Laura Eisman & Allison Krongard, Founders of Her Highness- Interview Series

“It reflects on us as founders and as New Yorkers. Chic but edgy, bringing the party with us, not taking ourselves too seriously but type-A all day to ensure we’re seriously delivering on expectations.”

Laura & Allison

Cannabis has lived through the worst forms of misconceptions and stereotypes over the years. Even though the dark era of prohibition is behind us, many in the industry would agree that as far as de-stigmatization goes, “we’re not there yet.” In truth, the industry has made remarkable strides to cleanse itself from the reefer madness tag and stereotypes such as those stemming from infamous Harry Aslinger slogans:

“Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men.” (Sic!) 

That said, women in cannabis still battle systemic stigma, be they entrepreneurs, activists, consumers, or cannabis prisoners. Traditionally consuming cannabis has been assumed to be the preserve of men. It's no surprise that most of the cannabis paraphernalia in the past has been designed to have a “macho” appeal. As for C-suite positions, the number of female CEOs in the cannabis industry has been dwindling and is currently below the national average. The few who have been able to stick it out and even thrive are considered enigmas, and My Cannabis spoke to two of such. 

Laura Eisman and Allison Krongard are the founders of the female-centric cannabis brand “Her Highness.” In this brief interview they narrate their debut into the cannabis industry and how they are helping females, both entrepreneurs, and consumers to find their space and voice in the legal cannabis industry. Through their brand the dynamic duo is inspiring hope that indeed “the future of cannabis is female.” 

Meet Laura and Allison. 

As a brief intro, how did your career path lead you to the cannabis industry?

Laura- I was an early internet entrepreneur launching Girlshop.com, one  of the first fashion e-commerce websites, to great success. I had disrupted a young industry, shaped a new medium, and brought it to women when no one was focusing on their needs. Cannabis was a big part of my life then, helping me decompress daily and navigate a slew of business and personal challenges. In 2016 when California passed recreational use I decided that the retro Woodstock pipe and Hello Kitty grinder stashed in my bedside table needed a desperate makeover. Unfortunately, Google searches came up short for “chic weed accessories” and I knew what had to be done. I partnered with my neighbor in the Hamptons, fellow entrepreneur and weed pal Allison Krongard. Many, many high brainstorming sessions later, Her Highness was born.

Allison- I discovered cannabis as a teenager growing up in NYC.  Like with everything I love, I took a deep dive determined to learn everything I could about it.  By my early 20s, I was an expert at mixing strains.  Cannabis is a mind opener for me.

In my former venture, it was no coincidence that my best selling designs and ideas for my 3 patents, all came to me while using cannabis. After seeing my last company through to acquisition, part of the deal for the sale required me to work for this larger company for two years. It was during that time that I went from working in a dynamic creative environment, to a depressing Wall Street creativity stifling environment…where I was responsible for ideating 100 new design products a year.  I leaned into cannabis, hard and found it a relief for the depression and anxiety that came with my new role as well as support for my creativity.  

Around the end of my contract, legalization was starting to pick up, and I was determined to join the movement. It was then that my friend, Laura, fellow entrepreneur and neighbor reached out with an idea for cannabis accessories. Together we turned Her Highness into what it is today.

Briefly introduce “Her Highness” and what the brand is all about

Her Highness is a female-forward luxury cannabis brand making a big impact in the industry. Standing uniquely different on dispensary shelves, Her Highness' bold, glamorous collection of cannabis products and stylish consumption accessories is unapologetic in its approach to serve 51% of the population (yes, women!) Veterans of the worlds of fashion and home décor, the founders translate the same design standards into the ultra feminine and cheeky vernacular of Her Highness. Our creations and voice are very much evident through the brand identity, resonating with women on multi levels – aesthetics, messaging, formula effects, and form factors. Her Highness as a for-women-by-women brand has secured an instant connection and love affair with female customers and works to de-stigmatize both purchasing and use by imbuing the brand’s desirable attributes of style and femininity.

Her Highness has a diverse product range, including paraphernalia. What's the inspiration behind your product range?

From our initial thoughts in launching the brand, we wanted Her Highness to be accessible to all women. Our product scope includes THC, CBD, and paraphernalia collections. The trio of categories allows us broad reach – from legal markets to the mainstream – in packaging that’s more luxury beauty than weedy bro culture. After all, Her Highness' customers read Vogue, not Dope. 

Cigarette boxes of THC pre-rolls are reminiscent of feminist-era Virginia Slims, marble smoking accessories read as home décor, CBD foot pads make walking in stilettos pain free for hours…and then there's our infamous Pleasure Oil – because who doesn’t want a longer, stronger orgasm? Each product has its own story, made with details that women definitely take notice of (like our extra long crutch on pre-rolls to protect manicures.) Her Highness meets women where they are, empowering a lifestyle, evoking nostalgia and luxury with products that resonate. 

Talk about your success in NYC dispensaries with the Paraphernalia line being as NYC home brand and excitement to launch THC

As two native New Yorkers who grew up discreetly smoking weed on these streets, it gives us extreme joy to have our chic line of smoking paraphernalia on the shelves of several stores and every legal dispensary in NYC. We’re especially excited to launch our THC line in NY as our sales on the east coast have been compelling.  Our look and vibe is distinctly feminine and also very NYC.  It reflects us as founders and as New Yorkers. Chic but edgy, bringing the party with us, not taking ourselves too seriously but type-A all day to ensure we’re seriously delivering on expectations.

As a woman leader in the cannabis industry can you say that the industry is set up to allow women to thrive and take up C-suite positions?

When we first started in cannabis, we knew several female CEO’s and women in leadership positions. Over the last 6 years however, we’ve seen the numbers dwindle down to below the US average. Many sold, merged or otherwise disappeared but we still know of a core group hanging in and persevering. No business can thrive without access to capital. The fact that men typically get the lion’s share of all funding, compounded by the dearth of cannabis funds available right now, it’s no wonder women are having difficulty breaking into the industry. That said, the women running brands and MSO’s right now don’t seem hindered. We’re not. Innovation and products that excite and delight customers, generate loyalty. The brands who do that will continue to win, regardless if they’re run by men or women.   

You are passionate about social equity in the cannabis industry. Can you briefly tell us what fuels this passion and the efforts that Her Highness is making towards promoting social equity?

We are passionate about addressing all women in cannabis. Our customers first, through our carefully developed products, but also the female cannabis entrepreneurs who came before us, came up with us and are coming after us.

Our social equity mission is to raise money for female cannabis prisoners through our partnership with Last Prisoners Project and to partner with attorneys in as many states as we can find, willing to work pro-bono in support of women jailed for non-violent cannabis crimes. 

Often when women go to prison, families get torn apart, kids can be sent to foster care and since women typically earn less, they have less disposable income to mount their legal defense.  As an industry, we do a good job of raising money and shining light on cannabis prisoners but so often the money and ultimately the freedom, goes to men.  We use our platform to lend our voice to female cannabis prisoners and have a link on our website for anyone who wants to donate money as well.

What's next for Laura/ Allison? 

We are excited to fulfill the vision of Her Highness into a lifestyle empire and the possibilities are endless: Her Highness retail as the Bergdorf Goodman of Cannabis, Tupperware-style parties  hosted in homes all over the country, a line of home accessories, jewelry, lingerie…and the continuation of our THC expansion into additional markets in the US and internationally. 

It was a great pleasure to have this conversation with Laura and Allison, founders of Her Highness. Readers who wish to keep up with Her Highness are  invited to do so through the company website.