why i started stewart & claire

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about why I started Stewart & Claire. Yes, it was because I love lip balm and the inspiration for the brand did start over cocktails, per our company’s lore. But it was actually more than that. I wanted to make a product people really truly loved. One that made a decision for them by being the absolute perfect thing. Just what they needed.

In my life, Everlane has helped me immensely by crafting clothes I want to wear every day. And Heath Ceramics does this with dishes. I feel at peace knowing I have these things that I absolutely love to use. That I don’t have to be distracted by the new and the next and add excess clutter to my life.

For many of us, lip balm can be the same way. It’s a tiny product, but a mighty one. Many of us use it all the time, multiple times a day, in fact. It accompanies us throughout our days, our journeys. Some of us get nervous or even irritated when we don’t have it. (You know you know that feeling.) ;)

Before I created Stewart & Claire, I never loved any particular balm that much, but I wanted to. I wanted something natural, preferably organic, with a grown-up package and scent (or no scent at all for when I was having one of those days). Something that was smooth but not greasy. And so that’s why we’re here. Because I was sure that if toiled enough to create something I loved, enough other people would learn to love it, too. They would feel happier, more at ease, and maybe even, more beautiful and confident having the balm in their pockets.