Antonio: So have I! So let's jump back in. Today we want to talk about something really ground-breaking called First Edition. It's our new crowdfunding platform and we think if you love artisanal products and the magic and connection of crowdfunding, then you're in for a treat.

Matt: And we want to let you know what our first couple products on First Edition are going to be. One is a cologne collection called UNITE. It's a set of three subtle sophisticated colognes that are great on their own, but even better when blended together by you.

Antonio: That's launching in just two weeks on Wednesday 5th July. The other will be a razor stand launching this autumn as our first direct crowdfunding collaboration with Kim, our carpenter. We're really excited about both.

Matt: Indeed, more to follow in subsequent episodes, or if you can't wait visit www dot thomas clipper.com / unite and you can read a bit more about the cologne collection and First Edition, our new crowdfunding platform.

Antonio: Indeed - we'll have a bit more about First Edition later in this podcast too. But before we go into that, let's remember where we were last time we spoke. It was the spring, and we'd just revealed our Neolithic set to the world.

Matt: Indeed, that seems like 5,000 years ago now. We also spoke a bit about our new survey, where we asked you what you wanted us to make next.

Antonio: As a short aside: we're always so pleasantly surprised when we send these questions out to you, because the response we get is always just amazing. So many of you letting us know what you think!

Matt: Indeed - thank you so much if you were one of the people who got back to us. The results of the survey were published on our social accounts, so if you follow us on Twitter and Facebook you already know that Thomas Clipper customers asked for two things which we’ve already mentioned as our debut projects launching on First Edition.

Antonio: The first is a razor and brush stand, which we're in the final stages of prototyping. Expect news in the autumn.

Matt: But the second thing you asked for was, you've guessed it, a boutique cologne. So we've been putting our heart and soul into making both ever since.

Antonio: The cologne has been a particularly fascinating and challenging project, and given that we're launching it on the 5th July (remember the date!), it might be worth talking about a bit. Now to be honest you can't just develop a cologne in a few months. We actually began work two years ago after the success of our first fragranced products - the fantastic frankincense shave oil and the juniper shaving soap.

Matt: Since then we've gone through an really fascinating education in fragrance creation that brought us from initial trials in the Midlands, to sophisticated fragrance development in Grasse, France with expert developers called ‘noses’ and partner selection back in Britain.

Antonio: We'll talk a bit about the cologne collection in a coming episode - so please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. But today we wanted to fill you in on some more news on our new project: First Edition.

Matt: So you'll know if you've been a Thomas Clipper fan from the beginning, we're big fans of crowdfunding. That's the process by which small companies like ours can bring amazing new products to our customers. Essentially we pitch our ideas to you, you pre-order the product, and then it's delivered some months later. We've launched our whole collection through crowdfunding.

Antonio: And up to now that's meant Kickstarter. It's an amazing platform. But over the past year since we launched our Tuscan Wash Bag with the help of 100 backers, we started to think more about what made Kickstarter so great, and how we could make it even better for our customers.

Matt: What we love about the platform is the connection you get with the people who make your products, in the form of the videos, the production updates, the 'behind the scenes' looks at prototyping. We also love the excitement of the limited time campaign and the chance to get your hands on something before anyone else.

Antonio: But we thought our customers deserved more. We didn't think they should be waiting a month for a campaign to end, so we reduced the campaign length to 15 days. And we also thought that our customers deserved a refund if they weren't happy with the product.

Matt: Rather than working within somebody else’s rules, we thought we'd make our own.

Antonio: So we're extremely proud to announce that we're launching our own crowdfunding platform in just two weeks. It’s called First Edition and it’s designed for people who want all the excitement and connection of crowdfunding, but from companies and artisans they can trust to deliver the goods.

Matt: First Edition will be a 15 day campaign platform where limited edition products can make their debut. We're going to work with respectable craftsmen and women to bring their ideas to life, and of course we're going to continue launching our own projects on crowdfunding, just on First Edition instead of Kickstarter.

Antonio: So what does that mean for you? Well firstly, it means less waiting around - you'll get your Thomas Clipper First Editions two weeks earlier. It also means more protection - if you don't like what you get, you can send it back just as you would with any of our other products. Simple.

Matt: And because we're not working on a famous platform this time, it also means we need your help now more than ever to share our campaigns when they launch.

Antonio: So on that subject, our first campaign will be the UNITE Cologne Collection. It's developed in Grasse, France, made in Britain and designed to be blended by you every time you wear it.

Matt: Developed in the south of France? Blended by you? Made with organic alcohol? All sounds very exciting Antonio...

Antonio: It is Matt. And I didn't mention the organic alcohol, but good plug! We'll be talking about the UNITE collection more in next week's episode. But if you can't bear the suspense visit thomas clipper dot com / unite. You'll be able to sign up to find out first when UNITE launches on the First Edition crowdfunding platform on 5th July.

Matt: Do take a look. We’re really proud: you'll the same exceptional eye for design and detail as in our previous products. Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Or sniffing in this case: and on that front, more than any other, we think what we’ve created is exceptional.

Antonio: As Matt said, it’s exciting stuff, and we’d better get back to making sure the launch all goes off without a hitch. So on that note, that's all for today: please subscribe to Coming Clean and we'll be back next week.

Matt: Until then I've been Matt.

Antonio: I've been Antonio.

Matt: And this was Coming Clean from Thomas Clipper.

Antonio: Thanks for listening.

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