Welcome to Brand Crush – where we unpack the brands shaping culture through clever positioning and smart storytelling. We’ll break down what makes their messaging work and share ideas that brands can apply to their own strategy.
To mark International Women’s Day, we’re launching the series by celebrating female-led brands that are knocking it out of the park.
I sat down with some of the wonderful minds in the Thinking Hat team to talk about female-led brands that resonate with them most, and what lessons other brands might be able to take away.
Matthew Fox on representation & cultural impact
Q: Which female-led (or female-forward) brand is your current Brand Crush?
Not quite a brand per se, but definitely killing it with their marketing is KATSEYE (캣츠아이), the global girl group made up of multi-talented dancers and vocalists from South Korea, the Philippines, and the USA. Formed through the 2023 reality competition series ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’, the group redefines what a “global group” looks like. Their individual personalities are core strengths – contributing to their growing international presence.
Q: What can other brands learn from them?
KATSEYE is clearly backed by a strong PR and marketing team. They’ve translated their global appeal into high-impact brand partnerships. In August 2025, they fronted Gap’s “Better in Denim” campaign, led by an ad choreographed to Kelis’s hit track Milkshake. The result was a stylish take that encouraged user-generated content and transformed the campaign into a viral trend that outshone Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle denim campaign. But more recently, they launched the “Styled by KATSEYE” collection with Pandora, featuring jewellery curated by each band member to reflect her individuality – highlighting themes of friendship, strength, and personal charm while remaining accessible to fans.
These partnerships show how consumer brands can move away from passive lifestyle marketing to performance-based, engaging content. By creating campaigns that transcend borders using music, visuals, and dance, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, you can still cut through.
Danielle Zhu on founder-led trust
Q: Which female-led brand has really stayed with you?
A female-led brand that has really stayed with me is TRIP. I first saw co-founder Olivia Ferdi speak at the CEO Yourself event, a gathering for ambitious female founders and professionals, which felt like exactly the right audience for TRIP. It was also my first taste of the product, and it struck me how deliberately Olivia was placed in that environment, using in-person moments to build connection with the brand’s core demographic.
Q: What makes their approach so effective?
What I find most interesting is how intentionally she is used as the face of the brand while still allowing TRIP to stand on its own, she shows up to translate the “calm in the chaos” message rather than centre it around her personality. You see that in founder-fronted press around fundraising and expansion, behind-the-scenes content explaining new functional blends, and campaign storytelling that frames TRIP as a small ritual of calm within busy lives.
That consistency has helped fuel their rise to one of the fastest-growing drinks brands in the UK and support expansion into the US. I also know the positioning has worked because I’ve somehow become exactly their demographic, regularly reaching for one alongside a Tesco meal deal and telling myself it counts as self-care.
For me, TRIP is a great example of female leadership that builds trust through lived experience while creating a brand designed to scale beyond the founder.
Maneesha B. on purpose-driven innovation
Q: Which female-led brand deserves more recognition?
A female-led brand which absolutely deserves its flowers is Daye, a gynaecological health company founded in London by Valentina Milanova. After getting her first period at just nine years old and spending years struggling with debilitating pain that was dismissed or poorly treated, Valentina channelled that frustration into innovation, experimenting with early tampon prototypes and eventually creating clinically tested, pain-relieving products designed to genuinely support women’s bodies.
I always admire founders who truly live and breathe their brand, where the reason for starting is personal not opportunistic.
Q: What makes the brand stand out?
What makes the brand stand out is how it tackles something still considered taboo with confidence and scientific credibility. Daye openly speaks about “lifting the veil” on gynaecological health and closing the gender health gap, reframing period care as healthcare rather than hygiene. Also, they don’t soften the conversation too much; the brand addresses the reality that women’s pain has historically been under researched and under treated.
By developing diagnostic tools and encouraging deeper understanding of our bodies, Daye is empowering women, improving health education and giving them more control over their own care.
To me, Daye represents powerful intentional female leadership, turning personal pain into purposeful change. By addressing taboo subjects with honesty, authority, and education at the centre, you can reshape how we think about them.
Nic Forster on community-led connection
Q: Which female-led brand resonates most with you — and why?
The female led brand that resonates with me is BorrowMyDoggy. Since it was founded in 2012, Founder Rikke Rosenlund has pioneered a business and brand that speaks to the direct needs of two distinct modern consumer audiences; borrowers looking for four-legged companionship but who perhaps can’t accommodate owning a dog full time, and busy dog owners looking for flexible, affordable care for their pet.
Q: What can other brands learn from this approach?
I love that Rikke moved to the UK from Denmark and, after taking care of her neighbour’s dog Aston, saw the potential to foster community and fulfil a genuine consumer need, whilst also giving the joy of canine companionship to millions of users.
The takeaway
The strongest brands aren’t always the ones shouting the loudest. They’re the ones that communicate the clearest. Every brand featured here understands its audience deeply and shows up with a consistent message across campaigns, partnerships, and press.
As a PR and marketing agency specialising in scroll stopping earned & owned content, these are the types of brands we love working with and helping to build, so get in touch or drop us a DM to find out how we can elevate your brand.
Which female-led brands are inspiring you right now? Drop your current brand crush in the comments!
