The Conversations

Latest Episodes:

What is the Best Approach to Marketing at a Time Like This? Apr 09, 2020

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Right now marketing is a creative minefield rife with sudden challenges — that if executed ineffectively — can render a brand tone-deaf and out of touch. Marketing in the age of Covid-19 demands razor sharp messaging that balance art and a pitch perfect proposition (if any) to buy. Still during this crisis, brands, especially those in fashion, must stand for something, now more than ever. But how are they to focus on brand message to sell product when demand is dead, bank accounts are evaporating and in some cases, bankruptcy looms?

In this episode we talk through the panic to identify marketing approaches to consider in the fight for survival during this unprecedented economic crisis. However, with this level of uncertainty, everything is still inconclusive, but well worth the conversation we think.

Thanks for joining the conversation, please continue to support by commenting, subscribing, rating this episode AND now you can follow us on Instagram @TheConversations.Podcast! We so much appreciate all your support :)

COVID-19 & Unemployment Apr 04, 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic has mostly shut down the fashion industry, causing a shockwave of record unemployment in roles up and down the supply chain. From independent brands to mega-retailers, companies of all sizes have been forced to lay off, furlough, and fire staff in staggering numbers - and it's only the beginning. So while the the economic impact grows more grave each day, out-of-workers are left to ponder the sudden disruption of their income, and the still-employed are wondering for how much longer. In this episode, we discuss the different approaches brands are taking to cutting staff and COVID-19's colossus impact on industry unemployment.

We appreciate you taking the time to listen - let us know what you think, rate and subscribe :)

COVID-19 & Fashion Mar 24, 2020

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The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has shut down the fashion industry. Aprox. two hundred million of us worldwide are confined to our homes. Over 30,000 retail store fronts are closed, and all fashion events scheduled through May are canceled. Meanwhile, still in the early stages of this unprecedented world event - with no clears signs of when the quarantine will let up - the negative economic impact on the industry is forecasted to reverberate for years to come. With the whole supply chain at a standstill, companies have started layoffs and home confinement and ban on group gatherings has largely rendered fashion a non-essential on the demand side. So to start to wrap our heads around the unimaginable but potentially very real repercussions, a world event of this magnitude can have on our livelihood, mental state and an entire industry; in this episode, we start the conversation on, what the Coronavirus will mean to the future of The fashion industry?

We're recording this from our respective homes, on a new app, so please excuse any sound interruptions, we promise we'll get a handle on it and it'll improve.

Please let us know what you think about what's currently happening and also what you'd like to hear from us, any topics that are most relevant for you and we'll discuss!

A Conversation With Vanessa Hong: Is Our Changing Relationship With Fashion Changing Fashion? Mar 14, 2020

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In this episode we chat with Vanessa Hong, influencer and fellow podcaster, about if our changing relationships with fashion has the power to really change the larger industry. We asked Vanessa to join this conversation specifically after she posted a very candid and honest account of how her relationship with fashion has become increasingly challenged, during what she describes as her breakdown and existential crisis during this recent Paris Fashion Week. This conversation perfectly dovetails from our previous episode about the state of influencer culture, with many key takeaways that offer both inspiration and a lot food for thought.

This is the beginning of what we hope will be a series of meaningful discussions, dissecting where we go from here as the industry and the people who make it work continues to evolve.

We hope you enjoy the conversation and let us know your thoughts. If you could rate, comment and subscribe, that would be a gift we'd very much appreciate :)

Is Prada Too Big to Fail? Mar 08, 2020

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When it was reported a couple of weeks ago that the New York City Commission on Human Rights entered into a multi-year diversity resolution agreement with Prada outlined in clear goals to hire more people of color, it signaled a new age of accountability. But it also put a spotlight on companies like Prada, with a checkered history on race, desperately trying to reinvent itself without atoning for its legacy—and it's working. Prada has dragged along a new generation of black influencers, short on recent industry knowledge, to cheerlead their sudden anointment of black people. We welcome the evolving stance yet still we must ask, what was going on in those two decades when Prada largely ignored, if not suppressed the influence of black people? And, can Prada do no wrong, is it too big to fail?

Where is the Black Leadership in Fashion? Dec 30, 2019

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For this episode, we conclude 2019 discussing a big topic that has had Jason riled up for a while re: black leadership in fashion.

Black is in. The visibility of blacks in fashion as models, stylists and influencers is at a high. The influence of black culture from the dominant streetwear trend to the current curvy ruling body standard are setting the fashion trends. Loose organization surrounding the return to Ghana has well up among the black creative elite and an overall reverence for the Renaissance of the African motherland is afoot, but worryingly this black “uprising” lacks leadership. What looks like an opportunity to make some corrections and reparations as it relates to representation and recognition in fashion, is being Shanghai-ed by self-interested players plotting their own payday. Here, we talk about the advancements and the challenges, and address the question, where is the black leadership in fashion?

We're incredibly grateful for all the love and support in 2019 and since we started the podcast! We will be back in Feb 2020 with all new episodes. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy, engage and rate (*****) this Conversation and we'll be back soon!

What Happened to Fashion Journalism? Dec 29, 2019

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With the ever evolving landscape of fashion media - from people buying fewer newspapers and magazines, to the changing role of advertising and reviews, to editors becoming influencers and vice versa, we discuss the direction that fashion journalism is taking in the age of digital and social media.

In addition to writers Robin Givhan, Vanessa Friedman and Cathy Horyn mentioned in this episode, other personal favorites I (Henrietta) forgot to mention in the early morning moment is: Alexander Fury, Tim Blanks and Pam Boy - check them all out!

As always we hope you enjoy the episode, subscribe, comment, rate (*****) and continue to DM us, we always love hearing what you have to say and very much appreciate your support :)

Is Creativity Now Diametrically Opposed to Profitability (Greed)? Dec 22, 2019

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Increasingly over the last three seasons of our podcast, it seems evident that the solutions to many of fashion's problems are actionable creative solves, that are often not implemented. We've also seen that the fashion landscape for the most part, is merging into a more homogeneous marketplace with fairly little to separate one from the pack - from brand identities and content across platforms (think DTC brands sharing the same look and feel for performance purposes), to trends being applied almost identically across designer, contemporary and fast fashion brands, to the importance of profits by any means necessary - regardless of the human and / or environmental impact. Could this be because money is becoming the ultimate objective, over a founding principle of our industry - creativity? In this episode we discuss the merits and our opinions on this very topic.

We hope you enjoy and participate in this conversation - we'd love to hear what you think! DM us: @jasoncampbelstudioisback and @henriettagallina. Also, please subscribe, comment and rate (*****) our podcast - we greatly appreciate all the support!

A Conversation With Alok Vaid-Menon: Is Degendering Fashion One of the Biggest Issues in Our Industry? Dec 14, 2019

Show notes

Performance artist, poet, and speaker Alok Vaid-Menon is a tireless crusader, an unapologetic presenter, and a beacon in the fight for degendering fashion — while simultaneously decrying half measures, meaningless platitudes, and tokenism — in the battle to getting there. In this episode, this change agent joins us to discuss their not so radical roadmap to genderless fashion and why it's important to accelerate and elevate this topic as one of the most important issues in our industry today.

We highly recommend - if you're not already - to follow Alok's work on Instagram (@alokvmenon) and wherever they is performing, speaking, etc, for more game-changing ideas, conversation and solutions.

We'd love to know what you think also, so please comment, subscribe, rate, DM us via Instagram (@jasoncampbellstudioisback and @henriettagallina) and continue to join and elevate the conversation!

Why Was This BoF Voices Talk a Big Moment? Dec 08, 2019

Show notes

This week's episode follows on from Jason's experience at the BoF Voices conference in England, where we discuss one talk that was surprisingly one of the most talked about moments from the conference - the coverage of Garance Doré's take on why she 'Quit Fashion Week'.

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