The Business of Fashion Podcast

Explore how performance coaching rooted in Māori heritage fosters togetherness and dignity in teams. Discover lessons from the world of sports that translate into the business arena, emphasizing the importance of crafting supportive environments. Learn how storytelling can rekindle organizational passion and engage employees meaningfully. Hear about the transformative impact of creating a positive work atmosphere that prioritizes well-being over just performance metrics. Together, these insights pave the way for high-performing, cohesive teams.

Amir Fayo, founder of 69 Group, discusses his innovative approach to retail by creating immersive store experiences rooted in culture and emotional connections. His multicultural upbringing influences his architectural style. Fayo focuses on building emotional memories, social intimacy, and elevating everyday experiences in his projects.

This fashion month was all about looking ahead. At several major brands, newly-appointed creative directors ushered in a new era, including Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen,  Adrian Appiolaza at Moschino and Chemena Kamali at Chloé. But beyond the creative director premieres, recurring motifs of technology and the pared down everyday reflected the current state of the world — and what’s to come.  “Early on, I detected this rather peculiar strain of sci-fi,” says Tim Blanks, BoF’s editor-at-large. “There is that incipient sense of apocalypse lurking and I think if you step back and take a really long view of what was happening, you could feel that kind of anxiety,” says Tim Blanks, BoF’s editor-at-large. Following the conclusion of the Autumn/Winter 2024 shows, Blanks sits down with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss the highlights of fashion month.Key InsightsAt Louis Vuitton, Phillippe Parreno’s immersive set design and Nicolas Ghesquière’s futuristic garments left lasting impressions. “There was a lot of white and a lot of reflection, a lot of shiny stuff. They could have been heading off to a space station. And the sound was insane. The sound makes you want to go home and open a nightclub in your living room,” says Blanks. Undercover’s Jun Takahashi featured  a poem about a single mother raising her eight year old child, written by German filmmaker and playwright Wim Wenders. “Every detail is just so beautiful and evocative and then Jun Takahashi showed the collection to go with that; everyday clothes, but completely transmogrified by his insane ingenuity,” recalls Blanks. At Alexander McQueen, Seán McGirr’s first show displayed his energetic direction for the house following Sarah Burton’s departure. “I think that as a creative director debuting at a house, it's much harder to create new energy than it is to create merchandisable clothes. And I think that's what he succeeded in doing; he created a new energy around that brand,” says Amed.Following the sudden passing of David Renne, Moschino welcomed new creative director Adrian Appiolaza, who looked to the roots of the brand for his first show. “If you detail Franco Moschino's iconography, Adrian Appiolaza went down the list and ticked every box. I think that that was probably the most joyful show of the whole season. … I think he celebrated the work of [Franco Moschino], in such a way that I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does next,” says Blanks. At Chloé, Chemena Kamali’s charisma shone through on the runway. “You could see her really embodying the new Chloé and being that kind of ambassador for Chloé in a way that maybe some of the more recent creative directors never were really able to do,” says Amed.Additional resources:Paris Fashion Week Says ‘So Long, Farewell’ With Chanel, Miu Miu and Louis VuittonImran Amed and Tim Blanks Go Backstage at Milan Fashion WeekBackstage Pass | Rick Owens’ Life Mission: Inclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On her award-winning podcast “Articles of Interest,” host and producer Avery Trufelman dives deep into the stories behind the clothes we wear. From the evolution of prep to the origins of wedding dresses, Avery guides her listeners through the multi-faceted layers behind the aesthetics of fashion. “It's crops, it's the earth, it's handwork, it's culture, it's society. You tug on a thread and you get everything,” she said. “That's what I'm slowly realising [about fashion].”This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Trufelman to discuss her path into podcasting, taking her lifelong passion for clothes and what they mean into an audio format, and what she’s learned about fashion along the way. Key Insights: A self-proclaimed “public radio nepo baby,” Trufelman has audio in her blood — her parents met working at New York Public Radio. But while she grew up with audio, she didn’t start experimenting with fashion until she was a teenager, expressing herself through quirky thrifted fashion ensembles, much to the confusion of her peers. “I knew in the back of my mind that it was too much, that I was sort of alienating people,” she says. “It just made me realise how powerful clothing was. That dressing in this wild way sort of set me apart.”Trufelman initially came up with the idea for “Articles of Interest” while interning at the design and architecture podcast “99% Invisible.” Presenting a fashion podcast to an audience more focussed on architecture, Trufelman began to see the ways in which fashion touched every facet of life. “In the beginning, fashion was sort of a dirty word for me,” she says. “Now it's all about fashion because everything has fashion. Buildings have fashion, cars have fashion, colours have fashion. Fashion is just taste over time and the most easy way to measure that when you look at a picture of any era, it's the cars maybe, but mostly the clothes.”Four seasons into “Articles of Interest,” Trufelman now finds herself with a rich archive to draw upon. “I don't ever kill stories. I love to reuse interviews that I collected years ago. I'm always cutting them up and revisiting them because I believe that knowledge isn't like one and done. It isn't a single use thing. I believe in making this a long sustainable living archive.” Trufelman also sees the parallels between podcasts and fashion in the ways in which both allow us to engage with the world. “People are listening to your voice while they're walking down the street and they're like noticing what people are wearing or they're noticing what people are doing. It's not undivided attention. It is divided attention. It's beautiful.”Additional Resources:The BoF 500: Avery TrufelmanRalph Lauren is Traveling Back in Time to Bring Back Preppy Chic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2010, model Arizona Muse was catapulted into the fashion spotlight.  After opening and closing Prada’s Spring/Summer 2011 show, she was signed as a  face of the brand. But after years of the modelling, grind and some serious personal reflection, the British-American model has swapped the glamour of the runway for environmental activism.“[Modelling] nearly destroyed me. You pretend you enjoy it because everyone wants you to enjoy it. But the truth is, you'd prefer to be doing something else.”This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Muse to discuss her journey to the fashion runway, her reflections on fashion’s contribution to the climate crisis and why she sees  self-care as a form of environmental activism. Key Insights: While Muse is grateful for modelling career, she said it caused immense strain on her mental health. “It's been a blessing in so many ways, but it also nearly destroyed me. It really nearly destroyed my mental health,” she shares. “What's hard about modelling is people are judging you all the time on what you look like … They don't even judge you on what you wear. It's just purely what you look like.”The model first tapped into her passion for environmental activism after being invited to a charity lunch where she learned that textile materials were grown in soil by farmers. “Working at the centre of this industry, working with all the most amazing fashion houses that we've all heard of, how is nobody talking about the farmers who grew our clothes for us?” she says. She also sees her own self-care as part of her activism. “How can I take the best care of my being so that my being can be in the best shape that it can be, to be in service to the other beings around me who are human, to the other beings around me who are non-human, and to the biggest being of us all who is the earth?”Muse recognises the need for governments to support organisations like DIRT, she also insists there is a level of personal responsibility for those privileged enough to make sustainable choices. “If you're like I am, and you're one of those lucky people who has money in your pocket right now, it is your responsibility to spend it with sustainable businesses who are making things in a more responsible way,” she says.Why Big Brands Are Pushing Back Against Sustainability RegulationsThe Problem with Sustainability DataThe BoF Podcast | Ending Climate Colonialism in Fashion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the world of high fashion, few names have commanded as much attention — and controversy — as John Galliano. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, his sensual designs and runway theatrics earned him worldwide acclaim.But Galliano’s career imploded in 2011 when  a video of him emerged using antisemitic slurs. In a new documentary, “High & Low: John Galliano,” BAFTA-winning director Kevin Macdonald examines Galliano's meteoric rise, scandalous downfall, and the role of forgiveness and redemption.“If there's one thing that people could take away from the film, it is [that] things are never that simple. The grey predominates in life and in morality,” says Macdonald.This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks sits down with McDonald to discuss  the phenomenon of cancellation and his own feelings about Galliano after completing the documentary. Key InsightsAlongside archive footage and interviews with industry insiders, the film features  extensive conversations with Galliano himself. Macdonald says  Galliano seemed to forget the series of events and antisemitic remarks he said. “I think he genuinely blotted that out. I don't think he's pretending not to remember. I think that it's a sign of him creating a story for himself about things that have happened … to get by,” Macdonald says.According to Macdonald, Galliano does not expect total forgiveness but hopes for understanding. “He knows some people will never forgive him for the antisemitic comments he made, but he wants people to understand who he is and where that came from and what part it had in the way it played in his life.” Macdonald attributes the attention the film has received prior to its release to nostalgia for a bygone era. “I think there's a romance about this past where people were misbehaving and being creative geniuses and led to crash and burn and didn't have to answer to HR,” he says.High & Low – John Galliano opens in cinemas on 8th March 2024.Additional resourcesJohn Galliano: ‘I Feel Much Freer’John Galliano: Fashion’s Greatest Showman Turns Ciné-AuteurA Penitent John Galliano Talks to Charlie Rose About Childhood, Addiction and McQueen's Suicide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat Boguslawski is setting the fashion world in motion. The Polish movement director at Maison Margiela is the creative mastermind behind some of fashion’s most memorable runway moments. From German model Leon Dame’s viral runway stomp in 2020 to the seductive strides of corseted characters in John Galliano’s triumphant 2024 Maison Margiela couture show, Boguslawski is redefining the role of the model and bringing back the spectacle of the show. “I always tell the models that it's better to give more than to give less,” he told BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks, on this week's podcast.Key InsightsGrowing up in Poland in the nineties, Boguslawski devoured fashion content on TV and in print. But as he watched everything turn into a product, he felt the storytelling essence of fashion diminish.  “I started doing my job because I got bored. I just didn't like the direction we were going towards. … I promised myself that I'm gonna start bringing that energy back to fashion and create major runway moments.”Boguslawski is a multi-faceted creative. He started training as a dancer at age 15, transitioned to modelling and also studied drama and acting for four years before shifting to movement direction. “I'm so grateful that I was so curious because now I kind of use everything that I did in the past at my job,” he says. Directing the movement for the 2024 Maison Margiela couture show, Boguslawski encouraged the tightly-corseted models to channel their pain and discomfort into their characters. "I remember saying, 'Use that pain, use that suffering in your character. Just use whatever you're feeling right now. … Don't try to be perfect. Just let me see the suffering,'" he recalls.For Boguslawski, a connection with the audience is a key part of the show. “I like when the audience feels intimidated. It's exciting and I love the adrenaline that comes with it.” He recalls the impact of his direction during a rehearsal before the show. “I remember we were watching the main rehearsal and they were wearing their own clothes and the corsets. The whole rehearsal got a standing ovation by everyone who was in the room.”Additional resourcesDifferent Takes on Future Perfect at Fendi and Maison MargielaA Dream of Defiance at Margiela Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As founder of Harlem’s Fashion Row, Brandice Daniel is a change agent. For more than 15 years, she has been working to bridge the gap between the fashion industry and Black and Latinx designers who often don’t come from famous fashion schools like Parsons or FIT. Following the surge in interest in diversity, equity and inclusion following the murder of George Floyd, there are growing headwinds which are stalling progress.“We've regressed so far, so fast. It is really disappointing, especially in an industry that is supposed to be cutting edge … How can you be innovative without addressing DEI?” she says.This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Daniel to discuss how the industry can foster real change. Key Insights:Harlem’s Fashion Row was founded in 2007 — long before DEI became a corporate buzzword — after Daniel noticed how little diversity there was at US department stores. “[I] realised that less than 1 percent of the designers that were on those websites at the time were designers of colour, however … African-Americans were spending $22 billion a year on apparel. And that was when I really got my aha moment.”2020 was a pivotal year for Harlem’s Fashion Row. After George Floyd’s murder sparked global conversations around racism and representation, more fashion and retail brands opened the door to diversity. “It was very easy to tell during those days who was wanting to do very performative work versus who actually was interested in doing the work,” Daniel explains. “The companies who were doing the work before 2020, they are still doing the work.”Still, despite the momentum that 2020 brought, she’s been disappointed in the lack of long-term action. “We've regressed so far, so fast. It is really disappointing, especially in an industry that is supposed to be cutting edge … How can you be innovative without addressing DEI?” she says. When it comes to finding your sense of purpose, Daniel believes in focusing on your goal, rather than the nitty-gritty of the process of achieving it. “Don't worry about the how. Just worry about the what and the why. If you focus on the what and the why and just allow the how to unfold as you just take one step forward, you will see that so many incredible things will happen.”Additional Resources:UK Fashion Industry Isn’t Making Progress on Leadership Diversity, Report FindsA New Lawsuit Puts Fashion’s Corporate Diversity Efforts in the Crosshairs Protecting Fashion’s DEI Efforts During Market Disruption Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayesha Barenblat, Sammy Oteng, and Vidhura Ralapanawe discuss ending climate colonialism in the fashion industry. They highlight the disproportionate impact on climate-vulnerable countries, lack of responsibility, and representation in fashion waste conversation. The chapter also explores challenges of colonialism and language barriers in the discourse on climate change.

Matthieu Blazy, creative director of Bottega Veneta, discusses his creative processes, collaboration, and craftsmanship. He explains how he injects personal touches into sophisticated fashion and creates everyday wear with a luxurious twist. Blazy explores the power of storytelling in fashion and pushing boundaries with his team. He emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship over technology, while still recognizing its value.