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TRICYCLE

Each year enough carpet samples are made in the United States to cover Iceland nearly one and a half times. Each of these sample requires one liter of oil to make the yarn and backing.
I co-founded Tricycle, an innovative SaaS company, to address this sampling waste. Using CAD and CAM data from the tufting machines, our software made a digital simulated carpet printed on paper with color accuarcy. This pioneering approach gave architects and interior designers even more creative options because of the reduced environmental footprint and the speed to market. While a physical sample required weeks to create, a simulated sample shipped in a day.
Even with this pioneering advancement, adoption was initially slow. In a business drowning in greenwashing and faux fashion, we needed messaging and marketing that stood out from the crowd. Additionally, the manufacturing industry was well established and feared any possible disruption.
After a series of unsuccessful approaches we determined that embracing this fear of change was the most effective means of communication. Punk inspired graphics with educational messaging cut through the noise and raised the profile of the new format in magazines and at trade shows. We challenged the customers to go from fear of change to fear of no change.
Rather than settling for the outdated oil hungry methods, designers could refuse waste (pun intended) and embrace a climate friendly alternative that was radically better. In the process they could have a better business too. The manufacturers recognized this demand from their customers and embraced the new technology.
As Tricycle grew we began promoting other voices of sustainability. REVERB was an anthology of writings and criticisms of ten industry professionals. Its unusual format allowed readers to take as much or little as they wanted from the publication—literally.
Tricycle received top interiors industry honors, was a finalist in Denmark’s INDEX awards and was added to the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in the United States. In 2017 the company was purchased by Shaw, a Berkshire Hathaway company.

File Under: ENTREPRENEURSHIP, B2B, BRAND IDENTITY, MARKETING, INNOVATION