How did we come up with the name Natural Citizen?

The name Natural Citizen was the product of a Las Vegas trade show. It was a particularly rowdy trade show and brutally hot. And it was in one of those peculiar Vegas hallways that connect one property to another. I’d snuck off to hide and take a personal minute. Typically, there’s a coffee shop or deli in those candor-lacking hallways. In this particular patch there was a food place called “Citizen”. In big bright carnival bulb signage was the word “CITIZEN” harkening its call to action – come eat, Citizen! I knew at that moment I wanted the word “citizen” in the company I was planning to soon launch. It’s a call to all! To everyone. “Come take a look!”

Natural came next. After some workshopping I stumbled across the perfect combination. Natural Citizen. Nature is simple. Nature is perfect. Together, Natural + Citizen was the perfect combination for the feeling I wanted to convey. Simple, and for you.

The Natural Citizen Company

So who is the guy at the trade show? In case you’re wondering, my name is Bob and I launched our first product in 2012, Cold Iron Wrinkle Releaser. I was in graduate school at Pepperdine University at the time. There was an air of entrepreneurism wafting over the foggy peaks of the coastal Santa Monica mountains. The country was still dusting itself off from the financial crisis of 2008 and a lot of folks were drinking the punch of entrepreneurism and searching for their way to make the world a better place. Making the world a better place, I proudly admit, was what a lot of my peers valued. A good many of my classmates had cooked up intriguing ideas for how they were going to make the world a better place, and on their own terms. A lot of us were skeptical about landing a cushy Fortune 500 job because they still weren’t hiring, and carving ones own path looked promising. So like everyone else, I was on the hunt for the next big idea.

I was interning at a tech startup in Santa Monica and approaching graduation, soaking in all of the fun and excitement of “changing the world” and working crazy hours. For graduation, my fiancé and I planned a cruise, and that’s where the idea for Cold Iron began. I am a notoriously light packer and wad and stuff as much as I can into a tiny suitcase. But you are not allowed to take irons on cruise ships. So I went in search of an ironing alternative and did not like what I found. The rest is history. I started Cold Iron as soon as I returned home. It started with a lot of research and testing and moonlighting for a few years while also working full time in the tech industry.

Today we have grown to a number of brands like Old Ron’s Barber Co. and London Laundry and our recipe is simple. From the goods we choose to make, to the way we design those goods and deliver them to you, we aim to always be different. We believe there is a stark contrast between craft and mass-produced and no matter what we do, we always focus on maintaining our roots as a small, family business that focuses on quality and being different.

What’s Next for the Natural Citizen Company?

We recently passed our 10-year mark and that milestone got me thinking about what is next for Natural Citizen. It’d be cool to one day open a retail store. To motivate me towards that goal I have a framed photo of a mock up on my desk. Our dream is to one day invite you into this store and serve you.

Mock up:

Giving Back

But one of the most important things we want to pursue is using our platform and position to give back in a way that is authentic and meaningful. Whatever cause we pursue, it must align with our values of being different. There are a lot of ways companies give back and a lot of companies that do so remarkably well. So, for now we are carefully considering what we want to do to leave a lasting mark for the better.

Thank you for this last decade! We are grateful to our customers and are excited as we approach the next. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me on our contact page. I’d love to help you however I can.