How Pia Mance Built Heaven Mayhem Into a Cult-Favorite Brand Celebrities Can’t Stop Wearing

In an era where founders obsess over growth hacks, Pia Mance built a $10M accessories brand by doing something far less glamorous—and far more enduring: she built a world.

In an interview on Shopify Masters with host Adam Levinter, Mance breaks down how Heaven Mayhem grew from hand-made necklaces into a brand celebrities can’t stop wearing.

Heaven Mayhem, the jewelry and accessories brand now worn by celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Sydney Sweeney, didn’t explode because of one viral moment, one influencer deal, or one press feature. In fact, according to Mance, there was no “silver bullet.” Instead, it was a compounding effect of small, intentional moves—executed relentlessly.

“Every tiny bit helped a lot, but I wouldn’t say one single thing was our silver bullet.”

This is the story of how she did it—and what early-stage founders can steal from her playbook.

1. She Didn’t Start With a Product—She Started With a World

Before Heaven Mayhem had best-selling earrings or viral laptop cases, it had a vision: a brand that felt like something you belonged to.

Mance didn’t think in terms of SKUs or margins at the beginning. She thought in terms of experience.

“I wanted to create this world where you would step into and you're not just getting a product but you're getting an experience.”

That “world” now shows up everywhere:

• Events (from pop-ups to girls’ nights)
• Content (distinct, instantly recognizable)
• Language (everything ties back to ‘heaven’—from ‘angels’ to ‘Conversations in Heaven’)

Takeaway for founders: Don’t just build a product people buy. Build something people identify with.

2. Community Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Feedback Engine

Most brands talk about community. Heaven Mayhem operationalizes it.

Mance treats her customers as collaborators, not just consumers. She invites them into the process—literally.

• Customers are invited to the office to try products early
• Monthly Zoom sessions (“Conversations in Heaven”) gather direct feedback
• Events double as insight engines for product and marketing decisions

“We’re designing for the people that are buying the brand, so why not listen to them to inform our next designs?”

Even subtle decisions—like how long to tease a product drop—are shaped by community input.

Takeaway: Your early customers aren’t just revenue—they’re your best R&D department.

3. Growth Came From Stacking Small Wins—Not Chasing Big Ones

Founders often chase a single breakthrough moment: a celebrity endorsement, a viral TikTok, a press feature.

Mance’s experience tells a different story.

Heaven Mayhem grew through a combination of:

• Organic influencer gifting
• Affiliate marketing (via platforms like ShopMy)
• Retail partnerships (e.g., Revolve, Selfridges)
• Earned media (Vogue, Forbes)
• Direct-to-consumer content and ads

Each channel contributed—but none carried the business alone.

“Every tiny bit helped… we had it on celebrities, influencers bought it, we had press… but no single thing was our silver bullet.”

Takeaway: Sustainable growth is usually additive, not explosive.

4. Celebrity Endorsement Is a Halo—Not a Growth Strategy

It’s easy to assume Heaven Mayhem’s rise was fueled by celebrity adoption. But Mance pushes back on that narrative.

Even when major celebrities wear the product, sales don’t necessarily spike.

“The biggest celebrities in the world wear our product and we don’t even see one extra unit sell that day.”

Instead, celebrity exposure functions as a brand signal, not a conversion engine.

It builds:

• Credibility
• Cultural relevance
• Long-term perception

But it doesn’t replace fundamentals like product-market fit or distribution.

Takeaway: Don’t build a strategy around celebrity. Build something celebrities naturally want to wear.

5. The First Customers Came From Hustle, Not Scale

In the early days, Mance didn’t rely on paid ads or PR agencies.

She manually DM’d potential customers.

“As soon as someone liked a post, I would DM them… I was after every sale.”

She also leveraged her personal network—but crucially, she didn’t depend on it.

She even kept her personal brand separate from the company at first.

Takeaway: Early traction often looks scrappy, personal, and unscalable. That’s the point.

6. Product Expansion Was Guided by Intuition First, Metrics Second

Today, Heaven Mayhem spans categories—from earrings to laptop cases to eyewear.

But Mance doesn’t start with spreadsheets. She starts with a simple filter:

Is this an accessory that fits our world?

Only after that does she consider metrics like:

• Average order value (AOV)
• Customer acquisition vs. retention
• Price sensitivity

For example:

• Laptop cases drive new customer acquisition (lower AOV)
• Eyewear increases lifetime value (higher AOV, higher barrier)

Takeaway: Use data to refine decisions—but don’t let it replace taste.

7. Content Is the Brand—Even If You Can’t Explain It

Ask Mance what makes Heaven Mayhem recognizable, and she won’t give you a neat framework.

There’s no heavy logo usage. No rigid brand book.

Yet customers instantly recognize the brand.

“We’ve carved out this distinct way that we take content… people just know it’s us.”

This is the power of consistent creative instinct over formulaic branding.

Takeaway: You don’t need a logo to build recognition—you need consistency.

8. Retail Isn’t Just Distribution—It’s Marketing

Despite being 80% direct-to-consumer, Heaven Mayhem invests heavily in retail.

But not for the reason you might expect.

Retail is treated as:

• A discovery channel
• A credibility signal
• A content engine (via pop-ups and activations)

Their Selfridges activation, for example, wasn’t just about sales—it generated viral content and brand legitimacy.

Takeaway: Think beyond revenue when choosing distribution channels.

9. Done Is Better Than Perfect—Until It Isn’t

Speed has been a defining advantage for Mance.

“Done is better than perfect… that has helped us so much.”

But as the company scales, she’s adjusting.

Mistakes—like thousands of incorrectly packaged units—become more costly.

Her evolution now is about balancing speed with precision.

Takeaway: Move fast early. Get deliberate as stakes increase.

10. The Founder’s Real Job: Protect the Energy

Perhaps the most underrated part of Mance’s story is how she frames stress.

“We’re actually not saving lives… it’s not that deep.”

This mindset allows her to:

• Make better decisions under pressure
• Avoid burnout spirals
• Keep perspective during chaos

Takeaway: Emotional regulation isn’t soft—it’s strategic.

The Bigger Insight: Build Something People Want to Belong To

Heaven Mayhem didn’t win because of one channel, one tactic, or one moment.

It won because Pia Mance understood something many founders miss:

People don’t just buy products.

They buy identity, belonging, and experience.

And when you get that right, everything else—content, community, even celebrity—starts to compound.