Same founders Shea Marie and Ryan Horne on building a booming 'influencer brand'
The Glossy Podcast · with Shea Marie and Ryan Horne · December 11, 2024 · 38 min
Summary
This episode dissects how Same, initially a luxury swimwear brand, leveraged its founder's influencer background to achieve rapid growth, tripling and quadrupling sales annually. It offers actionable insights into strategic brand expansion, evolving DTC models, and the upcoming integration of physical retail. Essential listening for DTC operators looking to scale brand reach and diversify product offerings.
Key takeaways
Leverage an influencer's established audience for potent brand building from day one, rather than building an audience from scratch.
Implement a phased product diversification strategy, starting with a niche (e.g., swimwear) and gradually expanding into related categories like denim, resortwear, and kidswear to maximize market reach and customer lifetime value.
Plan for omnichannel expansion early by evolving DTC strategies and exploring physical retail to meet customer demand and enhance brand experience.
Actively scale your team ahead of rapid growth to ensure operational capacity aligns with sales acceleration and new category launches.
Cultivate brand buzz through high-profile endorsements and strategic collaborations to amplify visibility and desirability.
What started as a luxury swimwear brand nearly 10 years has transformed into a successful fashion label that introduced denim, resortwear and kidswear this year. Launched by Shea Marie, an influencer-turned-founder, and her co-founder Ryan Horne, Same has become one of the buzziest swimwear brands on the market, with A-list fans such as Beyoncé, Hailey Beiber and Kendall Jenner.
"The growth has happened very fast. Our sales have been tripling, quadrupling each year," Marie said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. To that point, both Marie and Horne said that they've been focused on growing their team. The brand plans to evolve its DTC strategy and open a retail store next year. Plus, more categories, including footwear and accessories, are on the horizon.
In this week's episode of Glossy's Podcast, Marie and Horne discuss what's fueling Same's expansion nearly 10 years in and why an established audience is impactful when building a brand.
Leverage an influencer's established audience for potent brand building from day one, rather than building an audience from scratch.
What does this episode say about brand & content?
Implement a phased product diversification strategy, starting with a niche (e.g., swimwear) and gradually expanding into related categories like denim, resortwear, and kidswear to maximize market reach and customer lifetime value.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Plan for omnichannel expansion early by evolving DTC strategies and exploring physical retail to meet customer demand and enhance brand experience.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Actively scale your team ahead of rapid growth to ensure operational capacity aligns with sales acceleration and new category launches.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Cultivate brand buzz through high-profile endorsements and strategic collaborations to amplify visibility and desirability.
