Reimagining your everyday charger with Chloe Fields

Meet the Founder

Hi Chloe! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I'm Chloe! I'm a writer turned designer and sometimes artist living in Portland, Oregon, with my husband, two kids, and dog. I love roadtripping, cooking, dancing, getting in the car and driving any direction toward the ocean or river or the woods or a vineyard. I'm a visual person and discerning early brand adopter who works online, so I think it's sort of unsurprising where I've landed.

Counterpart launched today! Can you tell us more about it?

The idea of the retractable charger occurred to me a years ago as a freelance designer, hopping from agency to agency with devices and cords spilling out of my bag, and then again a few years later when, as a new mom, I had all these new contraptions next to my bed that had to be plugged in. Cord madness just seemed like a ridiculous problem to still have in the 2020s.

When the pandemic happened and I started my own design practice, I began working with young brands (many of them discovered through Thingtesting!) who were challenging a steadfast notion of how our everyday products are supposed to be and what they’re supposed to look like. A lot of these brands were founded by unsuspecting players who didn’t necessarily have backgrounds in product development. I just absolutely loved the innovation I was seeing.

At a certain point I just couldn’t not do the charger. It continued to feel like a no-brainer. We use them every day, they’re such head-aches, no one I know loves their charger or has a particular brand loyalty, I haven’t seen much innovation, and I for one just love my objects beautifully designed and in color.

Exclusive testing opportunity

What are some brands and founders that inspire you?

I love Baggu and think the model is subtly genius: any type of bag you could want for every use case in multiple colors and prints. I’ve said a few times that I can envision Counterpart as the Baggu of peripherals.

Obviously, I love what Julie Schott does, creating brands around dusty categories like birth control and smoking/vaping cessation. Chargers aren't quite on that stigmatized level, but similar to Julie and Blip, we're repositioning products that aren't generally thought to be elevated or lighthearted.

I also got to work with some founders I've admired most. Joey Guerra, the founder and designer of Airsign, designed the charger; I worked with Mike DeSantis from Canopy on the product dev side; and Suzanna Schumacher from Character is my whip-smart brand therapist. I got really lucky to have smart people around me, but also people who work on brands that, similarly, reimagine everyday home products.

What brands would you want to see Counterpart next to in a "What’s in My Bag?"

I've been crushing on Rose Los Angeles lately, so probably some POOG-approved lychee martini gummies. Happier Grocery Juice. Loq wallet. Hey Champ mini candy bar. J. Hannah Nail Polish. A tiny tub of Vaseline skin-protecting jelly. Trash crewneck from Everybody World for an extra layer if you're out all day! The platonic ideal of a baseball hat from Otto I guess, and a brandless pair of wired headphones (the only time cords are ok).

What advice do you have for someone who’s thinking about launching their own brand?

One foot in front of the other. You can’t get ahead of yourself, even though you may be itching to, until you unlock some of the early work. It’s a process, enjoy it. Have conviction in your product. You will spend every day with it, learn its fault lines, have its logic tested, and come out the other end totally hardened, so go into it pretty damn sure you love it. Find yourself a couple good mentors, people who have done it before. It is insane how quickly they can give you answers that there is just no reason to spend hours figuring out on your own. Mostly though, their moral support is necessary and invaluable.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but can we expect an expansion of Counterpart products anytime soon?

Yes, we have plans for a larger charger coming very soon. Our goal is to continue expanding our suite of functional everyday products designed to respect your space and leave you free of excess clutter, so you have everything you need for both office and living.

Be among the first to order