“I really wanted to know who they were, where they were coming from, what their lives were like, and what were some of the challenges that they were facing with their skin.”
"Oui the People founder Karen Young has been gathering intel about her company’s customers since it launched in 2015 as a direct-to-consumer shaving specialist, but it wasn’t until 2018 that she decided to delve deeper into their product needs and preferences with phone calls, emails and direct messages via social media.
"What Young discovered from the deep dive was different from what she expected. Her brand’s customer base wasn’t narrow in the least. Its customers are from a vast array of ethnic backgrounds and span the gender spectrum from non-binary individuals to cisgender women with a distaste for the usual order of the beauty business. “They felt like we weren’t shoving this feminine perspective down their throats,” says Young. “We were just talking about building the best brand that we possibly could and offering the most efficacious shaving experience.” With a trove of information at her disposal, she set out on a rebrand to speak to the customers she’d learned about.
"Young began with messaging. She changed her brand’s name from Oui Shave to Oui the People to lean into its gender neutrality. Young views the updated name as a 'super powerful statement.' She says, 'Beauty is so personal and intimate, especially starting off with a razor. It just feels like, when you reach for something, it shouldn’t shun you or make you feel less than. It shouldn’t make you feel like it wasn’t built for you. It should feel like a very welcoming and open experience.'”
Article: Why Oui Shave Has Become Oui The People