August—the direct-to-consumer period care brand whose co-founder Nadya Okamoto has made headlines for pushing back against the so-called “tampon tax”—has hired Diane Lewis as its first VP of marketing.

Lewis most recently served as VP of marketing for DTC skincare brand Evereden. Before Evereden, she was the marketing director of the customizable DTC hair care company Prose. 

Lewis, who is the brand's first marketing hire, wasn’t tapped to build a community around the brand or make it go viral, though. That's already been handled by Okamoto, who has amassed 4 million TikTok followers in her years-long fight to repeal the sales tax on tampons and pads. Rather, Lewis was hired to further scale August’s retail presence, the company said. 

“I’m excited to bring my deep expertise in placing brands front-and-center in retail to help August take up more shelf space across the U.S.,” Lewis said in a press release.

Also read: 4 things DTC founders wish they knew before entering retail stores

August, which was founded in 2020 and started off selling its products DTC, is aiming to expand its presence in retailers. It rolled out its products, including tampons and pads, in 400 Target stores across the U.S. in March. 

“I remember when we first started talking to Target, one of the things that they told us was they were being a lot more picky with new brands because they saw a lot of these direct consumer brands who had a lot of fans of online, but launched in stores and like the appetite wasn't there,” Okamoto said in an interview. This highlighted the need for a marketer with retail expertise, Okamoto said. 

The hiring also reflects a larger trend in the DTC industry. The sector, which once relied on venture capital infusions for growth, hasn’t seen nearly as much funding in recent years. That is partly why more DTC brands are vying for territory on physical retail shelves.

“We launched August at a time when people were realizing that the classic direct-to-consumer business model of relying on paid acquisition wasn't creating sustainable businesses, and venture capital money was beginning to prioritize organic growth and profitability, two trends which are only more true today,” August Co-Founder Nick Jain said in a press release. “For the past two years, we’ve used our social platforms to drive awareness, traction and sales. Now as we build a strong omnichannel business, we realized we needed strong leadership and mentorship in marketing and retail. Diane brings this to the table.”

A lot of August’s social media following came from Okamoto, who launched the nonprofit Period in 2014. The nonprofit distributes menstrual products to people in need and has fought to repeal the sales tax on tampons and pads. August reimburses customers for the sales tax when their products are sold in stores located in states with the “tampon tax.” 

Lewis, reporting to Jain, will also assist with content analysis and help lead August toward sustainable growth.