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Stephen: Our guest today is Isadora Alvarez, who's the founder and creator of Backbeat Co. The California lifestyle label. Creating everyday low impact essentials for living easy and what first started as a shop selling vintage tees and sweet and sweatshirts backbeat co. Currently offers thoughtfully made apparel for everyday life with a strong commitment to promote positive environmental impact and ethical manufacturing. They consider every step and every thread from sourcing to shipping. 

Welcome to the show, Isadora.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor.

Stephen: It's wonderful to have you on the show and perfect month since we're doing a few shows to showcase ethical brands and what we can do more. 

Isadora: Thanks. 

Stephen: So I guess, to start out. And I was checking out your threads and was very impressed. 

Isadora:  thank you!

Stephen: I really like that Back Beat Co takes on a lot of basics and essentials. It seems like they're more cool and chill. They have this really nice vibe to them. 

Isadora: We try! We try! We just want to make your life easy and comfortable and fun. like that's basically the ethos of the brand, aesthetic wise.

Stephen: So tell us about your journey to starting the company before we get into everything else. 

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co):  Long story short. Basically how I started Back Beat Co.I'm from the Philippines. I grew up there, lived there until I was in my twenties, took a fashion design there and had my own brand, but that I decided I wanted to go back to school, to finish to get an actual degree and to focus on the business side of fashion. So I went to San Francisco to get that degree in merchandising and then, I moved away because San Francisco weather was too cold for me and my island blood. 

I wanted to go live in a place that had a more had more of a fashion theme. So, moved to L. A. 

and I wanted to get into buying at that point because I really wanted to learn the business side of fashion. So, my my job here in L. A. was in a buying department of an off-price retailer. So while I was doing that, that's when I really saw firsthand how wasteful and just kind of destructive that kind of way of making things is.

Everything that we made was obviously, super cheap. And they were retailing for, like, $10.99 to $15.99 for a bag. You can imagine how much that cost to make. 

When we would do store visits, I would see that within, like, a couple months. They were literally falling apart or just didn't look great. So, I had always wanted in the back of my mind I had always wanted to go back to having my own brand.. 

So when I was doing this job I was thinking, “I’m not really happy. This is not something that I'm proud of doing.” And they kept on promoting me and throwing more money at me!

And there was a point that I was just like, “OK, I really have to make a decision”. Because I'm probably going to get too comfortable and just say, l “screw it!” everything and just continue doing, like the easy going out at the easy way. Or “do I say this is the time that I have my own brand?”

So that was kind of it. As the catalyst of creating Back Beat Co. was that I wanted to have my own thing. But then, knowing what I knew, I was like, “How do I make it better? How do I be a little bit more gentle on the planet, the workers and all that?” So that's kind of how it started. 

Stephen: So how did you know?…it’s funny how five years ago, a lot of the things that were going on in your head about fashion and the disposable products…that is happening all over the place, and we were just activating ourselves that it's not something that is necessary or has to happen. That clothing can be made more ethically and that there are options outside of the $12 T shirt. There are other values that play besides, “How much am I saving in my wallet?”

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Yeah, so used to not be like that. And that's why I kind of like what I'm trying to tell people now is that we we used to value our things. Where did where did we go wrong, where we didn't value things anymore, where everything was a throwaway product, you know,

I remember when I was a kid. I would be like I would save my money to buy clothes. I would treasure my clothes So anyway, that's a different topic.

Stephen: But the values have gone in different places because they think now it's more was just, you know, selling. You know, the people get into the numbers of selling more product and how to get it out to more people without thinking about these things.

I remember when I was in high school, I had this crazy science teacher and his big revelation was: that panty hose could be made forever. The material that you make of pantyhose with. It doesn't have to rip. But they make a decision to make it with the material that's going to rip so that people need it much often. I think we've seen that value.

I remember in 2010 with fast fashion and some of those companies emerging people were marveling at the supply chain achievements of fast fashion…. How quickly it could happen.  How it was changing the business, but not looking at a lot of the wastefulness that was happening, 

So how about starting Back Beat Co? How did you build it into what it is now?

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Um, so basically, I started really like from the ground. When I quit my job, I didn't and it still wasn't like a very concrete like, “What is it exactly if I have a label, my own clothing label?” 

So what I did was, I've always thrifted even in the Philippines. You know when when you hear that news about where they send unwanted secondhand apparel to the developing countries. I used to thrift those things. 

So moving to L. A., my love for just vintage was rekindled because it's such a vintage mecca out here. So I started off at first, and that's where you if you ask me a question earlier while you were chatting about “what's the difference between Back Beat Rags and Back Beat Co.?” Backbeat Rags was when we started, I'm selling vintage. So hence the rags. 

So I really started off selling vintage because that's also basically the most, you know, green way of having these things in your wardrobe. So that's how we started on. And I just did pop up since the markets and fairs and kind of like built a following through that. And when I'm feeling vintage, I was focusing a lot on my sweatshirts and T shirts and Denims the most like, you know, from the start, it was mostly about, like, really just picking out the coolest basics that you could find. And then after 6, 7 months of selling vintage I figured out lthe niche that I wanted to be in – which was cool, everyday essentials, but using low impact fabric. So that's how I transitioned. And then, knowing that I had the market from my vintage started introducing like a couple of styles and just grew it from there very organically

Stephen: Got it. So What is your point of view on sustainable fashion? Like I've noticed, kind of  in the past a few months recently, the word “sustainable” is starting to get trashed a lot. So is sustainable fashion really sustainable?

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): I get that question a lot, and I see, like for us, we've always tried to use low impact rather than sustainable, because for me, I'm very much a perfectionist where I say if my business is not circular where I can take back everything that I have put out.

Or if I know that the endlife of my garment isn’t like 100% bio-degradable in a fast way or something, I don't feel comfortable to use the word “sustainable”. And that's just me. So I just look at how I do my own business. So whoever wants to use the word “sustainable”. If they feel comfortable doing it, do it. I don't want to like…

Stephen: Everyone is in a different step on this. 

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Yeah, exactly. Everybody looks at it a different way. Everybody’s just … everybody different. 

But anyway, so for me, little impact because  what we try to do is we just try to do better for now, we're always gonna need clothes. I love fashion. 

I'm a fashion girl. putting on a good outfit for me. nothing can compare to that feeling. So how do I just present the consumers with a better option for now? Don't get me wrong. I'm always trying to figure out how to make this business better and have it more circular where I can take back old stuff or, um really look forward to the best fabrics around. I just recently saw, um, this nylon fabric that was supposed to bio-degrade in 3-5 years. So, I was very excited about that. Until then, I will use the word “low impact.”

Stephen: It sounds like they're more materials than ever. It's an exciting time in terms of fabrics and material, because the options keep getting better.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Yeah, five years ago, when I started...wait, no four years ago, I’m lying. I started four years ago. 

I could only source organic cotton t-shirt fabric or hemp t-shirt fabric. And now there's, like, so many more options that it's getting kind of like different for me to design. because I was like, “oh I want to do this. I want to do that.” But back then, it was like, “OK, we could make a t-shirt and sweatshirt and a dress and a jumpsuit using mixed fabrics. So it's pretty exciting. I'm really happy that we're finally moving towards a better direction. It's not perfect but it's better.

Stephen: Yeah, it's just that progression. I think that  even consumers are looking for now as well. It's hard to make something…It's almost impossible to make it 100% sustainable with zero impact.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): I mean, even making something like the act of making something, whether it has, you know, the end life. You know what. It's gonna be okay, just the act of, like living and breathing. It has an impact.

Not making anything is probably the most sustainable way. But we don't live in that type of world. So just try to do the best that you can, I think is the best. 

Stephen: And being mindful of all the options that you have .

Isadora: Exactly. 

Stephen: I feel like sometimes it's when people want that absolute, it becomes this binary choice, which really isn't ever, you know, because I think some people that will attack something not being 100% sustainable. 

The question then becomes, “Well, what are you doing?” You know, it's becomes a justification for not doing anything. 

I get into this as a vegetarian, you know? And I eat mostly vegan. But sometimes it's just people will talk about and I have my definition of it, too. Is that you know, you got me. I might have meat once a year or something or ….I have this rule that in Texas I might have a piece of meat because it's that good, but really, as a vegetarian, I don't. My goal is really that 98% of my impact with meat I want to take out. Yeah, but I think the the counter arguments say “Oh, my God, you've eaten meat. You're impure now.” And I push back on that because I just think if we all reduce in some way transition and progress than we're all accomplishing the same thing.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Yeah, little steps will still get you somewhere.

Stephen: Totally. So, yes. What is mission mean to your brand? So why do you do what you do specifically?

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): I just want to have, like, a brand that presents everybody with a better choice. And within my company, I believe in the three Ps: like people, Planet and Profit. So that's kind of like why we do what we do. 

We want to be one of the people that kind of pushes it for change for the better. So I believe, like we can do this. Everybody can create a better product. It's just a matter of thinking of the three. Ps. Do you want to be good to the people that make our products? Do you want to be better for the planet? And, of course, like, you know, profit make some money because we are a business. So you know, So that's just it.

Stephen: And the consumer is supporting it, too. And I just love this idea that five years ago people were thinking much less about the options of purchasing, say, eco-friendly, which was put into a niche. 

Now, in these dozens of buying decisions that we have in our lives,  the more of those even even people doing a little bit of deciding to when they never did any of, you know, ethical clothing purchases in the past. 

If they decide in the next year, you know, two or three times they do it, it has an incredible impact on the industry.  Did you hear about Jeff Bezos and his latest pledge yet to save the planet? 

Isadora: Yes

Stephen: Of $10 billion you know. There was some pushback on it, and it's not totally bad, but I think the one message that I got from that, too, is that huge companies are listening now because of the consumer. 

Isadora: Exactly

Stephen: And because of this, this idea of the Triple P Company that you know it can be that people want companies that care more… where it's more than profit profit is important to a business. But you know, the other. You know, people and planet are very important to that as well and have a relationship.

Isadora: Yeah. I mean, if we just do profit and profit, we don't have people and planets.

Stephen: Right.

Isadora: That’s just it.  So you really have to consider every single thing.

Stephen: Yes.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): And I can't sleep at night knowing that I'm just all for profit and not thinking about everything else that I'm damaging, people or planet,

Stephen: Right. A hidden thing is people sometimes because, you know, even with, you know, even when clothing is made not sustainably the impact that it can have on you know, where there's people making very low wages, negative impact that happens environmentally like these impact people a lot and significantly. 

Stephen: But I think it is those everyday decisions, though that, you know can shift it and are are shifting the economy as we speak, since conscious eCommerce and conscious consumerism was one of the really, it's one of the biggest trends, like you were even talking about vintages. 

Well, now secondhand retail is projected to go higher than fast fashion, actually the next few years, because how many people are responding to that. I want to get something second hand I want to get. I want to purchase from a company that's thinking about these things.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Even I shop. It's basically if I can't, I don't make it. I can't find it vintage. And then that's basically when I start going or if I can't find it from my other friends have smaller labels. That's kind of like when I start looking for it outside of all those you know, other avenues. Let's try having a smaller footprint, which I think a lot of people are starting to really do now, which is amazing.

Stephen: It puts you more in touch with people, too. I think when you shop this way.

Isadora: Yeah, totally.

Stephen: Okay. so let's move a little bit to the marketing side of things. I see that you have an online business and you're on the Shopify platform. So what advice would you give to an emerging brand that is running their business online right now in apparel?

Isadora: Oh, my gosh, it's hard. couldn't somebody give me advice/ I was listening to Rae, from Hozen Collection. And her Interview. 

Stephen: Rae Nicoletti of Hozen. 

Isadora: She's a good friend of mine, and it's the same like as a small brand. It's becoming really tough because of the instagram algorithm and you have to pay more to be more seen. It's becoming really, really tough for a small brand who doesn't have a big budget to spend on ads and stuff like that to have a bigger face in the Internet world. 

Now this space is so crowded, you really have to fight to be seen.  My advice would be: if you can really try to organically grow your brand based before even having been done, like all the ads and whatever. 

Just by doing and going back to, like, old school way of doing in person events. For me, that has worked a lot, and then it translates over to my online. Then I'll see that. Maybe purchase after they've seen me. IRL basically.

Stephen: So you have. You organize events on a consistent basis to get that interaction with people.

Isadora: Yeah, and I do like a lot of popups. There's a lot of independent designer fairs and stuff like that, which, if you are a small brand and have no budget, that's where I really would start the ground running in that sense. And get those emails!

Stephen: So with a popup event, yes. Getting emails is a really huge plus because then once, once you have their email than it's much easier to introduce your brand and tell them more information and by signing up for email, they're raising their hand and saying they're interested.

For a popup event. Would you be asking people directly or would you have a little area that with a nice book where people could sign up? How would the email signup happen?

Isadora: So basically, we usually do, um, we always. You know how like when you signed up for emails online, you usually get, like a welcome code. So we just tell them that “Hey, we have a signup sheet here. If you sign-up, your next purchase will be… your next online purchase will have, like, this kind of a discount to it” 

Which, you know, cause they've already if, more often than not. if they’re signing up to your email list, they are interested to buy or have bought something, so it’s kind of an easier “in” after that.

Stephen: Right. what I like about the popup, the events that you're running is that I think, especially with clothing, there is that customer that really wants to . . .

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): See and try everything. 

Stephen: feel the product. it has that…

Isadora:  We have had that. The people that are used to seeing us in the popup or have started buying us from popups. They always just wait until… they'll look at, like, all the emails that we send, they check out whatever we have new. 

And then when it's time for us to do our regular pop up, they just come to the pop up and buy there. And they tell me that! They're always just like, “Oh, I've seen this online. So this email that you sent, um, I was really interested in it, but I really just wanted to try it on.” 

It's just very tricky with clothing because fit is very… No matter how much you perfect it, everybody has, like, you know, everybody has a different body. So more often than not, people still wanna try clothes on in real life. I’m the same!

Stephen: Yeah. So they don't have to return it. Because with sizing it's such a conundrum.

Isadora: you could be a two in one brand. Six on the another. Sometimes It's just it's just crazy. 

Stephen: You had mentioned something on the branding side and messaging. I was curious about this because I feel like with social media and your website, it all comes down to ….. Messaging is so important. I looked on your site. Your clothing looks great. So what do you think would take it to the next level in terms of messaging that you were looking for?

Isadora: I think for us, really, it's just like telling people our story and every single aspect of the brand and just having it be super cohesive, because I feel like people are always, like, nowadays at all with everything that's out there and all the other brands. The market's very saturated. People are looking for a story. People are looking to be able to connect to you on a personal level for them, like, “Why am I investing in this company at this point when I could just, you know, buy like a $12 t-shirt instead of like a $45-$55 hemp t-shirt like, “Why would I do that?” So for us, like that's kind of, um, the next. Yep. It's just really making sure that we communicate our customers. 

That we're not just a little bit more expensive just because that's just an arbitrary number we’re throwing out there.There is a reason behind it, and when people know that reason, they will want to buy it. But not everybody gets it off the bat. So I think for us, it's just our next big project is to be really, like, consistent and telling why, “Why these things are priced like this?”, or “Why do we make things like this?” “What’s the reasoning?” “Why we do what we do?”

Stephen: Yeah, I guess is trying to understand, You know, that the consumer has to understand. I think the issues and the the things that hold, you know, that are gonna hold them back from purchasing. I think another benefit of the events that you have is that you're getting so much direct feedback on the product.

Isadora: That we value so much because, we create a product we spit in our fit model and that we produce it, and then we would fit it again after it’s produced. But then really seeing it on different body types and, you know, kind of hearing them say how they're they're gonna wear. Where they're gonna wear it. And if an  issue does arrive. like they'll literally like tell us like, “Oh, this happened because of this and that.” So for us, that's a great way to kind of just really try to do better when it comes to designing. And if we redo that, if I do have, like a core item, I'm always like every season. I'm always like. “Okay, how do we make this better?” You know, looking at whatever our customer feedback was from, like last season when we had this exact same style. 

So we're always trying to connect whether customers through surveys and asking them how they feel or how it fits whenever we have events. We do that a lot.

Stephen: No. That's great. Yeah, I think the surveying is always hard because we’re also time starved. And that's just that one other thing that . .. 

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Oh, so for us it's really just being scrappy and kind of being quick on our feet and just really keeping our you know, our eyes on the ground and just trying to figure out this as cost effective as we can. 

Stephen: Hey, we love scrappy over here. It's the way that so many. it's so many businesses prosper that they're able to do because you always have to cut. I don't know if cut corners is the right term here, but you can't do everything that you're supposed to do because it will be way, way too expensive. 

But I was thinking about with surveys like with surveys. I love just asking customers, you know, how would you describe our brand to a friend? 

Isadora: that’s a good one? 

We're asking that because that will just use the adjectives. But those surveys are always like there. It's like you get that feedback and then you know what you're doing. You find out the negative stuff.

Isadora: Whenever there's a survey, I'm always like looking for the worst retract because that's the most important. 

Stephen: Yeah, because those are the blind spots.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Actually I don't care. I mean, I care. Of course. It makes me feel good to see people say how much they loved the brand and why. But for me, it's the bad feedback is what I’m honing in on because that's just the only way we can improve.

Stephen: Right, I think, with higher price items. You see what people need to. What are people's objections to buy? What's stopping them and then when you get that good feedback, I guess the three or four things that people like the most about the product. I think that's what the marketing ends up being sometimes. 

Yeah, because that's what's funny about marketing because all the lot of those ideas just end up being things that the customer said or things that someone that purchased the product five times or its user generated content like it's a nice review from someone where you're their favorite brand. 

They get it like they understand the value and they're communicating it in a way to others, 

Let's jump into email because I know that you're working within Klaviyo and you know where. we've been talking about email marketing a little bit lately. It’s really strange sometimes because people think it's really it's been around for so long. So I understand why people think it's going away or that there's other things that might replace it. But just for businesses and building organic revenue, it's really effective. 

Isadora: Yeah

Stephen: So how is that?  What's happened with Back Beat Co and their evolution into email marketing.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): So the same thing where I had a website and it wasn't really kind of working as much as I wanted it to. And then I read somewhere that email marketing is the most cost effective marketing channel. I was just like, “Okay, well, why don't we just give it a shot?” You know, creating a newsletter is not that expensive. If you use Klaviyo. And I'm not in any way sponsored by Klaviyo.

Stephen: Yeah, it’s not the only platform out there. 

Isadora: there are email platforms that makes it really easy for you to create a nicely designed email using your own, their templates and whatever. So it's become more easier than before to make it on your own.

But anyway, after last year we decided, Okay, why don't we test this out and, you know, send two emails a week or ask our customers, “How many times do they really want to hear from us on?” And kind of gauge it from there. 

so, we created a welcome flow, and a thank you flow. And then, we also make sure that we communicate to our customers twice a week and we try to keep it as a balance between products, and then the other one would be lifestyle or kind of brand building so that we're not…. we hate to be the type of company that sent you an email every two days. Just like pushing products all the time. For me, that's boring.

If I am intruding into your personal space which is your email, I should be also bringing other things to the table, not just trying to sell you something,

Stephen: Right, I saw one of your emails. That was about it was a recent one about wish cycling. Yeah, And that was what, like, products that you want to be recyclable but aren't

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co):  so just basically tips on what you can actually recycle and what you cannot recycle. And sometimes, we wish that we could recycle things, But you can't. You shouldn't actually put that in your recycling bin.

Stephen: so they clog the…

Isadora: they contaminate the recyclable items

Stephen: Then none of it can be recycled. 

Isadora: I've been guilty of that. But when I saw the wishcycling thing, I was just like, I didn't know that this thing … you couldn't really recycle it. And if I'm already a conscious consumer, what about a really not conscious consumer. They don't know. So just like little things like that giving back a little bit of knowledge and whatever to our community is something that I try to do. 

Stephen: So, the welcome flow is like when someone signs up.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): They get a discount code when they sign up. and then after that, I'm not sure. I forget what the timing was. We also introduce the brand, and they say a little bit of our best practices and what not. And I think I believe that's it. I think we have only two flows for the welcome. 

And then I believe you also have a thank you where, you know, after several days after you purchase something, we send you a little note just to make it a little bit more personal.

Stephen: How do you see email evolving from what you have now.

Isadora: I think for now that's what we're just focusing on. And I think also moving forward. We just did this email where we which I thought was pretty successful. And I wished I kind of like, “Oh, uh, well, let's just try” that, um, we we put it one of the clothes that we just launched on that all the girls here at the studio and just be like, “Hey, you know, we're regular people. We have regular bodies, So why don't we show you how each and every one of us…what size we wear and you know what colors we love” and hours and stuff like that and that was really successful. 

So I think having a more personal touch. And I noticed that whenever I send out, like an email that I just write down …. I just tried to talk to our buyers to just kind of tell them a little bit more about what's happening at Back Beat Co and some of our future plans and some of the feedback that we've gotten and what we're trying to do about them.

Just really having that personal kind of touch. I think that we're gonna try to be doing more of moving forward just because I call the people that buy from us our stakeholders, because without them that our company wouldn't be able to run. So why are we not sharing what's happening to the people who actually matter?

Stephen: Yeah. And people. And I think the consumer, the buyer really appreciates that as well. It's just a great way to make yourself different from these huge companies that really can't do that.  But just that, you know, that really personal touch that a founder. just kind of going along the lines of trying to reduce that barrier. But yes, it sounds good. 

Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. I really appreciate all your insights. 

Isadora: Thank you for having me. 

I actually loved your insight on events. Cause i think what? How many different ways that can help your business.

Isadora: I really think that if you have the bandwidth to do it, especially when you're starting…. That's like the most the cheapest, best way to meet customers and grow your following …. like that “in-person touch”.  

Stephen: And get a feel.

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Yeah, in-person interaction. That's just not replaceable. And I feel like that’s what we need now, and in this day and age is like online shopping and stuff like that, having to be able to feel and meet, the people behind it. It's very valuable.

Stephen: Now they're saying with marketing, there's 15 touch points before someone makes a purchase. 

Isadora: 15 now?? It used to be just like 5 or something.  

Stephen: Yeah, it went up. I I thought it used to be seven. I remember way back when it was seven, and now all of a sudden, the new number is 15. And someone even said 16 last week. 

Isadora: Basically. five years from when they first see you, that’s when they’re going to start buying.

Stephen: Well, I guess you're right. Your instagram would count as one. and your emails, every email  they open, going to the website, having an event, or PR like reading about it, you know, reading about it in a publication.

Yeah, it adds up quickly. Actually, there's more….I feel like there's this layer of media in between consumers and brands now, whether it's all the social media, it's all the PR, so there's, like, more and people are using…consuming all that media more often than they used to. Because there's no lazy Sunday afternoon where now people say “I’m going to detox!” and that's for one day. Right? 

Isadora: Or for an afternoon.

Stephen: Um, yes, it is wonderful to have you on the show If if someone wants to learn more about Back Beat Co, check out your threads or connect with you. How can they find you?

Isadora: Yes. So we are at: www.backbeat.co. we're on instagram at @backback.co and we are always throwing events and throwing popups. So if you wanna connect with us through instagram or send us an email at heythere@backbeat.co, you’re totally welcome to and we’ll see you around.

Stephen: Sounds good. Definitely want to check that out. 

Isadora Alvarez (Back Beat Co): Thank you so much for having me. 

Stephen: And thank you for coming on the show.