New Beginnings

Hello hello, Lauren here, friends call me Fenny.

Welcome to Confidants, a weekly newsletter to channel my passion for brand discovery and storytelling.

A Confidant is a trusted friend, and I’m here to be that friend who guides you in discovering and shopping under-the-radar brands while sharing their stories, collections, and the people in their orbit.

Confidants has always been a space dedicated to people who spark something in us—creativity, self-discovery, joy, confidence, style. Beyond brands, expect to discover the people, places, music, art, and musings I find along the way.

Freshly back after a two-year hiatus, I’m thinking about ways to share lessons earned from 15+ years in e-commerce and marketing, building DTC brands and marketplaces from the ground up. I love strategy/partnerships and working with founders/ teams to help independent brands around the world compete, grow, and thrive.

I hope to pass along practical tools, tips, and insights for brand leaders and creators. More on that soon!

As a curator and connector, I have a world of inspiration I can’t wait to share. Thanks for being here. If you want to connect off Substack, drop me a line at lauren@weareconfidantes.com..

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Some history if you’re interested

I launched Confidants in 2018 as a destination for women to discover and shop brands that align with their values and vibe. Over three years, we partnered with 100+ emerging brands and grew to several thousand customers. A key part of Confidants was telling brand stories, interviewing interesting people, and building community. It was fun and hard. I learned a lot.

Before Confidants, I spent 4-5 years helping build Huckberry, a leading destination for men to discover and shop exciting brands. They’re still killing it (check them out), and it makes me proud to have been part of the early startup days.

Even though I officially closed the Confidants marketplace in 2022-2023, I didn’t want to lose the community we built. As mentioned, I have a deep passion for brand discovery, storytelling, strategy, partnerships, and working with teams to support independent brands around the world as they compete, grow, and thrive.

So much has changed in my 15 years working in e-commerce and marketing. After time in entrepreneurship and advising, I went back in-house at my dream brand to revisit how brands are built today. Two years later, I’m back in consulting and ready to share more lessons learned.

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Founder @ Confidants, chief brand scout. Avid storyteller, retail nerd, and lover of community, innovation, & great coffee. Say hi, I love meeting people.
Creative Innovator inspired by space, story, and the deeper connection to it all. Endlessly curious and inspired by different cultures, rituals, and third place gathering spots. Here for all the feels.