Walk down the diaper aisle of any major retailer and a pattern emerges quickly: soft pastels, images of mothers, and marketing language aimed squarely at one parent.
Mike Constantiner and Russ Wallace noticed that, too — and decided to do something about it.
The two Santa Monica fathers are the co-founders of Freestyle Diapers, a baby care brand built around the idea that parenting content has long left dads out of the picture. With products now on shelves nationwide at Target and Walmart — and a wider Walmart rollout underway this month — they are making a bet that the industry is ready to catch up.
"So much of what's out there leans into the chaos, the exhaustion, the 'surviving not thriving' narrative," said Constantiner. "For most of us, most of the time, parenting is genuinely one of the best things that's ever happened to us. It changes your life in ways you didn't know were possible. We wanted Freestyle to reflect that."
The brand's pitch goes beyond feel-good messaging. Freestyle's flagship diapers feature what the company calls Skin Shield™ technology, independently lab-tested at up to 14 times the absorbency of leading brands. But for Constantiner, the product and the mission are inseparable.
"We wanted to create kids products that every generation could feel great about," he said. "We reimagined diapers from the inside out, prioritizing performance, safety, and comfort — because you deserve one less thing to keep you up at night."
The partnership between Constantiner and Wallace began the way many Los Angeles business relationships do: through a mutual friend with a hunch.
"The pitch for the intro was basically, 'You're both dads, you both work in CPG, you should talk,'" Constantiner recalled. "That was it. No grand master plan. We hopped on a call, hit it off, and started riffing on what was missing in the baby and toddler space. It's kind of hilarious looking back — two dads who got set up on a founder blind date, and it actually worked out."
Both men arrived with credentials that shaped the company in distinct ways. Constantiner previously co-founded Cameo, acquired by Vimeo in 2014, and spent 15 years in consumer products before fatherhood sent him down the diaper aisle. Wallace built his career at Hello Bello, the brand that rewrote mass-market premium baby care, where he developed deep expertise in supply chain and operations.
"Russ has this really unique range," Constantiner said. "He knows how to actually get a physical product made, shipped, and into people's hands, which is no small thing. My background is in branding and content, so I'm wired to think about how things look, feel, and connect with people emotionally."
That division of labor, Constantiner said, is held together by something harder to manufacture than a product formula.
"The thing that makes our partnership work is that we genuinely trust each other," he said. "We make a lot of the big calls together, but when it comes down to it, we each own our side of the business and respect each other's judgment on it. That trust is everything."
The founders say their hometown has been more than a backdrop — it has been a strategic asset.
"Santa Monica has been huge for us," Constantiner said. "There's an energy here that just fits the brand, that laid-back, California cool that we want Freestyle to embody."
Beyond the aesthetic, the city has offered practical advantages. The company has partnered with local businesses, engaged with community events, and cultivated relationships with families in the surrounding neighborhoods. Its proximity to the broader Los Angeles creator economy has also proved valuable.
"Being in LA means we're close to some of the best creators and influencers in the world, which has been a major advantage as we grow," Constantiner said. "It's one of those things where the city really does become part of the brand's DNA."
That brand identity — one that brings color and personality to a category that has been, by many accounts, pretty bland for a long time — has resonated with a perhaps unexpected audience: mothers.
"We hear two things over and over," Constantiner said. "First, that the product itself delivers. These are legitimately great diapers and wipes at a price point where families don't have to stress about the budget. Second, people love the energy of the brand. Parents tell us it's refreshing to see a baby brand that's actually fun."
The reactions, he said, have become a reliable measure of whether Freestyle is hitting its mark.
"When a mom DMs us to say she's excited to pull out a diaper at a playdate," Constantiner said, "you know you're doing something right."
Visit https://freestyle.world for more info.