The Entrepreneurs

In the first part of our look back at 2020 we hear from Blake Mycoskie: serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Toms, the shoe company behind the one-for-one giving model. Blake’s new venture is called Madefor, a program helping people cultivate good habits. We also sit down with Maria Hatzistefanis, founder and CEO of Rodial, the skincare brand she launched in 1999 with her own small investment.

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When Miriam and Christian Cervantes moved to Vienna with a view to opening their own plant shop, they didn’t think they would be doing so in the middle of a pandemic. But they persevered and launched Calienna in September after months of lockdown and renovation. Alexei Korolyov speaks to the pair about their new shop.

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Dion Nash founded Triumph and Disaster in 2011 after retiring from playing professional cricket for New Zealand’s national team. The independent brand’s hair, face and body care lines are inspired by New Zealand’s natural beauty and sold by Selfridges, Liberty London, Harvey Nichols, Mr Porter and hundreds of hotels and salons globally. The company also opened a new flagship store in Auckland earlier this year.

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Raffaella Grisa is the founder of organic beauty brand Wait, inspired by Italian and Japanese approaches to wellness. Turin-based Grisa spent years travelling Asia and importing fashion pieces and accessories for a western audience. Launched earlier this year, Wait is a line of body-care products and fragrances made from traditional natural ingredients from both Italy and Japan.

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This week we’re on the run with three standout labels: Tracksmith, Satisfy and Hylo Athletics. From London, Hylo’s co-founder explains how he left behind a career as a professional footballer to create the sustainable shoe brand. In Paris, we meet a fashion-industry veteran who put French textile expertise to work on his new label, Satisfy. And in Boston, Tracksmith helps us to tackle the running commute.

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We visit Longines’ museum and workshop in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, to find out about the watch-maker’s long history in aviation and what goes into crafting a watch that stands the test of time.

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Kara Goldin is CEO and founder of Hint, a flavoured-water brand she launched in 2005 that has grown into a $200m (€163m) operation. Hint’s first products were created at Goldin’s home after she left a career in media but it wares are now staples on the shelves at Whole Foods, Starbucks and Costco. Goldin writes about the company’s incredible growth in her brand new book, ‘Undaunted’.

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Sisters Sophia, Georgia and Nina Scott are the co-founders of Groundtruth. The accessories brand makes its pieces from a bespoke, 100-per-cent recycled material that is designed to withstand the world’s harshest climates. Georgia and Sophia are documentary filmmakers who have travelled the world covering environmental and humanitarian concerns, while Nina is a textiles specialist. Together they are utilising their expertise in product design, showcasing the brand’s journey and demonstrating how to create transparency in supply chains.

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Howard Hughes was a lot of things: one of America’s first billionaires, a film producer and an entrepreneur in industries from media to oil to property. But Hughes was also a keen aviator and owner of the airline TWA, who broke round-the-world records and paved the way for competition in international air travel.

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This week we meet two women whose life’s work is inspired by the natural surroundings in which they grew up. Dr Rachel Barrie, known as the “first lady of Scotch” is the master blender of Benriach. We also hear from a beauty-industry pioneer, Sylvie Chantecaille, who worked with Estée Lauder before starting her own label dedicated to conservation.

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