, please.
I know, I know, I know I'm nota big brand for you, but I will
be.
I promise you, I'll give youthe business.
Cynthia will sell it.
You know this is going to bereally great and they knew who
she was so that helped.
(15:56):
So we got into bags very quickly.
I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn'tsay they were the best bags.
What?
Scott Woolley (16:05):
type of bags were they?
Hadley Pollet (16:07):
They were.
So the canvas tote bags wereamazing and our canvas tote bags
are still great.
And those were inter.
Do you want me to pick that up?
Those were interwoven trims andvery sturdy.
They didn't have any leather.
Now we have a leather detail onthem.
Tiffany Woolley (16:24):
But then we also did laser-cut leather over
canvas, which we have laser-cutbelts and other laser-cut your
clutch that I gave you islaser-cut and I do like just how
the line has stayed somewhattrue to, like the Jacquard, Like
you're incorporating theoriginal designs into the newer
(16:45):
products, Like it's staying ontone.
Hadley Pollet (16:48):
Yes, Thank you.
Yeah, that's very important.
We've had some challenges withthe jacquards for a little while
because a lot of themanufacturers were starting to
use polyester and I was likecheap, cheap, no no, no.
We don't do polyester and nowit's funny, they're coming
around and realizing they can'tsell polyester in Europe.
(17:11):
You know, there are all theseregulations coming back saying,
no, you can't sell plastic.
Tiffany Woolley (17:18):
Right.
Hadley Pollet (17:18):
Yeah, so I really stuck to my guns on that one
and I've been kind of a pain toto some of them that I work with
only a true designer.
Tiffany Woolley (17:26):
Yeah, like that you can't get in the way of
that creative process, right?
You hold true to what you, yourvision is yeah, and you have a.
Hadley Pollet (17:36):
We have a certain quality that we really stick to
and, from consumer perspective,there's also a dialogue that we
like to create, a secretdialogue with our consumers so
that two-finger clutch.
only Tiffany will know that whenshe slides her hand in there,
that there's the trim that shehas on one of our belts Right,
(17:58):
she can feel the texture andjust.
We design our bagsergonomically.
We really think about theproportion of a woman's arm, how
it's going to look on them, howit's going to feel.
Is this something that is goingto become part of her?
Voice Over (18:16):
or is it?
Hadley Pollet (18:17):
something that she's going to really just want
to throw down when she getswhere she's going.
Yeah.
Scott Woolley (18:23):
But you now do bags where people can kind of
create their bag.
Hadley Pollet (18:26):
Well, yes, yes, we do so going to the website
you can select different options.
Tiffany Woolley (18:32):
It's a new personalization process?
I guess right.
Hadley Pollet (18:37):
Yes, and we did try the Personalize your Own
Belt back in 2005, and it wasahead of its time, but I think
Well, I think websites weren'twhere they are today, so that
might have been.
It was Flash.
Scott Woolley (18:51):
Oh.
Hadley Pollet (18:53):
If you know what that is yeah, yeah, yes.
Yeah, so we have the Make yourOwn Bag section, and it really
speaks to the characteristic ofour brand, which is that we want
you to be you.
That's your philosophy, yourfounding philosophy Authenticity
is the highest vibe.
(19:14):
Yeah, we all know that.
That means you love yourself.
So it is a form of love and sowe want you to be you, we want
you to see yourself in ourproducts.
So, you know, we do have storesin Vermont and stores in
California and different storesaround the world that carry our
product, where women might bebohemian or you know it could be
(19:37):
bohemian or preppy, and thebelts really do take on that
vibe.
Tiffany Woolley (19:41):
You can style them in your own style.
Hadley Pollet (19:46):
Yes, and that's the point.
So you really feel like we'reuplifting you and our products
are uplifting you and raisingyour vibe and making you feel
unique.
And right now, there's too muchsameness in the world.
Too much.
What Sameness?
Scott Woolley (20:02):
Yes and right now there's too much sameness in
the world too much.
Tiffany Woolley (20:04):
What sameness?
Yes.
So when I was like researchingfor the podcast and I, you know,
realized that was such a strongphilosophy with you and my
business, I had recently aconversation with a person in
real estate that we do some workwith and we were talking about
like, with all this fast fashionand this cookie cutter, because
(20:25):
we were talking about it inhomes, for example, and
obviously what I do in interiordesign and the way you're doing
in fashion design, you knowyou're wanting it to be unique
and obviously speak to an enduser.
And in this and I was sayinghow my, how my kids, like they
don't even think you wearsomething twice.
You know what I mean.
They're like well, and I waslike years ago people would
(20:47):
collect forever to create theirwardrobe.
You don't just clean out yourcloset.
I mean, it was like youcollected.
And I hope and we do talk aboutthis a lot, it comes up in our
podcast of kind of going back tosome of these old fashion
ideals.
Even we we had somebody who youknow was in the jewelry bit
like going back again, not justthis fast fashion, and really
(21:12):
start to build a wardrobe again.
You know, collect pieces.
Hadley Pollet (21:17):
Yeah, I, we, we do.
We have women that collect ourbelts and our bags and I've had.
I had a really close friend ofmine I knew her mother since I
was little and her mother passedaway and she had no idea.
She went into her mother'scloset and she said Hallie, she
has like 30 of your belts.
I mean, I knew she loved yourbelts, but you know, that must
(21:38):
have felt so good it was really,yeah, that was really touching
to me.
Um sorry, um, but yeah.
So that's definitely the intentbehind the products that we
create is that they last a longtime.
Tiffany Woolley (21:53):
They're timeless in their time.
Aesthetic they really are, Idefinitely.
And I, in their ageless, likeany child, I mean literally from
a teenager to any generation issomebody that could.
I mean on the golf course.
I mean you can pull it to yourown vibe.
Scott Woolley (22:12):
But your line is more than just belts and bags.
You have other items.
Hadley Pollet (22:17):
Yes.
Scott Woolley (22:18):
Tell us about the other items that you have.
Hadley Pollet (22:21):
So we've expanded .
So I love yoga, okay, and so wehave athletic wear now.
Tiffany Woolley (22:28):
Which is a huge thing in the world we live in
now this athleisure generationyeah.
Hadley Pollet (22:34):
Well, I would never do sweatpants.
Tiffany Woolley (22:36):
Right, good for you.
I'm all for that.
I'm on team athleisure, but nosweatpants.
Hadley Pollet (22:41):
I'm with Karl Lagerfeld on that one you need
to rethink your life if you'rewearing sweats.
Yes, I agree, but we do dothese really really bright,
vibrant, you know bra tops andcrop tops and leggings, and they
have inspirational sayings onthe inside to the conversation,
about creating a conversationwith our customers.
(23:04):
So when you put them on itmight say shine bright today or
you are loved, or whatever, onthe inside band of your yoga
pants or bra top.
Tiffany Woolley (23:15):
I love that.
So what is your efforts to getthe line out to the rest of the
world?
I mean, is it through stores,brick and mortar, is it through
social media, or is it?
Scott Woolley (23:28):
online.
Hadley Pollet (23:29):
It's all of the above.
All of the above, yeah.
Scott Woolley (23:32):
I read somewhere that I don't know if this is
correct or not, but like some ofthe big department stores
you've kind of shunned away from.
Hadley Pollet (23:41):
I have.
Scott Woolley (23:41):
Tell us why.
Hadley Pollet (23:43):
Because they're selling the same thing every
year over and over again to thesame group of people.
And whatever I can find there,I can find on Timu.
Scott Woolley (23:54):
Which I think makes your brand much more
unique.
Hadley Pollet (23:57):
Yeah, Also, there's some difficulties with
the department stores right now.
Tiffany Woolley (24:03):
You know, I mean you're right, they're kind
of on their way out.
Hadley Pollet (24:05):
Actually Saks is not paying people yeah.
And they were a big partner ofours, but I you know they're not
paying anybody and as adesigner and a creative, I feel
that creatives should beprotected, not taken advantage
of.
That's so important and thosestores have been taking
(24:29):
advantage of creatives.
They've been building theirbusiness on the backs of
creatives, not paying them ontime, giving them tough terms,
and you know this might be acontroversial thing to say, but
that's.
I've had the experience of itand, um, I don't really care
that it's controversial.
That's what's happening.
And if I were to guide anybody,I don't think it's
(24:49):
controversial, I think we'retrying to get back to a shop.
Tiffany Woolley (24:53):
Small mentality , I mean I, you know the
mass-produced nothings arereally not exciting anymore.
Hadley Pollet (25:01):
No, so, yeah, so we don't sell to any big
department stores, none, and Ireally believe in small partners
around the world that are adestination shop, correct, so?
Tiffany Woolley (25:16):
everybody here knows they have to go to a love
shop.
Scott Woolley (25:18):
Yep, yep, you're right, and those places know
more about the product as well.
Tiffany Woolley (25:23):
Yeah, they know us, they know you, correct they
know the connection, they knowthe love that's put into each
unique piece.
Hadley Pollet (25:31):
Yeah, and they're building community, and I think
everybody needs community,especially right now.
People are thirsting for morecommunity because of technology.
Right now, people are thirstingfor more community because of
technology.
Technology, I mean they, theythink they're finding community
online, but I I think it's muchbetter in person it's true, you
know, and women still lovetrying things on, I agree, and
(25:53):
so you know they want to.
They want their friends to tellthem what looks good and what
doesn't look good and it's anevent yeah that's such a really
beautiful philosophy behind thebrand.
Tiffany Woolley (26:05):
Do you use social media regularly, or
influencers or anything likethat, to continue to build, or
is it mainly the you know, therelationships that you're
building um stores we?
Hadley Pollet (26:16):
use social media.
We don't use a lot ofinfluencers um.
I think that that culture, theculture of influencing, is also
collapsing right now.
Scott Woolley (26:25):
Toxic yeah.
Hadley Pollet (26:27):
And if we do work with anybody that you might
call an influencer, she has tobe using her influence
positively, so she has to bebuilding something for young
girls or influencing a certainlaw that she believes in doing
(26:47):
something, using her voice in away and her platform in a way
that actually creates positivechange specifically for women.
I love that.
Scott Woolley (26:56):
Yeah, so the brand seems to have a lot of
positive direction around it.
Tiffany Woolley (27:04):
It does, it does.
I feel like that's such a hugepart of the brand, it almost
needs more.
That's the founding principle.
What do you see doing?
Are you going to incorporateany other new items in the near
future, or do you stay focusingon the belts and the bags?
Hadley Pollet (27:25):
So our accessories business is the
business that does the most forus monetarily.
We have clothing and otherthings that we do, but people
really love our accessories andI think we're economically at a
point where people are going tostart buying more accessories
and less clothing.
We're just in that kind oftrend.
Tiffany Woolley (27:44):
How do you find following these trends?
How do you stay up to date on,like the industry itself?
Hadley Pollet (27:51):
I'm very intuitive yeah.
Scott Woolley (27:53):
Are you creating your own?
Hadley Pollet (27:55):
Yeah, I'm creating my own.
Scott Woolley (27:56):
That's how I kind of think that you are kind of
creating your own path.
Hadley Pollet (28:00):
Thank you so much for saying that you do it.
Look at the sustainability youhave too.
Scott Woolley (28:06):
I mean.
Tiffany Woolley (28:07):
That's huge to me that you're able to continue
and grow.
I mean, that's what everybodylooks for when you're creating a
brand.
I mean.
20 years is a long time.
Hadley Pollet (28:18):
Yeah, 20 years is a long time and our
sustainability piece happenedbecause we had trouble with a
factory in China.
They were sending us like redbags when we ordered yellow.
Voice Over (28:29):
Yeah, I mean it was crazy, Like the factory only has
red leather.
Hadley Pollet (28:32):
And then we're like, but we didn't like, are
you kidding?
Yeah, so at that moment weactually had to sue them and we
won the lawsuit, the lawsuit,and we were able to, which is
very unusual.
But we had a pivot this reallyclose friend of mine from Peru
he's now a very close friend ofmine, he worked for the Peruvian
(28:54):
government and he reached outto me and said we want you to
come to Peru.
It just happened.
I was so down and out thinkingI cannot believe all these
things are showing up bad and Ihave to sue this factory and
this.
You know, this is terrible andit just happened at the same
moment and we were a littleskittish because, you know, we
were meeting him in like a hotelin Boston and he had these, you
(29:17):
know, bags full of products andhe had to change the
appointment twice and I had myhusband come with me.
And then he said well, you knowbags full of products and he had
to change the appointment twiceand I had my husband come with
me.
And then he said well, you know, we're going to fly you down
there.
And we actually told him well,we need to meet you at the
consulate in New York.
Tiffany Woolley (29:32):
Oh, that's so funny you really protected.
I really felt like I'd beenscammed from previously.
Hadley Pollet (29:38):
So now I've got to really make sure.
Scott Woolley (29:48):
Now he's like a brother to me.
Hadley Pollet (29:49):
I mean he's just like the nicest man and and I
mean he's.
So you're having stuff nowmanufactured and made in Peru.
Yeah, we, we actuallycross-pollinate between lots of
different countries, so but wedo have some things made in Peru
, we have some things made inSoutheast Asia, some things made
in South America, you know, inthe United States.
It just depends.
Tiffany Woolley (30:04):
And I feel like that's fitting with the brand
ethos too.
I mean repopulating and, youknow, bringing good energy into
all those being.
You know economic systems too.
Hadley Pollet (30:16):
Yeah, the economic empowerment piece is
really important to us, so we dovisit every factory that we
work with and we prefer them tobe owned either locally by women
or a family, small family owned, and we make sure the women are
paid equally to their husbands.
We've had instances wherethey're not and I've had to talk
(30:39):
to the husband and say I'mhappy to do business with you
when you pay your wife.
I love that.
Tiffany Woolley (30:47):
So how did that get incorporated, as the
business was growing and youtaking on such a obviously not
only the design role, thecreator role, but taking on that
whole business aspect and doingthese negotiations and
everything Like?
How does that look like?
Hadley Pollet (31:06):
It's very fluid, to be honest with you.
I mean, if we, you know, if wemy husband and I we travel a lot
.
So if we're traveling somewhereand we think that there are,
you know, artisans or peoplethat we want to meet or see, or
we hear about something, then wego and we meet them and see
them.
We do have certain governmentsreach out to us, Like the Indian
(31:27):
government just reached out tome from India to come to like a
textile fair.
So we do have, you know,relationships, you know, and we
have been to different or sortof like organized things like
that which help.
You know, I can't say I do itall.
Voice Over (31:45):
I was going to say what is your team EJ off camera
here?
Hadley Pollet (31:47):
Yeah, he's critical.
My husband's very critical inthe the whole process.
How we met was he was supposedto be my consultant I was being
knocked off and really we werefinding our stuff in chinatown
in new york and it was reallyterrible.
And somebody introduced me toyi zhang, to um, to help with
(32:09):
redesigning the entire line sothat it would not be knocked off
.
And so he says I got a gooddeal so when you're on a date
right away when you sayredesigning the line so it
doesn't get knocked off yeahwhat do you do to redesign a
line so?
so you introduce a lot ofdifferent elements um, like that
(32:32):
about even like the two-fingerslide or different elements into
all of the design that ifsomebody were knocking it off,
they wouldn't even notice it.
Right, and also you create adialogue with your consumer that
they know what's real andwhat's not real.
Right.
So you know whether it be the,the two finger slide on the
(32:55):
clutch that I gave you or um,you know we have bags with
handles that are woven like ajapanese sword.
Oh, so cool or um, you know, Ihave a bag over there that, um,
the tassel is hand beaded intaiwan and the bag is made, you
know, in South America and thetextiles are made in Europe.
(33:15):
Wow, they really are qualityit's really cross pollinating
different countries and whattheir strengths are as well.
Scott Woolley (33:25):
So these different elements are being
made in different locations.
So then, they're all beingbrought to one location for it
to be assembled.
Hadley Pollet (33:33):
And is that here, either the United States or, if
I think, you know there's aplace that's better, then we go
there.
Scott Woolley (33:42):
Yeah, yeah so from a retail standpoint and the
products being sold.
Is it throughout the UnitedStates?
Where could like the audiencefind your?
Hadley Pollet (33:54):
I I would love it if they went to our website
first yeah, but um, there arealso a lot of small stores, so
in places like nantucket and thevineyard, and shopping little
districts, yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (34:06):
yeah, there are a lot of small stores, yeah,
but like you said too, californCalifornia has that little, you
know, like the bohemian side,that they can fit right on into
as well.
Hadley Pollet (34:15):
Yeah, I would say the East Coast, california,
illinois and Texas have alwaysbeen kind of like our biggest
areas.
South, where people love brightcolor.
I mean, I really I do believecolor is energy and I think
people in the South understandthat more For sure.
Scott Woolley (34:36):
No, your line is very colorful.
It is and it has.
Tiffany Woolley (34:39):
I mean, I think it is a preppiness to it too.
Hadley Pollet (34:42):
Yeah, which I love.
I mean, I grew up in New Canaan.
Yeah, exactly, we're thepreppiest of prep.
Tiffany Woolley (34:47):
Exactly, and I love that.
But yet they have a whimsy too.
Hadley Pollet (34:52):
Thank you, that can be incorporated.
Yeah, and we sell in othercountries as well.
The Japanese love cute thingsand we have occasionally this
one store that will pick up oneof everything in the line.
They really get uniqueness, sowe can't make them stick to the
minimums.
It's like I just want one ofeverything, okay.
(35:14):
That's fine, because ourcustomers don't want to look
like anyone else.
Right, which I love.
Tiffany Woolley (35:21):
Yeah, I bet.
Hadley Pollet (35:23):
Yeah, if I could do that for every store, that
would be great.
Tiffany Woolley (35:26):
So do you typically still go to markets to
sell the line we?
Hadley Pollet (35:31):
don't, you don't, I don't think the markets are
working anymore.
Okay, so what makes you, whenyou've said like Well.
Scott Woolley (35:37):
I think the markets have kind of dwindled
away in terms of the amount ofpeople that are attending.
Hadley Pollet (35:42):
Yeah, they'll just go on.
We have a wholesale section ofour site and people can just you
know they can the stores canjust log on and they can order.
Yeah, if they have anyquestions we have you know
salespeople they can talk to andif they want to see samples,
we're happy to send them samples.
Tiffany Woolley (36:01):
Wow, so you really, what does your team look
like?
Hadley Pollet (36:03):
today we have just a few salespeople.
You don't really need that many, so we have three and yeah, and
then it's Yi jung and I and adesign assistant, and that's it,
yeah but someone's doingmarketing because your website
has a lot of good photographyyeah and sort of.
You know well, that's modelsyou guys, I I cannot take credit
(36:27):
for all of it.
I mean as I, my husband reallyis a huge part of this business.
He takes all the photographs.
Scott Woolley (36:35):
Oh, really Amazing.
Hadley Pollet (36:37):
And designs.
Scott Woolley (36:38):
He's here in the studio with us.
He's here in the studio.
Hadley Pollet (36:43):
He's always the quiet, humble one in the corner.
I love that.
But yeah, all the design work.
Everything is collaborative, soeverything work.
Everything is collaborative, soeverything that we do is
collaborative.
Ej has a branding company,uh-huh Okay, and because I
worked in branding before,sometimes I help him on projects
for his branding company.
Tiffany Woolley (37:04):
Right, yeah, we collaborate on everything Are
you looking to grow the brand?
Hadley Pollet (37:09):
Yes, I'm looking to grow the brand always.
Tiffany Woolley (37:12):
Okay, okay, yeah, I know, because I feel
like there's so many little likeback to this boutique shopping
and, you know, shopping small,which I know there's like a
certain Saturday every year,that's like shop small or
something that they're like kindof promoting and I just feel
(37:32):
like like this has so many homesthat could be, you know,
nestled into it yeah, we'realways looking to grow the brand
and we're always looking forgood new partners.
Scott Woolley (37:40):
And yeah, so what's the price point of um we
started?
Hadley Pollet (37:44):
originally they were 98 at retail and we've been
able to hold them at 115.
I don't know how that's goingto go with tariffs, but we're
trying to hold steady at 115concern the tariffs, have you
(38:08):
seen any?
I haven't nothing yet.
Yeah, we't.
I think we will see.
You know, I don't know, I don'tknow if it could change.
Scott Woolley (38:17):
We haven't seen it in our business whatsoever at
all and we're actually hearingyou know from some manufacturers
and vendors some of the priceshave come down just a slight bit
yeah.
Hadley Pollet (38:28):
Well, there is negotiating room for negotiation
now Definitely.
Yeah, yeah, well, there isnegotiating room for negotiation
.
Definitely, yeah, um, and ourmost expensive bag is probably.
It's a huge tote bag with thetrims all intertwined and that's
around 1700.
So it really just depends onwhat you mean.
If you want a bra top, it'sunder 100 you know, it depends
(38:50):
on what.
Scott Woolley (38:50):
It's a pretty good.
Hadley Pollet (38:52):
It is price line yeah, if you want a makeup bag
or makeup bags, I think are, youknow, around fifty dollars.
It just depends on what you,what you want to buy from us.
We have a really wide range andthat's intentional.
Um, you know, if you could, I,I want people to be able to get
a piece of the brand.
If they want a piece of thebrand, yeah, so what is the
(39:12):
website?
Scott Woolley (39:13):
Because people should go to the website who are
listening, because it's quitean interesting fun scroll
through to see all of your itemsand the colors and the fabrics,
and so forth.
Tiffany Woolley (39:25):
Oh, totally, and I truly do remember seeing
it in Love Shack.
I mean, they're memorablepieces and they're so unique, oh
, thank you.
Hadley Pollet (39:35):
It's um HadleyPollettcom, which is
H-A-D-L-E-Y-P-O-L-L-E-Tcom.
Tiffany Woolley (39:45):
Yeah, so who fulfills the order, like the
custom orders, like what's thetime frame on a custom order or
the customization process?
Hadley Pollet (39:54):
So we tell people three to four weeks.
Tiffany Woolley (39:57):
Okay, that's pretty quick and reasonable.
Hadley Pollet (39:59):
Usually they're done faster.
Yeah, seven to ten days.
Tiffany Woolley (40:03):
Do you do any monogramming or anything like
that?
Hadley Pollet (40:06):
We can do monogramming.
I don't have that.
It's interesting.
I've been thinking aboutputting that on the
customization piece and thenletting people pick their tassel
.
That's another thing.
We're just adding littledetails now, but we can do
monogramming yes, which is agreat idea.
Tiffany Woolley (40:25):
And like when do you in your own creative
process for the brand?
When do you decide, like it'stime, like you got into yoga, so
like the yoga line came inbrand.
When do you decide, like it'stime, like you got into yoga, so
like the yoga line came in.
Like when do you say, oh, it'stime to add to it.
And what does that process looklike for you?
Hadley Pollet (40:41):
Well, there are certain touch points of a
woman's life, like a Hadleywoman, that we talk about
internally, and so where can wetouch her in different places of
her life?
Scott Woolley (40:52):
What's a Hadley woman?
Hadley Pollet (40:53):
Exactly.
So tell us more about theHadley woman.
Okay, so she's very empowered.
That probably would be thenumber one.
She's very empowered.
She understands that her soulis unique and she likes to
express that, and she likes toexpress that she loves color.
(41:14):
She likes things that aredifferent.
She also does things like goesto yoga, you know, likes to shop
, takes care yeah, takes care ofherself, sees dressing up every
day as a form of creativity.
So she might go to Aspen in thewinter and she might be in
(41:38):
Greenwich during fall and spring, and then she might be in
Nantucket in the summer so shemight play tennis a lot, she
might play golf.
We do have some Hadley womenthat love horseback riding,
because our belts are soft.
Tiffany Woolley (41:53):
You know, they would be so cute with riding
pants.
I mean, they really have somuch character.
But understated too, it can goboth ways.
Hadley Pollet (42:02):
Yeah, yeah.
And you know they have thatuniform they wear and the only
thing they can change is theirbelt, so it's a form of
expression for them, yeah, yeah.
So we talk internally aboutwhat does she do?
Where does she travel?
Does she travel to the south offrance in the summer, does she?
You know where does she go.
What does she need?
You know what's going to helpher.
(42:23):
I had a woman at yoga the otherday who came to we did this
really fun event in greenwich ayear ago with this kind of
high-end little cafe and shepopped by and bought a belt and
she got out of her car we weregoing into yoga and she said I
just took that belt for sixweeks to Europe with me and she
(42:46):
said I have to tell you that isthe best thing I've ever had.
I wore it this way, I wore itthis way, I wore it that way,
and so we do think about thatthat.
You know they have a, you knowa lifestyle where they travel a
lot and they need pieces thatstand out and something that's
easy, are interchangeable alittle bit.
Tiffany Woolley (43:03):
You can use it with multiple different dresses
or shorts.
Hadley Pollet (43:08):
Yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (43:09):
I know the belts are really sweet.
Shorts yeah, I know the beltsare really sweet.
So how did the design of likethe jacquard become?
Hadley Pollet (43:17):
like the signature part of the line.
Well, we started with thevintage trims and it's funny, I
gave a talk at my school that Iwent to my boarding school and
they wanted to find out about,like how I became who I am
basically.
And I was pulling up picturesone day and realized when I was
three, you wore this belt, I hadthese jacquard trims on my
(43:40):
little robe that I wore at thebeach.
And then my mom always tellsthis story where we moved into a
new house and there was thiswallpaper that was like bright
flowers and she just wanted torip it off the walls and I mean
I screamed at her do not takethese flowers off my wall.
You know, like so I really youknow that's kind of where they
(44:02):
were, like a comfort thing foryou.
Tiffany Woolley (44:03):
It's just a part of me.
Hadley Pollet (44:04):
Yeah, it really is, and so I really just loved
the whole thing, and so when Iwas sourcing the vintage ones, I
knew that was going to become asignature of ours.
Yeah.
Tiffany Woolley (44:15):
Where else do you look for inspiration?
Nature?
Voice Over (44:20):
Yeah, nature.
Hadley Pollet (44:21):
Yes, all the color combos that we use come
from pictures that I've taken.
Scott Woolley (44:25):
Oh.
Hadley Pollet (44:26):
Yeah, I probably.
If you open my camera rollyou'd see, you know, moss and
flowers and bugs and animals andyou know sunsets and yeah.
I take a walk twice a day withmy dog and I take pictures the
(44:46):
whole time so how many times ayear do you curate or go to, you
know, create new collections?
Scott Woolley (44:54):
Do you follow the seasons or follow like the
industry?
Hadley Pollet (44:57):
We are always creating, you are.
Tiffany Woolley (45:00):
Yeah, always.
So when, like, do you uploadnew things like literally all
the time, All the time, Wow.
Hadley Pollet (45:07):
Yeah, yeah, as a creative, and I think that the
easiest way to stay clear-mindedand fresh is to keep creating.
Scott Woolley (45:18):
True, so I just keep creating, we keep creating
From a business standpoint,because we have a dear friend
who, in a crazy way, he's beenin many different businesses and
he went to Vegas and got offthe plane with these three women
.
He was with friends and theysaw the magic show and they were
like, let's go to theconvention, let's go see the
(45:39):
fashion, and by mistake theycreated a fashion line and just
going to the show, by mistake.
Tiffany Woolley (45:47):
Well, when you first yes, when he started by
mistake, he started by mistake.
Scott Woolley (45:51):
But mistake, he started by mistake.
But you didn't start by mistake.
But when you first started, thefirst like sales that you got
was was there like a lot ofpressure, concern, like I.
Hadley Pollet (46:05):
I didn't feel pressure, but when I was in PR
public relations before that andwhen you're selling a story, my
forte in the public relationsdepartment was getting people
press.
And so when you're sellingsomething to a publication that
gets I don't know how many callsa day, you have to figure out
(46:31):
what they need.
They need it, how they need it,what that person is like right
and then you sell it.
So I'm very good at reading atthe target yeah, yeah.
I'm very, very good at thetarget and analyzing, kind of
like, okay, this store I know aidoes all this for you now maybe
, but you know this really thisis what they need.
(46:54):
So there is a lot of analyticalkind of component that goes
into it.
But for the first two stores Iwasn't afraid.
But maybe I wasn't afraidbecause I was pitching USA Today
and the New York Times.
Scott Woolley (47:09):
Was there a point where you felt like, okay, I've
got this going and this isreally starting to work?
Hadley Pollet (47:17):
Once I had a sales partner because before
that I was wearing too many hats.
Scott Woolley (47:21):
Right.
Hadley Pollet (47:21):
And that's very hard.
You really need people thatknow more than you do that can
lift you up, and I think that'sreally important, um, as opposed
to feeling like you have to doeverything all the time right
yeah, so I I've had momentswhere I've I've felt like oh wow
(47:42):
, this is really big, how did itget this far?
Like I've had those kind ofmoments right you know um, but
I'm, I'm very willful.
Would you ever want to?
Tiffany Woolley (47:51):
open your own store Brick and Mortar.
Voice Over (47:54):
I would you do Because, like I mean and I think
of this.
Tiffany Woolley (47:57):
you know, like, as like Stony Clover, Are you
familiar with that brand?
Yeah, you know, and it's, andmy husband has a friend who does
it in like the sports world andwhere they add patches.
I feel like this has such asimilar concept.
Where you come into this cutestore, it becomes like an
afternoon activity and youcreate something unique.
(48:21):
Between the vintage ribbons andthe tassel, you kind of can put
together your own signaturepiece.
Hadley Pollet (48:29):
I would love that , and I have certain places that
I like the store first.
So where do you?
Think that would be the firstplace I want.
One is, um, uh, saint bart's.
Oh, that would be amazing thewhole fashion industry just like
descends on there and I justremember like buying this bag
really well during new year'seve at that time.
(48:50):
Yeah, I just like to pop upthere, even for like a season,
and see how it goes Well, andthat's what's so cool is pop-up
is a thing now.
I think that would be brilliant.
Tiffany Woolley (48:59):
Even Palm Beach Delray, I feel like you could
explode.
Yeah, it's like, how much doyou want to explode really?
Hadley Pollet (49:07):
We want to explode.
Scott Woolley (49:08):
Everything that you talk about your brand and
what you just said a few minutesago about what your average
customer or your client lookslike Palm Beach fits really well
.
Tiffany Woolley (49:21):
I know that I really feel so strongly that it
really goes the gamut for agesyou really could have, from
little tweens all the way tograndmas.
I mean that would appreciateand enjoy.
You know the newest bag?
Scott Woolley (49:40):
Yes, you know, I was mentioning about this friend
who started this brand.
I know one of the biggestthings that he ran into problems
with and I think a lot of ithad to do with because he went
to big retailers is inventory.
Do you have to keep a lot or doyou keep a lot of it had to do
with because he went to big?
Hadley Pollet (49:56):
retailers his inventory.
Do you have to keep a lot or?
Scott Woolley (49:58):
do you keep a lot ?
Hadley Pollet (49:58):
of inventory.
We try not to.
Yeah, we really try not to.
We did have a problem withinventory at one point, um,
because you had too much or notenough.
It's the minimums, right.
I think that the factories,they have these ridiculous
minimums.
I gave a speech about this inPeru, about the problems in
retail and all the elements thatcause problems.
You know, part one is minimumsright, well, minimums.
Scott Woolley (50:22):
And then, if you're seasonal, or you're
changing with the season, andnow the season's changed and
you've got all this inventory.
Hadley Pollet (50:31):
It's not sustainable and I don't think
that the future is going to liein these minimums.
We just had somebody I was.
We've been designing thesereally beautiful, almost like
pashmina, like shawls.
That's another great and onefactory who we met at an event
(50:53):
said to me oh, you can orderwhatever quantities you want.
And I thought, okay, that'sgreat, because we're going to
test these you know I I'm notgoing to order thousands right
off the bat.
I want to know that they'regoing to do well.
And then he came back to meyesterday asking me for, like I
don't't even know, $3,000 forone color, and I just emailed
(51:16):
him back.
You know, philippe, you changedyour tune here.
And this is not sustainable.
This doesn't align with ourbrand.
You know, if you want to workwith us, this is how we work.
And it's that simple right andat this moment in time
everything's on sale.
I mean, saks is on saleyesterday for 70% off.
I've never seen Saks on salefor 70% off right, yeah, so what
(51:40):
does that?
Mean.
So that means, there's too muchstuff.
Scott Woolley (51:43):
Yeah.
Hadley Pollet (51:44):
There's too much stuff and people aren't buying
all this sameness all over theplace, all over.
And so there is a big reckoninghappening right now and we just
happen to be ahead of the curve, you know, in not taking
people's minimums, as you know,at face value.
(52:05):
So if you want to work with usand you want the reputation of
working with our brand and theyou know panache of working with
our brand, then you know youhave to meet the minimums that
we want you to meet right, yeah,so what did philippe say?
he came back and said how do wework together?
Tiffany Woolley (52:22):
I like that.
Yeah, because I think addingthe shawl component would be
amazing right your aesthetic.
Hadley Pollet (52:28):
I I'm thinking weddings.
Now, like all my friends,daughters are starting to get
married and I feel like it wouldbe great for brides to design
bags for their, for their, youknow what a great idea yeah, for
their bridesmaids and and um,and give them pashminas.
You know they could be initialedor they could have their theme
on them.
So I mean they would beHadlefied, like you know, they'd
(52:52):
have the Hadley aspect to them.
But you know, I do think thatthere's like kind of this whole
other, because they're reallyexpressing themselves at their,
you know, at this moment in time, which is a sacred moment when
they're getting married and, youknow, start, you know, kind of
pivoting into a new life.
So wouldn't it be fun to helpthem express themselves through,
(53:13):
you know, some reallyinteresting things?
Scott Woolley (53:15):
So yeah, so at any one given time, like right
now, how many different SKUs,how many different items do you
have on the site?
Hadley Pollet (53:22):
Oh gosh, I don't know, 100, 200?
Oh we probably have 200 SKUsright now.
Scott Woolley (53:27):
I would say that's a lot of SKUs.
Hadley Pollet (53:35):
Yeah, now I would say yeah, yeah, but we don't
have too much of everything,right?
Yeah, and yeah, it's a goodvariety.
Scott Woolley (53:39):
Yeah, it's enough so that you can see a whole
lifestyle.
Hadley Pollet (53:40):
yeah, we want you to see the entire lifestyle,
like the the event I was talkingabout that we did in greenwich,
because it was at this high-endcafe and he has has really
beautiful foods and stuff.
We launched a home line, so wetook his really Like towels or
placemats or.
Tiffany Woolley (54:00):
Placemats table runners, tablecloths, beautiful
.
Hadley Pollet (54:05):
Yeah, and I used the lotus theme for all the
products because I felt like theworld needed peace and so I was
feeling.
I had been to Taiwan Say that.
Felt like the world neededpeace, and so I was feeling.
Scott Woolley (54:13):
I had been to Taiwan.
Say that again.
The world needs peace.
Hadley Pollet (54:16):
Peace and the lotus flowers about coming out
of the darkness into the lightand peace.
So there was a whole lotustheme at this event and he has
these big window seats withthese just very bland pillows on
the bottom, you know, just thebottom, the bottom, and I
thought I mean, if we're doingan event here.
(54:36):
We need like we need some colorand we need right right, so I
did pillow pillows, and thosepillows would be amazing too.
Yeah, they're on our site.
Yeah, so I saw that yeah, so wetransformed the whole space
into you.
You know Hadlefied.
Scott Woolley (54:52):
So when I first went to your website and looked
through it and Tiffany looked atit right after me.
Yeah, I'm going to tell you,the first thing when I kind of
walked away, that came into mymind, came into your sight, was
three words yeah, peace, loveand happiness.
Oh, it kind of has that vibeand feel to it.
Hadley Pollet (55:10):
Oh, thank you.
I don't know if I'm off trackthere.
No, you are.
You're on track, you'recompletely on track.
Scott Woolley (55:16):
That's exactly how I felt when I walked away
from the screen, going peace,love and happiness.
It's kind of how you feel whenyou see everything.
Hadley Pollet (55:22):
Thank you.
You see all your items.
That's really.
That's a big compliment.
Thank you so much.
I truly did.
Tiffany Woolley (55:32):
And they all are so purposeful.
You know each piece is sopurposeful and unique, which you
know we're all wanting purposeand to be our own authentic self
.
So I think it's really special.
Scott Woolley (55:47):
I design lab.
I always have to ask thequestion do you love designing I
?
Hadley Pollet (55:52):
love it.
I mean have to ask the questiondo you love designing?
I love it.
I mean any kind of creativity,but I think designing is, for me
, the ultimate form ofcreativity, and creativity is
authenticity, Right.
Tiffany Woolley (56:06):
I know and I feel like we get to hear so many
wonderful stories and it's sofunny, as these shows evolve and
we talk to people, how manypeople really do get to end up
doing what they love.
You design a life around whatyou love and you took that leap,
(56:30):
leaving what you studied andeverything like that, and were
able to truly take your passionand create something really
special and unique and make itcontinue for 20 years.
I mean to me that's a reallyprofound legacy oh, thank you.
Hadley Pollet (56:48):
Yeah, I mean I my hope is is that a lot of women
that we touch get inspired thatway and do that for themselves?
I know yeah, I mean, that'sreally the hope.
Yeah, even the artisans that wework with, we have an artisan
training program and you knowwe'll drop into a country and
train them and teach them whatdo you mean?
Scott Woolley (57:10):
an artist in training program?
What do you mean by that?
Hadley Pollet (57:13):
We train artisans in different countries, so
we'll drop in and we'll, youknow, depending on the group
that we're working with, theymight pull together 10 to 30
artisans and a lot of them workin silos, so they might just
make baskets or they make, youknow.
But we talk to them aboutcross-pollinate,
cross-pollinating with othertechnologies, and you know,
(57:36):
we'll look, do an evaluation ofall their products, um, look at
their brands, um, and see, youknow, teach them where they can,
you know, do better and how tosell internationally, and and
all of that is just really abouta matriarchal point of view of
(57:56):
business which is just upliftingeverybody, right?
I don't have to extract what Ineed from you and run and run.
Tiffany Woolley (58:04):
I love that.
Hadley Pollet (58:05):
I have knowledge and information to impart to you
that will help your economygrow and help the women and
children in your in, in yourarea, for the future, yeah yeah,
thrive, yeah, really reallybeautiful story.
Tiffany Woolley (58:21):
Well, thank you for joining us today on the I
design lab podcast.
I know and everybody, please gocheck out hadley, paulette or
paette if you want the Frenchway.
Dot com.
Hadley Pollet (58:35):
Dot com.
Thank you so much.
This was so lovely.
It's so much fun.
Voice Over (58:41):
Welcome.
Idesign Labs podcast is an SWGroup production in association
with the Five Star and TWInteriors.
To learn more about iDesign Labor TW Interiors, please visit
twinteriorscom.
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