The Glossy Podcast

On this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Hudson Yards CMO Stacey Feder to discuss the planning process that went into building and marketing the new development, the way Hudson Yards works with retailers. and the evolving meaning of 'experiential.'

Before Aman Advani was the co-founder and CEO of performance-infused businesswear brand Ministry of Supply, he was a consultant. Spending most of his days on a plane, in a boardroom or traveling from one hotel to the next, Advani was exhausted by the upkeep his formal workwear required, including lots of ironing and frequent trips to the dry cleaners. He decided he needed to find a way to make these clothes work for his life. So in 2012, Advani co-founded Ministry of Supply with Gihan Amarasiriwardena. Since, the brand has expanded its offering to include both men and women, opened a total of six stores around the U.S., and launched wholesale partnerships with companies like Stitch Fix and MoMA. In this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Advani to discuss why Ministry of Supply has such a strong emphasis on education, what makes fashion an emotional industry and what's on the horizon for performance wear.

When Monica Zwirner and Lucy Wallace Eustice joined forces to start their own company in 2000, they were on a mission to create beautiful, functional, luxury bags. After carefully sourcing their materials and manufacturers, the pair chose to launch their brand, MZ Wallace, by opening and operating a store, which in turn gave them direct access to the customers and their feedback. Just a few short years later, in 2004, the brand launched its e-commerce operation, continuing to operate as a direct-to-consumer brand years before the concept became buzzy. Now, almost 20 years later, MZ Wallace is continuing to build on its direct roots. It now gets customer feedback largely from Facebook, versus face-to-face; it still believes in brand transparency; and it's kept physical retail a central component of the business. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Wallace Eustice to discuss how MZ Wallace has evolved since 2000, why the brand won't be sold anytime soon and how technology has impacted the larger fashion industry.

When David Fischer started Highsnobiety in 2005, it was a humble blog for discussing all things fashion and culture. Over the years, the brand grew and flourished into a full-fledged media brand, but remained true to its streetwear roots. Now, in the company's latest expansion, it's taking on e-commerce. Highsnobiety's e-commerce business focuses on carefully curated assortments as well as brand collaborations, released in a drop model and launched with an exclusive relaunch of Prada menswear line Linea Rossa. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Highsnobiety's founder and CEO, David Fischer, to discuss the company's transition to e-commerce, its partnership with Prada, and the future content and commerce.

When Sandra Makarem was working in the buying department at Bloomingdale's, she began to see a discrepancy between shoppers' and retailers' behavior. So she decided to create The Collective Child. The Collective Child's model is similar to that of other clothing subscription companies: Subscribers share their preferences, they receive a curated selection of items to suit their needs, and then they keep what they want and send back what they don't. What makes The Collective Child unique is that it targets a very specific audience: moms wanting to buy luxury children's clothes. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with The Collective Child's founder and CEO Sandra Makarem to discuss why she wanted to create a product for high-end moms, how important a unique curation is for a subscription business and how she grew a waitlist of 1,500 people without any paid marketing.

Sam Lobban has been working in men's fashion for nearly a decade. His career has taken him from the shop floor of a boutique in the U.K. to his current post, vp of men's fashion at Nordstrom. Throughout his expansive career, Lobban has had a front-row seat to the rapidly changing fashion industry. As he sees it, understanding the evolution of the industry is pretty simple: Things are moving faster, and more people are watching. Since joining the team at Nordstrom in 2018, Lobban has launched a handful of New Concept pop-ups in stores, which offer a carefully curated assortment of products tied to a central theme. Some previous concepts include Concept 001: Out Cold, which was designed to showcase cold-weather performance wear, and Concept 004: Patagonia, which was in collaboration with the popular outdoor brand and hosted a wide variety of sustainably produced, fair-trade products. Now, following his fifth and most recent New Concept launch with Nordstrom, Lobban wants to continue to push the boundaries of wholesale menswear by redefining his relationships with brands and the way he tells the story of their products. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Lobban joins Hilary Milnes in the studio to discuss the changing landscape of men's fashion, the modern retailer-designer relationship and the internet's increasing impact on menswear.

When Rachel Schectman founded Story, she wanted to create a space for experimenting with retail. At a time when many people were skeptical about the future of physical retail, Schectman believed, and proved, that a carefully curated retail experience could be successful. But a few years into a continuous cycle of revamping the store every other month, she wanted to find something bigger. So in spring of 2018, after weighing a few other possibilities, Schectman agreed to an acquisition by Macy's and, at the same time, became the retailer's first brand experience officer. Macy's inaugural Story pop-up, which was color-themed, launched in 36 Macy's doors earlier this year. This week marks the launch of their second concept, Outdoor Story, which includes brand partners such as Dick's Sporting Goods and Miracle-Gro and can be found in select Macy's stores through September. In this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Schectman discusses why Macy's was the right partner for her, what it's like running a new concept within the company and how she uses her experience in small business to inform how she manages brand partnerships.

When celebrity stylist and author, Micaela Erlanger started her styling business in 2013, the fashion world was a much different place than it is today: Instagram was still in its early days, collections came out according to a strict fashion calendar, and lookbooks were sent through snail mail. Today, Erlanger is working faster and has more access than ever before to new designers and brands. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Erlanger to discuss how the role of the celebrity stylist has evolved, the importance of Instagram and why Fashion Week is still relevant to her.

With the rise of the internet forcing major changes across the fashion industry, the role of the buyer has remained largely the same. The curated assortments for ecommerce and in-store can vary and more brands are moving away from the traditional fashion calendar, but the buyer's focus has gone unchanged. For Alexandra Willinger, buying manager of designer secondary, sportswear, denim and outerwear at Intermix, her role over her 10-year buying career has only evolved in that it's expanded. For the final episode of Glossy Trend Watch: Buyers Edition, editor-in-chief Jill Manoff sits down with Willinger to discuss the evolution of her role, the importance of exclusive collections and the difference in curating online and offline assortments.

Founded in 1996, Lafayette 148 has steadily grown to become a massive contemporary brand. Recently, co-founder and CEO Deirdre Quinn decided it was time to introduce change to the SoHo-native company. Following a headquarters move to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Quinn spent her time and resources reinvesting in the company. After decades of building out different departments and teams, her focus was shifted to finding a way to bring all parts of the company together, and to use these new efficiencies to begin international retail expansion and experimentation with technology like AI. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Quinn to discuss where the company is going, what she's learned about physical retail and how Lafayette 148 is creating a focused lifestyle brand.

Sneakers are 60% to 65% of Saks Fifth Avenue’s men's business. Come July, the NYC flagship store will combine men's shoes on one floor as the luxury department store attempts to rebalance its formal and casual assortment. Louis DiGiacomo, svp and men’s general merchandising manager, joins Jill Manoff on the buyer edition of Glossy Trend Watch to discuss the biggest shifts in men’s fashion and the renovation of the men’s shoe department in Saks' New York flagship.

On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Sarah Benady, ba&sh's CEO of North America, to discuss the difference between the French and American consumer, using unique offerings to connect with customers and fostering the perfect brand-investor partnership.

Mr. Porter, the online-only retail destination for designer menswear, launched in 2011. As it's evolved over the years, it's expanded its focus beyond luxury products and explored a variety of new ways to integrate more designers and products. As a result, the role of Daniel Todd, its senior buyer, has changed. Todd discusses how he works with Mr. Porter's editorial team and how the retailer is incorporating emerging designers on the platform.

When Coral Chung went to start her luxury accessories brand, Senreve, she felt pressure to do things the way that they had always been done. But by using a combination of consumer data, smart manufacturing and inventory planning, Chung has been able to side-step a lot of the downfalls of traditional luxury brands, like being forced to destroy excess product or deal with slow production. While she won't say "never'" regarding the possibility of joining a more traditional house of brands, Chung said those conglomerates have a long way to go before they're ready for a brand like Senreve.On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Senreve founder and CEO Coral Chung to discuss the careful balance between being a tech and fashion company, the slow pace of luxury market and the future of Senreve as an independent company.

For modern retailers, a unique product curation has never been more make-or-break. To create a standout shopping experience in the crowded, competitive market, many fashion players are leaning on experienced buyers. Milan-born concept store 10 Corso Como, which opened its doors in 1990, has gained popularity among fashion and art fans for its one-of-a-kind assortment spanning rare photography books, designer home decor, private-label fashion and exclusive accessories collaborations. Prior to launching is first U.S. outpost, in NYC's Seaport District in September, it scooped up Avery Oates, a fashion veteran who's worked as a buyer for more than 20 years. On the first episode of our limited series, Glossy Trend Watch, editor-in-chief Jill Manoff sits down with Oates to discuss the role of the modern retail buyer as shopping moves online, designers' production shifts from a seasonal calendar and consumers' increasingly demand newness.

Adore Me launched as a direct-to-consumer intimates brand in 2012, using a wide range of sizes and competitive prices to take on the brands dominating the market. According to Romain Liot, the COO of Adore Me, the company's marriage of technology and fashion allows it to adapt to what the customer wants more easily than a traditional, established brand. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Liot to discuss how Adore Me measures the success of its products, what complexities exist in the lingerie supply chain and why transparency is the best way to foster customer loyalty.

It is no secret that the fashion industry has seen a lot of change in recent years. Steven Kolb, the president and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), has had a front row seat to it all. With the rise of direct-to-consumer, the impact of Instagram and emerging questions about the relevance of fashion weeks and seasonality, it's clear that fashion is evolving. According to Kolb, designers must be prepared to change, as well. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes welcomes Kolb back on the podcast to discuss how the industry had transitioned over the last few years, what challenges face contemporary designers and what's next for NYFW.

When Janice Sullivan was interviewing to head up Rebecca Taylor, the designer promptly asked her asked her what exactly she planned on doing at the company. That was four years ago, and the beginning of Sullivan's revamp of the contemporary brand. Since joining the team, Sullivan has pushed the company in a direction that resembles a direct-to-consumer brand; put the customer first, and find a way to connect with them everywhere. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with CEO of Rebecca Taylor and Parker, Janice Sullivan, to discuss why she decided to take Rebecca Taylor's personal life out of the brand identity, how their retail business is evolving and why the brand reclaimed their e-commerce business.

Kerry Cooper knows how to build a brand. From managing global e-commerce at Walmart to scaling the marketing and operations at ModCloth, Cooper has spent a sizable portion of her career working with brands to grow and adapt to the changing retail landscape. In her latest role as the president and COO of 7-year-old footwear brand Rothy's, Cooper has entered into the Wild West of direct-to-consumer brands. The biggest difference, she said, is the sense of accountability. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Cooper discusses her transition into the startup world, the benefits of Rothy's owning the entire supply chain, and the evolving relationship between brands and consumers.

In September, Gap Inc. launched Hill City, a menswear brand meant to provide a perfect balance of performance and comfort, plus a sleek, minimalist look. Now, as the brand moves beyond launch stage, its general manager, Noah Palmer is focused on continuing to develop the identity of Hill City. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes catches up with Palmer to discuss how he's building a new brand in a market full of legacy brands, how the brand's community of wear testers is shaping products and what customers actually want out of an e-commerce site.

Jenny Fleiss has spent most of her recent career building companies that challenge the traditional consumer experience, and remove hurdles she's experienced in her own life. When she co-founded Rent The Runway, the popular service for designer clothing and accessory rentals, Fleiss was in her 20s and looking to solve the age-old problem she and her peers were constantly facing: of a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. Now, in a new stage of her life as a working mother, Fleiss is taking on the world of conversational commerce and the luxury consumer. In this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Jetblack founder and CEO, Jenny Fleiss, to discuss the new age of e-commerce, Jetblack's grassroots marketing approach and the way the company's services pay off for brand partners.

For Banana Republic CMO Mary Alderete, it's an exciting time to be in brand marketing. Alderete, who first worked at the company as a senior director of marketing in the early 2000s, left and returned a decade later, motivated by the challenge of developing a connection between Banana Republic and newer generations. She is now working with the brand's in-house creative agency to experiment with new storytelling formats and lean into influencer marketing, with NFL star Jared Goff as the newest edition to the current influencer roster. The goal, across the board, is to be part of the conversation. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Alderete to discuss Banana Republic's evolving media strategy, the ways it's marketing invisible technology and the perks of keeping processes in-house.

After a decade of working in the fashion industry, Ganesh Srivats decided he needed something more. The fashion industry wasn't evolving at the pace he wanted, so he made the decision to join a company he felt was: Tesla. But after only three years, an opportunity arose in fashion that he couldn't resist. Now serving as the CEO of Moda Operandi, Srivats is using his passion for technology to make waves in the retail and fashion industries. By using a combination of consumer data–driven algorithms and stylist-curated collections, the fashion e-commerce platform gives consumers a unique selection that includes items directly from the runway. In this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Srivats to discuss the intersection of tech and fashion, the model of giving consumers direct access to runway collections, and the way to serve as a partner for designers.

Before founding Staple Design, Jeff Staple was studying communication design at Parsons School of Design, sneaking into the silkscreen lab after hours to create small batches of shirts to sell at shops in SoHo. For Staple, this wasn't about designing clothes. Instead, he wanted to find a way to growth-hack his messaging. Now, nearly two decades later, Staple is widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of streetwear. His company has produced collaborations with the likes of Cole Haan, Dr. Martens, Coca Cola and even Facebook. In the fifth and final episode of Glossy Trend Watch: Streetwear Edition, fashion reporter Danny Parisi sits down with Staple to discuss the rising popularity of the collaboration model, the difference between collabs from licensing agreements, and the way street culture is infecting society.

When Stadium Goods was co-founded in 2015 by John McPheters and Jed Stiller, sneakers and streetwear were still part of an underground culture. But in recent years, street style has become more mainstream, and high-fashion and luxury brands have begun to embrace it. As a result, the marketplaces for these goods -- both primary and secondary -- have seen a rise of the tide. Stadium Goods, which has received funding from LVMH and others, was acquired by Farfetch in 2018. In this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, John McPheters, Stadium Goods' co-founder and co-CEO, sits down with Hilary Milnes to discuss how the blending of luxury and streetwear elevated both markets, why it's easier for startups to move internationally and what's on the horizon following the brand's acquisition.

For heritage companies like Fila or Champion -- which have product ranges covering everything from hype sneakers to activewear -- success relies on being able to appeal to a diverse consumer base. According to Louis Colon, Fila's vp of heritage and trend, the company's history in a variety of different categories created an opportunity to authentically stretch the brand and reach a newer, younger customer. On episode four of Glossy Trend Watch: Streetwear Edition, fashion reporter Danny Parisi sits down with Colon to discuss the role of a heritage brand, the categories a brand should enter to feel authentic, and the way a brand built for tennis courts became an essential player in streetwear.

While the rest of the retail industry races to modernize and adapt to the modern consumer, the bridal industry is taking its sweet time. For most brides-to-be, pain points like murky pricing and year-long wait times come standard, especially when it comes to the dress. Shopping for bridal gowns is a long-standing tradition involving the bride, a posse of friends and family, an hour in a showroom, and enough champagne to keep everyone optimistic. But for Jackie Courtney, something about that process didn't feel right. She began reaching out to editors for samples and eventually started scouring peer-to-peer marketplaces like Craigslist and eBay, convincing women from around the country that she had an idea worth investing in. Finally, with a collection of 50 high-end, used bridal gowns, Nearly Newlywed was born. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Nearly Newlywed founder and CEO, Jackie Courtney, to discuss the need for modernization in the bridal industry, the normalization of resale and her expansion into new categories.

Before social media and the global trend of hype sneakers and streetwear, sneakerheads would spend hours digging through eBay or combing through the collections of neighborhood resellers to score a great deal on the perfect pair of shoes. While some may still find this practice to be successful at times, they also likely come across fake products and massively inflated prices. Josh Luber, the founder and CEO of StockX, wants to put a stop to that. StockX, a marketplace for the resale of sneakers and other streetwear accessories, was built to level the playing field. By utilizing the same IPO method as the New York Stock Exchange, also known as a Dutch auction, Luber hopes to create a more accessible marketplace for both buyers and sellers. For the episode three of Glossy Trend Watch: Streetwear Edition, fashion reporter Danny Parisi sits down with Luber to discuss how the resale market grew up and what the current relationship is between the primary and secondary markets.

Influencer marketing is far from a new concept. Online fashion and beauty retailer Revolve has spent nearly a decade building a massive influencer marketing program, eventually creating an in-house team dedicated to influencer strategy. For Raissa Gerona, Revolve's chief brand officer, it's exciting that the rest of the retail world is beginning to catch up. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Gerona live at Shoptalk 2019 to discuss how Revolve built its brand through influencers, why Snapchat isn't for the company and what untapped potential remains in the influencer marketing space.

As any sneakerhead or streetwear fanatic will tell you, the drop model is part of the fabric of the streetwear retail industry. The drop model, which is shorthand for a brand releasing a limited amount of highly sought-after product all at once, developed out of the fact that some retailers simply couldn't afford to produce massive quantities of product. Fans began to scheme to grab the latest and greatest styles before they were no longer on the shelves. The retail strategy has since been introduced to the mainstream consumer, adopted by major brands including Gucci, Nike and Louis Vuitton. But as these drops continue to hit the mainstream market, some retailers are starting to fear that consumers are growing weary of the never-ending chase for ultra-hyped products. Others are making the shift to an online drop model to avoid the hazards that can come with having lines of hundreds of people outside their stores. In episode two of Glossy Trend Watch: Streetwear Edition, Danny Parisi sits down with Wil Whitney, who was one of the original founders of Nom de Guerre and now manages U.S. brand relations for Sneakersnstuff. Whitney discusses how sneaker retail and the drop model has evolved over time and why the hype bubble will inevitably burst.

When Michelle Cordeiro Grant founded Lively in 2015, she wanted to create a lingerie brand that fit into the lifestyle of the modern woman. In combining design aspects of traditional lingerie, swimwear and athleisure, Cordeiro Grant said Lively has created a new category altogether, which her team refers to as 'leisurée'. Since the company's launch, it has built a massive ambassador program, launched a podcast and started experimenting with physical retail. Cordeiro Grant said the company's move into retail is still in its beta phase, and her team is constantly learning and evolving its retail strategy. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Michelle Cordeiro Grant, the founder and CEO of Lively, at Shoptalk 2019. They discuss how to break into a crowded market, how Lively's social media channels have become a major part of its content strategy and where traditional retailers have gone wrong.

Ryan Babenzien, the founder and CEO of Greats, has a long history with sneakers and streetwear. When he was growing up, streetwear was a type of fashion that celebrated the rebellious spirit of 1980s youth; it pulled inspiration from luxury brands and flipped them into styles the majority could afford. Nowadays, streetwear has moved up and onto major runways, and for Babenzien, it has morphed into something that can no longer be defined by the same term. On the first episode of our limited series, Glossy Trend Watch: Streetwear Edition, fashion reporter Danny Parisi sits down with Babenzien to to discuss the evolution of streetwear, including the reason he believes it's now dead.

When Anine Bing decided to turn her successful fashion blog and social media presence into a brand, Annika Meller was there. In the early days of the influencer's fashion brand, Meller helped Bing with everything from stuffing boxes to fulfilling orders, as they worked to build the company from the ground-up. In the years that followed, Anine Bing continued to grow its following and its business. The brand now has 10 stores, with four more on the way, and is experimenting with social and traditional marketing. The hope is that one day, the brand will be everywhere its customers are. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Annika Meller, COO and co-founder of Anine Bing, to discuss what it was like to build a brand on Instagram in 2012, why paid promotions can be dangerous and why investing in more traditional marketing channels like billboards and magazines makes sense.

For most digitally-native brands, a retail concept is nothing more than a pop-up shop in a major city, but for Untuckit's co-founder and CEO Aaron Sanandres, a modern retail strategy demands a permanent physical footprint. Untuckit now boasts 50 retail doors across the United States and Canada. For Sanandres, it is vital to meet the consumers where they are. That's why you can also find an Untuckit shop on Amazon, which operates more like an outlet and is used to sell products that are from seasons past. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Sanandres live at the NRF Big Show to discuss how customer data is being used to improve in-store experiences, what his approach is to selling on Amazon and why retailers need a physical footprint.

When Joanna Griffiths launched her brand in 2013, she wanted to reinvent intimates. Knix, Griffiths’ brand of functional intimates, was built on the premise that women of all shapes and sizes deserve to be catered to. But while selling the brand through wholesale retailers, Griffiths found the industry didn’t quite share her vision. Stores refused to carry the brand’s extended size range, and Griffiths felt that buyers were more interested in filling a hole on their floor than representing the brand. On this week’s episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Knix founder and CEO Joanna Griffiths, live at NRF 2019, to talk about how making the switch to direct-to-consumer empowered Knix to create more products on its own terms, how the change affected the brand’s marketing strategy and how the company is approaching physical retail.

Disrupting an industry as long-standing as fine jewelry is a tall order for any company. Vrai & Oro, a 5-year-old, DTC company promising fine jewelry with a side of transparency and sustainability, is attempting to do just that. In the years since it's launch, Vrai & Oro has been on a mission to modernize fine jewelry through product transparency and sustainably growing its diamonds. The goal, Stofenmacher said, is to de-stigmatize the process of purchasing diamonds and to empower more people to be a part of the conversation. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Stofenmacher to discuss how Vrai & Oro makes the complex subject of diamonds easy for customers to understand, how the company has reimagined manufacturing systems and how Stofenmacher balances data and intuition when making business decisions.

As Marie Kondo has everyone rooting through their closets for the items that spark joy and consumers are becoming more conscious of sustainable buying practices, resellers like ThredUp are hitting their stride. The online secondhand marketplace is based on a model that serves both suppliers and customers: Suppliers are able to send in their items free of cost and get paid for them, while buyers have access to an inventory that is always growing and changing, with products listed for significantly less than traditional retail. "I don't want to make it sound like we're bleeding heart activists, because we have to run a profitable business, too," said Marino. "So we're trying to create the ultimate business, which is one that makes money and does good at the same time." On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with ThredUp president Anthony Marino to talk about what's unique about the online resale market, how the company manages its massive and ever-changing inventory, and why its partnerships with outside retailers are a win for all involved.

When Karla Gallardo co-founded Cuyana back in 2011, she was driven by 2 things: a true love for fashion and a desire to impact the bottom line in a real way. In the years since it's launch, Cuyana appears to be one of the few direct-to-consumer brands that has real staying power. Gallardo credits a lot of this success to the fact that the brand has scaled steadily and remained profitable. Now, with a $30 million round of funding under their belts, Cuyana is on track to ramp up its growth efforts in the US. According to Gallardo, this cash injection means that they get to do more of what they already do really well. This means growing their retail footprint with both permanent and pop-up stores, expanding customer acquisition efforts and continuing to produce high-quality product. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Cuyana co-founder and CEO, Karla Gallardo, to talk about their newest round of funding, building a billion dollar brand and why their north star is profitability.

In 2013, Sarah Flint launched her luxury footwear brand in high-end retailers like Bloomingdale's, Barneys and Shopbop.com. Over the years, the brand grew steadily and earned influential fans including Meghan Markle, but Flint felt something was missing: She wasn't able to create a meaningful, direct connection with her customers, she was designing close to 200 products a year and the margins were always slim. So at the end of 2017, Flint cancelled all orders from department stores, pulling out of them completely, cut her prices in half and became a direct-to-consumer brand. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with luxury footwear designer, Sarah Flint, to talk about making the shift from wholesale to DTC, establishing relationships with customers and getting set to scale her brand.

In 2007, Katie Warner Johnson was a ballerina–turned Wall Street analyst–turned fitness instructor. It was in her fitness classes that she discovered a very specific type of woman: a hard-working, high-powered woman who takes her appearance seriously, but doesn’t have the time to really concern herself with it — and she fell in love with her. So Warner Johnson and a few of her friends came together and decided to find a way to connect with this woman. From selling bundled classes to creating a Pinterest account dedicated to fitness to launching a competitor for the app Mindbody, they tried a lot of things that didn’t work. Finally they ended up with the first iteration of Carbon38: a content-driven site where they would interview a celebrity or influencer about their wellness routine and what was in their gym bag, and then make those products available to sale. Eventually, Warner Johnson started to notice a pattern in the activewear being sold on the site. The industry was dominated by men, but the women’s sector was taking off, and the available products were a result of a “shrink it and pink it” mentality. So she looked back to her original inspiration — this customer base she had become fascinated with — and set out to build out a marketplace serving these women in a way no one had before. In 2013, Carbon38, in its current form, officially launched. As Carbon38 continues to scale and grow, and the athleisure boom continues, Warner Johnson sees plenty of opportunities to continue serving the core clientele her business was built for, especially now that she has become one of them. On this week’s episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Katie Warner Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Carbon38, to talk about dressing modern women, the company’s recent investment from Foot Locker, and the problem with the word “athleisure.”

Mark Lynn knows what it takes to build direct-to-consumer brands. After launching two successful DTC brands -- Winc Wines and DSTLD -- Lynn made the decision to stop building brands and start bringing them together. So in 2017, he co-founded Digital Brands Group in an effort to both bring promising brands to the consumer and help growing companies to scale. Currently, there are two brands under the Digital Brands Group umbrella -- DSTLD, best known for denim. and suiting brand Ace Studios. Lynn said a few acquisitions will likely be necessary before the group can really spread its wings. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down Mark Lynn, Digital Media Group's co-founder and chairman, to talk about the complexities of the DTC ecosystem, the choice to take DSTLD public and the next steps for his growing group.

In an industry like footwear, which from the outside appears to be ever-changing, how much has actually changed? During his career as a professional soccer player in New Zealand, Tim Brown began to ask himself this same question. Brown set out on a mission to create the simplicity that he couldn't find in footwear anywhere else. What he found was an industry stuck in its ways, followed by a serious sustainability problem. So he saw the opportunity to develop new materials, and a new approach to creating and selling shoes, to address both an aesthetic and an environmental need with his own brand, Allbirds. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes talks to Allbirds co-founder, Tim Brown, about the growing a DTC brand, the constant need to innovate and why, when it comes to sustainability, we're all in this together.

When Palmer West first became a father, he wasn't quite ready to give up his love for motorcycling. But when he went looking for the proper protective gear, he was greeted by an entire market of products that weren't necessarily suited for a metropolitan lifestyle like his. It was from this 'aesthetic void' that Aether was born. West felt like consumers shouldn't have to choose between fashion and functionality, so he and his business partner Jonah Smith, set out to find middle ground. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with West, Aether co-founder, to discuss the need for fashionable technical wear, how wholesale failed them and why they're considering going back.

This year on The Glossy Podcast, we covered the biggest trends in fashion business. Voices from across the industry -- from influencers to founders to CEOs -- discussed navigating an industry that is changing more rapidly than ever before. Some major themes of the year included the rise of the direct-to-consumer model, the impact of social media and influencer marketing, and the ripple effect of Amazon. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, we take a look at some of our top episodes of 2018 through clips featuring guests including Madewell's Libby Wadle, Glossier's Henry Davis and influencer Blair Eadie.

In the early 2010s, John Ballay saw that there was something missing in menswear. At the time he was working in finance in Dubai, and had developed a passion for well-tailored suits. As the retail pivot to DTC was picking up steam, he wanted to find a way to make bespoke clothing more accessible to the average man. So Ballay and Mueller decided to create the first brand that would bring the magic of made-to-order clothing right to their customers' doorsteps. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Knot Standard co-founder and CEO, John Ballay, to discuss the evolution of menswear, creating custom-made products for every consumer, and how a brand with no inventory works with retailers.

In the nearly six years since she joined Kate Spade, Mary Renner Beech, the brand's CMO, has seen a lot of change. From a major acquisition by Tapestry, to the entrance of new creative director Nicola Glass, to the loss of the brand's founder, Kate Spade has been making a lot of headlines in recent years. But, according to Beech, these changes have only strengthened the brand and its promise of optimistic femininity. On this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes catches up with Mary Renner Beech to discuss how Kate Spade is empowering women across the globe, relying on a combination of data and gut instinct, and continuing to evolve with consumers without straying from the brand's heritage. Below are excerpts from the episode, edited for clarity.

When Ryan Babenzien decided to launch his own sneaker company in 2014, the direct-to-consumer brand boom was in full swing. He saw it as an opportunity to develop a brand that struck a balance between traditional and digitally-native retail. In this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast, Hilary Milnes sits down with Babenzien to discuss how he's growing a brand that embraces DTC and traditional retail, balances quality and cost, and serves casual and fashion-forward dressers alike.

In an age where e-commerce is moving faster than ever, Etsy is working hard to keep up the pace. By bringing together entrepreneurs from all over the world, Etsy has amassed an online marketplace of over 50 million artisanal products. This network of small businesses has its challenges, like consistency in shipping and customer experience, but they are all part of what Raina Moskowitz, Etsy's svp of people, strategy and services, believes makes their platform a stand out. On this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast, Moskowitz discusses Etsy's investment in its sellers, how they're using marketing to drive consumers, and why she believes Etsy is still in early days.

Since former Allure editor in chief Linda Wells landed at Revlon as chief creative officer in February 2017, she has had a busy last 21 months. Not only has she renovated all of the consumer touchpoints, like packaging and the digital and social presences of the heritage company’s portfolio of brands, such as Elizabeth Arden, Almay and Revlon, she also launched Flesh Beauty. In this week’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, Wells discussed how the industry has become “unrecognizable” because of social media, the shift in power in beauty and how incubation is the future for big beauty companies.

At twenty-three years old, Stirling Barrett found himself sitting on the stoop of his newly purchased home, located just outside of the French Quarter of New Orleans. He had earned a degree in fine arts, won a few notable best in show titles, and knew he needed to make an investment into his future. Shortly after, he founded Krewe. In this week's episode of The Glossy Podcast, founder and creative director, Stirling Barrett, talks about how Krewe got its credibility in the market, why mobile retail was key in brick and mortar expansion and why New Orleans really is the best place to build your business.