Founder Interview - Nancy Taylor
Q&A with the CEO of époque évolution
Company Quick Facts
Founded: 2016
Industry: Fashion & Apparel
Location: Larkspur, CA
Tagline: fashion evolved
Website: epoqueevolution.com
Social: @epoqueevolution
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 from Larkspur, CA
ZK: Tell us about the moment you knew you had to launch époque évolution?
NT: My co-founder, Hannah, and I hadn’t seen each other in a while. She was living overseas and we decided on a whim to meet up in Morocco. So I arrived for this trip with a suitcase, with what I thought was a reasonable amount of clothes, and then Hannah showed up with just a backpack. And I was shocked, because we were going to be spending time in the desert, in the mountains.
So this got us talking about how great it would be to have a wardrobe that was complete with functional fashion that you can wash, have fit in a small compartment, and have it perform for everything that you might need. We had both come out of the activewear industry where we had worked together, and we realized there was a need for fashion that functioned for the modern way of living.
Our mantra became that we don’t need to design six pairs of black pants – we just need to make the one pair of pants she can’t wear enough. Whether you’re going to a meeting, or a dinner, we all have that one piece that we go back to time and time again. That is what we set out to design, with the rule being our pieces have to be simple, easy to wear, not-fussy, and machine or hand washable.
ZK: I love that story and the inspiration for the brand. Take us more through the past few years – no entrepreneurial journey is complete without its share of ups and downs. What’s it been like for you, Hannah, and the team?
NT: In the beginning, we were literally operating out of the downstairs of my San Anselmo home. And, I’ll never forget, we were about a week away from launching when we learned the main factory we were working with was going through a bankruptcy and hadn’t told us. As a startup, you have to pay for these arrangements ahead of time– so the factory had our money, and then the communication went silent. It took us about eight weeks to figure out what was going on – ultimately, they did get purchased and we figured out a way to power through it – but even making it through that very beginning was a challenge!
Our first year was all about testing, bringing items to market we thought our customers wanted, and then figuring out if that was actually the case. By the end of that year, we had some initial successes with our products, but this brought on a different problem – inventory. We had difficulty supplying enough of our popular items. We carried forward so many of the lessons from that first year to inform our future.
ZK: Tell us more about the feedback loop with your direct-to-consumer model – how does it inform your design work?
NT: As we developed and matured our supply chain, we were able to find incredible partners. And this now allows us to run smaller units for testing, so we can put a product out there and gain feedback on it quite quickly. We’ve also evolved to the stage where we can pre-sell new products two to three weeks before release, which gives us an early read, and then if sales are taking off, we can have our partners ramp up production.
We’re also getting valuable feedback from customers on platforms like Instagram and adopting a data-driven marketing program with heavy reliance on our CRM and utilizing tools like Tableau to really understand our customers.
ZK: Can you share more about your approach to the supply chain?
NT: For us, it’s about having a responsible supply chain, and that means looking at the whole picture. It’s not just the raw materials that you use, but it’s also the people sewing the garments, how we ship to the customer, and all of these other components. We won’t produce in any factory that I have not personally set foot in, which has increased our challenge during COVID, but is so very important for us.
I was once touring a new factory we were looking at and was amazed – they were taking all the scraps from everything that was cut, separating out the fabric, and putting them into a reuse program. Then, they were taking the tiny little pieces of paper that were cut and putting those in a recycling program. This is how they were operating with every garment and those are the partners we want to work with, where we know how those employees are treated and we know what their standards and practices are. We’re always striving to do even better and complete a quarterly review of all of these practices to make sure we’re improving.
ZK: You previously were a design leader at Athleta and participated in the rise of that company in Petaluma. What did that experience teach you about growing a business here in the North Bay?
NT: I loved working at Athleta – it was such an amazing ride and I have so much gratitude for that experience and learned so much working with such a successful company. The North Bay location was a key attribute for me. Personally, I didn’t want to commute to the city or go down to Silicon Valley. Working at Athleta, I had the chance to ride my bike from San Anselmo to Petaluma two or three days a week – that was my commute and I loved it! And, for Marin or Sonoma residents, having that opportunity is unique for those fortunate enough to work in the North Bay.
ZK: What does it mean to you to be a Marin entrepreneur? What type of culture are you driving in your local enterprise?
NT: Part of our DNA is to work with people who have families and offer flexibility around that. We have a lot of moms that have young children working at around 60 to 70% of full-time, and we respect their boundaries for when they are not working. When I worked in the corporate world, it was more that you either had a full-time career or you stayed at home, and you couldn’t really bring your home life into the workplace. That was a different time, and I think the approach we’ve adopted really is a better way to do business.
We also work a lot with high school and college students as part of our fulfillment operations. It’s such a joy working with the local community to bring young, bright people into our operation, and I am learning things all the time from them. I love how they ask questions and bring a fresh perspective on everything we are doing, and it’s an important part of our culture to have our workforce so tied in to this community.
Zachary Kushel is Founder & Managing Partner of Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures.
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