Startup Highlight: Vertty

Beach towels are an item people usually don’t pay much attention to. Almost all look similar. At least they did, until Vertty came along. They introduced a new concept and design, based on triangular shapes, and it is making quite a splash. I talked with the Vertty team to find out more about the company.

How did the idea come about to reinvent the beach towel?
Diogo Cruz, Vertty’s CEO, was surfing in Australia and, as he left the water and looked at the sand, he realized that every beach towel was the same: boring, same shape, soulless object. Immediately he began thinking that this was an unexplored market with an endless creative potential. Like so many others, he had a dream. To fulfill his dream, he found a designer to develop a different beach towel with a unique and stunning design, Frederico Cardoso; he found a writer that would not create a mass-market type of communication, but an interesting narrative that would appeal to a distinct niche, Luís Figueiredo; he found a public relations with the incredible ability of being as effective in his home country as in every other country, Bernardo Torres; he found an operations manager that does care about anything but efficiency, Tiago Jesus. With five people, a lot of work and some very good ideas, Diogo Cruz created a brand with great potential and fulfilled his dream of reinventing the beach towel.

Besides the innovative design, what other characteristics set you apart from the competition?
Our product is part of Vertty, and Vertty, in the future, will not be a sole product. We are creating a brand that we hope will be recognized and loved all around the world in the very near future. Our visual identity is unique, our written communication is eclectic, our attention to detail is tremendous – we are intentionally very careful in creating a narrative so that Vertty has consistent content and becomes established as not just a brand, but a love brand.

Was the decision to sell exclusively online a deliberate one?
Definitely, and we have three very strong reasons for that: firstly, the online market is huge in big places like the United States, Australia, U.K., North of Europe and, in reality, this phenomenon is expanding worldwide; secondly, one of the most important things that our brand needs to succeed is exclusivity. We wanted to have a full control on the way we were selling our product, to give our customers a completely new experience. Our website is completely different than any other online shop and we want to give customers a different perspective on buying online. We don’t want to be in any offline store in a shelf with lots of other products around and just being “another one”. Last year, Vertty’s website was awarded by “awwwards” as one of the best 365 website designs in the world. The third reason is, as we are a seasonal product, the best way to keep our company profitable, at a low cost basis, is by selling online, worldwide. We are selling to both North and South hemispheres, in order to make it sustainable the entire year.

Where do you see Vertty in a couple of years?
We see Vertty as globally recognizable brand and also as an example for other small companies to be detailed orientated and to have quality communication, both visual and written.

Are there plans to expand to other items?
Now, we wouldn’t have a great brand just to have one product, would we? We have ambitious plans to expand to other items and to develop different ideas. We created a strong concept that will guide every product and line we will ever develop. The idea of bringing the city’s sophistication to a more casual environment; of adding a cosmopolitan soul to ordinary objects is something we will always maintain. Also, we will always try to surprise people and create something unique – appealing and different. It is like our slogan says: Try a different tryangle.

What other startup is on your radar and why?
Chippers. It’s a start-up that is, basically, reinventing french fries. It is Portuguese concept, with a beautiful package and a design focused pop-up store. They took a risk on an ordinary type of food and are trying to make it cool. They have special signature sauces; they use high quality potatoes; they have high quality salt. Most important of all, they believe in what they are doing.

To find out more about Vertty visit their website at http://www.tryvertty.com/