It's not often my social networks need to be vetted before being granted the opportunity to shop online, but for Stefan's Head, a NY-based retail brand driven solely through text message, exclusivity is a real part of the appeal.
"Stefan is an artist we met at a ridiculous party in L.A., one we had no business attending."
Billing itself as the first ever text message driven retail brand – one that's currently focusing on products and experiences for guys – Stefan's Head is helmed by founders Michael Kushner and Trey Sisson, and is fresh off a stint in TechStars New York, one of the few retail brands in the program. They're now working out of an incubator space in Manhattan. Their marketing guy, Justin Curhan, is from Lincoln.
If you're still fuzzy on what they do, don't sweat it. It's a bit confusing, if not mysterious and therefore rather intriguing. (In a Reddit post from six months ago asking for feedback on the concept, the guys said: "We try to be a bit intentionally vague/mysterious.")
I went through the paces to get on the inside. In a nutshell, here's how it works:
- Text the number – 646-759-0904 – which is listed openly on the company's website, and express in some manner or another that you want in. I went with: "Hey Stefan. I want in."
- You'll get a text back, likely asking where you found the number. Make something up that makes you sound awesome. (I did.) Or just tell them the truth.
- They will then ask for a social network, Twitter, Instagram, what have you. If you don't have one, they'll want a pic from your phone.
- At this point, you will be "vetted." In my case, they asked how I liked a beer I'd recently posted an Instagram photo of.
- Eventually, if you pass muster, they'll invite you to join the exclusive ranks of Stefan's Head devotees.
- They'll tell you to save the contact they send over, a burner phone on their end that adds to the general allure of the transactions to come.
- Then, once or twice a week, you'll get a text about some new or exclusive thing, be it apparel, art, music or the like.
The vetting piece is one I had, and still have, questions about. Do people really not make the cut? Who? Why? So I asked Kushner about it.
"Stefan's list includes people of any age, sex, race, sexual orientation, etc." Kushner, a.k.a. Kush, conveyed. "Within that wide group, however, we are inspired by people who are interested in the creative community and have an open mind. At the end of the day if you're not into what Stefan is putting out there, it's not a good experience on either end."
So, if you're intrigued enough to text the number, chances are, I'm guessing, you're getting in.
Another important note here – and really, this is a big selling point of the brand – is that you'll always be corresponding with an actual person. No robots are working the phone banks at Stefan's Head World Headquarters. I can't say with conviction it's always Stefan, but I'm assured it's always a real human.
This brings up another point: Who the hell is Stefan? Like lots of company details, the guys are pretty coy on this front. Instead, I'm given the literal party line: "Stefan is an artist we met at a ridiculous party in L.A., one we had no business attending."
Stefan is your trusted source of what's cool that you'll never meet, the clandestine man behind the brand. Kushner and Sisson are trading on that mystique. That and convenience – deliver highly curated goods right where guys' attention is already locked: their phones.
"Stefan’s Head primarily deals apparel right now, but we see him having a much bigger influencer on culture in a few years," said Kushner. "Stefan is certainly not for everyone but the ultimate vision is to have a very personalized experience. There are some big changes in the next 12 months we can’t talk about just yet, but you can always text Stefan to stay in the know."
Kushner and Sisson wouldn't talk numbers – so list size, number of people they turn away and conversion rates were off the table. But they did tell me that down the road they plan to make the whole thing much more personalized. So if you live in Boston and are really only into limited edition sneakers, those are the texts you'll get most often.
One thing they're banking on is the growing inclination toward "invisible apps" – meaning you don't need to download anything new to be involved. For guys, myself included, that's likely a big selling point.
Do I still have a few questions? Sure. But am I enticed enough to curiously await the next time I get a text from Stefan? You bet.
Images provided.
