Podcast: Play in new window | Download
“The future should be sustainable materials.” After years in finance, Hamilton Perkins discovered his new calling while shopping for a bag. A bag that he couldn’t find. This led him to found Hamilton Perkins Collection, a certified b-corp that crafts bags from recycled plastic bottles and lined with repurposed billboards. Talk about an engaging brand story! We explored all of this and more on this week’s On Brand podcast.
Enjoy This Episode Now
About Hamilton Perkins
Hamilton Perkins is the founder and President of Hamilton Perkins Collection, an e-commerce retailer, offering designer travel bags at an affordable price, while holding the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Hamilton Perkins Collection has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, The Washington Post, and Money Magazine. Hamilton Perkins Collection has hosted trunk shows at Bloomingdale’s and was the winner of the 2016 Virginia Velocity Tour business pitch competition hosted by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Prior to starting Hamilton Perkins Collection, Hamilton was an Investment Advisor at Merrill Lynch and, earlier, worked as an Analyst at Bank of America. He has also served in a leadership capacity with various non-profit organizations and has been recognized for his volunteer work and service hours assisting low-income populations. Hamilton is also a contributing blogger for The Huffington Post.
Episode Highlights
“It started with a personal problem, really.” The story of the founding of Hamilton Perkins Collection starts with the founder. “I was looking for a bag that I couldn’t find. I realized I was going to have to create it.”
“I’ve always had an aesthetic.” While he worked in finance, Hamilton was always into fashion and design. “My background played into that. I’d also seen all of the waste in packaging and materials.” There had to be a better way!
“The future should be made of sustainable materials.” That’s why Hamilton Perkins Collection uses recycled bottles, vinyl, and billboard in their bags. The bags are also cut and sewn in Hatai.
What’s the biggest brand problem Hamilton Perkins Collection faces? “Style with a purpose can be hard to communicate.” A big focus of Hamilton’s work is stressing that people can have fashionable bags from sustainable sourcing.
What brand has made Hamilton smiled recently? “Tesla — for their courage and vision.”
To learn more, go to hamiltonperkins.com, where guests of the show can save using promo code onbrand. Thanks, Hamilton!
As We Wrap …
Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …
Recently, Joe Morris gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Michael Brenner. Thanks for listening!
Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.
- Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS.
- Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
- OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.
- Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union featuring past On Brand guests Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, and more. Learn more.
- Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
