Designer to Watch: Ashleigh Stone, Founder of Poolside

By Ashleigh Hults in 2016, St. Launched during a winter trip to Barths, poolside became viral in a short time with its eye-catching, hand-embroidered straw bags. Inspired by French market bags and adorned with cheeky pop culture references, you can now custom order by choosing your own size, expression/word, and color.

Since debuting on the scene, the brand has expanded into many other shapes and styles as well, creating bags that are regularly worn by Gwyneth Palthrow, Priyanka Chopra, Reese Witherspoon, Molly Sims, Romee Strijd, Emily Ratajkowski and other fashionable women around the world. . However, the brand’s DNA maintains its irreverent, luxurious beach vibe.

We chatted with founder Ashleigh Hults to learn more about Poolside, its past and what’s to come.

Could you tell us a little about your background before you started The Fashion Spot: Poolside?

Ashleigh Stone: I grew up in my grandmother’s sewing room and have always found my greatest pleasure in designing and making things – sewing, crocheting, embroidery. I started my career professionally in finance, working in investment banks. Then I returned and worked in luxury fashion and wellness public relations for nearly 4 years before launching Poolside.

How did tFS: Poolside come about?

AS: In 2016, I opened a poolside boutique at a boutique hotel in Montauk. I stocked many emerging brands of young designers, but I could not find a straw bag that I liked. I loved the classic Sunday baskets I saw in France, but I thought it would be fun to let people personalize the bags with knick-knack names or brash words. At that point, Instagram was just taking off and I knew bags would go viral as people started sharing their special bags.

tFS: What was in your mind when you launched the brand as it is today?

AS: When I founded the brand, I didn’t have any business plans or expectations. That was too much of a side hustle. Sometimes, I wish I had been better prepared for the virality of our launch moment, but I learned a lot along the way and I’m excited about how we’ve evolved as a brand.

tFS: You’ve been with so many celebrities – how did that happen?

AS: All of our celebrity endorsements are completely organic – they’ve all been reached out to us via Instagram, email, or gifted by a friend! Some even ordered directly from my website!

tFS: Was there a point where you thought about giving up, and if so, what made you insist on it?

AS: I want to be extremely honest about this answer because I see a lot of fluffy responses when it comes to job interviews, and I want to be realistic and relate to others who are working hard to grow their business. My job is fully booted and my team is small. It’s a tough job and I never got a paycheck from the job. There have been so many times that I’ve wanted to give up, but then I remind myself that it’s a privilege to build slowly and by my own rules. I also like to think about some of the trouble spots and how I can fix them. For example, I will look at the business from a very high-level perspective and say, “We are doing very well right now. However, XYZ is a major operational problem and I know that if we fix it, we can double our business with this major retailer.” Then I put the plan into action and walk towards my goals. I also always remind myself to be “fearless” because life is short so I feel more comfortable taking calculated risks.

tFS: How do you deal with other brands that knock you down?

AS: From the beginning, I decided not to care at all. I could either spend my time being sad or come up with new designs and ideas to expand our business even further. I decided that the later mindset would be more productive. I don’t have an embroidered straw beach bag – they’ve been around for years. However, we offer quality control, speed and lifetime warranty. We have a workshop in Brooklyn, so if someone needs repairs on their bag, we’ll do our best to fix it for them. We want to be a good partner for our customers and create products that people can enjoy for a lifetime.

tFS: What are some of the biggest concerns when it comes to running your own business?

AS: I see production and customer service as the most worrying aspects of the job. So much so that I invested in professionals to help me in these areas!

tFS: anything you can mock for 2023?

AS: We are still planning 2023, but we have an exciting collaboration to work on! We are also working to relaunch our website with a mini rebrand to showcase our progress and the brand we are today. We’re also excited to introduce new categories like travel accessories and RTW.