I met James O’Brien, Co-Founder of ShaveFace, during New York Fashion Week Men’s. He came up to tell me about how ShaveFace was going to change the way I shave: if I were to use their denim strop and sharpen my blades, I’d have better shaves, pay less for new blades, and their shaving creams were better than anything I’d used before. I left skeptical, but promised to try the sample of shaving cream.
Back at my Airbnb the host and I both tried the shaving cream… and were surprised! My face felt hydrated even though I had not used aftershave. Even more surprising was my Airbnb host who said that he almost always gets razor burn from shaving and was amazed that his face felt good! With a personal testimonial to back the brand I scheduled a call to learn more.
ShaveFace cofounders, Casey Perkal, left, and James O'Brien, right.
How did the idea for ShaveFace come about?
It began when I was travelling in a band I’d joined in college. I had complained to my good friend, our drummer, about how my blades were dull and how they were expensive to replace. He told me that he sharpened his blades on his jeans. I was incredulous but tried it; and it worked fairly well. I made a rough prototype in Nashville and while at a bachelor party in Miami I met my future co-Founder, Casey Perkal. So we made a Kickstarter campaign which went really well—we had a goal of $24,000 and reached $60,000!
What were some of your early struggles with starting the brand?
To be top of mind as a consumer product these days you have to be relatively omnipresent. You need to consistently have great exposure. Any time we have great press, things go really well. But as soon as that news cycle fades we're back where we were. It's partially because we sell a product that many people don't even know exists. They don't think, "I should go out and buy a piece of denim that can sharpen blades." They think, "Maybe I'll try a shave club, but I'll probably just go to CVS and buy new razors." That's one reason why we launched skincare products like shaving cream and aftershave. The only battle is getting your brand name out there; and obviously selling and creating a great product, which I'm proud to say that we do!
Do you feel like the business is going to become more about skincare?
We plan to continue making the strop. It does really well on Amazon and other sites because it is unique and it's really the only item of its kind. Nobody else makes one and it does solve a real problem. It's just far easier to sell large quantities of skincare goods—even if the market is saturated—than it is to sell a ton of strops; the consumer needs much less education and there is already ample demand. Skincare does well by word of mouth. When somebody tells you about the best shaving cream ever you're like, "I'm in!" When someone tells you that a denim strop sharpens your razors, you need to hear it nine more times before you actually pull the trigger.
I tried to sharpen my razor on my jeans but it didn't work; all that I managed to do was push my blades closed. Why does the strop work?
There are two parts to that. One, is that we use 14.1oz raw denim. We use a pretty rigid backing between the two layers of denim so as you're running your razor over the denim you have very little give. You need an even surface on which to strop. Two, if you're using your own jeans it's softer and the blades don’t press flush against the denim, resulting in inefficiency.
What was it about the strop that appealed to you so much that you wanted to actually turn it into a brand?
I knew it was a problem that needed to be solved. We were finally informing ourselves that there were better options than what we were used to. Honestly it was also by meeting Casey who also felt that it was a good idea. An idea on an island is just an idea until someone else comes along and makes it better.
I think it is important to note that being in a band is pretty entrepreneurial. There are fears and risks. It requires a lot of passion. You're not building a traditional career. If you fail as a musician you're not easily employable outside of music. If you fail as an entrepreneur you have more tangible business skills. I have to give a lot of credit to Casey and his family. They're entrepreneurial, very supportive and creative. I have learned that entrepreneurship was pretty much one of the most creative things that you could possibly do. You make something from nothing and then find a way to get the rest of the world excited about it too. You're putting yourself up for the loftiest of goals and defending yourself from the weightiest of sorrows every single day. It's fun and it's a wild ride.
What is something that you'd like to do before you die?
I would like to be involved in the food revolution that I believe is going on in this world. The way that we eat, and the farming practices that we use to provide food for our growing population, are untenable . That’s where my passion lies. My passions are in health and wellness. I love that I've been able to explore that through our skincare products. Skin is your largest organ. What you put on your skin is so important and a lot of people don't know that. So it's been wonderful to tackle that side of health and wellness.
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Thank you to James for sharing your story! Additional information about ShaveFace is available on their website and Instagram. Now through the end of May 2017, ShaveFace is kindly and confidently offering free US-shipping for those who want an easy and enjoyable shave when you use the promo code: ThurstonThreads
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