In 2010, a 65 year old retired mother with a PhD, joined forces with her 2 sons to start one of the first direct-to-consumer e-commerce bag brands. Here’s their story…so far.
Lo And Behold
When Helen Lo had back issues and needed the perfect bag that kept up with her frequent travels, she set out to find it. Unfortunately, the options were either too heavy, too frumpy, too tech-y, overly designed, or pocketless black holes. She felt like she was always dragging, lugging, and schlepping her bags around. And she quickly discovered that she wasn’t alone in feeling that way.
2 Devoted Sons
After watching their mother abandon yet another bag, her eldest son Jan suggested she invent one herself. But as a woman in her mid-60s, she wondered how she would ever get from Point A to Point B. Jan did the consumer research, product design, and helped lead the charge in finding a manufacturer. Derek helped build their website, develop the branding, and execute their marketing strategy. And both devoted sons set out to help make Helen’s dream a reality.
Self Made
In 2010, the Lo’s bootstrapped their business, invested their own savings, and created Lo & Sons. And without a formal business plan, they organically grew their business to a globally recognized brand that’s now been featured in The Today Show, Forbes, Huffington Post, NY Times, Fast Company, Business Insider, Vogue, Refinery29, Travel+Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and AFAR.
In Memory of Fred Lo
In December 2016, Fred Lo passed away. He was a distinguished astronomer, the chairman of our board of directors, and one of the most instrumental figures in the launch and success of Lo & Sons.