WWD Voices

Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, pioneers affordable eyewear by disrupting the $150 billion optical industry. He shares insights on their innovative home try-on program and the success that led to 300 store openings. Blumenthal emphasizes the brand's commitment to social responsibility, having donated over 20 million glasses through their 'buy a pair, give a pair' initiative. He also discusses collaborations with tech giants like Google for future smart glasses, presenting a vision that combines style, technology, and community impact.

Big Business is rapidly embracing technology, but at what cost? Can robots and AI can make the fashion industry smarter, faster, better—without sacrificing humanity? Sourcing Journal's business reporter/tech editor Meghan Hall chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about the symbiotic relationship between man and machine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A diamond may be forever, but a synthetic one is too. And so begins the ongoing debate between natural and lab-grown diamonds—stones with virtually identical chemical properties but very different back stories, marketing approaches and customer bases. In this podcast for Retail Rx, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studio, chats with Stephen D’Aquila, senior vice president, Hilco Valuation Services, about lab-grown and natural diamonds, and how geopolitics, tariffs, shifting consumer sentiment and other factors are impacting the appeal of these beautiful, and sometimes controversial, stones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beauty’s Digital Future: Listrak’s Jamie Elden Talks AI, Social Commerce and Gen Z Influence at the WWD X Beauty Inc. Beauty CEO Summit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of ‘From the Newsroom,’ Footwear News senior editor Stephen Garner drills down on the big ‘family business’ that’s now going private. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of From the Newsroom, WWD editors discuss the abrupt departure of the retailer's CEO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talk about tariffs has been filling newspapers, websites, airwaves, boardrooms, factory floors and dinner tables for a while, but reality is just starting to sink in now. What are the true costs of tariffs, and who is going to be paying for them? In this episode, Ian Fredricks, president and CEO of Hilco, Consumer-Retail, chats with Lauren Parker, director, Fairchild Studio, about how tariff worries, both real and perceived, are affecting retailers and ultimately the consumer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of WWD Voices In Detail, Sarah Engel shares insights into the consumer behaviors defining retail today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of From the Newsroom, Evan Clark shares the mic with WWD's David Moin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many misconceptions about exotic leather—notably the python, crocodile and alligator skins that are transformed into the most luxe handbags and leathergoods. But when sourced and harvested legally and responsibly, these animals are valuable renewable natural resources that support the conservation of the species and their delicate habitats. They also provide income to local communities. In this episode, Lauren Parker, director of Fairchild Studios, chats with Karen Giberson, president of the Accessories Council, and Christy Plott Gilmore, owner of the fifth-generation American Tanning & Leather LLC, as well as an exotic leather trade policy and CITES consultant (CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices