The “agency founder to brand founder” pipeline isn’t new, but when rooted in intention, it unlocks fresh opportunities for creatives to channel their vision into brands they can call their own.
For the founders of Sidia, Flamingo Estate, and &Or Collective, the leap into launching lifestyle brands wasn’t predictable, but it was purposeful. Their brands boast not only standout aesthetics but also a shared ethos of sustainability, storytelling, and impact.
Each founder makes a compelling case for pivoting from exclusively telling others’ stories to creating their own worlds—and building brands that are culturally relevant and deeply personal.
They’re also each currently making waves: Sidia added body care products in its cult-favorite “Soaked” scent, Flamingo Estate recently broadened its apothecary offerings with its Manuka Rich Cream launch and added a new book to its portfolio with The Guide to Becoming Alive (part manifesto, part memoir, penned by Richard Christiansen), while apparel brand &Or Collective expanded its curated collections with an accessory collaboration with female-founded brand, Deux Lions.
I spoke with the founders of Sidia, Flamingo Estate, and &Or Collective (in separate sit-down sessions) to uncover how their respective agency experience sharpened their skill sets and laid the foundation for building impactful brands.
Sidia: A Couture Homage to Self-Care
For Erin Kleinberg, founder of Sidia, her brand is a tribute to her late grandmother and the self-care rituals she instilled.
“It was 2020, and the pandemic hit me like a ton of bricks,” Kleinberg shares. “The same week we went into lockdown, my grandmother Sidia passed away. I channeled my grief into something positive—a brand in her honor.”
Kleinberg, co-founder of Coveteur and founder of the creative agency Métier Creative—known for clients like Ouai, Dior, Dedcool, and Megababe—was no stranger to building worlds.
Sidia debuted with apparel but quickly expanded into fine fragrance, candles and body care, including luxe shower exfoliants and hand and body serums crafted with intentional, plant-powered ingredients, wrapped in covetable packaging. “Sidia is about creating a personal oasis and a sensorial moment,” Kleinberg explains. “From candles to body care, everything is designed to help you come home to yourself.”
Sidia’s thoughtful design and storytelling have earned it retail partnerships with Goop, Revolve, Moda Operandi, and Credo Beauty (further cementing its status as a clean beauty and body care line). The zeitgeisty brand is also stocked at Tracy Anderson’s LA fitness studio and as part of the Beverly Hills Hotel treatments.
“We’re not about hyper-growth,” Kleinberg says. “We’re focused on the journey and building something meaningful. Recently recognized by Business of Fashion as one of the “brands driving the body care boom,” Sidia is tapping into a rapidly growing market. The global body care market, valued at over $18 billion in 2018, is projected to exceed $22 billion by next year, according to Euromonitor.
Kleinberg continues to run Métier Creative, where Sidia is treated as one of its award-winning clients—a testament to her talent for building culturally impactful “universes.” (Nothing says “cool factor” like delicious collaborations: two of Sidia’s most buzzed-about launches in 2024 were candle collabs with iconic New York City Italian restaurants, Don Angie and San Sabino. Yes, chef.)
&Or Collective: Redefining Sustainable Fashion
For Katie Green and Kristen King, co-founders and co-CEOs of &Or Collective, their agency experience with August Strategy laid the groundwork for launching an ethical apparel brand.
“Having worked together in the corporate world and then building August, we established a foundation of trust and respect,” Green shares. “This experience paved the way for us to launch &Or Collective—a venture born from a shared vision to redefine the apparel industry’s approach to sustainability.”
&Or Collective focuses on technical knitting for men and women, an innovative production process that reduces textile waste at every stage of the product life cycle. The brand’s mission: to create versatile, elevated garments designed for both function and fashion, while making a strong case for a conscious capsule wardrobe and uniform dressing.
“Our Creative Director and co-founder, Rosa Halpern, introduced us to the concept of technical knitting and it really was a pivotal innovation that enabled our ethos to come to reality,” shares Green.
“We noticed 65% of our sales were in multiples,” King reveals. “People were buying three pieces in the same color—like the tank, crop top, and skirt—creating effortless, mix-and-match wardrobes.”
“It’s inherently unsustainable to start a fashion brand, but people will continue to wear clothing,” Green explains. “The goal is to offer uncompromising, thoughtful options.”
Within a year of launch, &Or earned a CAFA Sustainability Award nomination (Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards) and was included in Canadian Business’ list of “25 Most Innovative Companies of 2024.”
It’s currently featured in Holt Renfrew’s H Project, a retail platform for purpose-driven luxury brands.
(King and Green still lead the agency August, which fittingly also means “inspiring reverence and worthy of respect.”)
Flamingo Estate: Building a Universe of Nature and Impact
For Richard Christiansen, founder of Flamingo Estate, building his lifestyle brand was as much about storytelling as it was about sustainability. After founding the creative agency Chandelier Creative in 2005, Christiansen pivoted into a world of plants, food and luxury products.
“I was living in New York, and on a work trip to Los Angeles, I happened to be introduced to the owner of the property that has become Flamingo Estate,” Christiansen shares. “I have a background in beekeeping and was helping him tend to the bees on his property. After several years, he offered to sell it to me, but I wasn’t allowed to see inside.”
Christiansen saw immense untapped potential in the property. After finalizing the purchase, he enlisted Studio KO and landscape architect Arnaud Casuas to help restore and transform it into something magical.
The brand started with a simple premise during the COVID-19 lockdown: helping local farmers sell their produce.
Today, Flamingo Estate embodies Christiansen’s upbringing on an Australian farm and his vision for connecting people to the natural world through products like honey, heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, candles, and soap—all infused with elegance and purpose.
What started with vegetable boxes soon evolved into a vision for transforming Flamingo Estate into “the Hermès of vegetables”—a collection of high-quality products rooted in a mission to reconnect people with the earth.
Christiansen leaned on lessons from his agency days to craft Flamingo Estate’s universe. “You learn how essential storytelling is to developing the world of the brand,” he says. “But it has to be honest and personal, or it won’t mean anything. I care deeply about the environment and about food systems, and I believe if we want people to think about nature differently, we have to show it to them differently.”
(Chandelier is now helmed by CEO Eileen Eastburn and CCO Michael Scanlon, a film director whose cinematic approach crafts near-mythical storytelling for its client roster.)
Lessons from Agency Life
The transition from agency founder to brand founder isn’t always seamless, but these creatives credit their agency backgrounds for teaching them invaluable skills:
Agility: “You learn how to be agile at an agency, out of necessity,” Christiansen explains. “That kind of work left me exhausted.” A conversation with his dear friend and mentor, Dr. Jane Goodall, offered a spark of clarity: “Why don’t you take all these things you’ve learned selling products for other people, and do something with it?” Christiansen found purpose in creating something personal—products he uses every day.
Storytelling: “I learned how to build a world for a brand,” Kleinberg says. “Sidia is a universe, not just a product line.”
Resourcefulness: “We applied everything we learned from our August clients to build &Or thoughtfully and strategically,” Green shares.
Making an Impact
Despite their different industries—beauty, fashion, and lifestyle—these founders share a common goal: to create brands that are not just iconic, but impactful.
As Kleinberg puts it, “The possibilities are endless when you trust your instincts and are building something with meaning.”