In this episode of Unpacked, Silvia Coleman, Head of Market Intelligence & Strategic Growth at CXG, is joined by Alina Roytberg, Co-Founder of The Maker and Co-Founder & Brand Director at Fresh, and Rose Pilato, Chief Marketing Officer of The Maker and former Global Director of Communications at Fresh.

Together, they trace the full arc of building two category-defining brands, from Fresh's founding on a $10,000 loan and a five-dollar bar of soap, through its acquisition by LVMH, to launching The Maker as a fragrance, beauty, and hospitality brand built around a single idea: that luxury doesn't have to choose between beauty and meaning. They dig into what it actually takes to scale a founder-led brand without losing its DNA, how to tell the difference between a partner who amplifies your story and one who dilutes it, why ”the edit” (doing less, better) is one of the hardest and most valuable lessons in beauty, and how The Maker turned a boutique hotel into the physical home of a fragrance house rather than just an origin story.

The conversation also touches on:

• Choosing the right growth partner: lessons from LVMH and Tribute Ventures
• The tension between DTC and wholesale, and who really owns the customer relationship

• Why good product tied with experience— not just marketing — is what actually builds community

• Resilience over playbooks: why there's no single right way to build a lasting brand