The Glossy Podcast

In 2019, just ahead of the pandemic, Raph Peck joined Southern California-based Brixton as the hat brand’s CEO. Prior, Peck had spent five years as president of sports apparel brand Fanatics, and he’d also held leadership roles at Oakley, Under Armour and Adidas. According to Peck, the draw to Brixton was the unique challenge of making something large out of a smaller-scale company. At the time, the brand was 15 years old.  “Brixton is, in some ways, smaller than most of the challenges I’ve taken on in my career, but it’s much more complex,” Peck said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “It has a much narrower consumer focus, an underdeveloped direct-to-consumer channel — both in physical retail and in e-commerce — and a diverse product set, with headwear being nearly half of our revenue.” Along with further developing Brixton’s existing sales channels and product categories, Peck saw the opportunity to expand the brand to new markets.“Such a large percentage of our overall sales come from California,” he said. “So we [want to] take a company that's built a tremendous following regionally, and see if we can grow it in the United States and then, ultimately, globally.”Of course, Covid and its lingering business effects have proven a disruption to most businesses’ plans. Peck shared how the pandemic has impacted his growth targets for Brixton, plus why profitability and lengthened dwell times are among his current goals. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.On this week’s episode, we talk about Chanel and Brunello Cucinelli teaming up to take part ownership of a mill in Italy, and the overall implications of vertical integration in the luxury market. We also discuss the recent slowdown in luxury spending in the U.S. and the rise of the celebrity-co-designed capsule collection, pegged to Dua Lipa and Versace's new collaboration.

Fashion designer Michael Costello came onto the scene by way of "Project Runway" in 2010. Now, his namesake brand, best known for glamorous, sexy dresses and inclusive sizes, is sold at Saks Fifth Avenue. Plus, he's behind Revolve's best-selling brand. "I have the best of both worlds," he said, regarding designing for both his namesake brand and Revolve. "I get to create fantasy and high-end glamour, and really live out the things that come into my mind and that I dream about, which is the couture and over-the-top, gorgeous gowns. But I also get to make things that everyone can wear, [for Revolve]," he said.Costello has sold at Revolve for the past six years, creating 120-180 exclusive pieces for the retailer per month. And in 2022, his brand was picked up by Saks, which he calls his “I made it” moment.In September, Costello will be participating in New York Fashion Week, after stepping away for three seasons before taking part in Revolve Gallery in September 2022. He plans to leverage a more intimate show format than in seasons past, to cater to long-term customers and buyers. "We want to see the impact this time. Before it was all for fun," he said. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news.This week, we discuss why runway shows in South Korea are trending among luxury fashion brands including Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Plus, Bally and creative director Luigi Villaseñor part ways after just 17 months, and Google Shopping embraces AI, shining a light on the next era of retail. 

Fourteen years ago, sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard set the foundation of a successful fashion business by launching a layered-look blazer dubbed the Dickey Jacket. “We ultimately wanted to create a [women’s] uniform,” Swanson Beard said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “We started with the jacket by making a run of them that we sampled using remnant fabric from Mood Fabrics. We didn't know what we didn't know, and it was great.” Influenced by the stock market crash the year before the brand’s launch, Swanson Beard and Miele Beard opted to focus on a contemporary price point, yet maintain designer-level fabrics and quality, Miele said. Today, the company has 300 employees, is profitable and is projected to do $250 million in sales this year. And it’s decidedly in growth mode. After recently launching footwear, Swanson Beard and Miele Beard said they’re now eying categories including accessories, menswear and kidswear. Plus, they want to further expand globally. Veronica Beard recently opened a store in Canada, and it opened a location in London last year. “We like success, but we want to do it right,” Swanson Beard said. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.On this week’s episode, we discuss Chanel’s resort show and the Barbiecore trend; Victoria’s Secret's newly announced and revamped fashion show; and Allbirds' and Warby Parker's earnings, which illustrate the trajectories of major DTC brands.

Long before the pandemic accelerated all things digital, House of Blueberry was selling digital fashion. Founder and CEO Mishi Mcduff started House of Blueberry as an outfitter of Second Life avatars in 2012. In the 11 years since, the company has sold more than 20 million units of digital clothing across 10,000 SKUs. It’s also collaborated with fashion brands including Jonathan Simkhai and hosted the first metaverse fashion show. It currently has a customer base of nearly 500,000 and growing. House of Blueberry’s chief operating officer, Katherine Manuel, joined the company just over a year ago after spending more than a decade at the data firm Thomson Reuters. In her last four years with Thomson Reuters, she was its vp of innovation. Manuel said she realized the potential for gaming platforms while watching her daughters use Roblox to socialize at the height of the pandemic. And, as these platforms increasingly connect technology and art, their impact over the next 10 years is set to be “mind-blowing,” she said. House of Blueberry, therefore, is well positioned. “We’re a digital-first company,” Manuel said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “We're really forward-thinking about fashion, but [fashion] entirely for avatars.” Manuel also discussed current investor interest in digital fashion, and the ways digital and physical fashion can work to each other’s advantage. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi breaks down three of the biggest fashion news stories of the week. On this episode, he's joined by special guest co-host Deena Bahri, chief marketing officer of StockX. Bahri brings her industry expertise to a discussion about Crocs' use of smart collaborations to grow beyond being the quintessential ugly footwear brand. She and Parisi also dive deep on Met Gala fashion and the factors that are driving the rise of dupe culture.

In the mid-2000s, you couldn't go anywhere without seeing someone carrying a Feed tote bag. The reusable tote bag, made of burlap and stamped with “FEED THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD,” swept the fashion world which was just becoming familiar with charitable-focused brands.Flash forward 15 years, and Feed is now a registered B-Corp brand that has provided over 126 million school meals to children in need. Alongside Toms shoes, Feed was an early brand to make a name for itself through a charitable initiative. While Toms gives away one pair of shoes to someone in need for every purchase made, Feed instead donates a fixed amount of money from each product sold, which is built into the cost of the product. For example, a purchase of the Feed 10 Bag helps provide 10 school meals for children in need. Feed works with two giving partners: the U.N. World Food Programme for global giving and No Kid Hungry for U.S. domestic giving. The dollar amount is donated by Feed to one or both of its giving partners, which then allocate and distribute meals through their network of governments, schools and relief workers around the globe.“Our brand, products and business model have evolved with the times and consumer demand, but the mission hasn't changed,” said Lauren Bush Lauren, co-founder and CEO of Feed.Over the years, Feed has expanded its assortment beyond its iconic tote bags to include home goods items like aprons and mugs, as well as wallets and crossbody bags. It has had partnerships in the past with beauty brand Clarins and also Ralph Lauren, via a capsule collection. In addition, it sold through Whole Foods and Target in its early years.Glossy Podcast host Jill Manoff spoke with Bush Lauren about the ins and outs of Feed, including what role wholesale plays, how the company has focused on sustainability and whether the so-called rise of the conscious consumer has worked to the company's advantage.

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.This week, we take a look at the recent performance of Kering brands Gucci to Balenciaga, as they seek to bounce back from a creative transition and a PR nightmare, respectively. Later, we talk about how Levi’s is attempting to get its water usage under control and to what extent garment repair services offer potential for sustainability in fashion.