How Zia Sherman Engineers Zibra Paintbrushes for Longer Runs | Behind the Brushes Part 1

Before Zia Sherman engineered Zibra paintbrushes, she formulated lipstick and foundation at Estée Lauder. In the first installment of Behind the Brushes, Zia sits down with her sister, Brie, and their dad, Zibra founder Mike Sherman, to explain what actually makes a brush hold more paint, release it smoothly, and maintain a crisp line. They get specific about filament shape and diameter, why Zibra has used the same proprietary formula and manufacturing process since 2005, and how Zia tests paint pickup, release, run length, stiffness, and flexibility before a new brush makes it into an artist’s hand. Zia also shares the near-disaster of finding a factory capable of producing brushes smaller than one inch and the Cut-In Brush prototype she shaped on Brie’s front porch with her husband’s electric razor. Mike brings up his secret two-and-a-half-inch Palm Pro, everyone defends their favorite brush, and rapid fire confirms that ranking your daughters is considerably harder than designing a paintbrush.