Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridger and Carson Hart.
Hi Bridger, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From a young age, my brother Carson and I understood that individuality meant freedom and used clothing to set ourselves apart from the crowd. As we stopped growing, the era of colorful hand-me-downs from my older brother came to a close. Suddenly, it was my time to make a statement.
So, I embarked on an extensive online search, delving into the vast world of unique fashion. I was struck by the sheer quantity of amazing brands out there, each offering something distinctive and innovative. To keep track of my discoveries, I curated a list on my phone, noting my favorite brands and linking to their respective websites.
When I was ready to shop, I had a dozen tabs open with separate checkouts for each brand. And then it became clear. Shopping for small brands was an uphill task, demanding an investment of time and effort that many can’t afford.
If shopping for small brands was easy, everyone would be doing it! We have Depop for resellers, Etsy for craft makers, and Google, well, Google surfaces the largest brands on the planet, aka the highest bidders. But despite there being more fashion brands than ever before in history, no central community exists for discovering and supporting these emerging brands.
My pursuit of individuality evolved into a realization of community, where the small brand experience is strengthened in numbers. And being in an era where fast-fashion giants dominate the industry, our passion for starting Hoppn (Hoppn.com) has become less of a choice and more of a necessity!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being first-time founders, there’s always going to be unforeseen obstacles in the journey to building something worthwhile. For us, we understood how ambitious of a project we were taking on but didn’t truly anticipate how much time it would take for us to get to a product worthy of sharing with the world. We hold ourselves to high standards, and so do our brands, as well as our customers. There’s a lot behind the scenes that’s often overlooked. For example, we launched with a website, mobile app, guest and user login, vendor-facing site, admin site, and Shopify sales channel app. Not to mention the social components that exist within the marketplace! Looking back, we could have minimized certain aspects of the platform, but ultimately the core of what we built was necessary to make our vision a reality.
We’ve been impressed with Hoppn, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’ve always been a product-first company where simplicity meets innovation. Since its initial concept in early 2020 and first to market in 2022, it’s been clear to us that our Infinite Color Search technology has been the standout feature within the platform. While every other e-commerce website still uses lists of words to filter color, we provide instant personalization by allowing the user to search for color using our color wheel. No more clicking on the “Blue” tag only to be hit with the thousands of shades that blue has to offer. With our innovation, you simply select any color, adjust the lightness bar (if desired), and at the speed of thought, we show you products that accurately reflect the color you selected. Going forward, we’re developing exciting upgrades to this color tech that will have a profound impact on the way you experience online shopping.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
We noticed pretty quickly how COVID-19 drove home the importance of small brands having a strong online presence. As everything shifted to digital, these brands encountered a landscape that was both saturated and fragmented. Not only were there more brands than ever before in history, but no one knew exactly where to find them. Interestingly, amidst this challenge, a trend emerged: aligned brands engaged in collaborations, leveraging each other’s audience to amplify their reach and stand out from the crowd. As conscious consumers developed a heightened awareness of these hardships, there was a sudden communal effort to support them. Reflecting back on this time, our decision-making in the early days of Hoppn was a response to this quickly changing business landscape. By centralizing the coolest emerging fashion into one platform, we fostered a community of creatives who celebrate authentic designers and their unique stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hoppn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoppn/
Image Credits
Bridger Hart
