Building a Towel Brand from Zero to One: An Interview with Josh Herzstein (Fiberologies)
Mother of Success · Interview Series
Interviewed by Xiao He · September 23
“I would say that founding a business was very worthwhile for me. It's a huge skill to be able to teach yourself how to do things.”
— Josh Herzstein
Introduction
Xiao: To start, could you introduce yourself a little bit to our readers?
Josh: My name is Josh Herzstein and I am the founder of Fibrologies. I started my career in architecture—undergrad at Rice University—and stayed in the field for almost 10 years, moving from traditional architecture into what I’d call design strategy. I worked mostly with institutional clients—museums, universities, public libraries—and later, after moving to San Francisco, with technology companies on the future of office space. I worked on a variety of projects with Google, including the most visible one in Sunnyvale (Humboldt campus), coupled with broader thinking about human networks and what future office space should look like as hybrid work was becoming more prevalent.
That kind of thinking—asking what our future human needs are—pushed me to shift out of architecture. I left my job a few months before the pandemic to take time off, read a lot, talk to people who’d started companies, and figure out what to build for myself.
From Five Ideas to Fibrologies
Xiao: You explored multiple business ideas before landing on towels. What did that look like?
Josh: I narrowed to five very different ideas and pitched them through a small survey to people I trusted:
An e-book/guide documenting my knowledge of office design and the future of offices—something companies could buy to think through workplace strategy.
An architecture drawing art subscription—licensing professional drawings from well-known architecture offices and mailing a print each quarter.
Reusable textiles—a roll of coasters/napkins (inspired by paper towel form factor) made from nicer, sustainable materials with good design.
Craft wine vinegar—I’d read about an oversupply of wine grapes and wondered about a premium wine vinegar brand.
Better takeout containers—during the pandemic everyone lived with bad, disposable packaging; I thought I could design more sustainable, better ones.
My “panel” wasn’t particularly excited about any of them—and honestly, neither was I. That was a challenge: when none jump out, how do you move forward? I kept learning and talking to people. As I explored the reusable textiles idea, I went deeper into textiles generally. At the same time, as we all washed hands constantly and nested at home, I noticed how often I used my towels—and how little good information there was on what makes a good one. People just feel softness and pick a color.
So Fiberologies began as a blog: posts educating people about towels, materials, construction—and reviews (I hand-wrote 500–1,000 word reviews before the AI boom). Eventually I realized there are so many towels and the differences weren’t stark enough to justify that much reviewing. I pivoted: instead of reviewing everything, I’d make my own and find a clear market position.
Architecture → Design Strategy → Product
Xiao: You grew up in San Francisco and chose architecture at Rice. Did you always know?
Josh: I learned about architecture in high school—I was lucky to have the option to take an architect class which I loved—because it balanced creativity and a technical side. I’m not an artist in the drawing/painting sense, but architecture let me be creative technically: you’re given a problem and produce a creative solution. I also did Washington University in St. Louis’s summer architecture discovery program, which confirmed my interest in the subject. Rice appealed to me because it’s a small program with lots of professor contact and a built-in year of practical internship between 4th and 5th years. I worked in Boston at an office run by Harvard professors—an incredible experience.
Xiao: You later moved from institutional work toward office/industrial with tech companies. Why?
Josh: I wanted to pivot into design strategy without going back to school. It was hard to get interviews. A friend told me about an opening at a small San Francisco office (then called Vital) working closely with Google’s R&D team during a big expansion and their first ground-up developments. I could contribute on the architecture side but be exposed to upstream strategy problems.
Xiao: What is “design strategy” to you?
Josh: It’s broad, but I think of it like what IDEO or Frog do: consulting to help companies think through design problems—sometimes built environment, sometimes product. Often you learn about users, prototyping, and frame how innovation might happen; you aren’t always the team that carries the design through every version. I was drawn to that front-end: research, prototyping, helping groups think about innovation.
Xiao: How did that experience shape how you built towels from 0→1?
Josh: It taught me the sequence products go through: user research, prototyping, mock-ups, iteration. Architecture does some of this, but products move faster and you think more bottom-up. That helped me not feel lost at the start.
Designing a Better Towel
Xiao: Walk me through your steps from idea to a shipped towel.
Josh: It started with learning the textile industry:
Interviews with people in the industry,
Buying and dissecting products to understand construction,
Academic-style research—books and papers on how towels are produced.
Then I asked: What’s my niche? I learned that 99% of towels are made by towel manufacturers who also design them. Big retailers just buy from their seasonal catalogs. I wanted control over materials and design, and small runs—hard to find.
I considered antibacterial/antiviral angles, but I wasn’t confident in the science. The most valuable path was faster drying (less bacteria buildup, better daily use). So I researched materials and constructions that would increase airflow and speed drying.
Xiao: Hearing you say “construct,” I can see the throughline—materials, airflow—between buildings and towels.
Josh: Exactly. Constructing a building vs. a towel—there are fewer variables in towels. You’re mostly choosing fiber and how to put fibers together. The decisions matter, but the process is simpler.
Finding the Right Manufacturer (and Getting Lucky in Japan)
Xiao: Where did you end up manufacturing?
Josh: Most towels are made in China and India; higher-end also in Turkey and Portugal. I approached all of these and hit the same wall: unless I wanted 100,000 towels and to pick from their catalog, they couldn’t help with small custom runs—especially with alternative materials (ramie, Tencel, hemp).
Turkey/Portugal do more small runs, but MOQs were still tough. I honestly wasn’t sure I’d find anyone. I posted on a Japanese business forum because I knew there was a region with smaller production. I got lucky: a towel maker in Japan saw the post, wanted to experiment during the pandemic, and took a chance. They were willing to do a small run and brought more expertise to the table. They also wanted to test the U.S. market at low cost to them. It was the one option—but you only need one.
Xiao: Did you go to the factory?
Josh: No. Everything was digital. I insisted on physical samples before production, but I never visited. The team didn’t speak English; we worked through a live translator on Zoom. I leaned on slide decks and visuals to communicate construction details and designs. It was a good relationship overall.
Solo Operations: Storage, Fulfillment, and Scrappiness
Xiao: How did you handle inventory and shipping?
Josh: I kept most inventory in a friend’s garage in San Francisco (affordable, climate was moderate). I stored boxes sealed and monitored for moths. I also kept some at home—under beds, in random places. Every morning/evening I fulfilled orders and carried packages to the post office, then spent afternoons on the next product lines and marketing. As a founder, you sometimes skip things you should have—like insurance—because of cost. Honestly, keeping overhead low helped profitability.
Closing Fiberologies & Moving to Malaysia
Xiao: You moved to Malaysia in 2023. How did that affect the business?
Josh: The move was for family reasons, not business. Given Fibrologies’ premium price point, I didn’t think it would work in Malaysia. I was still running everything solo—shipping, inventory, all of it. To keep going, I’d need to place a new large order, hire help, raise capital, or get a miracle growth spurt. I felt burnt out and less passionate. So I made the call to close the business instead of placing the next inventory order.
What Founding Taught Me
Xiao: Looking back, how would you describe those years in a few words?
Josh: Worthwhile. I learned the skill of teaching myself—marketing, towel design, production, finding manufacturers—making decisions on my own. I contracted occasionally, but mostly kept costs low and did the work myself. That capability is huge.
Life in Kuala Lumpur
Xiao: How’s life now?
Josh: I’m in Kuala Lumpur. It’s a vibrant city with many opportunities. But after Silicon Valley, the level and speed of innovation is different. Startups here are often more practical—lots of restaurants, cafes, preschools. Life is comfortable; my wife is Malaysian and we have family here. The weather never changes—I never check the report.
One Recommendation
Xiao: We end every interview with a recommendation—book, film, or podcast. Could you recommend one for our reader?
Josh: The 12 Week Year. As a founder, you set your own deadlines. That framework helped me plan productively over 12 weeks, balancing life (exercise, hobbies, social) with work and holding myself accountable.
Xiao: Thank you, Josh. I’m definitely checking out the book after our chat!