|
The Interview
By Amber
Gibson, News Editor
Styleforfree: When
you and Andrew (Goetz) founded Malin
+ Goetz, the
two of you had already been friends for quite some
time. What inspired you to become business
partners and start your own skincare line?
Matthew: Andrew
and I are personally involved and have been for 13
years. Having been involved with one another in various
respects, there seemed to be an opportunity in our
respective careers to take our work to the next level.
I had several jobs since graduating from college
before founding Malin + Goetz. I worked in the beauty
division at numerous companies including Saks, Barneys,
Prada, and Kiehl’s. I was the vice president
in wholesale for 6 years before L’Oreal purchased
Kiehl’s. At this same time, Andrew had been
working for a small, privately owned Swiss design
manufacturer. His job was to help cultivate industrial
designers and oversee all the marketing in the US.
Having seen so many small companies being taken over
by large corporations, we wanted to do something
unique for small family operated businesses.
Styleforfree: Malin
+ Goetz has a very conservative approach to skincare.
It just blows my mind that you’ve created one
product that works for all skin types, men and women!
How in the world were you able to come up with one
formula that works so well on everyone?
Matthew: Goetz
is oily and Malin is dry. As urban professionals,
we live in a small NYC apartment with limited space.
We appreciate luxury but have limited time to take
care of ourselves the way we’d like to. Doing
something from a unisex perspective, it also needed
to be easy from an urban perspective. Plus, I’m
allergic to synthetic fragrances, and I wanted to
be able to pick a product up without worrying about
if it would irritate my skin. Taking this approach,
we wanted to see how we could simplify skincare regimens
that are on the go and we wanted something of the
highest quality. Something that could work for you,
no matter what your skin type. We started working
with a team of experts that would be the basis of
our company, people who understood our vision and
were able to create formulas for our products in
the laboratory.
SFF: As
you said before, you have dry skin and Andrew has
oily skin. Besides this basic difference, the two
of you have very different personalities as well.
How do your contrasting personalities mesh as co-founders?
Matthew: The
whole idea behind the brand is how opposite concepts
create balance. All of our products create perfect
pH balance of the skin. Everything is a two-step
process, cleanser and moisturizer. Cleansers are
the darker color, moisturizers are the lighter color.
Everything we do is based around this concept of
balance, and we sort of complement each other since
we come from two very extreme opposites. It’s
so nice to be able to work with someone that has
such different ideas. Together, our black and white
creates something gray. And with both of our ideas,
we are able to create the very best skincare products
for our customers.
SFF: Your
laboratory and boutique headquarters are located
in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC. How has living
in New York influenced your lifestyle and products?
Matthew: New
York is one of the most diverse and integrated international
cities in the entire world. Those are the reasons
why I would never want to not be in NY. It has also
positioned us in dealing with every variety of people
that could possibly walk through our door. We recently
launched our brand in Asia, and the first thing beauty
editors would say was “How is Malin + Goetz
good for Asian skin?” Asians are only a small
portion of the population in New York, where you
have Caucasians, Hispanics, and African-Americans
too. Our products can work for everyone in this setting,
regardless of race, gender, or skin type.
SFF: Before
founding Malin
+ Goetz, you were the vice president
of wholesale at Kiehl’s. What was the most
important thing you learned at Kiehl’s that
you can apply to running your own business?
Matthew: The
first thing that comes to mind is service. One of
the things Kiehl’s was able to do because it
was family owned and operated was to act and respond
to customer requests and demands quickly. Kiehl’s
had something that people could connect to. They
were able to create a soul for the brand because
it was special and small and they could do things
specifically for you. With this idea of the modern
apothecary we took the idea of Kiehl’s to the
next level. Malin + Goetz is modern, technologically
advanced and forward, but still using natural ingredients,
maintaining our local customer base, and concerning
ourselves with the wants of our customers.
SFF: Tell
me about your personal skincare regime. If you were competing
on Survivor and could only bring one product with you, which
one would you pick?
Matthew: If
I could only bring one product, I would bring the
facial moisturizer. It is intensely hydrating and
very lightweight, leaving no greasy residue and no
clogged pores. If you had to wash your face with
water, you could keep it clean, and with the moisturizer,
have that level of intense hydration. I will say
as a side note, that with my skin in mind, our facial
cleanser is so effective and purifying. It’s
actually the number one selling product in our line.
I find the facial cleanser is very thorough and hydrating,
so if I could bring two, I would bring the facial
cleanser and moisturizer. But if I could only bring
one, it would have to be the moisturizer.
SFF: Have
you ever thought about expanding your line to include
makeup?
Matthew: Yeah,
we’ve talked about it, but it’s not on
the horizon anytime soon. We have really tried to
focus our energy on what we do, and do it very well.
If we were to take on makeup we would do it from
a treatment perspective. We would partner with a
specialist, a makeup professional that we could connect
with, so we could have that expert view. That’s
how our business is built, an expert architect designed
our building, an expert formula developer created
our products, an expert graphics team created our
packaging. Everything has to be the very best.
SFF: Your
products appeal to such a wide range of people. Do
you know of any celebrities that use your products?
Matthew: Just
as of Sunday, Elton John bought 10 of our fragrances,
all four of them in a series of duplications. On
Sunday in New York, Ashley Olson purchase our replenishing
face serum in Soho. Janet Jackson and Mischa Barton
have been to our store. Robin Williams came in with
his daughter. Jennifer Lopez frequently purchases
our products at Barney’s. She’s a fan
of our rum
tonic.
SFF: Does
Malin + Goetz have any new products coming out soon?
Or do you have any special events coming up in the next
few months?
Matthew: We
just launched our replenishing
face serum less than
a month ago. It’s our newest product and addresses
all skin types. Our face serum takes us into a new
aspect of skincare, addressing lines and wrinkles
and evening skin tone. Last week, we launched our
Mohito
soap set a boxed set of three soaps:
Lime, Rum, and Peppermint. This is part of a bigger
idea that includes a set of candles, one lime & peppermint
and one rum. When you burn them together they become
a mohito! A mask and face cream are planned for release
at the end of the year, and we will be adding a second
store in Dallas soon if everything goes well.
SFF: Okay,
I’ve heard a rumor that your super sleek Chelsea
store is transformed once a month for lavish dinner parties,
and I have to admit that I love a good party. So I have
to ask, who are the A-listers that receive invitations
to these parties?
Matthew: Well,
it’s generally New York celebs. We invite people
that are involved with the design, art and architecture
industries that represent Andrew’s background.
And of course, beauty professionals as well. The
Beauty Editor of Vogue, Sarah Brown, has been here
with her boyfriend. We’ve had textile manufacturers
that are very famous in the design industry. All
the people we know are on our friends list. Almost
every major beauty editor has been here for dinner.
The architects that built our space come by often,
along with an assortment of artists that work for
small privately owned companies. So our parties are
star-studded, but not Hollywood star-studded.
SFF: Thanks
for the interview Matthew, it’s been a pleasure
talking to you. Do you have any last words you’d
like to share?
Matthew: Well,
we just turned 2 years old March 1st, so we’re
still very young. I’m really proud of what
we’ve accomplished in a short amount of time,
and we are looking forward to the next few years.
Andrew and I are both just so enthusiastic and passionate
about our business and it’s something that
we personally enjoy.
|
