Photos courtesy of Weezie

Weezie towels have been at the top of our wish list ever since we first heard about the brand last fall. So we jumped on the chance to collaborate with them back in December on a holiday giveaway for you all, and I can tell you firsthand that their towels are ah-mazing. They are super soft and stay fluffy even after multiple washes. Plus, their customizable monogram and piping options are adorable – I especially love their new tangerine color! It really is such a treat to use them after a morning shower, we now have our house and my family’s ranch house stocked with the beautiful and soft collection.

I was so excited to have the chance to chat with Weezie’s founders, Liz Eichholz and Lindsey Johnson. Liz and Lindsey were friends from college who were working in totally different industries before launching Weezie (Lindsey is the finance-savvy one and Liz is the creative). After Liz couldn’t find towels she loved for her wedding registry, she soon realized that no one was really happy with their towels or the towel shopping process. After getting Lindsey on board and conducting tons of research, Weezie was born. Since then the brand has become a cult favorite basically overnight (the brand is only 9 months old!), and for good reason. Read on below to learn the ins and outs of this Savannah/New York City startup and what makes Weezie towels so special. Fair warning: you’re going to want to buy some of your own after reading!

Education: 

Liz: Undergrad at University of Georgia

Lindsey: Undergrad at Vanderbilt University, MBA at Columbia Business School 

Originally From: 

Liz: Austin, TX

Lindsey: Atlanta, GA

Work

You were both on different career paths before launching Weezie. Tell us a little about where you were prior to launching.

Liz: I was a creative director in NYC at BDG Media which held Bustle.com and Romper.com. Before that, I was on the in-house creative team at UncommonGoods.com. While at UncommonGoods, I launched my first company, Temperowe which sold silk sleep masks. 

Lindsey: Prior to launching Weezie, I worked in a variety of finance roles at Morgan Stanley, BlackRock and most recently a hedge fund. Along the way I became fascinated by early stage consumer business and began angel investing in the space. I went to Columbia Business School with the plan of going into Venture Capital before Liz approached me with the idea for Weezie

L + L: Before we became co-founders, we were friends! We’ve known each other for 12 years and were in each other’s weddings! We met in college and both moved to NYC after we graduated. 

What made you realize that there was a gap in the towel industry? How did you decide to jump on the opportunity? 

Liz: Initially, Weezie was inspired by my less-than-exciting experience buying towels off of my wedding registry. Lindsey and I started chatting about it and realized there might be an opportunity to solve my frustrations and create the company I was looking for. Once we started talking to our friends and family (and really anyone and everyone we encountered), we realized a lot of people felt the same way — the towel buying experience was dated, confusing, and lacking in joy. Once it was clear how many people shared our frustrations, it became the idea we couldn’t ignore!

Lindsey: I’ll be honest, after Liz approached me with the beginnings of the idea for Weezie, it took months of research before I was willing to jump on board! I think the thing I was most focused on wasn’t whether there was a problem to be solved (that part was obvious to me), but whether we could provide the right solution. Our research included everything from surveying thousands of consumers, hosting countless focus groups and interviews, performing intense competitor testing and flying all over the world to meet with manufacturers to see if the towel we had in mind could actually be brought to life. 

As you mention on your website, Weezie is a modern nickname for classic names Eloise and Louise. We love it! How did you land on the name? 

L + L: Eloise and Louise are family names for both of us and we like to think of Weezie as the new age hostess – thoughtful, but laid back and fun at the same time. She is your friend whose door (and wine fridge) is always open. We also love the nod to the word “easy” – towel shopping shouldn’t be so painful! #takeitweezie 

We’re blown away by how far Weezie has come in less than a year. You’ve grown so quickly. What has been most effective in getting the word out there?

L + L: Our customer is absolutely our best advocate. When she finds something she loves, she is quick to tell her friends and family, or even better yet gift the product directly. 

What makes a Weezie towel unique and better than competitors on the market?

L + L: Where do we begin?! First, we use the best of the best materials (100% long staple organic cotton) and we work with some of the best partners in the world. Each of our partners are OEKO-TEX certified, meaning that our products are free of any potentially harmful materials. The real secret sauce, though, lies within how this cotton is woven into yarn. We use an innovative Japanese spinning technology that infuses every single fiber with air, creating a luxuriously fluffy pile that is also highly absorbent – each air pocket is what is able to soak up the water so quickly! 

We were incredibly thoughtful about not only how the towel was constructed, but what weight the towel should be and how the towel should look aesthetically. We rounded the corners for a more elevated design, and included a discreet hanging hook for more effective drying. We also offer seamless online customization so that our customers can create a towel unique to them. Design is so important to us and we want to give our customers the tools to personalize their bathroom. 

What roles do each of you have in the company?

L + L: Being a new business, our roles are still very much intertwined and constantly evolving as we grow. That being said, Lindsey is CEO & Co-founder so her role is to steer the ship, so to speak! She tends to lean more into areas like finance, operations, supply chain, etc. Liz is our Creative Director & Co-founder so her role is to set the creative and brand vision and bring it to life across everything we do. She leans into areas such as product and website design, social media, partnerships, etc. 

One of you is based in Savannah and the other is in New York. How do both places impact your company? How do you keep communication streamlined and effective while working remotely?

L+L: We are so grateful to have a footprint in both places, as both are beneficial in their own ways. New York City has given us a lot of the business connections we needed to get the business to where it is today, while Savannah keeps us constantly inspired and definitely more grounded! Not to mention that we have great customer bases in both regions, and this set up has allowed us to stay close to both types of consumers.

Lindsey: It is shockingly easy to manage! With today’s technology we are in constant communication via Slack, Email, Google Hangouts, etc. We also travel to one another every other week so we are face to face often.

Liz: I think something that has also given us an advantage is that we were really good friends before Weezie. We know each other really well, we know how the other communicates (we are really different!), so we can have quick, productive conversations. 

What does a typical day look like for both of you?

Lindsey: Cliché answer, but every day is different! Today I went for a morning run in Central Park (honestly not a daily activity!), Liz and I took an 8am call at home with our publicist, and I made it into the office around 9am. Wednesdays are our “check in” days, so Liz and I have separate meetings scheduled with various team members – one with our Chief of Staff who keeps us on top of the company’s most pressing “to dos,” one with our Product Development Manager to chat about the product launches we have planned, one with our Customer Service lead to chat about any consistent themes we have seen over the past week, and one with our engineers to chat about our upcoming robe and wedding registry launches. I have a meeting with our CFO this afternoon to chat about budgeting and various debt financing options. I’ll end my day catching up on emails and to-dos and hope to be out of the office by 7 p.m. to have a drink with a friend and then cook dinner with my husband. 

Liz: My day starts with waking up my one-and-a-half-year-old daughter and getting her ready for preschool. My husband takes her to school while I get myself ready and head into the office, which is our warehouse here in Savannah. I have been trying to be better about scheduling meetings on the same days so that I can have meeting days and creative days. I’ve found that this structure makes me both more productive and more creative. On my creative days, I could be working on our content calendar, planning our Instagram feed, designing marketing emails or ads, planning photoshoots, designing packaging, working on partnerships, working on new embroidery or products with the product development team — you name it! I leave the office around 5:30 p.m. to pick my daughter up from school and then I really try to put my phone down during her dinner, bath, and bedtime. After she’s asleep, my husband and I have dinner together and then we both pick work back up. He works for a family business as well, so we’re in similar boats! 

What are the most difficult and most rewarding parts of having your own company?

Liz: The most difficult part for me is definitely working mom guilt. I love my daughter and I love my company and I’m still trying to figure out how to make it all work. The most rewarding part is putting something out into the world that we created. We had this vision, we researched it for so long and put in so much hard work (and continue to do so) and then we actually made it happen. It’s kind of wild. And it’s really come to life the way I had pictured it in my head.

Lindsey: Nothing is more rewarding than a happy customer. Our customers are truly the best motivation and they inspire me every day! Of course, having your own business means you can never truly unplug, which isn’t always the best for our personal lives. That being said, striking that right balance gets easier each day. 

What have been your most fun brand collaborations thus far?

L + L: Over the past 9 months, most of our brand collaborations have been giveaways, sweepstakes, and working with influencers. They have all been so much fun! Each time we work with a new brand or influencer, we love meeting their team, seeing how our audience reacts to the content, and learning something new. I’ve loved working with the Lake Pajama girls because they’re also here in Savannah and have grown an amazing business. We’ve always been inspired by the brand’s founders — Anne Read and Cassandra — and they’ve been so open to working with us even though we’re a new company. We’re excited to one day pass on that good karma. Be on the lookout for our first product collaboration coming up later this summer — we truly cannot wait! We have to keep the details hush hush for now. 😉 

If a new brand is debating organic versus paid advertising to spread the word, what would you advise based on your experience?

L + L: Definitely, definitely start with word of mouth. Your earliest customers are your most valuable asset, and their reactions will help you shape everything from your brand, market positioning, and your product mix. Leverage them before you start throwing money into paid marketing. While paid advertising is certainly an effective marketing channel for us today, we believe the best brands should be able to stand on their own two feet should that channel dry up, so to speak. With that in mind, we try to maintain a healthy marketing mix across both paid and organic channels. 

Do you have any dream customers who you would love to see using Weezie?

L + L: Reese Witherspoon ☺ 

You recently launched a beach towel collection and we’ve heard that you are starting a registry and a baby line. Can you tell us about these upcoming projects and anything else to look out for from Weezie in the next year?

L + L: We have so many fun things in the works! We are most excited about our women’s robe launch this summer. We worked with hundreds of consumers over the past two years to develop two unique robe styles – one short sleeve robe that’s great for warmer climates and travel, and one long sleeve snuggly robe. The robes will of course feature our same soft, fluffy pile and feature beautiful detailing inside and out, like our signature piping, hanging hook and optional embroidery. We were extremely thoughtful about the cut, making sure each robe has a cozy-yet-light fit so that you feel wrapped up but not weighed down. We mentioned our first product collaboration coming out later this summer – follow us on Instagram to be the first to know! It’s a good one…

Personal:

Favorite bath & beauty products?

Liz: I love my Drunk Elephant Babyfacial followed by Drunk Elephant face oil and Supergoop Daily Moisturizer (it’s like BUTTER). Baths are my favorite indulgence. I love a Nourish Savannah bath bomb followed by wrapping up in our new bathrobe — it’s the definition of luxe! 

Lindsey: Lately I have been loving Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Serum and Supergoop Everyday Sunscreen. I of course cannot survive without my Weezie makeup towels! I wear Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and my white bath towels stand no chance!

What is your personal Weezie towel style?

Liz: I have navy piping with no monogram in my bathroom, pink piping with Perry embroidery in my daughter’s, and light blue in our powder bath!

Lindsey: When we first launched the business, I went with white piping with no monogram for a clean look, but I just switched it up for our brand new tangerine piping. It adds the perfect pop of color to my all white bathroom. I have light blue piping in our guest bath with the word “guest” embroidered in River, and of course I have stocked both bathrooms full of makeup towels! 

Favorite self-care practice?

Lindsey: A cheese plate and a glass of wine is my happy place. 

Liz: There is truly nothing I love more than a bubble bath, a glass of wine, a candle, and a book. It really sets my head right. When I find the rare moment for some quality towel time, I wrap up in my new Weezie robe and continue reading. It takes me a lifetime to read a book because I always fall asleep if I’m reading in bed, so I love nothing more than towel time reading.  

Liz, you had your first baby while launching Weezie. How has that process been and how do you manage work / life balance?

Liz: Each day I feel like my answer to this changes. Sometimes I feel like I am killing it and have it all worked out, and other days I feel like I’m drowning. When I look back on the past 2 years, it’s been such a wild ride. Having a child is a lot, launching a company is a lot, and these two at the same time can be crazy.

I physically balance it with a lot of support. My husband takes Tempe to school, I pick her up, we put down our phones during our family time and we value our sacred weekends together. I work a lot at night and early in the morning so I can have weekends with our family. 

Beyond the balance of it all, what I struggle with most is working mom guilt. I’ve wanted and been obsessed with kids since before I can even remember. I also love Weezie and have always wanted my own my company as well. I didn’t imagine these two things would happen at the same time. It’s chaotic at times, but I really value having Weezie as a creative outlet and I do think it makes me a better mom because I’m so passionate about it. I don’t take this opportunity lightly because I know not everyone gets the chance to launch their own company! Guilt for me stems from comparison and I’m really working on accepting our own reality and not comparing it to others. Everyone has struggles and tradeoffs and ours are going to look different than our neighbors. This is our reality. I try to remind myself that above all else, the most important thing is to love your children and I do know I do that whole heartedly.

Best vacation for R&R?

Lindsey: My husband and I recently went to the Rosewood Mayakoba for a long weekend and I highly recommend it for unplugging. I think I read 2.5 books in 4 days. 

Liz: I’ve recently accepted I’m not much of a beach person. Aside from being a red head that repels the sun, I’m not great at laying on the beach! I need to be moving and seeing new things to release creative energy. My husband and I recently stayed at L’Otel in San Miguel, Mexico and we loved it. I left so inspired by the city and refreshed. 

In 10 years, I hope to be: 

Lindsey: Doing exactly what I am doing today, but hopefully with a larger team and a larger family! 

Liz: Taking care of a big family filled with lots of love, chipping away at a travel bucket list, and running a company filled with inspiring people who love their jobs because all of our wild ideas have come to fruition (and there are a lot of them!). I also want to be giving back to a cause that I am directly involved in and making a positive impact in my community.

Be sure to follow along @weezietowels for product launches and major towel inspo!