Stay ConnectedFashion & Founders is a media platform exploring how fashion is actually built. Hosted by Victoria Smith, the show sits at the intersection of fashion, technology, and capital spotlighting the founders, investors, and operators shaping the industry’s next era.
Through long-form conversations, we go beyond trends to unpack fundraising, manufacturing, resale, AI, sustainability, career, and the evolving business of fashion. This is where fashion’s builders speak, share, and connect.
Copyright: © 2024 Interwoven Stories
Hello 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 and other great advice.
This is the first episode of season four of Fashion Founders and I think it is so fitting because the theme I tried to craft for this season is hearing from people who have a career in fashion working for themselves, making a lot of money, and who are also pretty open to talking about money and teaching people some of their tips and tricks. I’m very excited for this season and also worked with a New York stylist, Zoe Gofman to put together outfits like this Aligne look.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow Erika:
Erika IG: @erikaveurink
Substack: Long Live
EV Salon IG: @wemetatevsalon
Website: https://www.erikaveurink.com/
Follow Ophelia:
Ophelia IG: @opheliajewelryco
Serena IG: @sydneyserena
Website: https://www.opheliajewelryco.com/
Thanks for listening!
Themes 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
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack:
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Hello 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 I'm so thankful for his honesty about what this all has been like and his overall vulnerability about sharing his founder journey. Second Sense is hiring so you can join the team and this fast growing startup! Lots of excitement and eyes on fashion tech with this, go follow Chris on TikTok to stay updated!
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow Second Sense:
IG: @secondsenseco
TikTok: @chrisxlucas
Follow PJs by PJ:
IG: @shoppjsbypj
Thank you for listening!
Hello 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!
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow Arête:
IG: @aretestudios_____
Download the App
Visit Arete at 147 Grand St, New York, NY 10013!
Follow Cherry Knots:
IG: @cherryknotsnyc
Use code FASHIONFOUNDERS10 for 10% off through May 1st!
Thank you for listening!
How do you build a resume for fashion? Hear from former Bloomingdales employee Sophie Cohen on how she landed her dream job without a fashion degree.
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 her transition into working for herself full time. Something I love about this episode is that her advice spans from tips on landing your dream job to tips on starting a business and growing it too. Hear the behind the scenes from amazing moments to scrappy stories hustling in NYC.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow Style with Soco:
Ig: stylewithsoco
TikTok: @stylewithsoco
Series: @meetyouinfive
Follow Sara Nicole Vintage:
IG: @saranicolevintage
Thank you for listening!
Learn 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, growing a business internationally, and amazing tips on how to write a winning pitch, how to actually get a journalist attention, and how to be your own PR agent.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow Emily Blair Media:
IG: @emilyblairmarcus
IG: @emilyblairmedia
Follow Koster Kulture!:
IG: @kosterkulture
Thank you for listening!
Hello 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 the customers with perks, gifts, events, dinners, and more. For example a female founder panel with a couple Cake brands Like Marina Larroude and Chelsea Parke.
So with your membership you get access to cake cards, which are basically gift cards to these brands adding up to thousands of dollars in rewards. Right now it is invite only but I have a special link for podcast listeners.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow CAKE:
IG: @cake.members
Follow Sunday Attire & Hannah:
IG: @shopsundayattire
IG: @hannah.detwiler
Thank you for listening!
Hello 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 business in your 20s with your best friend. From cornering Daniel Bernstein of WeWoreWhat in the bathroom, giving out free product to the girls of the bachelor, and visiting vintage warehouses in Europe.
Whether you're interested in learning more about entrepreneurship or curating vintage pieces from around the world, listen to this episode. If you’re the type of person that every time you hang out with that one friend you you’re like we need to start a business together… let this episode be your inspiration to do it.
Featured in Vogue article, “Why Instagram vintage sellers made the jump to physical stores.”
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow No Standing NYC:
Ig: @no.standing.nyc
Follow Klein Designs!:
IG: @shopkleindesigns
Thank you for listening!
Hello 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 she didn't know and had to figure out herself for the first time. Showcasing how much she's learned and sharing this knowledge for other people.
If you listened to the episode with Brigitte and Ellie, the founders of Zero, they referenced Delaney as being somebody that they go to when they have founder questions and need advice. This community is so strong and supportive, full of amazing young female founders, and I just feel so grateful to be a part of it.
This episode with Delaney is so information and knowledge rich and she really breaks things down in a way that anyone can understand because she's been in that position before too. So if you are someone interested in not just fashion tech, but really anything business or entrepreneurship, there is something for you to take away from this episode from time management, hiring, finding mentors, networking, and an insane, insane story about fundraising as well.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow Cherry Pick:
Ig: @cherrypickdotcom
Sign up for the waitlist: https://cherry-pick.com/
Follow Delaney Delponti:
Ig: delaney_delponti
Follow Oh What a Match!:
IG: @oh_what_a_match
Matchbook Guide: https://owam.substack.com/
Shop: https://ohwhatamatch.com
Thank you for listening!
Hello 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 will hear the origin story of the Big Silly Trivia Game and get a bit of the behind the scenes of how the creative strategy and storytelling works that weaves through every single episode. There's a lot to unpack from the perfectly curated themes, the incredibly strong community that has come out of this, and fun things happening in the future for the Big Silly Trivia Game.
The conversation ranges from fun and games, quite literally, to returning to yourself and making the younger version of you proud and doing the things that really truly make you happy. I was laughing a lot in this episode. Natalie is hilarious and definitely wait until the end for a very funny hot take.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Victoria TikTok: @vfsmith11
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker
Follow The Big Silly Trivia Game:
Follow Natalie:
IG: natgawd
Follow Spicy Dan:
IG: shopspicydan
Thank you for listening!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
