Jamie Schisler, Chief Comfort Officer at UpWest: From Comfort Online to Comfort IRL

Specialty Retail is at a crossroads and a new brand is paving the way for innovation. Jamie Schisler, Chief Comfort Officer of comfort clothing brand – UpWest, is welcomed on to WDCast to discuss the brand’s business model, growth plan, and a new approach to resale retail. The brand’s business model was set up for success from the beginning, with what Jamie refers to as having “all legs of the table.” Unknowingly, this prepared the brand for the soon approaching pandemic and the DTC online store began opening physical stores as COVID restrictions loosened, meeting the consumers where they were according to online sales. Alternatively, the brand’s promise of comfort anticipated consumers’ needs in a time it was craved the most. Learn more about how UpWest is manifesting comfort for consumers and its other creative ventures.<br /><br />1:34 – Meet the Specialty Retail Veteran<br />3:44 – Starting a New Brand<br />6:49 – From FOMO to JOMO<br />9:32 – A Brand Focused on Wellness<br />11:00 – From Online to In-store<br />13:36 – The Growth Plan<br />16:59 – SoHo + Scrap NYC<br />19:11 – Solving the Circularity Problem<br />23:15 – What About Malls?<br />28:03 – Lee’s Lightning Round