This inspiring story is of a rising fashion e-commerce startup called Pure Rosy, started by Linda Miller, based out of the United States. Pure Rosy’s goal to create the most stylish, comfortable, cost-effective, eco-friendly, and easy to use periods product on the market— all while partnering with organizations around the world who support the mission of allowing women and gender-queer folks to live freely, and speak openly about one of the most natural, beautiful and quintessential characteristics of human life! Created by women and for all those who menstruate, we’re intent on bettering life and the world we live in. Here is the story of Pure Rosy in Linda’s own words.
Introduce us to the idea of Pure Rosy
Pure Rosy is where fashion meets technology. Our product is pro-planet underwear with benefits, made for days when you bleed and every day in between! Our patented design is the cultivation of years worth of research and teamwork with fabric technology experts who have helped us create a four-layer formula that’s silky-smooth, hyper-absorbent, antimicrobial, moisture-wicking, leak-proof, and still unbelievably thin, flexible, breathable, machine washable, and as comfortable as any pair you’ve ever worn—a period product or not.
Every Pure Rosy style is specifically designed by our all-female team of fashion industry professionals to fit right in with your top drawer underwear, workout clothes, or lingerie. Whether you’re headed to the gym, the studio, the office, or the bedroom, your Pure Rosy pair will have your back. And, if you happen to be on the go when it’s time for a change, you can use our uniquely designed Pure Rosy change purse “the zip” to stash your last pair and switch them out for a fresh one that fits the needs of your next activities.
Each pair of Pure Rosy underwear can be worn for about 12 hours, depending on your flow— it can hold up to 3 light tampons worth of menstrual blood. We pride ourselves on building a size-inclusive brand, currently offering sizes XS-1X. We are working on creating even more size options, so we can provide every unique body with an option that they can rock!
What’s your strategy story? What led you to start Pure Rosy?
I love fashion—always have. Straight out of college I jumped into the fashion business where I would spend a decade-plus building women’s brands. Fast-forward many years and I found myself handing my twin daughters a not-so-discreet black bag filled with tampons, pantyliners, and pads so they’d be ready for their first period.
All I remember thinking was, “This is crazy!” I was handing my daughters a small pharmacy worth of disposable items, all of which had little regard for comfort, a fashion score of zero, and were single-use products headed straight to the landfills. As teens who both suffered from the irregular menstrual cycles of PCOS, they would often end up wearing these menstrual products every day for months on end, never knowing when they would need them or when they would go into the trash unused.
Though I’d been encouraged by the entrepreneurial women ushering in a new wave of innovation like cups and other underwear, I still felt that they hadn’t mastered the winning formula, as there wasn’t a sustainable product that was stylish, comfortable, and easy to use that I felt good about my daughters having to wear every day. So, I turned to my love of fashion and industry know-how and got to work.
A year into my journey, I met Maggie, the founder of the D.A.R.E. Women’s Foundation in Tanzania, who inspired me even further to use Pure Rosy as a platform to support the rights of menstruators around the world.
What marketing, operation strategies are you adopting at Pure Rosy?
Our philosophy is to grow our brand organically by communicating with our intended demographic of strong and empowered menstruators through social media. As a brand with a strong focus on positivity, inclusivity, and humanitarianism, we aim to share posts that will allow women and all other menstruators to feel welcomed and encouraged to join our community.
Since our inception, we’ve been intent on working with a combination of highly sought-after teams, as well as young freelance creatives who perhaps had fewer years in the industry but would offer a fresh perspective and at a lower cost. That balance offered us the opportunity to unite a wide range of great minds and ensure that we looked at every option before making our thoroughly-planned budgets and business decisions. This helped keep employee and company overhead to a minimum.
What’s your brand-building strategy for Pure Rosy?
Two years ago I saw the first ad campaign for a new razor company called Billie, whose colorful designs and empowering images immediately caught my attention. Their retro-vibed photography featured girls in a fun array of sorbet-colored outfits and fuzzy socks, laying together in a bed as if they were getting ready for a college dorm slumber party.
What stood out to me the most was that these girls were photographed artfully with natural body hair. It spread a powerful message that our bodies’ natural features are beautiful, that ‘feminine’ doesn’t have just one look, and that it’s time we learn to embrace others no matter what decisions are right for them and their bodies. I’m sure that this powerful imagery from another women-owned brand that was focused on body positivity and acceptance played a significant role in my inspiration for the branding of Pure Rosy.
Any strategy mistakes you have made and what did you learn?
A year ago, after hiring our first coder to help start our website, my gut told me that our new hire wasn’t the right fit. But since they’d come so highly recommended and I’d never launched a startup before, I figured I was overthinking, and I kept them on board. In the end, our mismatch in mindsets only worsened, and it ended up delaying our launch by months. I learned the hard way that forming a team that works congruently is more valuable to a launch than any individual member.
Finally what advice do you have for your fellow entrepreneur readers?
Some great advice and something I have truly learned to embrace came from my daughter who has always had exceptional organizational skills and something I’ve become increasingly appreciative of ever since: Treat your budding business like the professional enterprise that it will one day become.
Use the best available resources; Manage your team’s files as if you have 10,000 of them; Learn key commands as if you have 5 minutes to plan an hour-long presentation. One day you will— and you’ll be grateful that you can focus on your mission instead.
Disclaimer: The information in the above story is provided by the startup and The Strategy Story takes no responsibility for the authenticity of the product and services offered by the startup. Reader’s discretion is advised.
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