This week
The Fashion Industry's Quiet Argument for Going It Alone
From a shoemaker who quit the NBA to salespeople demanding their own stores, this week's episodes all ask who really holds the power in fashion.
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Fashion People
Connor Ives on Bootstrapping a Fashion Brand Without Investors or Hype
Designer Connor Ives built a 10-year fashion career without external investment, starting with vintage rework and growing into dressing high society.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
From Bank Job to Bill Cunningham's Role: How Simbarashe Cha Became the New York Times Fashion Photographer
A street-style photographer shares how he accidentally built a career in fashion after decades in music and banking.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How Luxury Retailers Are Competing Fiercely for Million-Dollar Salespeople
Top personal shoppers now command uncapped commissions and dedicated suites as department stores fight to retain talent in the AI era.
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The Debrief
The Battle for Luxury Salespeople: Why Department Stores Are Competing for Million-Dollar Talent
As AI reshapes retail, luxury department stores are aggressively recruiting top personal shoppers who generate hundreds of millions in sales.
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Fashion People
Carlos Nazario on Reinventing Wonderland Magazine, Designer Turnover, and Why Nike Needs to Fight Back
The new Wonderland editor-in-chief discusses magazine culture, creative collaborations, and the pressure reshaping the fashion industry.
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Blamo!
Why Seiji McCarthy Left the NBA to Make Bespoke Shoes in Tokyo
A shoemaker explores how reaching your dream job revealed what actually makes life meaningful.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Daniel Obasi on Building Lagos's Creative Identity Without Formal Systems
Nigerian photographer Daniel Obasi discusses how Lagos produces resilient creatives despite the absence of formal training infrastructure.
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Fashion People
Eva Chen on Building Fashion Community at Meta and How the Industry Has Changed
Instagram's VP of Fashion Partnerships discusses her journey from Teen Vogue to reshaping how brands connect with consumers online.
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Articles of Interest
Rousseau's Radical Rejection of Progress and Why He Still Matters
Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued civilization corrupts our natural goodness, making him a crucial counterweight to Enlightenment thinkers—though his personal life undermined his philosophy.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Nike's Jordan Brand Crisis and the Search for Its Next Cultural Moment
Nike struggles to reignite Jordan Brand's appeal as retro releases lose their luster and the company seeks new sources of cultural excitement.
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The Debrief
Nike's Sneaker Crisis: Why Even Jordan 1 Royals Can't Sell Through Anymore
Nike faces a major problem: its most reliable sneaker franchises no longer captivate consumers the way they once did.
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Fashion People
Monica Padman on Shopping, Brand Loyalty, and Ralph Lauren's Masterclass in American Fashion
Fashion People host Lauren Sherman discusses luxury shopping, designer appointments, and why Ralph Lauren's Polo Fest proves strategic brand management.
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Blamo!
Masaharu Wada on Japanese Watch Culture and Building Hodinkee Japan
How a tech worker became Japan's most influential watch journalist by leaving corporate life to document independent watchmakers.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How Olivier Brun Turned Bloomingdale's Into a Luxury Destination Again
Bloomingdale's CEO explains how reducing brands, elevating design, and prioritizing relationships with wealthy customers drove double-digit growth.
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Fashion People
Ian Schrager on Creating Studio 54's Combustible Energy and Why Diversity Built New York's Cultural Power
The nightclub impresario and hotelier discusses how mixing different groups created Studio 54's magic and why wealthy-only cities lose their spark.
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Blamo!
Building Emotional Products: How Buck Mason Resists the Race-to-the-Bottom in Menswear
A founder explains why most direct-to-consumer brands failed and how designing for yourself creates clothes that actually matter.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Fashion Brands Are Finally Courting Older Shoppers and Winning Their Loyalty
Fashion brands are discovering that older customers have significant spending power and loyalty that younger shoppers often lack.
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The Debrief
Why Fashion Brands Are Finally Courting Older Shoppers—And What They're Learning
Fashion has ignored older female shoppers despite their wealth and loyalty. Here's how brands are shifting strategy to win their business.
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Fashion People
Emily Dawn Long on Bootstrap Design, Fashion Competitions, and Building Without Traditional PR
Emerging designer Emily Dawn Long discusses competing in the CFDA Fashion Fund, designing without a publicist, and dressing celebrities.
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Fashion People
From Fashion Journalism to Luxury Brand Building: Nick Axelrod-Welk on Creating Contrapposto
Nick Axelrod-Welk discusses his evolution from fashion reporter to brand founder and why luxury brands struggle to attract venture capital.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Gucci's Direction, Luxury Market Metrics, and AI's Role in Fashion
Fashion industry leaders address Gucci's strategic confusion, the flawed nature of earned media value metrics, and why human judgment remains essential in an AI-driven era.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Retail Customer Service Is Getting Worse and How Stores Can Fix It
Retailers struggle with poor customer service due to understaffing, low wages, and high turnover—but simple changes like better training and staffing could help.
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The Debrief
Why Retail Customer Service Is Getting Worse and What Stores Can Actually Do About It
Kelly Clarkson's viral shopping incident sparked a broader conversation about deteriorating retail service and what retailers can do to improve it.
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Fashion People
Anthony Vaccarello's Exit and the Declining Power of Luxury Creative Directors
Why Kering chose its CEO over its star designer, and what it means for fashion's future.
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Fashion People
Fashion Month Delivered Real Clothes Over Spectacle, and Designers Stopped Trying to Copy Each Other
Fashion editors assess spring/summer 2025 shows, finding wearable collections and less derivative design across New York, London, Milan, and Paris.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Fashion's Independent Spirit in an Era of Corporate Scale
Tim Blanks and Imran Ahmed discuss how independent designers and retailers are reshaping luxury fashion against industry consolidation.
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Articles of Interest
How a Designer Handbag Became Worth More Than a Car
The luxury handbag industry exploded when European brands realized bags were more profitable than clothes.
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Blamo!
Building a Modern Bespoke Program: San Francisco Tailoring for Today's Bodies
A tailor explains how he developed a systematic bespoke program with a house cut adapted for tech workers with forward-hunched posture.
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The Debrief
How Luxury Fashion's Creative Director Reshuffles Are Reshaping Brands
A year into major designer changes at luxury houses, some bets are paying off while others face uncertain futures.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Luxury Fashion's Creative Director Reshuffles Show Mixed Results After a Year
A year into major designer changes across luxury fashion, some brands like Chanel are thriving while others like Balenciaga are struggling.
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Fashion People
Digestible Quirk and the Return of Creativity at Paris Fashion Week
Two fashion critics discuss how designers are finally taking creative risks again rather than playing it safe with merchandise.
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Fashion People
How Ruthie Rogers Built the River Café Into a Cultural Institution
The owner of London's legendary River Café discusses how she and Rose Gray created a restaurant that changed British food culture.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Marc Jacobs on Why Designer Reshuffles Won't Fix Fashion's Real Problems
Marc Jacobs argues that swapping creative leadership ignores structural industry issues like overproduction and exhaustion.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How Luxury Brands Lost Control of Their Italian Supply Chains
Investigations revealed exploitative factory conditions hidden deep in luxury supply chains, raising questions about brand accountability and industry standards.
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The Debrief
Two Years After Italy's Luxury Supply Chain Scandal: Has Anything Really Changed?
Investigations exposed exploitation in Italian factories supplying luxury brands—but meaningful reform remains elusive.
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Fashion People
Milan Fashion Week: Skirts, Sabotage, and the State of Italian Luxury
Fashion editors break down Milan Fashion Week, from Prada's skirt obsession to the industry's creative director reshuffling.
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Blamo!
Jerry Stahl on Writing Through Failure and Finding Success Without Security
A legendary writer discusses how creative work survives financial uncertainty, rejection, and the long game of making art.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Emily Sundberg Built a Media Empire by Trusting Her Instincts
How Feed Me's founder created a profitable newsletter by understanding her audience better than fashion brands do.
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Fashion People
JJ Martin on Building La Double J: From Milan Freelancer to Conscious Fashion Founder
How a fashion journalist transformed into a profitable luxury brand founder by staying grounded in spirituality and Italian craftsmanship.
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Articles of Interest
Voltaire: The Enlightenment Thinker Who Reinvented Himself Through Strategic Anonymity
How an 18th-century French author used anonymous manuscripts and celebrity to advance radical ideas while protecting himself from prosecution.
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The Debrief
Why Fashion Brands Are Partnering With Gourmet Grocery Stores
Fashion brands are expanding into upscale grocery stores for sensory marketing experiences that build community and drive customer loyalty.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Fashion Brands Are Racing Into Gourmet Grocery Stores
Fashion brands are partnering with upscale grocers like Meadow Lane and Erewhon to create experiential marketing moments that blend lifestyle and commerce.
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Fashion People
Fashion Week Roundup: Donatella at Revolve, Dario at Armani, and Christopher Kane's Mulberry Moment
Fashion insiders discuss London and New York shows, designer moves, and the collapse of the CFDA's leadership.
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Fashion People
Adam Badawi On Remaking GQ: From Fashion Flagship to Magazine for Modern Men
The new GQ editor-in-chief discusses his Tom Cruise cover, vision to broaden the magazine, and path from Australia to leading a global brand.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Christopher Kane Returns to Fashion at Mulberry, Turning Heritage Into Foundation Rather Than Limitation
Designer Christopher Kane explains his unexpected move to Mulberry after closing his label, and why heritage brands need creative disruption.
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The Debrief
Why Fashion Struggles to Attract Young Craftspeople Despite Growing Interest in Trades
Fashion faces a critical shortage of skilled artisans as conglomerates offshored production, leaving a generation gap that threatens the industry's luxury positioning.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Fashion's Craftspeople Crisis: Why the Industry Struggles to Replace Retiring Artisans
Fashion faces a critical shortage of skilled craftspeople as master artisans retire without successors, threatening the industry's luxury positioning.
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Fashion People
Fashion in the Age of Optimization: Inside Tom Brady's Instagram, the U.S. Open's Creator Invasion, and Saint Laurent's Leadership Shift
Fashion industry leaders discuss the CFDA CEO controversy, the commercialization of the U.S. Open, and upcoming changes at major luxury houses.
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Blamo!
How Rock Star Style Gets Made: The Manufacturing of Effortless Cool
Musicians and fashion experts explore why rock star style feels authentic even though it's carefully constructed and constantly evolving.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Colleen Allen on Building a Luxury Women's Label from Scratch with Zero Outside Funding
Self-funded fashion designer Colleen Allen discusses launching her women's wear label with triple-digit growth and no full-time team.
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Articles of Interest
How Secondhand Clothes Went From Scandalous to Chic
A historian traces how used clothing evolved from morally suspect to fashionable through thrift stores, vintage culture, and modern consignment.
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Fashion People
Maria McManus on Building a Sustainable Fashion Brand from Scratch During the Pandemic
Irish designer Maria McManus discusses launching her namesake brand amid COVID-19 and navigating independent fashion in modern New York.
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The Debrief
How Digital Shopping Transformed Fashion Into an Image-First Industry
Fashion critic Eugene Rapkin argues the industry sacrificed quality and creativity chasing online aesthetics, but brands are now rebelling with analog experiences.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How Digital-First Fashion Culture Created the "Simulation Era" and Why Luxury Brands Are Fighting Back
Fashion's obsession with image over substance has sparked a quiet rebellion, with luxury brands embracing human creativity and analog experiences.
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Fashion People
Prototype's Launch, Venice's Spectacle, and the Chanel Memoir Changing Fashion's Narrative
Exploring Alistair McKim's new magazine Prototype, the Venice Film Festival's glamour and accessibility, and Virginie Viard's upcoming tell-all book about her time at Chanel.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Japan Became Fashion's Bellwether—And What That Tells Us About Culture Today
W. David Marks explains how Tokyo taught the world about luxury, streetwear, and menswear—and why culture now lacks the creative invention that defined the 20th century.
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Fashion People
Why Patty Powell Became a TikTok Star at 65 and What Chanel Gets Right
A Chanel VIC and skincare founder discusses building a social media empire with her 92-year-old mother to save her business.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Beauty's Uneven Growth: Winners in Hair and K-Beauty, Challenges for Fragrance Leaders
Beauty earnings reveal diverging fortunes: skincare and hair accelerating, fragrance cooling, and Korean brands surging via digital channels.
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The Debrief
Beauty's Uneven Growth: Winners in Hair and K-Beauty, Cracks in Fragrance
Beauty's post-pandemic boom is cooling into selective spending as consumers discover dupes, try injectables, and shop across TikTok and Amazon instead of department stores.
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Fashion People
Sam Hine on Galliano's Met Gala Exit, Amélie Blakemore's Fundraising, and Menswear's Moment
The fashion industry faces a reckoning as John Galliano withdraws from a controversial Met exhibition while luxury brands reshape their futures.
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Fashion People
Eugene Rabkin on Postmodernism's Grip on Fashion and the Death of Meaningful Design
Fashion critic Eugene Rabkin argues postmodernism has erased standards, stifled creativity, and reduced the industry to soulless commerce and pastiche.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
James Wittner on Building Black Culture Through Retail and Community Development
The Whitaker Group founder discusses 20 years building independent retail, Nike partnerships, and community development in overlooked neighborhoods.
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Articles of Interest
Lord Chesterfield's Letters: Aristocratic Performance Over Genuine Virtue
18th-century aristocrat Lord Chesterfield's controversial letters to his son reveal a philosophy of calculated charm and social manipulation over authentic morality.
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Blamo!
Building a Wardrobe That Actually Works: Fabric Recommendations and the Mistakes That Teach You
Derek and Peter answer audience questions about choosing fabrics, avoiding bespoke mistakes, and developing personal style.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Luxury Brands Are Suddenly Embracing Upcycling
Upcycling has moved from niche sustainability labels to mainstream fashion as regulations, infrastructure, and consumer preferences shift.
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The Debrief
Why Upcycling Has Moved From Niche to Mainstream Fashion
Upcycling is shifting from a sustainability niche to a major strategy for luxury and high street brands managing excess inventory.
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Fashion People
Summer 2026 Fitness Trends and What Fashion People Actually Wear to the Gym
Lauren Sherman and Sophia Rivka Rossi discuss the heated workout classes taking over LA and what athleisure actually means to them.
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Blamo!
Ian Ousley on Building Personal Style Through Travel and Vintage Archive Shopping
Avatar actor Ian Ousley discusses how fashion education shaped his approach to acting, building a brand, and developing authentic personal style.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Nick Knight on AI as a New Creative Medium and Why Fashion Should Stop Looking Backward
Legendary photographer Nick Knight discusses building custom AI datasets, creating a hybrid medium between photography and film, and his vision for the future of image-making.
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Fashion People
Susan Miller on Building Astrology Zone, Her Remarkable Health Journey, and Predicting Luxury's Future
Legendary astrologer Susan Miller discusses her decades in publishing, health battles, and forecasts a luxury industry resurgence driven by AI investment.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Follower Count No Longer Defines Creator Value in Fashion Marketing
Brands are ditching follower count as the primary metric for influencer partnerships, relying instead on conversion data and audience trust.
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The Debrief
Why Influencer Marketing Success Now Depends on More Than Follower Count
Brands are rethinking how they measure influencer value as algorithms and affiliate data reveal follower counts are no longer predictive of sales.
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Fashion People
Rory Satterin on Launching the Hamptons Chronicle and Why Wealth Communities Still Matter for Journalism
A new hyperlocal newspaper covers the Hamptons' intersection of extreme wealth and everyday life, revealing stories no national publication captures.
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Fashion People
Fashion Industry Advice, Celebrity Style, and the Future of Designer Pricing
Fashion editors discuss emerging trends, cover strategy, and the real challenges facing fashion industry careers and brands.
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Articles of Interest
How Knitting Became a Hobby and Why That Matters for Your Job
The history of how machines replaced hand knitters reveals a pattern that's happening to creatives today.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Kelly Wüstler on Building a Design Empire From Scratch
How a designer from Myrtle Beach became a studio leader designing luxury hotels, then partnered with H&M on groundbreaking furniture.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Independent Boutiques Are Becoming Fashion's Power Players
Independent retailers are overtaking department stores in influence and market share as consumers crave curated shopping experiences.
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The Debrief
Why Independent Fashion Retailers Are Becoming Essential to the Industry
Independent boutiques are reshaping fashion retail as consumers reject digital sameness and crave discovery.
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Fashion People
How Los Angeles Apparel and The Row Are Shaping American Fashion's Identity
Two LA-based brands reveal diverging strategies for luxury basics and the future of American fashion.
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Blamo!
Sondre Lerke on Songwriting Perfectionism, Moulin Rouge, and Finding Love in Dark Times
Norwegian musician Sondre Lerke discusses his meticulous songwriting process, performing in Moulin Rouge, and why falling in love feels like defiance.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How Christopher Green Built Venspace, a Self-Funded Brooklyn Menswear Store with Zero E-Commerce
A boutique owner explains why he rejected scale, digital channels, and outside investment to create an intensely curated, community-focused retail space.
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Fashion People
Luxury's Middle Class Problem: Why Price Cuts and Creativity Both Matter
Luxury brands face a polarized market where ultra-wealthy consumers thrive while middle-class aspirational shoppers demand better value and new aesthetics.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
What Fashion and Beauty Workers Actually Want From Employers: The 2026 Desirability Rankings Reveal a Prestige-Reality Gap
Top luxury fashion and beauty brands attract talent with prestige but struggle to retain workers due to poor workplace conditions and compensation.
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The Debrief
What Fashion and Beauty Workers Really Want: The 2026 Desirability Rankings Reveal a Gap Between Brand Prestige and Workplace Reality
New research shows luxury fashion and beauty companies attract talent through prestige, but fail to retain them with poor pay, unclear leadership, and workplace culture.
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Fashion People
What Luxury Jewelry Press Trips Reveal About High Fashion's Inner World
A 10 Magazine editor explains how exclusive jewelry previews work and what they signal about brand strategy.
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Blamo!
John Darnielle on Growing Into Your Art and Seeing Your Parents as People
The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle discusses why he resisted nostalgia, what makes all art inherently hopeful, and finally understanding his parents as complex humans.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Jonathan Anderson's Philosophy for Reinventing Dior Couture
Jonathan Anderson discusses his approach to modernizing Dior's couture tradition through craft, accessibility, and emotional storytelling.
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Fashion People
The Slow Death of Condé Nast's Secondary Titles and What It Means for Fashion Media
How Condé Nast is consolidating around core brands like Vogue while letting Self and Glamour fade away.
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Blamo!
What Is Taste Slop? Exploring Emily Segal's Critique of Decontextualized Cultural Symbols
A discussion of Emily Segal's concept of taste slop and how cultural symbols lose meaning when stripped from their original context.
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The Debrief
How Health Concerns Are Driving Consumer Demand for Natural Fibers Over Synthetics
Consumers increasingly demand natural fibers due to health and wellness concerns, not just sustainability, reshaping fashion industry priorities.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Consumers Are Ditching Polyester for Natural Fibers
Shoppers are increasingly demanding natural fabrics, driven by health concerns and climate anxiety rather than traditional sustainability messaging.
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Fashion People
Bernard Arnault's Calculated Response to Le Monde's Critical Family Portrait
Le Monde's six-part investigation into Bernard Arnault and LVMH prompted a defensive public response revealing tensions about media control and family succession.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How Avery Truffleman Turned Fashion Into a Deep Historical Narrative Medium
Podcast creator Avery Truffleman discusses building Articles of Interest and why fashion is fundamentally about taste over time.
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Articles of Interest
How Bernard Mandeville Explained Why Greed Drives Society
An 18th-century doctor's provocative fable argued that vice and vanity, not virtue, fuel a flourishing society—ideas that still shape how we understand capitalism today.
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Fashion People
Inside Contra Sports Club: How Two Trainers Built LA's Most Coveted Wellness Space
Amy Schultz and Jessica Alexander on building an elite fitness facility for creatives, the peptide boom, and why aesthetics matter in wellness.
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The Debrief
Fashion Schools Face Reckoning as 5,000 Annual Graduates Flood Limited Job Market
Fashion education grapples with oversaturation, wage realities, and whether prestigious degrees justify their costs in a changing industry.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Why Fashion Schools Are Struggling to Justify Their Cost in 2025
Fashion degrees face pressure from industry job scarcity, AI disruption, and Gen Z's shift away from traditional career expectations.
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Fashion People
How Private Equity Stumbled With Spanx While Reformation Thrives Before IPO
Spanx crashed under Blackstone ownership while Reformation's thoughtful management positioned it for a $1 billion IPO.
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Blamo!
Adrian Dizza on Building Very Special Beyond Just Watch Dealing
How a DJ turned skate shop owner built a watch brand by focusing on taste, community, and honest pricing.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Paloma El Cesar on Building a Body Care Brand Beyond Body Positivity Tokenism
Model and activist Paloma El Cesar discusses her new beauty venture and why she's careful not to claim movements she didn't start.
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Fashion People
Rose Colcord on Building Cuckoo Intimates Without Trend Forecasting
Cuckoo's founder discusses launching an organic cotton intimates brand during the pandemic and rejecting Instagram-driven design.
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Blamo!
Building a $12,000 Wardrobe: Outerwear and Basics Strategy
A guide to building a versatile wardrobe with a $12,000 budget spread over four years, focusing on outerwear as the defining element.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
How 2016 Fashion Brands That Rejected VC-Fueled Growth Became Sustainable Winners
Slower-growing indie brands like Hill House and Staud outpaced venture-backed DTC darlings by prioritizing profitability and customer loyalty.
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The Debrief
The Quiet Path to Success: How 2016 Fashion Brands Thrived Without the Venture Capital Playbook
Female-founded fashion brands like Hill House and Staud thrived by prioritizing profitability over rapid growth, rejecting the venture-heavy playbook of their contemporaries.
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Fashion People
Derek Blasberg on Fashion's Pre-Social Media Era and the Couture Season's Return to Designer Intent
Derek Blasberg discusses his book about fashion during the indie sleaze era and reflections on recent couture collections.
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The Business of Fashion Podcast
Couture's New Generation: Storytelling, Risk, and Wonder at Paris Fashion Week
Young designers at Chanel, Dior, and beyond are using haute couture to create joyful worlds of beauty and narrative amid a record heat wave.
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Articles of Interest
How China's Fashion Renaissance Became a Patriotic Statement
Young Chinese women are embracing hanfu and historical dress as a form of cultural pride and identity in modern China.
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Fashion People
How Great Brands Work: Why Purpose and Discipline Matter More Than Ever
Jenna Lyons and Johnny Bauer explain how successful brands need a clear core idea that guides every decision.
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Blamo!
Photography Doesn't Require Technical Perfection—It Requires Emotional Truth
A conversation with a Leica gallery leader on what makes photographs lasting, the power of print, and building community around art.
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The Debrief
What Luxury Shoppers Actually Want Now: Emotional Connection Over Heritage
New research reveals emotional resonance, not craftsmanship or logos, is driving luxury purchases as brands reassess pricing and store strategies.
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Fashion No Filter
Reckoning with Fashion's Elitism and Pricing Power
Two fashion editors discuss engagement joy, luxury pricing absurdity, and why the industry must stop gatekeeping style from ordinary people.