Fashion & Founders The Podcast
By: Victoria Smith
Language: en-us
Categories: Arts, Fashion, Beauty, Business, Entrepreneurship, Technology
Fashion and Founders The Podcast: Circularity, Tech, & Innovation. Conversations with founders and innovators working in different sectors of the fashion industry, offering an opportunity to get involved in this growing space. Hear directly from the people building the future of fashion about entrepreneurship, job opportunities, fashion tech, circularity, biomaterials, and more.Learn from incredible guests across the industry, from rental, resale, nonprofit, PR, policy, start ups, including Gab Waller, Pickle, Locker, Erika Veurink, Fashion Revolution, Eco-Age, Colorifix, and more.
Episodes
Rebecca Minkoff: Building a Household Name Fashion Label
Jan 11, 2026In this episode, Victoria sits down with designer and founder Rebecca Minkoff to break down what it really takes to build a fashion brand and keep it alive through industry curveballs. Rebecca shares how an internship led to her first break, the celebrity moment that helped launch her label, and why success is a slow build of momentum over time. They dive into the business realities fashion school doesn’t teach like costing, pricing, profitability, and why she believes founders should bootstrap before raising money. Rebecca also pulls back the curtain on the true cost of Fashion Week, navigating fas...
Duration: 00:37:16Cynthia Rowley: How to Make it in Fashion in NYC
Jan 03, 2026In this episode, Victoria sits down with Cynthia Rowley, CFDA award winning designer, to talk about building a fashion career the scrappy way. Cynthia shares how she got started making clothes, her accidental path to New York, and what it really takes to sustain a long-term career in fashion. She breaks down the realities behind runway shows, navigating changes in the global fashion industry, and why small wins, consistency, and risk-taking matter more than chasing instant success. Cynthia also offers advice for breaking into the fashion industry without a traditional background, moving to New York, and balancing creativity with...
Duration: 00:41:58Fashion Career Playbook
Jan 02, 2026Fashion Career Playbook to break into fashion in 2026. How to break into the fashion industry in 2026. Part One out now on Substack.
Link Here: https://fashionandfounders.substack.com/p/the-fashion-career-playbook-part
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Duration: 00:06:46Archival Vintage Fashion Reimagined by Isle of Monday
Dec 14, 2025In this episode, Victoria sits down with Gabriella and Janelle, co-founders of Isle of Monday, to discuss how they’re making runway vintage and archival fashion accessible through their fashion tech rental platform. They share how backgrounds in fashion resale, finance, and tech led them to build a fashion tech company centered on access, preservation, and circularity. The founders break down the viral Roberto Cavalli moment that validated their idea, the importance of building a network when building a business, and what it really takes to source one-of-one archival pieces. They also discuss fundraising, advisors, launching in beta, and wh...
Duration: 00:42:24Following Your Personal Mission: Influencer Social Responsibility with Alex Bushman
Dec 07, 2025In this episode, Victoria sits down with Alex Bushman, founder of Influencer Social Responsibility (ISR), to talk about transforming the creator economy through meaningful social impact. Alex shares how a single cold DM to Danielle Bernstein led to the start of We Gave What, impact branch of WeWoreWhat. Her previous work in the nonprofit sector led her to launching ISR, an agency that connects creators, brands, and nonprofits for community-centered events. With one of the first events with Bridget and Danielle Pheloung with Girls Inc. and Pickle. As well as events with the Nader sisters, Lexi Wood, and Miranda M...
Duration: 00:34:32Fashion Meets Tech to Empower the Underdogs: SSQRD founder Nabihah Ahmad
Nov 23, 2025In this episode, Victoria sits down with Nabihah Ahmad, SSQRD to talk about building a fashion tech startup. Nabihah shares how she broke into the fashion industry and then the tech industry by teaching herself how to code. She dives into how she taught herself to code, why she’s committed to democratizing fashion, and how one TikTok brought in 300+ partner brands overnight. They dive into unpaid work in fashion, mission-driven entrepreneurship, hiring with intention, and what happens when women start building the tech products we all use. A sharp, honest, energizing conversation for anyone interested in fashion, tech, or...
Duration: 00:40:36How to Scale a Business without Chasing Hype with Eshita Kabra Founder of By Rotation
Nov 16, 2025In this episode, Victoria sits down with Eshita Kabra, founder and CEO of By Rotation, the world’s largest peer-to-peer fashion rental platform. Eshita shares what it really takes to build a profitable, sustainable, community-driven fashion tech company in today’s economy. She breaks down how By Rotation grew from a honeymoon idea into a global marketplace where women earn real income sharing their wardrobes. We dive into why affordability beats sustainability, how peer-to-peer fashion is reshaping the industry, and what most founders get wrong about brand building, community, and social strategy.
Eshita also gives an unfiltered look...
Duration: 00:49:37The Parts of Entrepreneurship No One Talks About with Abby Price Founder of Abbode
Nov 09, 2025In this episode of Fashion and Founders, Abby Price the founder of Abbode shares her founding story. From starting a business right after graduating from Parsons to scaling into a seven figure business. Abby shares the honest reality of being a founder and the hardworking that goes into having a successful New York fashion business. You may have seen Sabrina Carpenter wearing her pieces on SNL or your favorite influencer in an embroidered tank top, either way Abby has tapped a whole new market for embroidery.
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Duration: 00:41:19Styled Sara: How to Break into the Fashion Industry
Oct 26, 2025On this episode of Fashion and Founders, Victoria is joined by Sara Walker who you’ve probably seen on Instagram as @styledsara. Sara talks about how she broke into the fashion industry, the first steps she took, and landing a job at Revolve. She also shares tips for getting started with content creation to going full time working for yourself. Sara takes listeners behind the scenes of the business side of content creation like how to build a long term partnership, industry rates, and lessons she learned by doing. Dabbling with design, Sara released a dress for Reformation and re...
Duration: 00:42:30Fashion Tech Weeks: Takeaways from NYC, SF, LA
Oct 19, 2025This week on Fashion and Founders the Podcast, Victoria shares a solo episode with takeaways from major fashion and fashion tech events from the past month. From New York Fashion Week, Climate Week, San Francisco Tech Week, and LA Tech Week. Sharing major themes and insights for the future of the industry as well as highlighting key players. Listen for new tools, resources, and brands and founders standing out.
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Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders Duration: 00:17:57
How to Start and Scale a Fashion Brand with ALIGNE CEO Ginny Seymour
Oct 12, 2025In this episode of Fashion & Founders Victoria Smith sits down with Ginny Seymour, CEO and re-founder of Aligne. Founded in East London and freshly expanded to New York, Ginny rebuilt ALIGNE as a design-led, DTC-first womenswear brand. Just in two years created a viral hero piece, the Daphne blazer, and has driven $1M in US revenue without paid ads. Ginny shares how ShopMy, smart gifting, and obsessing over customer signals shaped the product line and why she intentionally said “no” to wholesale to protect speed and point of view, until Nordstrom literally slid into her DMs. We cover ALIGNE’s US g...
Duration: 00:37:16Daydreaming Fashion’s Future: Why Fashion Needs Tech with Founder Lisa Green
Oct 05, 2025This week on Fashion and Founders the Podcast, host Victoria Smith is joined with Lisa Green, co-founder Chief Brands Officer of Daydream. Daydream is the AI-powered fashion tech platform fixing broken search and personalization in shopping. We dig into how Daydream translates real-life “shopper language” into smart recommendations. Lisa traces her path from Google to The Yes (acquired by Pinterest) where she met co-founder Julie Bornstein. We discuss investor appetite for fashion tech, why fashion tech is buzz worthy, and what the future holds for the industry.
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Duration: 00:43:12The RealReal: Innovation, Fashion, and Career Insights from Rachel Glicksberg
Sep 28, 2025In this episode of Fashion and Founders, Victoria Smith sits down with Rachel Glicksberg, Women’s Fashion & New Initiatives Lead at The RealReal. Rachel shares The RealReal’s designer collaborations and upcycling initiatives, the rise of vintage and archive revivals, and how emerging designers are breaking through. Rachel also shares practical career advice on mentorship, cold outreach, her nonlinear career path, and building roles around your strengths. Rachel is also an advisor for fashion tech startup Isle of Monday and a mentor at Monday Girl.
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Pia Mance Founder of Heaven Mayhem on Building a $10 Million Dollar Brand
Sep 14, 2025Season 5 of Fashion Founders the Podcast, opens with Pia Mance, founder of Heaven Mayhem. Pia started with $900 dollars hand making jewelry on her bedroom floor and in just three years built a $10 million dollar business, recently featured on Vogue Business. Pia is creating a go-to accessories business with elevated pieces at an affordable price point. She shares lessons and advice from her entrepreneurial journey and with her background as an influencer, she really has an intuitive eye for what works. We also cover how to go about a partnership, whether you're a brand that wants to collaborate with Heaven...
Duration: 00:37:25Influencer Marketing Masterclass: Partnerships, Events, & Strategy with Nicole Reisman of Dolce Vita
Sep 08, 2025On this episode of Fashion Founders, Victoria Smith interviews Nicole Reisman, Director of Influencer Marketing & Events at Dolce Vita, for a deep dive into the world of influencer marketing and brand partnerships. Nicole shares practical advice for aspiring influencers on how to work with fashion brands, what brands really look for in collaborations, and why engagement matters more than follower count. She also explains how Dolce Vita approaches budgets, campaign strategy, and events, plus how niche creators from florists to bakerscan land brand collaborations. Finally, Nicole opens up about her career journey in fashion marketing, what it takes to...
Duration: 00:56:17The Clueless Closet App with 10 Million Users: Whering with Founder Bianca Rangecroft
Aug 03, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Bianca Rangecroft the founder of Whering. Whering is a UK based but globally used digital wardrobe app that is making it easier than ever for you to finally get that clueless closet. Unlike other wardrobe and digital styling apps, you don't have to take a picture of every piece of clothing in your closet to be able to use this. For example, you can upload a link. Or use their database of millions of products already available. They have 10...
Duration: 00:40:18How to Build Partnerships in Fashion Tech: Optimizing your Digital Wardrobe with Tote and Future Reference Founders
Jul 27, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Kathleen Sheppard, the founder of Tote, and Claire Ilmer, the founder of Future Reference. In this episode, we explore their recent partnership announcement and for some background, Tote is a social shopping app and Future Reference digitizes your wardrobe for one click, resale and closet insights.
After EDGE New York Fashion Week, a must attend event for fashion tech in February, they began working on a strategic partnership. We talk about what makes a partnership valuable for...
Duration: 00:31:37How to Leverage Social Media to Build your Business with Nik Pollina
Jun 30, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined by Nik Pollina. Nik used to work at Google and transitioned from tech into fashion after getting laid off. She talks about her journey starting working for herself, and she is now the owner of Seven Moods, the co-owner of Thx its Thrifted, and a content creator. She has so much advice to share on managing these businesses, growing the businesses, and how to build your mindset around the potential you have as an entrepreneur. Although fashion focused, I...
Duration: 00:32:34What do the EU, UK, and USA prioritize in Sustainable Fashion? Takeaways from the Global Fashion Agenda Summit
Jun 22, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm doing a recap episode from the Global Fashion Agenda Summit that I attended in Copenhagen. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to attend and excited to share innovators I met. Hear from the Trailblazer winner Sarika Bajaj, founder and CEO of Refiberd. I go over rental, resale, biomaterials, biodegradable shoes, AI in fashion, Love Island x Ebay, and much more.
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Duration: 00:21:16Viral Videos that Convert: London’s Fastest Growing Preloved Luxury Store with Sellier Founder Hanushka Toni
Jun 15, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Hanushka Toni, the founder and CEO of Sellier. I am coming to you live from London and am excited share this episode with Hanushka and hear more of her story. If you're wanting to transition careers and work in fashion, listen to this episode. She started her career as a lawyer and is now the CEO and founder of the UK's fastest growing luxury preloved store. Something I think that really sets them apart is their social strategy...
Duration: 00:25:26How DMing Alex Cooper Began Her Styling Career from Celebrity Stylist Zoe Gofman
Jun 08, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with celebrity stylist Zoe Gofman. Zoe does not have your typical story of entering into the industry, and a little sneak peek she cold DMd Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy, landed a big client, quit her job, and has been hustling and growing her business ever since. Zoe has styled many celebrities and influencers like Hannah Berner, Serena Kerrigan, Shaina Shake, Kit Keenan, and many more.
If you're the friend that has an eye for style and...
Duration: 00:37:20Breaking Into Fashion Tech: Reinventing Resale and the New Era of Beni with Mary Korlin-Downs and Kate Sanner
May 21, 2025Talking fashion tech with Mary Korlin-Downs founder of All Things Fashion Tech and Kate Sanner CEO and Co-Founder of Beni. From Beni’s relaunch that’s redefining how and why we shop and Mary joining the team, Kate shares leading industry insights. As well as what’s next in fashion tech and other founders innovating. Want to break in? Hear from these thought leaders on how: how to write a cold email that will actually get a response, who to email, building a portfolio, where to find job opportunities, and so much more.
Kate’s solo episode HERE
... Duration: 01:00:05Is the Vintage Market at its Cap? and Creating a Future Vintage Brand with Lexi of Shop Nou
May 15, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Lexi, The founder of Shop Nou and now Nou Shoes. She is a vintage sourcer and seller, and now a shoe designer with her very first shoe launching this Tuesday, May 20th. In this episode, she talks about not only her experience sourcing vintage and being one of the first in this space, selling on Instagram. But also the changing landscape like has the vintage market reached its peak? Will tariffs bring prices even higher? Is it too saturated...
Duration: 00:32:30Manifesting Money, Finances for Founders, and Getting Dumb Rich with Ariel LaFond
May 11, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Ariel LaFond. She is an CPA, a fractional CFO for small businesses, and the writer of Dumb Rich on Substack. She is the coolest accountant I think I will ever talk to or meet, she offers a concierge financial service especially those who are self-employed influencers, founders. Ariel here has really tangible tips and starts from the foundations that you need on being smart and knowledgeable about your money. We also talk about we a money mindset, abundance, and m...
Duration: 00:45:51$1500 a Year to Six Figures a Quarter: How You Can Make Freelancing into A Career with Erika Veurink
May 04, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Erica Veurink, she writes Long Live on Substack and is the founder of We Met at EV Salon. Erika was one of the perfect people to kick off this season and theme because she writes a lot on her Substack Long Live about making money from a portfolio career and how she went from making $1,500 a year freelance writing to doing her first six figure quarter. She literally shares her playbook of how you can do this too...
Duration: 00:39:38Fashion Tech Talk: Trends, Press & Product Launches, and Who’s Hiring
May 02, 2025Themes I’ve been seeing in fashion tech recently, new companies to try, and who’s hiring! From Search, personalization, and curation.
Job Board: Fashion and Founders
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Duration: 00:14:15The Alix Earle Effect Hits Fashion Tech and What It’s Really Like to Go Viral with Founder of Second Sense Chris Lucas
Apr 27, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders of the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Chris Lucas, the founder of Second Sense. After Alix Earle visited Harvard Business School last week and posted a TikTok about Second Sense. It crashed the website it went so viral, and the search bar under her video with over 3 million views was second sense. The “Alix Earle” Effect is very real and Chris talks about what the madness has really been like. This is the first interview Chris has done since all of this has happened, and...
Duration: 00:30:15The Future of AI in Fashion
Apr 20, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Kotryna, the co-founder of Arete. Arete is an AI powered marketplace for emerging designers built to create connection between shoppers and designers and allow you to play and discover with the clothing. They are quickly growing as they recently opened their store in soho this April and launched a partnership with Pickle. The Arete app is super fun to use and navigate - with videos from designers, moldboard feature, and social sharing. Let’s here from Kotryna!
...
Duration: 00:47:25StylewithSoco: From Bloomingdales to Full Time Content Creator and Tips on Working in Fashion in NYC
Apr 06, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I’m joined with Sophie Cohen aka Style with Soco! If you don’t already know, Sophie, you might recognize some of her iconic pink or vintage looks she wears around New York City. She’s already had a incredible career in the fashion industry and shares really great advice whether you’re a college student, post grad, or looking to make a pivot in your career. She used to work corporate at Bloomingdale’s and we talk about that time as well as...
Duration: 00:57:43PR Masterclass: How to Be Your Own PR Agent and Write a Standout Pitch with Emily Blair Media
Mar 30, 2025Learn how to win the PR game from Emily Blair Marcus the founder of Emily Blair Media. Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders, the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Emily Blair Marcus, the founder of Emily Blair Media, a PR firm with offices in LA, New York and London. She is the PR powerhouse behind this new era of celebrities. She's worked with Morgan Riddle, Harry Jowsey, Sabrina the Tube girl, Ekin Su from Love Island, Pookie and Jett, Boys Lie, Sofia Franklin and so many more. Learn about her strategy...
Duration: 00:49:03Investor to Co-Founder: The New Era of Brand Loyalty with CAKE Founder Estelle Palandjian
Mar 23, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders the Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Estelle, the co-founder of Cake. Estelle went from being an investor at a VC investing in Cake to joining as a co-founder.
So not only do we get her perspective as a founder, but also as an investor and specifically her take on fashion tech and the appetite that the industry has to be investing in these companies - and what about Cake made it stand out.
Cake is member based shopping that rewards...
Duration: 00:49:23Starting a Business with Your Best Friend in Your Twenties with Co-Founders of No Standing NYC
Mar 16, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders the Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I am joined with Helena and Sari, the co-founders of No Standing NYC. No Standing is a luxury vintage and secondhand store with curated pieces at an accessible price.
You can find their stunning store in the heart of Soho and browse some amazing vintage selections curated from around the world. With pieces you may have seen on Alix Earle, Your Rich BFF, and other celebrities.
Sari and Helena have a lot of fun stories of building a b...
Duration: 00:32:24Cherry Pick: Building The Entire Internet of Vintage Fashion with Founder Delaney Delponti
Mar 02, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders, the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Delaney Delponti, founder of Cherry Pick. Cherry Pick is going to be your one stop shop for everything vintage, combining your most loved online thrift and vintage sites into one place.
In this episode Delaney not only gives us a bit of a sneak peek into what cherry pick will be, but she also shares some invaluable and really honest advice about being an entrepreneur from all the questions she had starting out, all the things...
Duration: 00:46:55The Big Silly Trivia Game with Host Natalie Shine on Community and Brand Building
Feb 23, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders the Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Natalie Shine, the host of the Big Silly Trivia Game. If you don't know what the Big Silly Trivia Game is, you are missing out. It is a 30 minute Wednesday night trivia for the girls all about pop culture.
Natalie is the host, and she is incredible at it. The prizes are amazing, the questions are so fun, the vibes are high, and you're just guaranteed a midweek pick me up.
In this episode, you...
Duration: 00:43:29EDGE NYFW: Fashion Tech Takeaways
Feb 16, 2025In this episode you will hear behind the scenes from the panelists at EDGE NYFW. I hosted a pop up podcast studio for Fashion & Founders at EDGE and interviewed the panelists to recap the panels they were on and share some behind the scenes!
Thank you to the hosts Manya co-founder of Threads of Tech, Mary Korlin-Downs founder of All Things Fashion Tech, and Colette Johnson founder of In Haus.
Guests include:
Breaking into Fashion Tech:
Claire Ilmer co-founder of Future ReferenceJulia O’Mara co-founder of PickleLior Cole founder of InLo... Duration: 00:52:3741. Gab Waller: Revolutionizing Fashion with Sourced By, AI-Powered Fashion Sourcing Platform
Feb 02, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, this week I'm joined with Gab Waller, founder of Gab Waller Dot Com and Sourced By.
Gab is a fashion sourcer, her team finds sold out pieces for clients and makes the impossible happen. She is now building a fashion tech business, SourcedBy, an AI powered search tool with StockX founding engineer, Scott Davis, as CTO.
She has so much insight to share from founding a business, working in fashion, moving to the U. S., getting investment, finding engineers for her fashion tech business, life a...
Duration: 00:36:1640. ZERO: The Revolve for Sustainable Fashion from Friends to Founders with Ellie and Brigitte
Jan 26, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Ellie and Brigitte, the founders of Zero.
I think of Zero as the Revolve for sustainable fashion where you can discover some of the coolest brands that you'll actually want to wear that you haven't already seen played out everywhere and also a way to explore your own personal style.
I think what they are building is insanely cool and they have great advice to share from their experiences about building a business in f...
Duration: 00:35:4639. Is it Possible to Build a Fully Circular Fashion Brand? with Anne Warren Founder of Next Season
Jan 19, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion & Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I was joined with Anne Warren, the founder of Next Season. Next Season turns old, damaged, unwanted sweaters into one-of-a-kind knitwear, reducing textile waste.
Anne used to work in tech as a product manager with a background in mechanical engineering and always had an interest in fashion so during covid began experiment and asked herself, is it possible to create a completely circular fashion brand.
Follow her journey on substack and learn about all things knitwear. One of...
Duration: 00:38:5538. Redyoos: Sustainable Jewelry Education & Recycling Your Jewelry into Clean Energy with Founder Cleo Escarez
Jan 12, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion & Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I’m joined with Cleo Escarez the founder of Redyoos.
She has created a way for pre-loved jewelry to be recycled into clean energy solutions. You just order a free mail in kit, fill it up with your preloved jewelry, and Redyoos takes care of the rest. Jewelry that can be melted down can be recycled in solar panels and fashion jewelry that can’t be melted will be donated to their partner at Dress for Success. Think of Trashie or T...
Duration: 00:35:1237. Future Reference: Digital Wardrobe, the Future of Resale, and Building a Fashion Tech Company from Google to Startup with Founder Claire Illmer
Jan 05, 2025Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Claire Illmer, the Co-Founder and CEO of Future Reference.
Claire's experience before founding Future Reference includes working at Google for five years, at YouTube in search and discovery, and at ThredUp in search and discovery as well. She is now building a fashion tech company revolutionizing how we sell our clothes.
Future Reference is a digital wardrobe and a cross listing platform. Their software allows you to digitize your wardrobe by just connecting your e...
Duration: 00:38:522024 Fashion Founders Advice
Dec 31, 2024A big thank you to all the guests who came onto the podcast this year. I learned so much from each conversation and feel so grateful for the opportunity to connect so many amazing people and share their stories.
I put together a bonus episode with snippets of advice that founders shared from their experience. This ranges from fundraising, building a team, finding a co-founder the struggles of entrepreneurship. Mental health as a founder. What not to do tips on getting started, books and resources, finding your motivation. How to stay motivated and so much more.
...
Duration: 00:22:1336. Third: Everything Luxury Handbags, Mental Health & Finding Confidence as a Founder, and Building a Fashion Tech Company with founder Trinity Hislop
Dec 29, 2024Welcome back to Fashion and founders the Podcast my name is Victoria Smith and this week I spoke with Trinity the founder of Third.
Third is an AI-powered search, compare and discover platform for preloved luxury handbags, featuring the largest range of rare and hard-to-find pieces available at present.
This episode is not just for the luxury handbags and vintage lovers, this is one of the first episodes in which a founder really talked about the mental health component of being an entrepreneur. She discusses obstacles, how she still priorities her mental health, building confidence, a...
Duration: 00:40:0335. Ergo: Pricing Analytics, Fashion Tech and AI, and Naming Your Price with Founder Claire Stepanek
Dec 22, 2024Welcome back to Fashion and Founders the Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I am joined by Claire Stepanek, the founder and CEO of Ergo.
Have you ever wondered how brands decide on the price of an item. Or why it seems like brands always have a 10% off sale? Maybe you would buy something if it was $25 instead of $28?
Claire is building Ergo, a shopify tool that allows potential customers to make an offer of their best price when shopping. Providing brands with real time pricing analytics and empowering customers to have a...
Duration: 00:30:3734. 4AM SKIN: Launch Party at the Club, TikTok Tips, Selling at Revolve with Founder Jade Beguelin
Dec 15, 2024Welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I’m joined with Jade Beguelin the co-founder of 4AM SKIN. You may have seen Jade from one of her TikToks about what hot girls in New York City are gatekeeping or wearing her viral under eye masks for her brand 4AM SKIN. She is how I found out about Pickle and the big silly trivia game, and she shares her best tips for growing on TikTok and some rumblings of what the hot girls are currently doing.
4am is not you...
Duration: 00:28:48Fashion Tech Talk: How to work in fashion tech, tips for students, current job openings and summer internships with Threads of Tech
Dec 10, 2024Fashion Tech Talk: short, bite-sized information answering your most asked questions about fashion tech! This series is with Naama and Manya the founders of Threads of Tech a community for fashion creatives and technologists.
Topics this week
How to pitch your skill set to fashion companies or fashion tech startups?What can current students do to get involved in fashion-tech?Current job openings and summer internships for students?They also share they have an upcoming Fashion Tech event for NYFW in February so follow them to stay updated!
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33. Modern Synthesis: Reinventing Materials, Future Fabrics, and a Collaboration with Ganni with Founder Jen Keane
Dec 08, 2024Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast. This week I spoke with Jen Keane the Co-Founder and CEO of Modern Synthesis.
Modern synthesis is a London-based biotech company bringing life to new materials by working with bacteria to produce an entirely new class of nanocellulose based materials for fashion without using any plastic or animal inputs.
Jen’s background leading up to founding her own company is so impressive and she has accumulated so many experiences in textiles and circularity.
She did her undergraduate degree at Cornell University with a major...
Duration: 00:22:4432. Fashion Tech Masterclass with Mary Korlin-Downs: How to work in fashion tech, why it’s the next big boom, and advice for students
Dec 02, 2024Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I spoke with Mary Korlin Downs. She has become a fashion tech thought leader through her Tiktok, Instagram, and Substack where she posts weekly job boards, fashion tech news, and more.
Mary used to work at Bipty, a fashion rental company and I actually have an episode with the founder Natalia. She then went to Recurate a company powering brand owned resale. She then started her own agency Cropd working with fashion tech clients.
Mary talks about ho...
Duration: 01:01:0431. Beni: Fashion Tech Making Resale Shopping Easier, the Future of search, and AI with Founder Kate Sanner
Nov 24, 2024Welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I spoke with Kate Sanne the Co-Founder of Beni. Beni is a google Chrome extension that shops alongside you, helping you find secondhand pieces.
Kate shares some great insight into what the future of the fashion tech industry holds. She recently moderated a panel at Harvard Business School’s Retail and Luxury Goods Club and shares learnings including AI in fashion, consumer discovery, and the future of search.
If you haven’t already downloaded Beni, it is a hack that...
Duration: 00:44:1330. Locker: Kristine Locker on Founding a Fashion Tech Business, Fundraising and Angel Investor Maggie Sellers, Building Community, and the Future of Online Shopping
Nov 10, 2024Welcome to the first episode of season three of fashion and founders the podcast. This week I am joined by Kristine Locker founder of Locker, the Pinterest for online shopping.
In this episode, Kristine talks about the founding of Locker the amazing community that she has built, all about fundraising, working with Maggie Sellers as an angel investor, and so much insight into her founder journey.
Kristine has some really exciting things lined up for Locker and they’re really innovating how we online shop. If you haven’t already definitely sign up for the Lock...
Duration: 00:31:17Intro: Fashion & Founders The Podcast, Fashion Tech, Circularity, and More!
Nov 04, 2024Hello and welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of Fashion & Founders The Podcast, Conversations in Fashion Circularity, Tech, and Innovation!
Formerly Interwoven Stories, but all those episodes will still be available!
Intro in what's coming and some changes, I have lots of amazing episodes lined up! Conversations with founders and innovators working in different sectors of the fashion industry, offering an opportunity to get involved in this growing space. Hear directly from the people building the future of fashion about entrepreneurship, job opportunities, fashion tech, circularity, biomaterials, and more.
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29. Threads of Tech: The Booming Fashion Tech Industry, Creating Your Niche, & Job Opportunities with Co-Founders Naama and Manya
Oct 23, 2024This week I spoke with Manya and Naama founders of Threads of Tech. Together they are creating a community in the fashion tech community from putting on events during NYFW to their job board and connecting people to their dream jobs.
Naama has a background as a software engineer and knitwear designer and Manya as a Data Analyst and Fashion Designer. What started out as a roommate search ended up with them putting on two major events in 5 weeks and becoming co-founders.
Manya and Naama are often behind the scenes making sure their events run s...
Duration: 00:32:3428. Cascale: Measuring and Reporting on Fashion’s Impact, the Higg Index, and NYFW with Editorial Director Kaley Roshitsh
Oct 09, 2024This week I am joined by Kaley, editorial director at Cascale, formerly known as Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). You may have heard of the Higg Index, a collection of tools that measure the environmental and social impact of products and supply chains in the apparel, footwear, and textile industries
In 2009, Walmart and Patagonia founded the SAC to convene apparel industry stakeholders on a pre-competitive basis and develop a common approach to measuring sustainability and in 2010 they launched the Higg Index. Each year, over 24,000 users rely on the Higg Index to measure their footprint, improve and take action. Duration: 00:22:29
27. Remake: Fashion Advocacy and Remake’s Preloved Fashion Show at NYFW with Vice President of Advocacy Emily Stochl
Oct 02, 2024This week I spoke with Emily Stochl, Vice President of Advocacy and Community Engagement at Remake. Emily has been in the sustainable fashion space for many years now and began at Remake as an ambassador. She also hosts her own podcast, the Pre-Loved Podcast, so check that out as well.
Remake is working on systems change in the fashion industry and creating a more ethical fashion industry. In todays epiosde we cover a lot as Remake is involved in so many branches of the sustainable fashion industry, from legislation with the Fabric Act, the Brandy Hellville Documentary...
Duration: 00:30:4126. Pickle: Hyper Local and Scalable Peer to Peer Fashion Rental with Founder Julia O’Mara
Sep 18, 2024Welcome back to Interwoven Stories, this week I had interviewed Julia O’Mara, Co-Founder and COO of Pickle. Pickle is a peer to peer fashion rental platform headquartered in New York City and we were able to meet in person amidst New York Fashion Week.
In this episode Julia shares some fun stories about the early days of Pickle, advice for entrepreneurs, and really fun renter stories from engagements to revenge dresses.
Julia has not always worked in fashion and before joining Forbes 30 Under 30 and the Female Founders List, she studied Materials Science Engineering and Ent...
Duration: 00:38:4725. World Collective: Unlocking Potential through Fashion Tech with Founder Jeanine Ballone
Sep 04, 2024This week I am joined with Jeanine Co-Founder and CEO of World Collective, the first digital transformation hub for the fashion industry. She has an incredible background in fashion with two decades of experience from the Otto Group to being the VP of Supply Chain at Calvin Klein to the Global VP at the Innovation Lab of PVH Corp to founding a nonprofit to support women and children working in the fashion industry to the executive Director of Fashion for Development.
Jeanine‘s vision for the future of fashion is so incredibly inspiring. You can feel how mu...
Duration: 00:35:3024. BEEN London: Creating Beautiful Bags from Waste with Founder Genia
Aug 21, 2024This week I was joined with Genia the founder of Been London. Started in 2018, BEEN London is an award-winning accessories brand that was named 'one of the most innovative fashion companies in the world' by British VOGUE.
Genia is on a mission to make beautiful things out of waste and help us all reimagine what objects can be. She has a really cool approach to design and sustainability and I found this conversation inspiring and informative on what it’s like to be a founder of sustainable fashion brand revolutionizing a product.
BEEN London Links!
23. MAES London: Transparency in Fashion Manufacturing with British Fashion Council Mentor Founder Diana Kakkar
Aug 07, 2024This week on Interwoven Stories, I spoke with Diana Kakkar the founder and chief executive of MAES London, a luxury garment manufacturing studio located in North London specialising in designer womenswear. I got the opportunity to tour her factory and it was incredible to see firsthand what she has built.
Diana is deeply integrated in the UK fashion scene as she is also a mentor at the British Fashion Council, a visiting lecturer at the University of art London, and an ambassador for the uk fashion and textile association.
We discuss her entrepreneurial journey and she...
Duration: 00:39:4722. Fashion Takes Action: Empowering Youth Through Education with Founder Kelly Drennan
Jul 24, 2024This week I spoke with Kelly Drennan, the founder and executive director of Fashion Takes Action (FTA).
FTA is Canada's only non-profit organization devoted to advancing sustainability in the entire fashion system through education, awareness, research and collaboration.
Kelly shares how she started Fashion Takes Action in 2007 and discovered a real need to education and collaboration in sustainable fashion and how in wake of the Rana Plaza Factory Tragedy she found a way to educate and empower young people. Kelly has become a true leader in the industry and served as Fashion Revolution’s country coor...
Duration: 00:33:4521. Building Bipty: Fashion Rental, Side Hustles, and Creating Community with Founder Natalia
Jul 10, 2024This week I spoke with Natalia, the founder of Bipty a fashion rental platform.
She shares how she got started running around her college campus delivering clothes and how she built her business where it is today as they launch an app July 11th as well!
Natalia has great advice for people who want to start their own business and get started renting out their clothes and have a great side hustle.
She has built such an incredible community and I can’t wait to see what she continues to create.
For...
Duration: 00:31:4720. Entrepreneurship, Fashion Tech, and Consumer Forecasting with Georgie Hyatt Founder of Rotaro
Jul 02, 2024This week I interviewed Georgie Hyatt a London based entrepreneur. She was named Forbes 30 Under 30 and Drapers 30 under 30 in 2022, for her fashion rental business Rotaro. Who What Wear featured her as one of “The Best Wardrobes in Britain."
Georgie’s fashion journey began at WGSN, a trend forecasting and analytics company. She then founded Rotaro, a UK based fashion rental company that offered rental as a service for brands. After consolidating Rotaro with another fashion rental company, Georgie moved into consulting and the VC space scouting for climate tech companies. She expressed her passion for building a great...
Duration: 00:31:1419. Colorifix & The Business Opportunity of Investing Early in Material Innovators
Jun 12, 2024This week I spoke with Nora, the marketing manager at Colorifix. Colorifix is a business creating a natural dye solution through a biological process using bacteria as opposed to the toxic chemical dyes currently being used by most of the fashion industry. These dyes have multiple environmental consequences like water pollution which was the genesis for the founders of Colorifix to begin on this journey.
Nora breaks down how Colorifix creates dyes that mimic nature and I know it’s science but it also kind of seems like magic to me. They are able to sequence the DNA...
Duration: 00:44:3218. The New York Fashion Act and Fashion Policy with Michelle Gabriel
Jun 06, 2024This week I spoke with Michelle Gabriel an educator, researcher, and sustainability strategist in the fashion space.
We met at The Sustainable Fashion Forum back in April as she kicked off the conference with a workshop on policy. Michelle has been involved with the New York Fashion Act and in this episode shares her insight and breaks down the act.
Michelle shares her diverse range of experiences in fashion and what lead her to where she is now in education and academia. For anyone not on a linear path with multiple interests who wants to wo...
Duration: 00:56:0718. The New York Fashion Act and Fashion Policy with Michelle Gabriel
Jun 06, 2024This week I spoke with Michelle Gabriel an educator, researcher, and sustainability strategist in the fashion space.
We met at The Sustainable Fashion Forum back in April as she kicked off the conference with a workshop on policy. Michelle has been involved with the New York Fashion Act and in this episode shares her insight and breaks down the act.
Michelle shares her diverse range of experiences in fashion and what lead her to where she is now in education and academia. For anyone not on a linear path with multiple interests who wants to...
17. Fashion Revolution: Education, Community, and Transparency in the Fashion Industry
May 22, 2024This week I am joined with two amazing leaders at Fashion Revolution on the US team, Kelly, who manages education and Madison who leads the community work.
Fashion Revolution is a nonprofit founded by Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro in the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013. Fashion Revolution has a global reach with teams all over the world and is a go to source for educating yourself on ethical practices and they have lead a multitude of campaigns, you may have seen people holding signs that say “who made my clothes?” Or “what’s in my clo...
3, 2, 1: Vintage Fashion on TikTok Shop, Chanel Sueing Upcyclers, Luxury's Returns Problem, and a Poshmark Bidding War
May 06, 2024Introducing the first episode of my new series Fashion 3, 2, 1: News, Trends, and Vintage Finds
This week covers
3 pieces of fashion news
1. Pre-loved luxury items being sold on TikTok Shop
Is this a step forward for secondhand, or a step back for slow fashion?
2. Chanel’s legal battle with upcyclers
Is there a way for fashion houses to work with upcyclers and resellers to give their products another life?
3. Luxury’s returns problem
Will brands decide for themselves that even though it's not the industry stand...
16. Rachel Kibbe on the Americas Act, a Bipartisan Bill for Textile Circularity & Innovation
May 02, 2024Excited for this week’s episode and with Rachel Kibbe. We met at the Sustainable Fashion Forum in Austin in April and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to keep talking about her work.
We discuss the Americas Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in March 2024 and the textile circularity portion Rachel wrote, incentivizing innovation in the US.
Rachel is the CEO of Circular Services Group and American Circular Textiles with members leading the circular fashion space such as The RealReal, Rent The Runway, Reformation, Trove, and many more.
Follow Rachel:
Ig...
15. Social Media’s Impact on Shopping, Overconsumption, and Personal Style with Content Creator @thecolourfulthrifter
Apr 25, 2024This week I spoke with Marika a content creator who shares her thrifted outfits on instagram.
We talk about how social media has impacted shopping behaviors and outfit repeating, and our own personal style as we are flooded with content.
From upcycled jumpers, a coach bag passed down from her mom, to a jacket she loved so much she actually bought it from her sister, which I find hilarious and something anyone with a sister can probably relate to.
If you’re interested in starting out as a sustainable fashion content creator and lo...
14. Top Depop Seller Fairycity on Blumarine, Rare Runway Pieces, and Curating a Designer Vintage Collection
Apr 08, 2024This week I spoke with Xyee, the founder of Fairycity. A luxury vintage boutique specializing in the most stunning clothes from lux French designers to rare runway Blumarine. She expertly curates pieces for girls around the world, with even Matilda Djerf following her.
With over 15K Depop followers, her pieces are not ones to miss. Definitely check out her instagram and depop for some incredible vintage inspiration that definitely embody “fairycore.”
Xyee is passionate about giving clothes a second life and sharing the the timeless beauty and quality of the vintage pieces she sources. Definitely check...
Duration: 00:21:1313. Everything Fashion Rental with Sarah Founder of Our Pinterest Wardrobe and By Rotation Ambassador
Mar 31, 2024This week I am joined by Sarah, the founder of rental company Our Pinterest Wardrobe based in the UK. She is also a By Rotation ambassador and exemplifies how to you can still be sustainable as a fashion lover and even make money from it.
We talk all things rental fashion and Sarah offers tangible tips on getting started and the business side of renting out her closet.
Although somehow Sarah has never seen the Sisterhood of the traveling pants movie, she shares stories behind the experiences girls create through her shared wardrobe from birthdays, ni...
Duration: 00:39:3012. The Adventure and Joy of Charity Shopping with Jenn of SusieSecondhand
Mar 15, 2024If you’ve ever needed inspiration to pop into your first charity shop or thrift store I truly believe Jenn can convince you. Jenn shares so many wonderful stories about how fun secondhand shopping can be and how as a parent she shares this with her kids in a super special tradition she has created.
She also shares some really great tips on getting started secondhand shopping and the joy of the search, not knowing what you’ll come out of the charity shop with. Jenn is an avid charity shopper based in the UK and shares her f...
Duration: 00:36:2411. Sourcing and Styling Vintage 101 with Isabel of 7drawers
Feb 29, 2024I am joined today by Isabel, a vintage curator and seller based in New York City, who runs the brand 7drawers.
Isabel shares her best tips of sourcing and authenticating vintage designer pieces from heels to handbags. Vintage designer handbags and heels are her speciality as you can see from the amazing array she has curated on her Depop page.
If you’ve ever wanted to get started selling or curious about the process this episode is for you. She shares a lot of tangible tips on how to get started, branding, sourcing, how to get...
Duration: 00:40:3610. The Best of DC Thrifting with Vintage Lover and Curator Caroline Le
Feb 22, 2024The Best of DC Thrifting with Vintage Lover and Curator Caroline Le.
First episode of Season 2! Caroline Le is a vintage lover and curator with her own amazing collection of preloved pieces effortlessly styled. You can also shop her look as she runs her own pop ups at Ella Rue in Georgetown, DC. Caroline also shares some of her favorite vintage spots in Washington, DC that many people don’t know about where she has found one-of-a-kind pieces.
Follow Caroline!
Ig: @vintagebycaro
TikTok: @carolinemailan
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Instagram: @interwovenstories.pod
Ti...
9. Finding Meaning in Experiences not Things
Feb 15, 2024Last episode of Season 1! Sheridan shares pieces that have travelled with her all over the world. She talks about the experiences she has created in her clothes and the memories her clothes hold, transporting her back to the places she’s been. After all, we are human beings first, not consumers. Sheridan embodies this and shares her mentality around clothing, shopping, and getting dressed in the morning to be ready for any activity.
Thank you for listening!
Instagram
TikTok
8. Family Ties: Handmade Clothes and Priceless Pearls
Aug 24, 2023This week Charlotte Turner, a sustainable consultant and educator joins me. She discusses the joy in making her own clothes and the family influence. She tells the beautiful story behind her wedding dress, one with many layers and adorned in pearls.
Thank you for listening!
Instagram
7. Making a Statement Through Maximalism
Jul 31, 2023This week, Maura, talks about what has inspired her bold and graphic sense of style from her art background to a desire to be heard. Fashion in an incredible channel to express your individual identity, who you are, how you wan the world to see you, and how you hope to see yourself.
Thank you for listening!
Instagram
6. Shared Clothes and Memories with Friends
Jul 07, 2023This week, Lucy, my roommate joins me and we reminisce on our favorite memories and unsurprisingly we both can remember what we wore (often each other’s clothes). She talks about the fun and joy she gets from sharing clothes with people and recalls some of her most memorable pieces.
Thank you for listening!
5. The Significance and Celebrations our Items Hold
Jun 29, 2023Little hiatus since the last episode, but this week, Isabella, who is starting a sustainable and size inclusive denim brand joins us. She shares stories of shared pieces and the large significance that even the smallest pieces we own hold.
Thank you for listening!
4. Dressing in Color for Joy and Culture
May 26, 2023This week, Kirsty, a writer who definitely has a way with words discusses dressing in color for joy and culturally. She also talks about colonialism in the context of her own life and fashion.
Thank you for listening!
3. The Sustainable Luxury of Second Hand Fashion
May 11, 2023This week features, Chloe, who studied sustainable fashion and is now getting a master's in luxury brand strategy. She talks about how some of the favorite things she has in her closet were her grandmother's, and the second life she can give to these pieces now.
Thank you for listening!
Instagram
2. A Publicist on Outfit Repeating for Milestone Moments
May 03, 2023First guest! This week Valeria, who works in PR and is a full time masters student, talks about different articles of clothing she’s worn for major moments in her life (good and bad). She’s also a big advocate for outfit repeating and the creativity making a lot of outfits from a little takes.
Thank you for listening!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interwovenstories.pod/
Duration: 00:42:281. Introduction and a Greetings and Goodbyes Jacket
Apr 25, 2023Hello and welcome to the first episode of Interwoven Stories! In this episode Victoria, the host, describes the reason for starting this storytelling series, explains the concept, and shares a couple stories of her own.
Thank you for listening!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interwovenstories.pod/
Duration: 00:10:08