The Glossy Podcast

Ring Concierge’s success since the start of the pandemic can, in part, be attributed to luck.  “[Going into the pandemic] we were already digitally native, and we already had an incredible e-commerce site,” said Nicole Wegman, founder and CEO of Ring Concierge, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “And more so than before the pandemic, people are comfortable shopping online for fine jewelry, because they had no choice over the past two years.”  And fine jewelry is selling: “We saw a big uptick during the peak of the pandemic for engagement rings, because couples were stuck at home together having those conversations,” Wegman said. “And now, it's the year of the wedding, so we’re seeing a ton of wedding band sales. She added, “We’ve been in a pretty good place to weather the storm.” Of course, it helped that 9-year-old Ring Concierge had a firm foundation heading into the pandemic. Wegman has self-funded the company, and it’s been profitable since year one. “We are very fiscally conservative, and we are very thoughtf

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska discuss some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week. On this week's episode, the hosts discuss Farfetch's big partnership with Neiman Marcus, reports that Shein is now a $100 billion company, and both Gucci and Valentino appointing new executives to lead their businesses in China. Also up for discussion: how new blockchain-based metaverses recycle ideas from the world of video games, often in poorer form than they'd been executed decades before.

Since Reformation launched in 2009, it’s become well-known for its sustainability focus and wedding-perfect dresses. But, according to CEO Hali Borenstein, the company’s currently in growth mode and rapidly expanding its focus. “The business has been doing well and evolving quickly,” Borenstein said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “We’ve accelerated growth, and we’re hiring like crazy. We need to make sure we have the right resources and great team members [in place] to support all of that growth.” Reformation’s growth plan includes building upon its 25-store fleet. (“Retail has been a huge driver of our growth,” Borenstein said.) It’s also targeting new international markets. It recently established a team in the U.K., plus it has a team member in Canada. Europe is a key focus. In addition, the company has been busy expanding to new categories. It launched activewear in March 2021 and shoes in May 2021. “We are projecting very robust growth [for 2022], definitely far above 2019 levels,” she said. “We've been v

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week. This week, the discussion focuses on red carpet fashion and whether the Oscars are still worth the investment for brands, Lululemon's category growth and price increases, and Lizzo's new shapewear brand, Yitty. Also on the podcast, fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska joins to talk about her story recapping Metaverse Fashion Week. And we point to Gabi Barkho's story on Lululemon from Glossy sister site Modern Retail.

Eight years ago, Nadia Boujarwah launched fashion styling and e-commerce company Dia & Co to cater to women wearing sizes 10-32. This customer segment has long been neglected, but according to Boujarwah, brand interest in serving the demo is at its height. “The social calls for inclusivity have never been more pronounced,” she said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Inclusivity has really moved into the limelight in the last two years." She added, "We're hopeful we're at the beginning of the next renaissance of plus-size fashion, where both the social imperative and the inventory availability finally meet”. Old Navy recently laid the foundation for such a renaissance by launching inclusive sizing, pricing and merchandising across its women’s product portfolio. Of course, not every brand can afford to make such an investment in the category -- but doing so isn’t needed to forward progress, Boujarwah said. “Our advice to brands is to just start [offering plus-size options],” Boujarwah said. “As long as the customer

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss some of the biggest stories of the week in fashion. This week, the discussion turns to Versace poaching its second executive from Alexander McQueen and the insular world of luxury fashion executives. Also on this episode: Lanvin goes public and Nike pulls away from its wholesale business, increasingly leaving its retail partners like Foot Locker out to dry. The hosts also discuss this article about Kanye "Ye" West's avalanche of bad press and how it affects his brand partners like Gap.

Nine years ago, when CEO Melissa Mash and COO Deepa Gandhi set out to launch their accessories brand, Dagne Dover, they made sure to do things their way. That included being thoughtful about the makeup of their founding team, which also includes chief creative officer Jessy Dover, and getting the brand off the ground before bringing in outside investors. “We didn't see ourselves reflected in management. [Retail] was and continues to be a very male-dominated industry, despite who they're selling to and who the products are made for and who actually works at these companies,” Mash said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “So we wanted to create a place that felt like it was made for us and was run with a different type of energy than we've seen in our previous experiences working in retail.” She added, “It was also really important that we had [financial, operational and design] skills represented on the founding team, so that we could move quickly and move longer without having to raise money immediately. We [could

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down three of the biggest news stories in fashion of the week. On this week's episode, Alexander McQueen's mushroom-themed show didn't contain any actual mushroom leather, Saks Off 5th rebranded for a younger audience and Abercrombie & Fitch became the latest mall brand to chase after the booming activewear market.

Joining Google mid-pandemic to be its global consumer marketing director for commerce wasn’t an obvious next step for Stephanie Horton. Prior, she held roles that were comparatively more fashion-centric, including CMO at Farfetch, chief strategy officer at Alexander Wang and global head of communications for Shopbop. But she was up for a new challenge. “I’m not really a career architect. Things kind of come my way, and [the draw, for me] is really about the scope and what I can learn, and whether there is something new or innovative there,” Horton said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “[Google] seemed like a great chance for me to be a part of something that was in the building stages -- it was building blocks and really looking for an identity. And there were so many cool things on the table on the product side that I found really interesting and innovative.” Now a year-and-a-half in, she’s making great progress on bringing the Google Shopping product vision to life and educating consumers on the tools the plat

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and co-host fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week. In this week's episode, the hosts discuss the evolution of historically traditional Paris Fashion Week, the accumulating fashion brands retracting their business operations in Russia and the way fashion companies opted to recognize this year's International Women's Day, on March 8.

Launched in 2019, Marfa Stance aims to offer an innovative, more sustainable solution to the consumer desire for variety and constant newness: adaptable, enhanceable clothing.  “To me, ‘modular’ is a way of unlocking your creativity,” said Georgia Dant, founder and CEO of Marfa Stance, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “You [get to] design your own piece for your lifestyle or for whatever functionality or occasion you're going to.” That way of dressing is catching on, including among fashion “it” girls, many of whom have shown support for Marfa Stance without a paycheck.  In the year ahead, Dant aims to host more in-person events and to open branded stores, granting online customers more access to the brand and its concepts. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and co-host fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week. In this week's episode, the hosts discuss the ramifications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Ukrainian fashion and the efforts across the industry to send aid to Ukraine. Also this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, including what fashion brands are doing to reduce emissions, and a lawsuit between Cartier and Tiffany over non-competes and trade secrets.

Both Josephine Skriver and Jasmine Tookes have been modeling for more than a decade for brands from Victoria’s Secret to Tom Ford. Now, they’re focused on building a brand of their own. Named Joja – derived using the first two letters of their first names – Skriver and Tookes’s activewear brand launched in February. It bears the same name as the Instagram account the pair launched in 2016, which unexpectedly gained a large following.  “It really just developed over our passion and love for fitness and staying healthy, and holding each other accountable in the gym,” said Tookes. “We started posting our workouts on Instagram, and it was really just for us to share our journey in the gym with each other. And out of nowhere, girls from all over the world started sharing their workouts with each other and holding each other accountable.” Today, the Instagram account has more than 700,000 followers. And that community’s demand for Joja “merch” is what drove the launch of the brand – which the founders plan to expan

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest news stories of the week. This week, Authentic Brands Group announced a strategic partnership with New Guards Group, with the goal of making Reebok into a luxury-streetwear crossover brand to compete with Nike. Elsewhere, Ye and Demna finally dropped their collaboration through the Yeezy Gap line, and Macy's announced that it won't separate its online and in-store businesses.

Luxury fashion resale site Dora Maar launched in 2019. It was good timing, considering how resale has taken off since the start of the pandemic. “In 2020, we found our footing. And in 2021, we really blew it out,” said Lauren Wilson, founder and CEO of Dora Maar, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Year over year, we grew 570%.”  Dora Maar’s differentiator among resale companies is that it spotlights its sellers on its site and marketing channels, labeling them as “Muses” and treating them as influencers. It also attributes each product it sells to one of their closets.   Wilson pointed to her previous job experience as the inspiration for the business model. “While working at Moda [Operandi] and, prior to that, at Christie's, we were always digging behind the story of the designer or the women who wore it or the people who owned it,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Why doesn't this exist in secondhand?’” “This is a new way of retail,” she added. Moving forward, along with bringing more Muses and also brand partners in

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss the biggest fashion news of the week. This week, an NYFW recap, a look at LVMH's price increases and a discussion on Rebecca Minkoff's decision to sell to Sunrise Brands.

According to its president and CEO, Drew Green, 7-year-old suit specialist Indochino is "the largest custom apparel company in the world," and growing. Indochino's set to eclipse 100 stores this year, opening eight in February alone, Green said on the latest Glossy Podcast. Its other plans for 2022 include expanding to women's suiting and increasing its wedding apparel business.  For several years already, the company's done nine figures in annual revenue. Secrets to its success include taking a diversified approach to marketing that includes "everything from podcasts to team sponsorships with the Yankees, the L.A. Rams and the Boston Red Sox," Green said.  The company's "showroom" store model, which necessitates minimal investment, and prioritization of the customer experience have also served it well.  "I like the Four Seasons model [of earning customer loyalty]," Green said. "I understand the benefits of actually having points or cashback and all the different mechanisms within a loyalty program. But where

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week. This week, Adidas advertised its new sports bra campaign with a series of nude photos, Prada partnered with French video game publisher Ubisoft on an in-game event, and the fashion publication InStyle had its print magazine shut down.

In late 2019, when Anna Harman and Lisa Bubbers launched ear piercing and pierced earring company Studs, providing IRL services was at the center of their business model. But then the pandemic hit. Today, e-commerce is every bit as important. "In 2022, we're focused on both [channels]," said Harman, on the latest Glossy Podcast. "We want to really continue to invest in and grow the retail footprint, as well as grow the e-commerce business. We'd like them to be highly complementary to one another. The business will be more successful over time if both are key channels for us." The company has raised more than $30 million to fuel that cross-channel growth.  As for expanding its store footprint, Studs has a good start: Harman and Bubbers opened six new stores in 2021, and they plan to own more than 20 stores by the end of 2022. "You have so many small college towns across the U.S. that have a really captive, large audience of a portion of our core demographic," said Harman. "And so we can have a really large sto

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss some of the biggest fashion news from the week. In this week's episode, they take a look at fashion brands' attempts to get in on Lunar New Year and capitalize on big sporting events, including the Olympics and the Super Bowl. They also provide an update on Capri Holdings and Zegna, based on the companies' latest earnings reports.