214 – Blake Smith of Cladwell – Inherently Human

Daily outfit recommendations app... Blake Smith, Founder/CEO of Cladwell (a clothing company that doesn't sell clothing, with an app that allows you to get daily outfit recommendations, track your outfits, discover the right items, and buy fewer things, all without taking a single photo) joins Pavan Bahl, Marc Raco and Rob Sanchez in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser. Fashion vs. humanity, too much clothing but not enough to wear, and a clothing fiduciary Smith discusses that most of fashion industry is focused on the moment you purchase. Humanity focuses on when you wear the apparel. Cladwell algorithmically captures your clothing and recommends what to wear for variety, weather, occasion and more. Then make recommendations, with the theme being too much clothing and nothing to wear. Why one can’t shop one’s way out of the problem of having too much clothing and nothing to wear. The monthly subscription, playing a “clothing fiduciary”, how Cladwell curated some 10,000 items that are similar to what people have in their closets, and segmenting people. Strategy, buying patterns, a role as a product leader Cladwell’s capsules, and intriguing capsule names, how they came out of the 500 Startups accelerator and raised $1.5M seed round, accost of acquisition lower than lifetime value, why Smith is not hot on affiliates, and the worst thing to hear when selling. A bet that is hedging the growth of the fashion industry, the trend of white glove services who come to home to go through closets and up cycles clothing and makes suggestions. Cladwell as a product leader not customer service or price leader---but they can all coexist in ecosystem. A mission of growth vs. acquisition, producing content for other brands who share it. Sustainability, Beavis and Butthead, and exploring the world via books The impact on sustainability, and solutions of not buying clothes you wont wear, getting rid of clothes, facilitating clothing swaps. Off the Grid Questions cover the biggest at 7 years old involving “Beavis and Butthead” and a big confession, resulting in a foundational value of being up front, exploring the world through books, home schooling, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, and a “Game of Thrones” final thought.