Nelson was 18 years old when he handmade the very first Durafoam filled beanbag that would come to be known as Lovesac. It began as something funny to do on a whim. Let’s make a beanbag big enough to fill the entire living room. It has since evolved into something much larger and farther reaching.
Today, Lovesac is a hundred-million-dollar business with 68 retail showrooms across the United States. Last summer, the company pulled off a successful IPO. Since then, shares have soared 25 percent higher. As Nelson explained it, “We have allowed our customers to pull us along, and by listening to them, have cultivated the brand into something that can be good for the world.”
He’s referring to Sactionals, his collection of modular couches made from recycled water bottles that have become the real star products of Lovesac. They have taken his “Designed for Life” philosophy, one that emphasizes sustainable quality products, to a whole new level.
“I don’t consider myself some raving environmentalist. I just hate waste, overall, and like things that make sense,” he said. “Instead of casting our furniture aside, customers simply wash or replace their covers, reconfigure or add parts and often come back to us for more,” Nelson added.
The brand has evolved as the company has witnessed how customers use their product. For example, the latest Sactionals platform allows for “shape-shifting.” The platform can expand and evolve to facilitate new looks including Lovesac wedge seats, deep side inserts, and rolling arm pieces.
As tastes change, or customers lifestyles change (single person marries and the couple begins to build a family) so do Sactionals, which means, Nelson hopes, fewer furniture discarded into landfills.
“That’s the ultimate aim,” Nelson contended. “We believe that if a design is simple, classic, and endearing enough, from its aesthetics down to the packaging or tags, then it has the possibility of lasting a lifetime and beyond.”
To learn more about Lovesac, check out its official website.
