While working at Estée Lauder, Karen Young designed a razor for women. Don’t let that stylish rose gold exterior fool you; Oui Shave’s 100% stainless steel safety razor means business—just like the woman who designed it. Here’s Young’s story, in her own words:

I knew I needed to launch my own brand because: There were absolutely no better products for women who, like myself, experienced severe irritation and inflammation as a result of shaving. When I asked other women about their pain points, I found that they either found shaving irritating or a subpar experience in general.

Our hero SKUs are: The Rose Gold single-blade razor, the neroli shave oil and the shave creme.

Razors are rather technical and, frankly, utilitarian looking. How did you come up with the design and look?  We started by interviewing hundreds of customers who were early adopters. We relied on them for feedback around the weight, balance and user experience of the razor. It has become an integral part of our product development to build in tandem with our customers.

As an indie, the biggest issue we have had to overcome so far has been: Scaling while self-funded. We’ve had quite a bit of work to keep up with demand, and relied on pre-orders to provide working capital as we grew. It was a great way to manage inventory, predict growth and satisfy consumer demand for the product.

How are you inspired by your headquarter’s location in Brooklyn? We are located in Dumbo and the mix of creative entrepreneurs in the neighborhood is constantly inspiring. The iconic bridge and waterfront looming ahead on my daily walk to work don’t hurt either.

Dr. Ena Hennegan of Many Ethnicities asks: “With all of the myriad demands on an entrepreneur’s time, how do you create the space to generate truly creative, forward-focused ideas for new products?” We rely on those very customers and use our interactions with them to create authentic conversations where we talk about their needs. We try to access our product development with an eye toward creating with women in mind; meaning dynamic, thoughtful products that actually serve women’s real needs today.

What resolutions are you setting for your brand 2019? Our topline KPI is to change the lives of as many women as possible. We’ll do that by releasing some of our most requested products and continue to build a brand where our authenticity is the conduit to our growth.