Product Design + Travel Convenience Talk with 'Palette by Pak' Founder
Photo: Courtesy of Palette by Pak
Even before the media got crazy obsessed with good skin care, your skin care routine is one of the most important parts of looking and feeling your best while on the go. Ever feel like you really need a moisturizer in the middle of a long day out, or wish you had your favorite face wash or oils when you go on a quick trip, but feel like your regular bottles are too big, and you have too many travel sized bottles that are just half full, or it’s just a waste! Both economically and environmentally. Cue The Original High Fiver by Palette!
We chat with founder Kate about this game changing product, the materials, and the passion behind her start up!
Kate Westad, a successful attorney turned inventor-slash-startup business owner, used to be a notorious over-packer! How many of you can relate?!
“I found myself late night, and last minute, packing for a solo trip to Paris several years ago…I knew there had to be a better way! And in that moment Palette™️ The Original High Fiver was born. In fact, I had this exact vision in my head of what it looked like!” explains Kate.
How Did You Decide on Size + How Many Compartments to Include?
“I am really good at a lot of things but am terrible at measurements!” laughs Kate, but “I knew it had to slip into pockets on bags, luggage as well as small cosmetic and toiletry bags. And I absolutely wanted one for my purse! I knew a pencil or a pen fit in most of my bags, even my clutches. And a pencil has been our guide ever since. I wanted the containers to be compact but hold enough for overnight, weekend trips and even a week in Paris!”
GENIUS!
What Makes ‘The Original High Fiver’ Special? Tell Us More About the Materials!
“Oh where do I start! Our patent pending tool is so innovative. We use medical grade material for our wells worthy of your best beauty products. 30% recycled plastic in the base (our goal is 100%).”
“Our patent-pending system is leak resistant. Even my daughter was shocked when her toner didn’t leak on a recent family trip to Costa Rica. We truly believe a better way to pack your beauty is here. I get SO excited when people tell me how they are using it and how it has simplified their lives.”
““We want everyone to wash and reuse their Palette™️ The Original High Fiver over and over again. Our product lets you use your fav full-sized products and skip the tiny travel bottles. We are super excited to help people skip using single-use plastics and keep them out of the waste stream and out of our rivers and oceans.””
You’re Doing So Much Around Sustainability with Eco-Friendly Packaging + Using Recycled Plastic. Are You Also Considering an End-of-Life Recycling Program?
“I am concerned that so many recyclables are not actually being recycled but are being put in the landfill instead. I want to be really thoughtful about it when we do develop it so the materials are actually recycled and reused. I would also love to canvas other hardline brands to see what they are doing and get expert advice! The great news is because we manufacture in the US, we know where our materials came from and what quality they are. I think that’s a great start.”
Tell Us More About What’s Next For Your Brand!
“As a mom and a lawyer, I’ve truly never had more fun working on something in my whole life. And if there’s any guessing from the name of our first patent pending product - The Original High Fiver - this is just our first signature product! There is so much more to come. We are just getting started and it’s so exciting.”
“Not only can you skip the tiny travel bottles and keep them out of the waste stream but it saves you stress, the mess all while doing better for our planet. ”
This All Sounds Amazing! How’s the Feedback so Far?
“The people who are contacting me about how much space they are saving from overnight work trips, vacations to motorcycle trips it’s just so fun to hear the in real life stories.
I think it’s super important to support female founded businesses. This is exactly why I recently joined the Female Founder Collective. The statistics surrounding venture capital funding alone for female founded companies is shocking. Women have astronomical buying power and I truly believe we can shift this dynamic by women supporting women!
At the time of posting, Palette and Aristos are collaborating on a giveaway on their Instagram pages. If you would like to participate, please visit this page: Palette by Pak Giveaway
All Photos Courtesy of Palette by Pak
