The Glossy Podcast

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Universal Standard co-founder Alexandra Waldman on making fashion for the 70% Jan 08, 2020

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Plus-size models have made uncertain gains in advertising in recent years, though for Universal Standard co-founder Alexandra Waldman, the problem is also in how these models are often depicted.

"I always looked at ads of these women in pattern-wrapped dresses and high heels and I thought: 'I don't understand where she's going,'" Waldman said on this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast. "'Where is she going with the bows and the things, and why does she have kittens on her T-shirt? She's obviously in her 30s.'"

Universal Standard launched in 2015 to offer all of their items -- no kittens, thanks -- in sizes from 00 to 40. And though they've opened five stores all in the last several months, they've also made sure their website caters to women of all sizes, in a way they might not be used to.

"That size 8 doesn't look anything like I'm going to look when I put on that dress," Waldman said. "So we thought 'why not photograph everything on every single size and then allow women, if they wanted to, to look at the scope of the range or to click a button and make the entire website just in their size," Waldman said.

Waldman talked about the company's insistence on inclusion, the industry's sure but slow progress and how Universal Standard has boosted more than one model's career.

Naadam co-founder Matt Scanlan on being the CEO of three separate brands Dec 18, 2019

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Lately, Naadam co-founder Matt Scanlan has been juggling leading three fashion brands -- on top of being CEO of his 6-year-old cashmere brand, he's the CEO of Thakoon and the interim CEO of Something Navy -- and making regular appearances on QVC.

For someone who's easily distracted unless he has a lot of work in front of him, selling stuff on TV is a good outlet. "If you're an instant gratification person like I am, I don't think there's anything better than this," Scanlan said on the Glossy Podcast.

It also plays into his strategy of selling Naadam's sustainable cashmere products across as many channels as possible. Beyond TV, "that means online, working with multi-brand retailers and having your own storefront or collaborating with others," Scanlan said. He plans to have eight brick-and-mortar Naadam stores by the end of 2020.

Scanlan talked about the marketing value of sustainability, the draw to work with recent Glossy Podcast guest Thakoon Panichgul and the guerrilla marketing campaign that got attention from the police.

Glossy 50 Live: Patrick Herning and Tanya Taylor on the state and future of size inclusivity Dec 13, 2019

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Fleur du Mal founder Jennifer Zuccarini on avoiding the missteps of Victoria's Secret Dec 11, 2019

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Before launching her lingerie brand Fleur du Mal, Jennifer Zuccarini had a stint at Victoria's Secret -- giving her an idea of what to avoid.

"I think people just got tired of that one note of what sexy is," said Zuccarini on this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast.

Launched in 2012, Fleur du Mal is applying all the strategies of a small brand looking to challenge a more established industry giant that's on the ropes, creating a lot of web content and tapping social media influencers to get consumers interested in the brand.

Along the way, it's avoiding Victoria's Secret's pitfall by making and marketing products for customers of all body types.

Aurate's Sophie Kahn on making DTC jewelry that measures up to Fifth Avenue's luxury options Dec 04, 2019

Show notes

Aurate sits somewhere between Fifth Avenue's legacy jewelers and the brands that take a cue from Etsy's aesthetic. At least, that's how the company's co-founder (and designer) Sophie Kahn describes it: "There was nothing really in the middle," she said on this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast.

The direct-to-consumer company's products start around $50 and go up from there. Many customers have an eye for the higher-end stuff. "Something like the top 40% of our sales are generated by 10% of our customers," Kahn said. "I think that's a testament to [the fact that] once you feel our product, you kind of fall in love with it," she said. "We're going up against the big guys that have way more funding, way more everything. The only thing we have, hopefully, is the hearts of our women."

On the Glossy Podcast, Kahn discussed her career path from Marc Jacobs to DTC fine jewelry, the company's use of crowdsourcing to steer product development and its plans for international expansion.

Somsack Sikhounmuong on designing for Alex Mill and life after J. Crew Nov 27, 2019

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After 16 years at J. Crew, Somsack Sikhounmuong switched to a much smaller company to design clothes for Alex Mill. But he's remaining close to the Drexler family.

"I always joke that he's my fairy god agent," said Sikhounmuong about Mickey Drexler, the former CEO of J. Crew Group.

During a sabbatical after his work at J. Crew and Madewell, the J. Crew subsidiary that continues to outshine its parent company, Sikhounmuong got a phone call from Mickey Drexler: "I was in line at Whole Foods, because I wasn't working and I could be in line at Whole Foods in the afternoon," he said. Mickey asked him to meet with his son Alex Drexler about designing for Alex's company, Alex Mill, for which Mickey Drexler is both an investor and an advisor.

On the Glossy Podcast, Sikhounmuong discussed his work for Alex Mill, which was founded in 2012 out of "a tiny store on Elizabeth Street." Sikhounmuong also talked about the difference between designing clothes for women versus men, the transition from a massive company to a startup, and the experience of interviewing with J. Crew's Jenna Lyons.

Need Supply founder and CEO Chris Bossola: a brick-and-mortar store 'has to be an experience' Nov 20, 2019

Show notes

When Chris Bossola opened Blues Recycled Clothing in 1996, "all three TV stations came because they couldn't believe that we were selling vintage, used Levi's for $35. They thought it was crazy." Nearly 25 years later, what started with a 200 square foot store in Richmond, Virginia has become Need Supply, a retailer that makes most of its revenue online -- and sells much more than used jeans.

On this week's Glossy Podcast, Bossola -- the multi-brand retailer's founder and CEO -- discusses Need Supply's plans for expansion, their acquisition of Totokaelo and why the DTC model is overrated.

Ledbury CEO Paul Trible: We credit our wholesale partners when we make a DTC online sale Nov 13, 2019

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With the recession in full swing, 2009 was a tough year to start a luxury brand, as Ledbury CEO and co-founder Paul Trible knows.

But Ledbury bet on luxury, at a price range that invited both younger customers to step up their wardrobe, and older ones to save money, compared to what they were buying. "That's anywhere between $125 to $185," Trible said on the Glossy Podcast. "It's still expensive for folks, but what we saw very early on is we were pulling people down from Canali and Zegna and Eton, people who were spending usually $250 or $300 a shirt."

Direct-to-consumer makes up 70% of Ledbury's sales, Trible said, with another 20% coming from wholesale. Brick-and-mortar stores -- of which the company has three -- fill in the rest of the revenue pie.

On this week's Glossy Podcast, Trible spoke about quality manufacturing, a unique revenue-sharing model Ledbury started with its retailers and fact that the second button is what makes or breaks a shirt, just like Jerry Seinfeld said.

Cinq à Sept founder Jane Siskin: 'It's a scary time for retail' Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

Cinq à Sept founder Jane Siskin prides herself on the fashion brand's ability to quickly respond to the stuff that sells. "We have a great 'fast-track program' where we can quickly build on the good styles," said Siskin. To do that, she and her team lean on sales data -- "We can see by store, we can see by color, we can even see by size if we want to," she said -- though the actual turnaround time depends on a few factors. Fabric is a big one.

"If it's a repeat style, exactly as it was before -- a reorder in a fabric that we own -- it could be four to six weeks. If it's something new, there's a material change to it, add another couple weeks to it. And if we don't have the fabric, you're adding a month."

On this week's Glossy Podcast, Siskin spoke about fashion, the branding boon that is having a French name (even if you're based in Los Angeles) and the reason why "you have to have your head in the sand if you don't think it's a scary time for retail."

Huckberry's head of marketing Ben O'Meara on creating emails people actually want to read Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

This week's guest on the Glossy Podcast is Ben O’Meara, the head of marketing at Huckberry. Sure, it's a men's retailer, but Huckberry isn't just trying to sell stuff. It also wants to tell stories, including one about a merino T-shirt that can be worn for 72 hours without smelling all that bad by the end of it.

"It's anti-microbial, you don't have to wash it, it doesn't stink... you can wear it for multiple days on end," O'Meara said. "So let's call it the 72-Hour Tee [we decided]. But if we're going to put that stamp on this product we better sure as hell make sure that we stand behind it. And if we're going to tell you you can wear it for three days -- [let's make sure] we've actually done that before." Ahead of an international flight, O'Meara threw on a shirt, before later stopping a stranger in Iceland to ask, "Can you smell my shirt?"

Huckberry turns its travels and product tests into content for its email newsletter, which goes out to more than 1 million readers three times a week, O'Meara said. Some 20% to 30% of them open it to browse through its journal entries, music recommendations and product promotions, and Huckberry sees a spike in sales as that happens. "It's definitely our most profitable channel," O'Meara said.

On this week's Glossy Podcast, O'Meara spoke about Huckberry's origin story, its email and video strategy, and its balance of owned and partner brands.

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