The Glossy Podcast

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 normalizat

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

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.