Vanguard by Shopify Studios
How unexplored communities and unexpected subcultures make money today.
Episodes
Bear Witness is a co-founder of A Tribe Called Red, a Canadian DJ collective that blends hip hop and EDM with traditional pow wow drums and vocals. As a teen, Bear was part of the local rave scene. He began to wonder what raves would look like if they had a more focused goal. In response, he created A Tribe Called Red.
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Additi...
Estefania Rodriguez is the founder of Brewbles Studio, a bath and body shop that sells products based on nostalgia and Latinx culture. Estefania began making bath bombs as a form of self-care and a way to manage her mental illness. To make ends meet, she started selling them. And the business took off...fast. This is what happened next.
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Social Profiles
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producer...
Gloria Noto is the founder of NOTO Botanics, an all-natural, multi-use, gender-fluid cosmetic line committed to activism and giving back back. After almost 10 years as a makeup artist, Gloria decided to start a company focused on making the beauty and wellness space more inclusive.
Store
Social Profiles
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Phoebe Wang
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman Iddams...
Bibi Bakare-Yusuf is the publishing director of Cassava Republic Press and Ankara Press. After launching a publishing company to offer a platform for contemporary African writers, Bibi had another idea: why not start a romance novel-imprint that put black women at the center of the story? This is what happened next.
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Recommended
Jacque Amadi is the head magical girl of Adorned By Chi, a lifestyle business based on anime-inspired fashion. Jacque is quick to admit she runs her business with emotion first, facts and figures second. An approach that wouldn’t scale. But after launching the Adorned By Chi manga, a comic about Nigerian university students with magical super powers, Jacque’s ready for her next act: Licensing deals inspired by the Adorned By Chi br...
George Giaouris is the owner of Northbound Leather. While working in his family's leather business, George saw an opportunity to support queer and kink-friendly customers who had a profound connection with leather, like he did. Over the last 30 years, George turned the business into the premier destination for bespoke leather fashion and fetish wear.
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Patrick Boateng II is the CEO and founder of Ceylon by Anim Labs. When Patrick was working overseas in Asia, he had it all: a stable job, opportunities for travel. But when he started having problems with his skin, Patrick realized that most skincare products weren’t made with black men in mind. Solving a problem for himself and in turn, others, he decided to leave his job and start a skin-care line for men of color.
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Tania Larsson is a maker of Gwich’in fine jewelry. When she was 15, Tania left France and moved to Northern Canada to learn more about her Gwich’in heritage. The learning curve was steep, but Tania began making and selling jewelry created through traditional Gwich’in techniques, and her work has been featured in one of the most influential fashion magazines in the world: Vogue
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<...Melanie Elturk is the CEO of Haute Hijab, a brand that makes high fashion hijabs. Melanie left a successful legal career to launch a global brand dedicated to the hijab. This is how she came to that decision.
Store
Social Profiles
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Phoebe Wang
Natalie Plourde
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Senior Supervising Producer
Tammi Dow...
Vivian Kaye is the CEO of KinkyCurlyYaki, a brand that makes premium textured hair extensions for Black women. When Vivian saw an opportunity to start a business that celebrates black beauty, she went all in, and grew it into a million-dollar company. This is how it happened.
Store
Social Profiles
Recommended
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Prod...
Here’s a sneak peek of our second season.
Noah Kloeze is one of three worker-owners of Gender Gear, a collective that sells gender confirming products for trans and gender variant people. After an uncomfortable encounter at their physical location, the collective had to radically rethink their business. This is what happened.
Store: Gender Gear, Come As You Are
Recommended: Feist, Peaches
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michelle Macklem
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman Iddamsett...
Jerry Parrino is the owner of The Horror Dome. By the time he was 46, Jerry was burning out from a thankless day job. He decided to quit and bet everything on his dream of running a Halloween-based side business. How did he come to that decision?
Store: The Horror Dome
Recommended: Big Foot Claim a Fake, Ex-Enthusiast Says
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michelle Macklem
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Senior Supervising Prod...
Tamara Malas is the maker of a luxury plus womenswear collection offering clothes up to a size 32. Tamara was living the dream working in high-end fashion, but the body shaming and fatphobia of the industry was too much to bear. How did she recover from her trauma and launch a luxury clothing line for the truly plus?
Store: Tamara Malas
Recommended: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Curvy Con
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Prod...
Zainab Akhtar is the publisher of ShortBox, a mail order box for independent comic books. Zainab wanted to change the way independent comics were sold but as a visibly Muslim woman, her efforts were often dismissed. How did she enter a market designed to exclude her?
Store: ShortBox
Recommended: Thought Bubble, Critical Chips, Toni Morrison’s quote on race
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michelle Macklem
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman ...
Arianna Gil is the cofounder of Brujas, a Bronx-based skate crew and streetwear brand dedicated to radical political action. But the politics behind their clothes are often overlooked by mainstream gatekeepers and too radical for social media. How do they get their message out?
Store: Brujas
Recommended: 1971, F2L, The Attica Prison Riot
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michelle Macklem
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Senior S...
Vanity is the cofounder of Wigs by Vanity, the makers of luxury synthetic lace front wigs for drag queens. Vanity quickly cornered the drag market, but her business was always a side hustle. What made her decide to go full-time?
Store: Wigs by Vanity
Recommended: RuPaul’s Drag Race, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michelle Macklem
Emma Fedderson
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Senior Supervising Producer
Tammi...
Anne Ishii is the co-founder of MASSIVE GOODS, an agency and lifestyle brand featuring art from queer and feminist artists from Japan. In a single year, Anne suffered two tragic losses — any one of them would have destroyed her business. How did she survive the impossible?
Store: MASSIVE GOODS
Recommended: Gengoroh Tagame, Opening Ceremony, New York Art Book Fair, Toronto Comic Art Festival
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michel...
Courtney Alexander is the maker of Dust II Onyx: A Melanated Tarot, a Tarot deck designed for a black audience. Dust II Onyx was an instant hit, but the emotional toll of success almost destroyed Courtney. Was it worth it?
Store: Dust II Onyx
Recommended: University of South Florida, Wangechi Mutu, The Hoodwitch, Dust II Onyx: An Interview With Courtney Alexander
Host
Anshuman Iddamsetty
Producers
Michelle Macklem
Emma Fedderson
An...
Vanguard by Shopify Studios explores the human stories of entrepreneurship from unexpected corners of our current moment.
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