American Fashion Podcast

Katharine Zarrella's Fashion Unfiltered Katharine Zarrella, former news editor at Style.com, senior editor at V Magazine and VMAN, and prolific contributing fashion writer all over, has branched out on her own with the new fashion site, fashionunfiltered.com, which seems to have a cleaner mission than any we've seen in the recent past. We're joined in the studio for this episode by WWD's Media Editor Alexandra Steigrad. highlights: KATHARINE: "I would like to shift the consumer focus away from the Kardashians and whoever is wearing whatever on the red carpet, and make them think about the clothes that they're putting on their body, whether it's from a conceptual and artistic perspective, whether it's from a green perspective (you know, what is this doing to the environment, how is this affecting other people, how are the factories that are making these things affecting the factory workers), and I just want people to be excited about fashion. I want them to love fashion as much as I do, and see all the different facets and sides of the industry." (5:28) KATHARINE: "What's online needs to be a little more digestible, whereas print is an opportunity to really dive in to these incredible stories that are visual, or journalism, and kind of lose yourself in it as you would with a book, and I think that's what's happening with print. It's a tangible thing that's precious and kind of luxurious in a wold that feels very impermanent and fleeting. It's something to get lost in and hold on to." (35:57) KATHARINE: "If you're not breaking a story, there's no rush to get it up. And, I think, so many editors think that, "oh, my God, Womenswear just broke that this is happening at Lanvin. We need to get somethign up about it ASAP!" No you don't. If you don't have anythign to say about it that's different than the Womenswear story, you don't need to get it up ASAP. Send out a tweet and maybe link to the Womenswear story (which is obviously not great for clicks for you site) or just send out something that's informational. But if you're not breaking the story, you don't need to be first. Wait until you have something to add." (43:06) ALEXANDRA: "When you hear certain CEOs of big magazine companies talk about future plans, they're talking about their advertising partners as if, 'we're creating content for them.' There's a shift in thinking there, and it's problematic. You guess you can do a great video, but it has to be sponsored by 'brand X,' and I think throwing money at a journalist and letting them go crazy is not really what's happening right now." (59:15) references: * RewardStyle * SHOWstudio

This episode is going to be HUGE. Trump Model Management is being sued for allegedly fraudulent paperwork on a model's H1B visa application. We thought this would be a good opportunity to go deep on the subject of the global model management industry. The Model Management Industry Writer and former fashion model Madeline Hill talks about her experiences globetrotting for four agencies, then former modeling agency in-house counsels Ali Grace Marquart and Doreen Small, of the law firm Marquart & Small, LLP, are in the studio to talk about the standards and practices of this small but uncommonly influential business. Guest co-host lawyer Rob Sanchez of the Fashion Is Your Business podcast. some topics covered in this episode: Why is the same visa that's used for foreign tech workers being used for fashion models? Why are they called model management companies and not agencies anymore? What rights do models have when they get into uncomfortable situations? How can designers help make sure the kids they hire to model aren't getting exploited? What are parents' responsibilities in regards to contracts, nutrition, and other accountability? What changed between the propriety of Eileen Ford and the John Casablancas era that took models into a hyper-sexual pop culture realm, and has the tide turned back now? What makes this business so aspirational and voyeuristic? What is the right of publicity in social media? An organization called The Model Alliance ("giving a voice to the faces of the fashion industry") is working to change laws and support models with education and emergency services. references: * Disaster For Republicans As Donald Trump Is Being Sued For Violating Immigration Law * Best Response Ever to Thin Model Wearing Plus Size Clothes * 30 Ethical Fashion Brands You Need To Know * Ennio and Carlo Capasa Leave Costume National (BoF) * Why You Shouldn’t Launch a Label Straight Out of School (BoF) * Girl Model (documentary / Netflix) * PreeLine * Fashion Law Institute

Just To Clarify, Robots Don't Make Your Clothes Young designers Julie Mollo and Louis Mairone (Dominic Louis) have two very different aesthetics and approaches to business for their companies. Julie's first client was pop star Katy Perry, and she successfully spins influencer marketing publicity into wholesale and e-commerce sales as a sole operator, while Lou plays a more slow and steady game. This episode gets deep into the mindset of two emerging designers fairly representative of the spectrum: Julie with her off the wall hearts and polka dots pop star costumes sold off the seasonal calendar, Lou with a more traditional but still colorful energetic approach, and both of whom would like consumers to know that soylent fashion is people. References: * The Results are in: Examining the Future of New York Fashion Week * Teachable * soyouwannabeafashiondesigner.com

World-renowned fashion designer Naeem Khan invites the American Fashion Podcast team into his showroom for a poignant discussion of work, life, and the future of the fashion industry. Naeem Khan highlights: * "We have amazing craftsmen in this country. When Italy or Japan, where you have such high paid labor, can produce, why can't America?" - Naeem Khan (10:05) * "Unless and until you don't have something different and something new to offer, if every designer has the same kind of looking clothes, it becomes a nightmare. I was studying the business which is the lower end business of what I do... I walked into stores like Neiman's, Saks, and... there's so much product. It made me afraid-- how do you find your place in there, number one... number two, how do you make it so it's viable that the store can sell it and not come back to you and say, 'we need X million in markdown,' because the whole thing is done on agreements with the stores, and that is a most dangerous game to play, because if you don't meet those numbers, the next thing you know, the successful side of your business is going to be coming down with this new business that you've started. "- Naeem Khan (36:38) * "You know, you go up, and you have to come down in order to go back up again, because you need to find that other. What is the next thing? But it always comes. In all of my years of designing, I know that's it's a cycle, so don't get depressed. Hold yourself. You're going to go through it. It will be all fine."- Naeem Khan (41:07) * "It was important to m father and my grandfather that we keep the tradition of the family alive, but my kids grew up in America. So, at first I was very worried that they grew up so modern, they went to Dalton, they went to amazing colleges... that they would not be interested. They would become victim to our society. So, I made it a point that I introduced it to them in the most fun way."- Naeem Khan (44:31) references: * Shinola * Fixing Fashion: Rethinking the Way We Make, Market and Buy Our Clothes (book)

Lisa Koenigsberg, Timo Rissanen, Daniel Silverstein, and Tabitha St. Bernard are in the studio. Lisa Koenigsberg is the president of Initiatives In Art and Culture, which produces several conferences around the fashion and luxury goods industries, and has one coming up on gold. Timo, Daniel, and Tabitha are zero waste fashion designers, and educators in that field. zero waste highlights: * "If I may be so bold as to reduce this to a very simple concept: if you want to be a zero-waste designer, stop throwing things away. You might not have the solution when you start the journey, but if you stop and intercept the issue, which is waste, you an always accumulate a critical mass of your leftovers until the point where they reveal a solution to you." - Daniel Silverstein (17:12) * "There's very few items in our lives in America that we pay the real price for." - Timo Rissanen (39:49) * "I think the system is desperate and broken, that we require everyone to run out and fight each other to learn the most, elbow and shove and push to get to the top, and when you get there there is nothing to be had." - Daniel Silverstein (52:24) * "But then, I'm so curious, how is H&M making any money? Because if people didn't get paid to make it, and you can't make a living working in the store, who's opening stores?" - Daniel Silverstein (54:29) * "I would say that I make clothes that are visually dynamic, and that are comfortable, and that are incredibly versatile. I take great pride in the fact that the women who buy my clothing, they wear it constantly. I just got an email from one of my customers and she told me she had a baby about a year ago, and she bought my dress a couple years ago, and she was able to sort of adjust it to fit over her belly. So, that makes me really happy. That's how I view my clothing. I want my clothing to have a long life. I want it to live a long time in people's wardrobes. I want them to have a relationship with it. I want them to grow old with it." - Tabitha St. Bernard (56:36) references: * Dosa * The True Cost (documentary) * Driving Fashion Forward with Amber Valletta (video) * Everlane * Italy's Fashion Chamber Rejects Immediacy (BoF) * Diamonds Unleashed by Kara Ross * Yeohlee

Lee Anderson of the Starkweather outerwear R&D group is in the studio talking about her conferences and focus groups, which she has been using to explore the fashion industry's chronic issues. The hosts comment on a long list of recent news stories about the industry (see references list below). Charles Beckwith hits the Tranoï New York trade show and talks to designers Charles Harbison (Harbison), Yasmine Rana (Y by Yasmine), Katie Gallagher, and Philip Chu (Ground Zero), along with Tranoï's CEO David Hadida and Head of Sales Marco Pili. references: * Buy Me Once: the online shop for stuff that lasts, from T-shirts to tweezers * 20 free fashion books to download from The Metropolitan Museum of Art * H&M, M&S Not Fulfilling “Living Wage” Promises, Says New Report * 9 Female Farmers Changing The Fashion Industry * When Did Fashion Stop Being About the Clothes? * The Power of Buying Less by Buying Better * Zuckerberg Throws Shade At Kanye's Money Request In The Most Subtle Way * How Smartphones Are Killing Off the Fashion Show * It took a lot of skill for Alexander Wang to make clothes that look so trashy * The Risks of Changing Creative Directors * It Didn’t Used to Be Like This: Iconic Models Remember Fashion Week * PR powerhouse Kelly Cutrone is sick and tired of leeches selling invites to her clients' private Fashion Week shows * Bizarre Gucci Advertisement Dressed As Content Gets Everything Wrong (WTF) * Why Brands Should Stop Trying to Control the Message * New York Fashion Week recap: ethical fashion on the rise *

New York Fashion Week is in full swing. Charles and Lisa are in the field and Seth checks in via Skype. This episode includes interviews with Bil Donovan, Ernest Schmatolla, Kenny Bonavitacola, Stephen Knoll, Rosina Rucci (RR331), Naeem Khan, Tadashi Shoji, Raquel Allegra, Raul Peñaranda, and Charles Youssef. Charles Beckwith reviews Zoolander 2 and goes to a Chinese fashion show on the Hudson. references: * A Détacher * Amanda Phelan * Cushnie et Ochs * Zimmerman * Reem Acra * Monique Lhuillier * threeASFOUR * Bibhu Mohapatra * Delpozo * Ohne Titel * Rodarte * Narciso Rodriguez * Jeremy Scott

Seriously, the TPP is the worst kind of international trade deal you could imagine for our domestic manufacturers! Trade policy expert and rock musician, Steven Capozzola, from the US Business and Industry Council talks in detail about the crazy backroom deals #$@& going on around this Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Hint: it's really really bad news for Made In USA Julie Zerbo, editor of The Fashion Law, finally joins in the studio after being mentioned in prior episodes approximately 9.72 billion times. Footwear designers Jordan Adoni and Omar Bailey from New York Garment District anchor factory and streetwear line Modern Vice talk about their triumphs with making it here, helping emerging designers figure out how to make great shoes, and the struggle to get major footwear brands to bring 3% of production back to the United States. Be sure to join the American Fashion Podcast LinkedIn group to network and talk with guests and hosts about the show. references: * Chanel May Have Just Won a Battle for the Chanel Instagram Account (The Fashion Law) * "I'm an advertising executive and I'll be honest: my job is to pollute the universe." (speech transcript) * What's Wong With The Fashion Industry - Part 1 (Vestoj) * modaCYCLE.de relaunched * Find Your Representative (house.gov) * Burberry Aligns Runway and Retail Calendar in Game-Changing Shift * Vetements Has a Unilateral Plan to Shake Up the Shows * Tom Ford Cancels His NYFW Presentation  

Charles talks to Colleen Hill, associate curator of The Museum At FIT, and the person behind their current exhibition, Fairy Tale Fashion. Then he is in the field for Men's Fashion Week, and speaks with designers Derek Buse and Jo Sadler of Los Angeles brand CWST, Scot Shandalove and Jake Zeitlin of Matiere, and Timo Weiland of Timo Weiland. references: * Where Are the Mavericks? Why Men’s Fashion Week Needs Pepping Up (NY Times) * Burberry Aligns Runway and Retail Calendar in Game-Changing Shift (BoF) * Giles Deacon https://www.instagram.com/p/BBWo3h5N7wS/

Menswear designers Loris Diran and Zachary Prell, along with publicist and Men's Fashion Week pioneering organizer Erin Hawker of Agentry PR are in the studio. Seth asks the guests for advice on working with event sponsors, and balancing commerce with showmanship. Zachary Prell talks about re-envisioning American men's sportswear. This episode gets into what does a runway show cost, what is the importance of face to face time with customers and retailers to build human relationships, and how do you sort the effective and authentic fashion bloggers and other social media influences from the ones you don't want to deal with, along with myriad other topics.

Doug Greenberg from Garde Robe chats via Skype from California about how his company helps preserve couture collections for both individuals and businesses in cities around the world. Seth, Charles, and Lisa get into the news stories and talk about the new Jacqueline de Ribes: The Art of Style exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum. references: * So Hot Right Now: Zoolander Lands Vogue Cover * Soon, You’ll Be Able to Watch a Fashion Show on Grindr * Walmart to Close 269 Stores as Retailers Struggle * Why Saint Laurent is staging its men’s show in LA * Tom Ford Quits the Catwalk as Industry Increasingly Targets End Consumer * SoftWear Automation

The first episode of 2016, and guests in the studio are Elisa Bloom, who is the executive director of the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator, fashion designer Charles Youssef, and publicist Liz Franco from Factory PR. Sitting in as a temporary co-host is fashion designer and Manufacture New York operations manager Ron Wallace. This episode includes discussion on how to grow brands, the importance of business partners for designers, new shopping habits, how a major PR agency prepares its designers and coordinates its team for Fashion Week, wrapping you brain around Snapchat, and more! references: * The fashion trend threatening the city's economy * Tom Ford Quits the Catwalk as Industry Increasingly Targets End Consumer * Saks Parent Hudson's Bay Buys Gilt Groupe In $250 Million Cash Deal, Will Fold Into Saks Off Fifth

Editor-Photographer Richard Spiegel (The Fashion Tribune) and Stylist-Consultant Asanti Austin help American Fashion Podcast hosts Charles, Seth, and Lisa look back at 2015 and make predictions of things to come. Lots of great stories in this episode. references: * Rebooting Bill Blass w/ Chris Benz (The Needle & The Mouse podcast) * SoftWear Automation * The Mall on Xbox One (Vimeo) * The Man Who Would Make the World a Prettier Place (NY Times) * Retailers Feel the Heat of Lost Winter Clothing Sales (NY Times) * Silas Chou Investment Vehicle Acquires a Controlling Interest in Thakoon (BoF) * H&M Blames Warm Weather Across US and Europe for Sales Miss (BoF)

Daniel Lawson The Good Wife, Third Watch, and Limitless costume designer Daniel Lawson talks about fashion and costume, his craft, and on his years working with some of television and theater's most remarkable actors. Kristi McCormick talks about her costume design agency, Matchbook Company. This is the 80th episode of American Fashion Podcast, hosted by Charles Beckwith, Seth Friedermann, and Lisa-Maria Radano. Charles is a filmmaker, Seth is a former actor, and Lisa is a playwright and screenwriter, so the discussion goes a bit deep industry into the film and television world, and there is a lot of discussion about working with actors and directors to give them the costumes as a platform for stronger performances. references: * Access Denied: The Media, After Access (The Awl)

Advertising consultant Cindy Gallop and D'Marie Group co-founder Frank Spadafora are in the studio talking about commerce, brand building, and self-promotion. references: * Swipecast "Uber for Models" (BoF) * Fohr Card * IfWeRanTheWorld