A former litigator is 3D printing living seawalls that protect billions in Miami luxury real estate and rebuild marine life at the same time. Anya Freeman, founder and CEO of Kind Designs, has raised 22 million dollars, works with the Ritz-Carlton, the Mandarin Oriental and the Fontainebleau, and signed a contract with the US Navy, all from a factory on the Miami River.
Beyond Luxury is a podcast delivering luxury industry insights across fashion, beauty and hospitality, with expert perspectives on brand innovation, consumer behavior and the future of luxury. This episode covers luxury real estate, sustainability without the green premium, product-led growth, craftsmanship, coastal infrastructure and what it takes to build a category-defining brand as a first-time founder.
New episodes of Beyond Luxury drop weekly. Follow for more conversations with the founders and experts shaping the luxury industry. Read the deeper analysis on our Substack, Top Voices, linked in the show notes.
Timestamps
00:00 Why Miami's luxury boom has a coastline problem
04:32 From litigator to seawall founder
05:50 Ukraine to Maine to Miami, the immigrant path
07:09 The flooding that started Kind Designs
11:46 How a lawyer rewrites the building code
17:38 Raising 22 million dollars and why Florida investors said yes
20:35 Being the only woman in seawall construction
27:54 What luxury developers actually want in a seawall
29:20 Turning the seawall into public art
34:11 The US Navy contract and a printer that ships anywhere
39:56 2030: the first female unicorn in Miami
48:02 What luxury means to her
57:42 The one thing you need to make it: grit
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