India Hicks

India Hicks was born in London. Her father was the interior decorator David Hicks, and her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, is the daughter of the last viceroy of India. She modeled, wrote lifestyle books and designed bath, beauty, bedding and jewelry collections for other companies. She lived on a small island in the Bahamas with her partner and five children.

In early 2015 she founded her own company with two business partners: Konstantin Glasmacher, a serial entrepreneur, and Nicholas Keuper, a former managing director at The Boston Consulting Group. Instead of selling through department stores, the company chose direct sales. Its about page explained the choice in her words.

“I didn’t want my product sitting cold on the shelves of a Bergdorf Goodman.”

India Hicks, founder — India Hicks website (indiahicks.com, archived), 2019

The collections were sold by a network of women the company called its Tribe. Each piece was presented as having a story, drawn from Hicks's British heritage, island life and what the company called her "madcap daydreams." A good luck beetle, a visitor to her Bahamian home, became the brand's symbol.

India Hicks sold handbags, accessories, jewelry, beauty and fine fragrance, with home pieces added later. New products arrived every couple of months, often in seasonal collections such as Wild Side and Pink Sands.

• Bags: structured leather handbags, clutches, pouches and wallets, and palm-print totes and weekenders.
• Accessories: printed scarves and leather belts with geometric gold buckles.
• Jewelry: statement necklaces, bracelets and the Legacy Letters line of engraved charms and pendants.
• Beauty and fragrance: bath and body products, an eau de parfum and scented candles.

The company called its pricing "attainable luxury." Its FAQ said prices ran from $16 to $500, and that more than half the collection was under $100. The old Direct Sales Aid profile noted hand cream from $24, an eau de parfum at $95, bags from $148 to $480 and charms from $20.

Sellers were called Ambassadors. They sold at in-home parties called Get Togethers, at one-to-one shopping appointments and through a personal website the company set up for them. Products shipped straight from the company to the customer, so Ambassadors did not carry inventory. The company's FAQ said an average Get Together brought in over $1,000 in sales. Hosts earned thank-you gifts, or could choose to donate 10% of their party's sales to a charity.

Starter kits

At launch, new Ambassadors chose one of three kits, which the old Direct Sales Aid profile listed as the $149 "Baby," the $449 "Booty" and the $749 "Big Kahuna." By 2019 the company offered a single Sample Collection for $549, which it valued at $1,734 retail, plus a required $24.95 monthly subscription for the website and back office. The company also offered to buy back marketable kits and inventory at not less than 90% of cost within a year of joining.

Pay

The 2015 join page promised a 25% commission on sales. By 2019 the FAQ said Ambassadors earned 25% to 40% on their own sales, depending on monthly volume, plus a 25% discount on personal purchases. Ambassadors who built teams earned bonuses on their team's sales; Business of Home reported 6% to 10% from recruits' sales.

On June 26, 2019, Renée Peters, senior director of India Hicks Inc., announced on Instagram that the brand would close on June 30, Business of Home reported. A week later, on Wednesday, July 3, Hicks sent customers a farewell email. As of July 5 the site was still live, selling remaining stock at deep discounts.

“The difficulties faced as a young brand have proved to be too much for us to overcome, even with the creativity, loyalty and unwavering spirit of these beloved women, our Ambassadors.”

India Hicks, founder — farewell email, quoted by Business of Home, July 2019

In the same email she wrote that the company would be "thoughtfully winding down our business." Peters had said only that the company "faced a few hurdles that were just too hard to overcome." No other reason was given.

Today the company is gone. The indiahicks.com address now hosts India Hicks's personal website, with her books, design collaborations, homes and charity work, and no Ambassador program. Former Ambassadors kept any samples they owned but could not order more. Fans of designer accessories sold at home parties can look at live companies such as Stella & Dot on Direct Sales Aid.