capitalism's garage bands: small, loud about their values, allergic to shareholders.
means independently owned companies, usually small and founder-led, that operate without control from a large parent corporation.
from borrowed straight from indie music and film, where independent meant unowned by a major label or studio; brands adopted the word once diy manufacturing and social media let anyone skip the department store and sell direct.
glossier — started as a blog, emily weiss built it into a billion-dollar brand
liquid death — canned water mocking big beverage, valued over a billion by 2022
aesop — melbourne skincare label, stayed independent-feeling until natura bought it in 2012
drunk elephant — founder tiffany masterson sold for 845 million, still marketed as indie