search
Glossy Logo
Glossy Logo
Subscribe Login
  • Glossy+ Member Subscribe Now
  • Glossy+ homepage
  • My account
  • FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Log out

Ten seats left: Attend the Glossy Beauty & Wellness Summit Nov. 3-5 in Newport Beach

  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Glossy+
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Pop
search
Glossy Logo

Ten seats left: Attend the Glossy Beauty & Wellness Summit Nov. 3-5 in Newport Beach

Subscribe Login
  • Glossy+ Member Subscribe Now
  • Glossy+ homepage
  • My account
  • FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Log out
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Pop
  • Glossy+
  • Events
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletters
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • instagram
  • email
  • email
Fashion

Video: Flawless’s Gabrielle Union and Larry Sims on the challenges of building a beauty brand

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
By Danny Parisi
Apr 10, 2024

Starting a brand from scratch is difficult. There are hundreds of things founders need to keep in mind in the crucial early days of a brand’s life.

For Gabrielle Union and Larry Sims, co-founders of the hair-care brand Flawless by Gabrielle Union, the most difficult thing was keeping their product in stock. In the first months or even years of a brand’s life, too much success can actually be a bad thing.

“You don’t have endless money,” Union said, speaking at the Glossy Beauty Pop event in Los Angeles on March 13. “If you’re selling wholesale, you might have a 25,000 order minimum with the retailer for each SKU. And if you sell out of the SKUs, you need to buy more to make sure you’re not sold out too long, but maybe you haven’t been paid yet for that first 25,000. Now you need to spend more money to make sure you’re not sold out for too long.”

Union said retailers are supposed to pay for orders within 90 days but indicated that that rule was commonly ignored, a claim that drew calls of agreement from the crowd at the London West Hollywood hotel where the event was being held.

See below for the full discussion, and click here for more highlights from the conversation.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
Related reads
  • Fashion
    ‘It’s not just about the creative directors’: Inside LVMH’s fashion reset
  • Member Exclusive
    Glossy+ Research: 5 charts on the state of retail media
  • Fashion
    The strategies behind Cider’s millions of monthly sales to Gen Z
Latest Stories
  • “Sephora Is everything Amazon is not”: How LVMH’s beauty and retail units for Q3 are quietly outperforming
    Beauty
    ‘Sephora is everything Amazon is not’: LVMH’s beauty and retail brands are quietly outperforming
  • “It’s not just about the creative directors”: Inside LVMH’s fashion reset
    Fashion
    ‘It’s not just about the creative directors’: Inside LVMH’s fashion reset
  • Expansion Strategies
    Ulta Strategies: Everything you need to know about Ulta’s new UB Marketplace
logo

Get news and analysis about fashion, beauty and culture delivered to your inbox every morning.

Reach Out
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Threads
  • Email
About Us
  • About Us
  • Masthead
  • Advertise with us
  • Digiday Media
  • Custom
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
©2025 Digiday Media. All rights reserved.