Decode Sessions

Anna Anderson, Caitlin Shell
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Decode Sessions: the world's number one marketing podcast for fashion and culture. Hosted by Anna Anderson and Caitlin Shell, this is where fashion, tech and business collide. We decode what's happening across culture and marketing, and turn it into clear, actionable insights that brands and marketers can use immediately. Caitlin lives at the intersection of fashion, tech, and commercial strategy. She is our business geek, bringing commercial insights and nerdy data points! Anna is the fashion and luxury marketer who has a track record of working with the most influential brands in the world: from Gucci to H&M. She's our brand snob, bringing cultural insights sprinkled with guerrilla tactics for those that lack huge budgets. Together, they offer 40 years of combined fashion & luxury experience. Two perspectives, one mic, no filter.

  1. 1d ago

    Clubbing Is Dead. Wellness Killed It.

    "Clubbing is out. Vitamins are in. The wellness economy has built a better version of the nightclub, and the fashion and beauty brands that understand this will win Gen Z." The wellness economy is the fastest growing consumer trend reshaping fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands in 2026. In this episode Anna and Caitlin decode why 37% of UK nightclubs have closed since 2020, why 24% of UK adults abstained from alcohol completely in 2025 and what the explosive growth of the wellness economy, from run clubs and reformer Pilates to coffee raves and sauna raves, means for fashion and beauty brand strategy right now. If your brand wants to reach Gen Z consumers in 2026, understanding the wellness economy is no longer optional. This is the fashion and beauty brand strategy episode that decodes exactly where Gen Z is spending their time, their money and their identity. [01:00] Is Wellness the New Nightclub? The Wellness Economy Trend Reshaping Gen Z Consumer Behaviour. [02:15] Wellness Economy Statistics: 40% of the UK's Fastest Growing Businesses are Wellness Related in 2026. [05:35] Why Gen Z is Choosing Wellness and Lifestyle Experiences Over Alcohol and Nightclubs. [15:00] Soft Clubbing: the Biggest Gen Z Social Trend of 2026 Decoded [22:30] How the Cost of Living Crisis is Directly Funding the Wellness Economy [27:15] What the Wellness Economy Means for Fashion Beauty and Lifestyle Brand Strategy Brands and Resources Mentioned: Tramp Wellness Members Club London — https://www.tramp.co.uk Soho Farmhouse Ibiza Wellness Events — https://www.sohohouse.com/en-us/soho-health-club/connect/soho-retreats Daybreaker Sober Wellness Events — https://www.daybreaker.com Adonola Athleisure and Wellness Fashion Brand — https://adanola.com Every Skin Aesthetics and Wellness Clinic — https://everyskinclinics.co.uk Never miss an episode, subscribe to the Decode Sessions newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Tiktok for weekly industry insight. Connect with us: Website & Newsletter Instagram & Tiktok Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.

    33 min

  2. Jun 16

    The $2.5 Trillion Social Commerce Opportunity Fashion Brands Are Missing

    "Live shopping conversion rates are 10 times higher than traditional e-commerce. The fashion and beauty brands that move now will own this space before it gets crowded." Live shopping, social commerce and e-commerce strategy are reshaping how fashion and beauty brands sell in 2026, and most brands are still sleeping on it. In part two of our TikTok Shop and live shopping series, Anna and Caitlin decode the $2.5 trillion live commerce opportunity, the social commerce consumer behaviour driving it, and the e-commerce strategy every fashion and beauty brand needs right now. From QVC to TikTok Live, from brand discovery to impulse purchasing, from gamification to return rates, this is the live commerce and social commerce episode the fashion and beauty industry has been waiting for. [02:45] What is Live Shopping and Why it is the Future of Fashion and Beauty Social Commerce [03:30] Live Commerce Statistics: $2.5 Trillion Projected Global Value by 2033 [10:00] Live Shopping Consumer Behaviour: Discovery, Entertainment and Impulse Purchasing [15:00] Why Live Commerce Conversion Rates Outperform Traditional E-Commerce by 10x [21:30] The Best Social Commerce Platforms for Fashion and Beauty Brands in 2026 [23:50] Live Shopping and Social Commerce Strategy  Brands Mentioned in this Episode: TikTok Shop and TikTok Live Social Commerce: https://shop.tiktok.com/gb eBay Live Shopping and Fashion Commerce: https://www.ebay.co.uk/ebaylive Whatnot Live Commerce App: https://www.whatnot.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorn9-JK-2T1pCyBMBGdE2kZzcgxYLftaMn26KE3UM9psHFkJL3m Amazon Live E-Commerce: https://www.amazon.com/live Taobao Live Social Commerce: https://www.taobao.com QVC and HSN Live Shopping: https://plus.qvc.com Never miss an episode, subscribe to the Decode Sessions newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Tiktok for weekly industry insight. Connect with us: Website & Newsletter Instagram & Tiktok Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.

    26 min

  3. Jun 8

    TikTok Shop: The Future of Commerce or the Death of Branding?

    Everything brands need to know about TikTok Shop: the $64 billion platform changing the way we shop. This week on Decode Sessions, we're diving into one of the biggest shifts in modern commerce: TikTok Shop. With billions in revenue, one-click purchasing and a generation that's shopping through content rather than search, TikTok Shop is changing the way brands sell. But while the opportunity is massive, so are the risks. From live shopping and creator-driven sales to brand dilution, discovery, and the collapse of the traditional purchase funnel, we unpack what brands need to know before jumping in. Is TikTok Shop the future of commerce, or the fastest way to lose control of your brand? [01:25] TikTok Shop Stats [03:00] How TikTok Shop Works & Why It Is So Frictionless [08:20] Where TikTok Shop Works And Where It Doesn't [13:00] The Brand Control Problem: Gifting, Affiliates & Losing Your Narrative [18:00] The TikTok Diffusion Line Idea [20:00] Final Thoughts & Part 2 Teaser Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands. Never miss an episode, subscribe to the Decode Sessions newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Tiktok for weekly industry insight. Connect with us: Website & Newsletter Instagram & Tiktok

    22 min

  4. May 26

    How Everlane and Marc Jacobs Lost the Plot

    The Everlane you used to love is soon to probably be nothing of what it used to be. This week on Decode Sessions, we're unpacking two very different brand stories. Everlane, the poster child of "radical transparency", has been acquired by Shein, sparking outrage across fashion and sustainability circles. Marc Jacobs has been sold by LVMH after years of strategic missteps, raising questions about luxury, relevance and what happens when a brand stops listening to its audience. From sustainability as a buzzword to the dangers of chasing prestige, we explore what these stories can teach every modern brand. [01:40] — Everlane's origin story, radical transparency and the D2C era [03:40] — Why the D2C (Direct to Consumer) bubble bursted and how Everlane lost its way [06:10] — Sustainability as a buzzword, why you can't build an entire brand on it [08:43] — Everlane x Shein: the acquisition and what it really means [10:50] — Marc Jacobs sold by LVMH, how did it get here? [15:00] — The rise and fall of Marc by Marc Jacobs [22:00] — What does 2026 Marc Jacobs need to look like? Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands. Never miss an episode, subscribe to the Decode Sessions newsletter and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for weekly industry insight. Connect with us: Website: https://decodecollectif.com Newsletter: https://substack.com/@decodesessions Instagram & Tiktok

    26 min

  5. May 22

    Coach's Comeback and the Community Myth: What Brands Keep Getting Wrong About Belonging

    Most brands say they want a community. What they actually want is an audience that buys things. The problem? People can tell the difference. This week Anna and Caitlin decode two things that start with C. Coach the brand and community the buzzword. And both conversations are more connected than you might think. Coach has been around since 1941, longer than most French luxury fashion houses. But by the early 2010s it was everywhere, overexposed, spread across too many categories, too many stores, too many outlet locations making bags specifically for outlet sale. The brand had lost itself. So they did something most brands are too afraid to do. They closed profitable stores. They cut nearly half their product assortment. And they made a very clear, very deliberate decision; they were going after Gen Z and giving up on millennials entirely. Because millennials already had a fixed idea of what Coach was. Gen Z did not. They just saw Y2K. The Coach Play Store concept, including the current pop up at Selfridges with a giant dinosaur slide, a photo booth inside a giant apple and a bag charm personalisation station is smart awareness marketing. But Anna and Caitlin have a few thoughts on what they would have done differently. Including one significant miss that is worth every brand paying attention to. Then there is community. The most overused word in every brand deck, every agency pitch and every marketing strategy right now. An audience watches. A community participates. Attendance is not the same as engagement. And you cannot buy belonging with a gift bag and a paid influencer list. Anna shares what actually happened when Decode Collectif built a real community activation for Lee Jeans with tattoo artist Tal Booker and why nobody asked for a gift bag all night. Because they did not want to leave. The lesson for every brand: stop designing the activation first and inviting people last. Flip it. Start with the people. Build everything around them. And then show up for them again and again. Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.

    32 min

  6. May 13

    Did Tech Bros Ruin the Met Gala? Bezos, Zuckerberg and the Question Nobody in Fashion Wants to Answer.

    Money can buy a seat at the Met Gala. The question is whether it can buy culture. This week Anna and Caitlin tackle the most controversial fashion moment of the year. The Met Gala 2026. Dubbed the Tech Gala. And the question dividing the Decode Sessions studio: did tech bros ruin fashion's biggest night or did they have every right to be there? Here is what actually happened. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez donated $10 million to the Costume Institute, roughly a quarter of the $42 million raised on the night. In return Lauren Sanchez stood next to Anna Wintour on the red carpet to greet guests. Mark Zuckerberg was there. Snapchat, OpenAI, Instagram, Slack, all there. And the backlash was immediate. But here is the thing. Anna Wintour said yes. She curates every single detail of that event: who is invited, where they sit, who walks the red carpet. So is this really on tech? Or is this on her? And could there be something even bigger at play, given the ongoing rumours that Jeff Bezos wants to buy Condé Nast because Lauren Sanchez wants Vogue? Anna and Caitlin do not agree on this one. One is very much team tech. One is very much team fashion. And the conversation is exactly as interesting as you would expect. But here is what both agree on. You cannot buy cultural currency. You can write a cheque. You can get a seat. But world building does not happen through a donation. And the tech executives who wore emerging designers, unknown names from Hackney, first ever menswear looks from new labels, they got the best press of the night. Whilst Zuckerberg wore Prada and got roasted. The lesson is right there. Who funds you is now part of your brand identity. Gen Z does the research. And shoehorning yourself into a cultural moment you have not earned will always show. Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.

    24 min

  7. May 5

    How Saltair and Naturium Built Beauty Brands People Genuinely Swear By

    Susan Yara sold Naturium for $355 million after three years. Iskra Lawrence built Saltair into a beauty brand people genuinely swear by. One that sits in both Space NK and Boots simultaneously, something almost no brand manages to pull off. This week Anna and Caitlin decode exactly how they did it and what every brand can learn from both. But first, why are indie beauty brands dominating right now? When Anna and Caitlin were growing up there was no middle ground in beauty. You had your basic face cream or you saved up for La Mer. Space NK changed that. And now a new generation of founder led, social first, accessibly priced brands are doing something the legacy conglomerates simply cannot, they are making you feel like the person behind the brand is someone you could actually be. Naturium is science first. Skincare ingredients at a $20 price point, built for layering, launched through Susan Yara's years of credibility as a beauty journalist and YouTuber, and scaled through a brilliant early move into Target that proved the distribution was there. That is what gets you to $355 million. Saltair is something completely different. Iskra Lawrence built a brand around the idea of transporting you somewhere. The smell of salt air, the shimmer of a body oil, the feeling of being on holiday. Not a celebrity brand. Not a marketing exercise. A brand built because she needed something that did not exist yet and could not find it anywhere. Two very different founders. Two very different brands. The same shared truth; influence gets you the first purchase. The product gets you every one after that. And in a beauty market this crowded, repeat purchase is everything. The best brands are always built by people trying to fill something missing in their own lives. And that authenticity you can't fake it, manufacture it, or buy it. But you can work backwards to find it. And that is exactly what Anna and Caitlin help brands do every day. Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.

    40 min

  8. Apr 28

    Tech Is Stealing From Fashion. Meta on Fifth Avenue, Nothing's Creator Hubs and Why Salone del Mobile Is the Anti-Coachella

    Five years ago Facebook changed its name to Meta and told everyone we were all going to live in the metaverse. Fashion bought in. NFTs, digital runways, 3D catwalks. And then quietly it all fell apart. Now the pendulum has swung completely the other way. And this week Anna and Caitlin decode exactly what that looks like. Meta has signed a 10 year lease on Fifth Avenue, positioned between Dior, Gucci and Prada on Millionaires Row, not to sell glasses, but to build a world. Nothing, the London hardware brand making phones and earphones that actually look beautiful, has opened experiential creator hubs in India with New York and Tokyo next: part café, part content studio, part community. And Anthropic, the company behind Claude, partnered with Airmail to create screen free, slop free zones in New York and London. A technology company building spaces deliberately free of technology. Counterintuitive. Completely on brand. Why is all of this happening? Because the average person cannot tell the difference between one AI and the next. Between one tech product and another. And so these brands are doing what fashion has always done, they are selling an identity, not just a utility. Nothing even poached their creative brand director straight from the fashion world. They are not hiring tech people to do this. They are hiring fashion people. Then there is Salone del Mobile. Happening in Milan right now and quietly becoming one of the most important cultural moments in the brand calendar. Where Coachella is fun, fast and product driven, Salone is intellectual, tactile and slow. The opposite of TikTok. Gucci built a meadow with no product in sight. Davines hosted a literary salon. Jil Sander built a library. Acqua di Parma created a bookshop inside a giant perfume bottle. None of it is there to sell. All of it is positioning. Coachella is fun. Salone is intellectual. And the brands that understand the difference are the ones who know exactly who they are and where they want to show up. One big warning though, EMV numbers mean nothing if the content coming out of your activation is off brand. Free peppered with paid. Every time. Decode Sessions explores the strategies, consumer behaviors, cultural shifts, and industry trends shaping the future of fashion, beauty, retail, and luxury brands.

    38 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to Decode Sessions: the world's number one marketing podcast for fashion and culture. Hosted by Anna Anderson and Caitlin Shell, this is where fashion, tech and business collide. We decode what's happening across culture and marketing, and turn it into clear, actionable insights that brands and marketers can use immediately. Caitlin lives at the intersection of fashion, tech, and commercial strategy. She is our business geek, bringing commercial insights and nerdy data points! Anna is the fashion and luxury marketer who has a track record of working with the most influential brands in the world: from Gucci to H&M. She's our brand snob, bringing cultural insights sprinkled with guerrilla tactics for those that lack huge budgets. Together, they offer 40 years of combined fashion & luxury experience. Two perspectives, one mic, no filter.

Information

  • Creator
    Anna Anderson, Caitlin Shell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Decode Sessions