# Herschel Supply Co.: Jamie and Lyndon Cormack

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2023-10-16
- Length: 1h 03m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack

## Summary

Brothers Jamie and Lyndon Cormack, founders of Herschel Supply Co., explain how they identified a gap for stylish, simplified travel goods and bootstrapped their company from 2009. They reverse-engineered competitors by ripping apart bags, found a Chinese manufacturer through Google, and launched at the 2010 Agenda trade show in New York, securing early orders from retailers like Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom. The brothers discuss scaling from a two-person team to a global brand, navigating the financial risks of large initial production runs, and pivoting to 95% sustainable materials during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=0) Introduction: Jamie and Lyndon Cormack and Herschel Supply Co.
- [1:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=65) The First Samples: Disappointment and Iteration
- [4:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=270) Background: Hockey, Mountaineering, and Graphic Design
- [11:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=674) Ideation: Finding the Gap in the Bag Market
- [25:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=1502) Manufacturing: Ripping Apart Bags and Finding a Factory
- [34:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=2051) The 2010 Trade Show: Building a Booth from Pallets
- [42:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=2557) First Orders: Retailers, Logistics, and Financial Risk
- [53:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=3199) Scaling: Quitting Day Jobs and Expanding Categories
- [57:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-16-herschel-supply-co-jamie-and-lyndon-cormack#t=3463) COVID-19: Supply Chain Disruption and Sustainability Pivot

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Herschel Supply Co. (company)
- Urban Outfitters (company)
- Nordstrom (company)
- GQ (other)
- Porter (product)
- Vans (company)
- K2 (company)
- Agenda (other)

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- [103 - Sustainable Shipping Packaging with Saloni Doshi, CEO of Ecoenclose](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-02-01-103-sustainable-shipping-packaging-with-saloni-doshi-ceo-of-ecoenclose) (People of Packaging)
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- [044: Turning customizable jackets into a multi-million dollar business, Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

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