In this discussion, Daniela Morissini, a seasoned beauté analyst and BOF beauty correspondent, delves into Estée Lauder's modern challenges. She highlights how the company's deep-rooted family control may have hindered its agility in a shifting market. Morissini points out that the brand's prestige messaging is losing traction with consumers seeking diverse shopping experiences. The conversation also explores strategic investments and leadership changes, as Estée Lauder aims to revitalize its appeal while adapting to the evolving beauty landscape.

The podcast explores whether India can become the next luxury market powerhouse like China. It highlights India's youthful population and the unique complexities within its retail landscape. Insights from pioneering industry leaders reveal why European luxury brands struggle in India despite its rapid economic growth. The discussion also touches on the cultural nuances and consumer behaviors that differentiate India’s luxury market from China's, emphasizing the need for brands to adapt and understand these dynamics for success.

Malique Morris, e-commerce correspondent for The Business of Fashion, shares insights on the revitalization of fashion’s M&A market. He discusses how falling interest rates and economic shifts are paving the way for new acquisitions. Morris highlights the trend of brands undergoing 'managed decline' to extend their lifespans and emphasizes the importance of brand value amidst economic fluctuations. With notable deals involving brands like True Religion, he reveals how both startups and heritage brands are navigating this evolving landscape.

Imran Amed, founder and editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion, discusses the luxury fashion industry's severe crisis, comparing it to the Great Recession. He critiques unsustainable strategies like over-expansion and highlights the shift in consumer dynamics, especially in China and the growing potential in India. Amed emphasizes the untapped market of 'silver spenders' over 50 and the need for brands to embrace local talent. He advocates for innovation and culturally informed strategies to revitalize the luxury sector.

The fashion workplace is evolving, shaped by a wave of technological advancements, leadership changes, and cultural dynamics. For many employees, adapting to these changes has become a challenge, while employers must navigate how to foster connection, retain talent, and drive innovation.Executive editor Brian Baskin sits with commercial features editorial director Sophie Soar and senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young to unpack how businesses can create thriving workplaces in 2025, the role of soft skills in a tech-driven era, and what it takes to re-engage an increasingly disconnected workforce.“In the face of AI and more technology coming in, it is more important to have a human element. What does a human do well? That’s why soft skills are a huge focus,” says Butler-Young. Meanwhile, Soar highlights the growing challenges of employee disengagement, stating, “We are incredibly disengaged as a workforce. Trying to get employees to buy back into what they’re doing and be part of the workplace is going to be really challenging.”Key Insights:The turnover of leadership in fashion is reshaping workplace dynamics. “New leadership means change, even if they're using the same playbook,” explains Butler-Young. “Having someone new at the top of your company tends to affect morale for better or worse, or just makes people feel uncertain.” She adds, “Fashion workplaces are in this perpetual transition this year, which will inevitably shape culture.”In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting corporate DEI programmes, successful DEI strategies in 2025 will integrate horizontally across all business functions, rather than thinking about it as a vertical. “If something is horizontally integrated across the business and is a fundamental aspect of every single core pillar that this business touches upon, it's harder to roll back on those initiatives as a result,” says Soar. Butler-Young adds, “If you as a leader of any kind of organisation appear to flip-flop on your values based on the way the political winds blow, I think that's going to have a harmful effect on your workplace in the long term.”As AI becomes more prevalent, employers are placing greater emphasis on human-centric skills. “In the face of AI and more technology coming in, it is more important to have a human element to it. What does a human do really well? That’s why soft skills are a huge focus,” says Butler-Young. Soar adds, “It’s about engaging a workforce who are constantly striving to think about how they can take this particular tool or opportunity to the next stage and do so with that can-do, positive approach and attitude.”The impact of the attention economy has spread into our work lives. “We are incredibly disengaged as a workforce,” says Soar. “Trying to get employees to buy back into what it is that they're doing and be a part of the workplace is going to be really challenging, especially as they're navigating a hybrid or remote working environment.” Employers, Soar argues, need to address this to optimise their workforce for the future: “It is fundamentally changing the way that we are operating as people as well as employees.”Additional Resources:How to Future-Proof Your Fashion Career in 2025From Trump to Gen-Z, Fashion Faces a Culture QuakeBoF Careers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Gunn is best known as the wise, empathetic mentor on television’s Project Runway, but before he found himself guiding the next generation of designers on screen, he spent time teaching and shaping the fashion curriculum at Parsons, where he helped nurture some of the most influential names in American fashion. His journey began in Washington, D.C., where early struggles with bullying and a desire to understand his own creativity led him toward mentoring and educating others.Now, as the industry grapples with change on multiple fronts, Gunn offers his unique perspective on what it really takes to succeed today — in life and in fashion.  “Life is a huge collaboration. We need other people. We’re not intended to be solos. And no one should think, ‘I can deal with this and solve this myself,’” says Gunn.This week on The BoF Podcast, Gunn opens up about how his early trials shaped his remarkable career, why he left his art practice behind to focus on teaching and mentorship, and how he sees the future of American fashion.Key Insights: A graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Gunn once dreamed of being a painter or sculptor, but after just a few years in the classroom, he realised guiding students gave him more satisfaction than making his own work. “After two years of teaching, I thought, ‘I feel so fulfilled and so sated through the teaching process, I don’t need to make the work,’” Gunn says . “This is what I love doing and I’m just going to keep doing it.”During his tenure at Parsons, Gunn served as both a teacher and an administrator — eventually rising to Associate Dean — and was tasked with revitalising the school’s struggling fashion program. “The curriculum had not changed since 1952,” he recalls. “No computers, no fashion history... I was completely and totally horrified.” Determined to better prepare students for the realities of the industry, Gunn helped introduce new business training, creative independence, and a broader perspective on design. “The former curriculum was all about being totally and wholly dependent upon the faculty. You couldn’t do anything without faculty approval. And I thought, ‘These students are incredibly talented and bright. We need to let them fly and see where it takes them.’”The producers of Project Runway learned about Tim Gunn from industry insiders who pointed to his transformational work at Parsons. Gunn initially resisted the idea of reality TV, but curiosity won out, and his background as an educator shaped his signature style of mentorship on the show. Gunn believes emerging designers need more real-world business training, collaboration partners and a firm grasp of their own creative DNA to survive. “If you insist upon making every garment yourself, just be resigned to having a little boutique and not making any money. If you really want something big, you’re gonna have to let go and you’re gonna have to collaborate with a lot of people,” Gunn advises. “Any one of us, either individually or collectively, can only be as successful as our ambitions and our resources allow us to be.”Additional Resources:Television's Power to Launch Fashion Brands Remains Unproven | BoFHow Independent Brands Can Thrive in a Fashion World Ruled by Giants  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lei Takanashi, a correspondent at The Business of Fashion, and Julia Lebossé, an editorial fellow at the same outlet, dive deep into the evolving world of brand collaborations. They discuss how authenticity is key for success in creative partnerships, emphasizing the need for brands to give collaborators freedom to innovate. The duo also critiques the stagnation in sneaker designs and highlights the impressive work of smaller brands like Bimma Williams and Saucony. Listeners will gain insights into the balance between commercial appeal and artistic integrity.

Nara Smith, an influential TikTok chef, and Lucky Blue Smith, a well-known model, share their journey to fame as a couple navigating social media's scrutiny. They discuss the challenges of authenticity in a viral world and how they cultivate a true self amidst the noise. Lucky reflects on the self-consciousness that can accompany fame, while Nara emphasizes the importance of being real to connect with their audience. They also touch on the unseen labor of content creation and maintaining mental health in their public personas.

Public relations in fashion has transformed drastically from securing magazine features to managing 360-degree brand storytelling. PR agencies now navigate everything from influencer partnerships to event management, social media strategies, and beyond. However, choosing the right PR agency is no small feat, especially for smaller brands or those at critical growth stages.“Having a PR agency that really feels like a genuine organic extension of your team … is what's going to enable you to plan together and collaboratively work on goals that you're super aligned on,” shared marketing correspondent Haley Crawford. Executive editor Brian Baskin and senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young sit down with Crawford to discuss how brands can evaluate potential PR partners, the challenges and opportunities in the modern PR space, and how to ensure a successful collaboration.Key Insights: The PR industry has evolved significantly. In the past, PR agencies focused on securing mentions in traditional editorial formats, with the ultimate goal being a feature in Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar. Today, their capabilities have expanded. As Crawford explains, “this allows them to represent brands across the full spectrum of physical and digital spaces where shoppers are really interfacing with them and discovering them. … The agency's role is to facilitate telling a cohesive story across all these facets.”Building relationships remains central to PR success. “The ability to build and maintain relationships has always been such a central skill in PR, but it looks totally different today than it did a couple of years ago,” says Crawford. “Today, publicists really have to go above and beyond to use those relationship building skills to build communities around the brand. And I think what really helps is being passionate about the brands that you choose to work with as well.”As artificial intelligence increasingly influences brand strategies, PR agencies must adopt innovative, human-centric approaches to distinguish themselves. This involves “facilitating an unexpected partnership … bringing events to life that really bring consumers that much closer to the brands they love” and helping brands “ to get in front of new audiences that might be unexpected.”When you're meeting with a potential PR partner, Crawford advises to think of it as a job interview. “Could you see them being part of your in-house team? Are they clearly passionate about developing your brand story and taking it to the next level?” Additional Resources:How to Choose a PR Agency | BoFWhat Fashion PR & Communications Professionals Need to Know Today | BoF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bethann Hardison, a former model and agent, has championed diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry for over 50 years. She shares her journey of creating an agency that reflects the world's diversity, challenging systemic biases from within. Bethann discusses the importance of integrating various representations, empowering future generations of models, and balancing her career with motherhood. Her candid reflections on fear, failure, and resilience provide an inspiring glimpse into her lifelong advocacy for a more inclusive fashion world.