The Grandmother Move

I'm writing this from another airport, this new era of Andi on speaking tour is fully underway, and thank god for an easy packing routine.

I set a goal of more speaking events a year or so ago - that resulted in 8 (I think?!) in 2025 and so far, as of March 2026, I’ve done 5 (Vancouver x 2, Toronto, New Orleans, Ft. Lauderdale, and I head to New York today for another). I’m grateful for every room I get to be in, and grateful to bring you this newsletter today. I’m on a bit of a hiatus from the podcast, but will be bringing that back again later this month.

This weekend was International Women’s Day and tbh this…

So instead of a big declaration, I'll just say: I see you. Keep going.

Some genuinely exciting news on my end: Casa Noon just landed a Town & Country Best Of mention, and this 30 Best Travel Beauty Products, which still feels a little surreal to type.

But here's the thing I want to say alongside that, because I mean it: the best way to support an indie brand isn't to congratulate the founder (we love that and the press feels great, of course)!

To be the very best support ever: buy the product, share it on your social, or send the link to someone you know would love it unprompted. If you’re a founder, an artist, or a creative, I know you know this!

Press is wonderful. Community is what sustains a brand.

And while we're being honest — if the people closest to you don't quite get what you're building yet, that's not a sign to stop. You didn't create your brand for your friends and family. You created it for the person out there who needs exactly what you're making. They're finding you. Give them time.

on making the origin story literal

Back in January, Jacquemus made an announcement. He'd been teasing a first-ever brand ambassador for days — the guessing game started immediately. Lisa? Kendall? Bella? The internet was ready to crown whoever it was.

The reveal was Simon Porte Jacquemus' 79-year-old grandmother, Liline, who he described as "the most special woman in my life."

FOUNDER LORE BRILLIANCE YA’LL!

I haven't stopped thinking about it since and reference it all the time.

By placing Liline at the center of its communications, Jacquemus chose authenticity and emotion over the traditional ambassador strategy of internationally recognized celebrities. What made it land wasn't just the subversion of expectations — though that helped — it was how earned it felt. He wrote in the announcement: "Before Jacquemus existed, she was already my inspiration. Her strength, her elegance, her authenticity… she shaped the way I see women, and the way I imagine this Maison."

It made the origin story the campaign.

There's also the mock "contract" he published alongside the announcement — the commitments Liline must uphold as ambassador. She must adhere to a full look policy at all times. She must not pronounce the names of other fashion houses. She must not wear any other brand, archive, label, or "just something comfortable" — comfort is conceptual.

It's genuinely funny, completely on-brand, and it does something most humor in branding doesn't: it has a point of view. It reinforces the world of Jacquemus rather than just performing relatability.

What I keep returning to strategically is this: we talk a lot about Founder Lore as a framework — the challenge, the turning point, the transformation — but the Liline move is a reminder that lore is something you can embody, cast, and make tangible. Who or what actually formed your brand before the brand existed? That's the material.

For founders building right now: your backstory isn't a section in your About page.

The brands that resonate most deeply are the ones that keep returning to their source to honor it. There's a version of this available to all of us. It doesn't require a grandmother as fabulous as Liline. It requires knowing what you actually came from and being willing to put it on.

p.s. need help with this?

Reminder: Brand Strategy Planners are available through this Friday, then we're pausing, we're at capacity! These are under $600, fully customized, content-focused, and zero need to blow up your website or commit to a full rebrand.

We also have three spaces remaining in our Content Weekend LA in April — in-person, hands-on, and genuinely one of my favorite things I do all year. → ouiwestudio.com/content-weekend-la-april-2026

Mini content rebrands

There’s a version of a brand refresh that doesn’t require a new logo, a new website, or six months of second-guessing. (It’s why we created the Brand Planners!) This type of rebrand is honestly more useful for most founders at the stage you’re probably at.

A content rebrand is exactly what it sounds like: you’re not changing who you are, you’re aligning how you show up with who you’ve already become.

Because here’s what actually happens — your brand evolves, your thinking gets clearer, your aesthetic matures, and your content stays frozen somewhere two years ago. The grid doesn’t match the voice. The voice doesn’t match the products or offers. The visuals don’t match the level of work you’re actually doing.

The signs are easy to spot: your posts feel inconsistent, your lighting and framing shift constantly, you’re experimenting but nothing is really landing, and when you look at your feed it doesn’t feel like you anymore. That’s not a motivation problem. That’s a visual language problem.

What a content rebrand is not: overhauling your foundation. Your core message, your products, your voice — the people-language that’s actually yours — those stay. What changes is the expression. You commit to a font and color story. You build from your strongest existing posts rather than scrapping everything. You create a handful of templates and work from those. Recognition comes from repetition — not reinvention.

The biggest mistake I see? People wait until they have new brand assets before fixing the basics. Or they see a grid they love and try to copy the aesthetic without understanding what made it theirs. Start with what already works and build consistency from there. The strongest brands evolve with intention.

It's Women's History Month, which means opportunities are stacking up. Here's what's open or opening now:

WPO Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum

Annual gathering of women entrepreneurs with keynotes, breakout sessions, and recognition of the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned Companies. Mary Lehman MacLachlan Award nomination deadline: March 20th. Early bird pricing ends March 27th. Hollywood, FL. → women-presidents.com

IFundWomen Grant Marketplace

One application, multiple potential funding partners. Particularly useful if you want to apply strategically across several opportunities without starting from scratch each time. → ifundwomen.com/grants/apply-for-grants

RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards

For the Canadian Smart Girls — nomination deadline March 20, 2026. Application deadline May 14, 2026. National visibility and a strong network attached. → womenofinfluence.ca/rbc-cwea

Cult Brand Blueprint Accelerator Spring Cohort

The Cult Brand Blueprint Accelerator opens again next month — and if you've been waiting for the right time to get serious about your brand strategy, this is it. This is the container where we do the actual work: positioning, messaging, offers, and the systems that make it all hold together. → ouiwestudio.com/cult-brand-blueprint-accelerator

p.s. wondering how else we can work together?

At Oui, We Studio, we work with founders and teams who are building something with that IYKYK factor — and who want their brand to actually reflect that.

Our work sits at the intersection of human design, strategy, and the kind of messaging that makes your perfect people feel immediately seen. Whether you're refining what you offer, designing content to support it, clarifying how you talk about it, or figuring out what to build next — we meet you where you are.

What we do best:

→ refining offers and experiences so they resonate and convert

→ crafting messaging that creates that IYKYK recognition and market visibility

→ building systems that grow with you rather than create more noise

From one-time intensives to longer partnerships, we help you build something that feels as considered as it looks. More details are here.

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