We recently connected with Alexa Adams and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexa, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My partner Cleo and I started our started our company barrière because of the pandemic in 2020.

I had been furloughed from my job and ended up volunteering to help bring large quantities of PPE into the US based on my years of experience in supply chains. It was an amazing experience to help in the midst of an uncertain time. After a few months I started working with my factory to develop recyclable masks in stylish prints that did not irritate the skin while still being medical grade.

At the same time my partner Cleo had been inspired by Covid to volunteer, getting hand made masks to those in need, and realized she couldn’t make enough to fill the demand. When she saw an interview I had done on the future of masks she reached out to me on Instagram and suggested we work together.

We ended up starting barrière completely remotely and spent our time on zoom, slack, etc working on all aspects of the business. While we launched with medical and KN95 masks, our aim has always been wearable wellness: from non alcoholic sanitizing hand lotion to more effective bug repellents that smell great to vitamin & supplement patches. Emerging in covid was a testing ground to launch a brand around nourishing and protecting the body from the outside in. Now we develop products around skincare, sun protection, insect protection, and nutrition.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a designer turned founder who moved from fashion into designing for athletics, accessibility, and now the wellness & healthcare industry. I started out designing for brands like Helmut Lang and Karl Lagerfeld before starting my own label with a friend focused on knitwear. I worked for years using 3-D knitting and other innovative techniques to make clothes that supported and empowered women.

I’ve always wanted to solve problems with great design and new materials. I worked with Nike on the Nike Ease Challenge, rethinking footwear access for all. At barrière, we focus on making health easy with all in one solutions. We rethought bug repellents using all natural materials like geranium oil and soybean oil that nourish the skin. Our candles and incense are coming out this spring and are 4x as effective as citronella while smelling amazing. We also make recycled sun hats with 50+ UPF sun protection in soft textures and prints. We are always looking for more sustainable and beautiful solutions to keep ourselves protected.

I’ve been most proud to have customers who reach out to us with their thoughts and keep coming back. We’ve ended up having a close relationship with our community, as barrière is the 1st layer of protection they put on every day.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We’ve been extremely transparent with our products so customers know they can trust us. When we promise results we back them up with science.For masks that means we share all all our testing and certifications. That also means partnering with Drs. and other healthcare workers whether it be New York Presbyterian Hospital, or Baby2Baby on health initiatives. We access independent testing on all our products so we know that stack up against what is already in the market. One of the most interesting facts I learned was how ineffective Citronella is as a bug repellent, but it is the most commonly used all natural ingredient. By accessing larger EPA studies we used alternative ingredients like geranium oil/geranoil that are much more effective.

We’ve also focused on sustainability from the beginning at barrière. We were the first medical mask made out of recycled AND with a consumer recycling program so we can close the loop on production. We also use paper and aluminum packaging where possible to keep our footprint lower.

We love to surprise people with how great our products feel and look in person. Our best help has come from our customers who keep coming back after trying our lotions, masks, and hats and seeing that they really work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was first starting out as a designer, I was more rigid in formulating a plan or goal and then pushing to achieve it. While it kept me extremely focused, I missed out on experimenting and being surprised by new ideas or directions. Also keeping myself in a particular box (as a clothing designer vs. innovator) limited the possibilities of what I could work on.

When I moved into creative direction, I stopped thinking from the top down and starting playing more with multiple ideas & projects and looking for interconnections between them. Even the way I worked within a team became more collaborative and fun. Creating a new design takes a spark of imagination along with a whole team of people to ideate, develop, produce, and market it. Each step in that chain is an opportunity for more play and collaboration. Moving away from a singular path into connected areas of interest, has brought my work more impact and meaning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mybarriere.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybarriere/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybarriere/