Story told by: Megan Klein of Little Saints
It was the fall of 2020, COVID cases were rising, and there was a lot of talk about indoor dining getting shut down once again. I was single at the time, and as a 17 out of 18 on the Meyer Briggs extrovert scale, the prospect of another winter sitting alone in my apartment and not being able to meet friends safely for a drink felt like a death sentence. Never taking “no” for an answer, I set out to find a creative solution to this meeting-friends-safely-indoors-and-having-fun thing.
At the same time, I was also in the process of developing Little Saints, a cannabis lifestyle brand. After having spent 7 years in the male-dominated CPG industry in Chicago, in early 2020 I had set out on my own to develop what I saw as missing in the Midwest edibles space – a brand of clean label, plant-based, microdose gummies and beverages, designed for cool moms and urban professionals who value high quality food and cocktails and are looking for a predictable and uplifting high. After putting out cannabis website test and quickly getting shut down, I realized how hard it was going to be to raise brand awareness of cannabis, when Facebook and Instagram ban cannabis advertising. Forever in that “never take no for an answer” mindset, I set out to create a product that would solve both of my problems – (1) how to safely drink indoors with friends during a pandemic, and (2) how to build brand awareness of a cannabis lifestyle brand without actually selling cannabis.
And that was how the Little Saints hemp silk cocktail mask was born. As a consumer, I had purchased every “mask with straw hole” on Etsy and knew that there was nothing out there that was either remotely chic or functional (think: polyester mask with an open hole surrounded by a metal grommet). I also knew, as a longtime student of hemp, that that hemp fabric is one of the best fabrics for masks because it is dense and naturally antimicrobial (not to mention environmentally friendly). So I created a hemp silk mask with a hidden straw hole that I would be proud to wear out with a cute outfit during Midwestern winters. We launched in December 2020 to overwhelmingly positive feedback, with most customers using the high-quality cocktail masks as their everyday mask and considering the hidden straw hole an added benefit.
Today, Little Saints cocktail mask kits are sold everywhere via our e-commerce site, and they’re also featured in the best fashion boutiques in the Detroit area, including Coup D’Etat and Tenue.
Bars such as Ray’s Bar in New York City have reached out to us to leverage the functionality of our masks to get people back drinking together indoors. And more and more women are purchasing the masks to wear to 2021 weddings.
And while we’re really proud of our high-quality product, we’re just as proud of our manufacturing supply chain, which is (drum roll) 100% female! Designed by Chicago pattern maker Xochil Herrera Scheer and me, sourced and hand dyed by women in Los Angeles, manufactured by female-owned Detroit Sewn, and packaged by me and my female team, our supply chain honors our commitment to celebrate the power of women to change the world.
You’ll see much more of Little Saints this summer, including CBD “plant magic mocktails” (infused with custom-blend CBD, botanical terpenes and reishi mushroom extract), hemp-plastic magic pill cases (for when you just want to throw a few edibles in your purse), and THC products (Michigan only). Until then, we’ll continue to spread our mission of bringing joy, connection and a little mischief via our social media channels and wherever Little Saints cocktail masks are being enjoyed.
