Today we’d like to introduce you to Aston LaFon.
Aston, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The three founders of 18.21 Man Made Angel del Solar, Aston LaFon and David del Solar have all had other experiences as entrepreneurs. Whether that was as a salon owner, manufacturer, importer or distributor. We even have a deconstruction Chef on the team which, brings a completely different perspective to crafting fresh product recipes. Before starting 18.21 Man Made, we owned a distribution and education business called Credible Culture. We supported the top tier salons in Texas with premium retail offerings and educational opportunities to grow their business and enhance the service experience for their guests.
It was at that time that we noticed a movement among men. Men, we’re more than ever actively seeking out elevated grooming goods but couldn’t always find a product offering to match their aspirations. We happened to be men and understood that at the time, most products for men shared the same mundane characteristics. We felt that the society of Men deserved a more elevated option. Something unique that they would take pride in owning.
In 2013 we collected our nearly 50 years of learning in the professional beauty industry and started to meticulously craft 18.21 Man Made goods which, we launched in May of 2014. The heritage of our namesake is a reference to the 18th amendment which, started the Prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the early 1900’s and the 21st amendment which, is a point in history that is well known for bootlegging. And the spirit of the prohibition era bootlegging is obvious in everything that we do.
Materials just felt more substantial 100 years ago. Things we’re heavy and durable. We like the idea of using substantial materials from the old school but, using fresh and modern ingredients because today, mixtures can be both high performance and respectful of health.
Our goods feel top shelf like they were made just for you. They feel substantial to hold and will become something that you are inspired to display in your bathroom proudly. And our goods are instinctively masculine but she might steal them for herself. It happens.
18.21 Man Made grooming goods might be featured in a whiskey flask, a bathtub gin jug or even resemble a beer can from the early 1900’s. Commonplace men’s products typically feature black bottles with chrome letters and say “For Men” somewhere on the bottle.
18.21 Man Made styling goods are featured in thick, heavy glass containers with three layers of paint which, is a complete departure from the lightweight, flimsy plastic pucks that are now commonplace.
A cheap watch feels light and you forget it’s there but, an expensive watch is made from premium materials, feels heavy and reminds you all day that it is part of your lifestyle.
Each of our meticulous mixtures is a high performance, respectful of personal health and provides a feeling of luxury and value simultaneously. And we make sure to eliminate challenges that are commonly associated with certain grooming products so that our products are easy to use and ready when you want them to be.
And to round out a completely uncommon experience, all of our goods feature custom-crafted aroma profiles such as our original Sweet Tobacco aroma. A boozy aroma inspired by sweet Virginia pipe tobacco and the roaring spirit of the swanky Prohibition era speaks easy lounges.
Over the past six years, we are grateful to have earned so many great customers, distributors and retailers that share all that our vision to spoil him with top shelf grooming goods and rituals. Customers such as Amazon, LifeSpas by Lifetime Fitness, Macy’s, Ulta and thousands of independent barbershop, salon and spa.
Our team is honored by the overwhelmingly positive response from our customers over the years. If our customers love the experience of using our goods and they continue to be loyal to our brand, they are providing us with the opportunity to continue to make great products and to pursue this uniquely American dream. And for that, we will always be grateful.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We like to say that starting and growing a business is almost impossible. We are three hardworking gents and each of us has our unique superpowers but, we only know what we know and we don’t know what we don’t know. In the beginning, we did everything the business needed to get it started but, there became a point where we were in our way and didn’t fully realize it.
People and planning make things happen so, find great people. Operational effectiveness, establishing processes and developing systems are all key challenges of entrepreneurship.
The thing about self-discovery, though is that sometimes it can take too long to figure things out. It’s always apparent looking backward.
Manufacturing can sometimes feel impossible, especially when you are trying to go against the grain and create something special. People tend to have a desire to “play it safe” and steer you towards a common product experience.
Inconsistency and delays with manufacturing can put someone right out of business quickly so, make sure to achieve a high level of consistency before aggressively expanding your customer base. You need great products to keep those customers. We are fortunate that there have been very few failures in our history. Probably more lost opportunities than we realize but, thankfully, there have been many successes.
We are humbled and honored to Spoil Him with our goods and we appreciate the opportunity to create a good life for our families. We don’t take much time to celebrate successes. That’s something we might need to work on too.
And as business owners that greatly value our customers, there is always something that needs our attention or an improvement to provide a better experience for our customers or to grow the business.
Based on our learnings, I would encourage an aspiring entrepreneur to be strategic vs. reactive. Be brave. Avoid gimmick. Stay humble—express gratitude. Work smarter, not harder. And slow down to speed up.
Please tell us about your business.
The 18.21 Man Made barrel house is a distiller of top-shelf Men’s grooming goods. Inspired by the spirit of the prohibition era bootlegging. Our passion is to spoil him with premium grooming goods that he will take pride in owing and this his significant other will take pride in gifting.
18.21 offers a collection of grooming goods for hair, skin, beard, shave and more. We are best known for our Man Made Wash and Sweet Tobacco aroma. Man Made wash is a shampoo + conditioner for beard, hair & skin, featured in a whiskey flask or a fifth. Wash is perfect for getting you clean without drying out the skin and for hydrating the hair & skin without being heavy or greasy. The Sweet Tobacco aroma is a boozy mixture sweet honey, tobacco, powdery musk and more.
Many goods for Men seem to share a set of common characteristics. We are very interested in making something uncommon. Something instinctively masculine that a gentleman will handle with pride but could also inspire women to Spoil Him by gifting our goods to him or even stealing it for themselves. The packaging is what generates the interest and creates pride of ownership, the aroma inspires an emotional bond, the products must have high performance to earn the customers trust and the cost must be right to generate a true sense of value.
The heritage of our namesake is a reference to the 18th amendment which, started the Prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the early 1900’s and the 21st amendment which, is a point in history that is well known for bootlegging. And the spirit of the prohibition era bootlegging is obvious in everything that we do. Materials just felt more substantial 100 years ago. Things we’re heavy and durable. We like the idea of using substantial materials from the old school but, using fresh and modern ingredients because today mixtures can be both high performance and respectful of health.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
The annual experience of spring becoming summer and the freedom that it brought with it.
Pricing:
- Our product ranges from $24 to $80
Contact Info:
- Address: 3501 S HWY 157 Suite 117, Euless, TX. 76040
- Website: www.1821manmade.com
- Phone: 4692309494
- Email: info@1821manmade.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/1821manmade
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/1821manmade
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/1821manmade
Image Credit:
Product photos shot & edited by Aston LaFon
Model Photos shot by Dacy Mulcahy Edited by Aston LaFon
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