Many a man is aware that the price of shaving is a steep one. Expensive blades, pricey razors (that look like they were designed for The Terminator), and quality shave cream can all hit the bank a little too hard. Luckily the co-founders of Warby Parker, Jeffrey Raider and Andy Katz-Mayfield have recently launched Harry’s.
Like Warby, Harry’s has cut out the middle man and manufactures their own product. And continuing in the Warby ethos they also give back to various organizations that help out our fellow man.
We had a chat with Jeff and Andy to hear more about the concept and what makes their shaving cream really so great.
It seems like you are on a roll with this ‘avoid the middle man’ approach. Do you think other companies may catch up?
Jeff: We view Harry’s and Warby Parker first as brands. We think selling direct online enables us to build really close personal relationships with our customers. At Harry’s we view our website as our flagship store and over time would love to partner with like-minded brands and retailers to make our product accessible to lots of people.
How did you decide to focus on the grooming world?
Andy: Harry’s began with an all-too-common experience that I had at the drugstore. After waiting 10 minutes for an employee to open the case where the razor blades were locked away, then paying more than 20 dollars for razor blades and a can of shave cream, I felt like I had overpaid for products that didn’t really speak to me as a consumer. I just thought there had to be a better way and started working with Jeff to find it.
Tell us more about the shaving cream. What’s in it that makes it so great?
Jeff: We find that most men over-invest in blades and under-invest in shaving cream. So we worked hard to create a premium cream that we thought will enhance the overall shaving experience and be a great skin care product after the shave in addition to protecting the face during the shave.
Andy: To elaborate, most shave creams on the market do an OK job protecting the face during the shave, but don’t do a great job soothing and moisturizing the skin after the shave. We thought there was an opportunity to create a cream that did both. That’s why we formulated our cream with ingredients that you would find in a luxury skincare product – extracts from licorice, milk thistle and cucumber to cool the skin, Vitamins E and B5 to protect the skin, and marula and coconut oils to moisturize long after a shave is finished.
I love that you give back. The Mission Continues is a great organization. How do you decide who to help?
Andy: As a grooming company, we think it’s especially important to give back to organizations that share our goals of helping people look and feel good, ultimately giving them the confidence to achieve their goals. That’s what “we give a shave” about and why we strive to make really high quality product. Our first partner, The Mission Continues, is an amazing organization and their mission of empowering veterans of recent wars to continue their service here at home really inspired us. We’re always on the lookout for other organizations who similarly are dedicated to helping people look and feel great and helping them achieve their goals. Over time, we’ll be really interested to see what our customers “Give a Shave” about as we seek to expand our social impact.
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