Erin Kleinberg Sidia Career Talking Shop Interview
Erin Kleinberg Is The Coolest Entrepreneur You’ve Never Heard Of — Until NowKarina HoshikawaPhoto: Courtesy of SIDIA/Camille Duncan.In Refinery29's Talking Shop series, we're chatting with owners of up-and-coming small businesses about their experiences launching, the big challenges and wins they've faced, and of course, their products and services.
Erin Kleinberg might not be a household name yet, but if you've ever perused the closets of stylish folks on the Coveteur, double-tapped a @maybelline Instagram post, or slipped on a two-piece Sidia loungewear set , then whether you've known it or not, you've interacted with her work. The Toronto native founded three (three!) successful companies by the time she turned 30, but don't call her a "girlboss"; she is a boss, period.
While those in the know most associate the Toronto native with the fashion business, she actually got her start in media.
After interning "here and there" in her 20s at magazines, Erin eventually launched an eponymous apparel brand. While she lacks any formal business training and credits mentorship for helping her blaze a path in the fashion industry, Erin also displayed an early knack for self-promotion and seizing the moment: After spotting Mischa Barton shopping at a Toronto H&M at the height of The OC's popularity, Erin gave her a top that Barton was later photographed in. Her designs eventually caught the attention of retailers including Barneys New York, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. Once again showing an ability to tap into the zeitgeist, she went on to launch Coveteur in 2010, inspired by a conversation at brunch after seeing The Social Network. That cemented her status as one of the leading voices in indie media. Next came Métier Creative, a behind-the-scenes agency and collective specializing in all things branding.And here's the thing: She's just getting started. R29 sat down with the entrepreneurial tour de force to chat all things career, in addition to learning about label-to-know Sidia, what Kleinberg refers to as her "most personal project yet.
Tell me about how the Coveteur came about.
My friend Steph [Mark] and I decided to create a hub for all things style, personal and home... We wanted to take you inside people’s homes and see what were the outfit options they could have worn that day. We ended up shooting six core people that we launched with and even before we launched, got partnerships with Vogue and Elle. And that day we like closed the internet, like it shut down! (Laughs) Everyone was writing about it because it was right as social media was starting. And so people were really voyeuristic and they wanted to see into other people’s lives.AdvertisementPhoto: Courtesy of Sidia
Totally. That sort of hyper-personal, intimate content was not really a thing yet at the time.
I think that helped propel my career for sure. We started something that was truly shifting the cultural zeitgeist and was revolutionary in its own right. So that was a big career moment for me. Then I left in 2014 and came back to my clothing line, which is where I met Alex [Assaraf]. It was awesome to work with the same partners again, but as a creative entrepreneur, you're always thinking about what's next. What's the next move? What's my next hustle?
Which brought you to your next adventure, Métier Creative.
I partnered with one of my old employees from the Coveteur and we decided to launch an agency. It all really started with Jen Atkin, who was like, "I'm launching this hair care brand. Does anyone know a social media consultant?" And [Jen] was like, Hell yeah, let's do it. Going for what you want is a huge part of my [career] journey.“
"Education is a huge pillar for me as an entrepreneur. It never stops and there's always growth."