Decode Sessions

Anna Anderson

Welcome to Decode Sessions: the world's number one marketing podcast for fashion and culture. Hosted by Anna Anderson, this is where fashion, culture 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. Anna is the fashion and luxury marketer who has a track record of working with the most influential brands in the world: a former Condé Nast editor across Vogue and GQ London, with career roots at H&M Sweden, she spans mass market to luxury editorial. A sought-after speaker at Web Summit, IMS London, and eTail EU, she brings sharp cultural insight and strategy that brands of any size can put to work. She offers 20+ years of fashion & luxury experience. One perspective, one mic, no filter.

  1. Oct 20

    Black Friday Is Losing Its Magic

    Billions are still being spent, but shoppers are losing trust, discounts are becoming predictable, and brands could be paying a much higher price than they realise. While Chanel and Hermès refuse to discount, Alo Yoga is turning Black Friday into an exclusive members-only event. Meanwhile, brands like The Ordinary and Allbirds are rewriting the rules entirely. So, is Black Friday still a retail goldmine, or is discount culture quietly destroying brand value? In this week's Decode Sessions, we unpack the Black Friday marketing strategies shaping fashion, luxury and retail in 2026, and what brands should be doing differently. Black Friday Has Lost Its Magic. Now What? #DecodeSessions #BlackFriday2026 #LuxuryMarketing #FashionBusiness #RetailStrategy #BrandStrategy

  2. Oct 12

    Is Frieze The New Coachella?

    Is Frieze becoming the new Coachella of the art world? As Frieze London 2026 takes over Regent's Park, we explore why luxury brands like Tiffany & Co., JW Anderson, Stone Island and Deutsche Bank are investing in art, culture and exclusive experiences. From Ari Emanuel's nearly $200 million acquisition of Frieze to the rise of immersive brand activations, we break down how art fairs are becoming powerful platforms for luxury marketing, cultural relevance and high-value audiences. Plus, what brands can learn about creating authentic partnerships, building exclusivity and turning cultural moments into long-term brand value. [03:55] Why Luxury Brands Are Investing in Frieze London 2026 [11:45] From Art Fair to Global Luxury Brand: The Rise of Frieze [15:25] How Frieze Turned Five Days into a Year-Round Business [19:40] Ari Emanuel's $200 Million Bet on the Art World [25:05] What Brands Can Learn from Frieze's Marketing Strategy 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.

  3. Oct 7

    The Business Behind Paris Fashion Week

    What can Paris Fashion Week teach us about where fashion marketing is heading? In this episode of Decode Sessions, Anna takes us inside Paris Fashion Week 2026 to look beyond the runway at the marketing strategies shaping fashion's biggest week. From L'Oréal turning its Fashion Week presence into a global marketing moment to the rise of public activations and creator-led experiences, we explore how brands are opening up a traditionally exclusive industry. Anna also breaks down the changing luxury consumer, the growing importance of beauty and fragrance, and the strategy and money behind who gets a seat on fashion's most influential front rows. [02:29] Why Paris Fashion Week Is More Than Just Fashion Shows [06:04] How L'Oréal Turned Fashion Week Into a Global Marketing Moment [09:11] How Fashion Week Is Becoming More Accessible [17:44] The Shift Towards Entry-Level Luxury [22:51] The Pay-to-Play Reality of Fashion Week 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.

  4. Sep 22

    The Brand Taking on Skims

    Underdays didn't start with a business plan, it started with a disappointing trip to a lingerie sample sale. Five years later, co-founders Oria Mackenzie and Amelie Sala have built a wellness-driven underwear brand with a cult UK following, a skincare-infused fabric line, and a US expansion that's growing faster than either of them expected. We talk about why underwear has been the most overlooked category in wellness, how they built loyalty from sticker drops and grassroots gifting long before they had a marketing budget, and why they've never chased "newness" the way most brands do, colour drops that sell out in 36 hours have done the job instead. Oria and Amelie get into the data behind the brand, the different customer personas they've mapped out, and what it actually takes to build trust without shortcuts. We also dig into UNDERskin™, their first bra collection, and what's fuelling their US growth. It's a founder story about patience and research in a category built on quick fixes, and a look at what it takes to carve out space in a market Skims has dominated. [04:18] From Fashion Industry Career to Founding an Underwear Brand [11:39] Content Strategy: Posting 50 Times a Week to Educate Customers [16:47] Influencer Gifting and Finding Your Ideal Customer [19:31] Building Brand Loyalty Through Real Community, Not Quick Fixes [24:03] Using Customer Data to Build a Stronger Brand [28:30] Driving Hype With Colour Drops and Limited Editions [32:36] Wellness Innovation and Expanding a Brand Into the US 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.

  5. Sep 9

    111SKIN, Gucci & Balenciaga: Michael Edelmann on Building Modern Luxury

    We sat down with Michael Edelmann, CMO of 111SKIN, to talk about modern luxury marketing, from Harry Styles and celebrity influence to TikTok, K-beauty, and the loyalty that keeps a community coming back. Drawing on a career across Gucci, Balenciaga, Business of Fashion and Dr. Barbara Sturm, Michael brings a rare outside-in view to a category obsessed with ingredient claims and quick wins. We get into why a global brand strategy only works if it's willing to look different in every market it enters, from a single Alo Yoga activation in New York that ended up shaping 111SKIN's approach across London, Paris, Dubai and China. We talk about why an unlikely partnership with TaskRabbit turned into one of the brand's smartest cultural moments, and why Michael thinks beauty's loyalty problem can't be solved with virality or price, only with proof. We also trace the brand back to its roots in a Harley Street surgical clinic, and the discipline of staying true to the audience that built you, even when a louder, younger one is calling. It's a conversation about what modern luxury marketing actually looks like when culture moves faster than any brand strategy can keep up with. [04:45] The Story Behind 111SKIN and Its Harley Street Origins [09:00] What Fashion Marketing Can Teach the Beauty Industry [14:00] Why Experiential Marketing Is Core to 111SKIN [17:30] Building a Global Luxury Brand with Local Relevance [25:45] Rethinking Exclusivity in Luxury Marketing [31:00] TikTok, Gen Z and Knowing Your Core Consumer [39:15] Why Great Marketing Can't Save a Bad Product 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.

  6. Aug 13

    Did Heartbreak Make Phlur A Leader In The Fragrance Industry?

    A single TikTok about grief scented perfume made people cry and buy a fragrance they'd never smelled. Three years later, Phlur is doing $100M+ a year and just sold to private equity. We break down how Chriselle Lim turned a divorce into "Missing Person," why fragrance layering and wardrobing are rewriting how Gen Z buys scent, and the quiet operator behind The Center, Ben Bennett, who's run this exact playbook with Naturium and Saltair. Then: can you sell volume and stay desirable? [02:54] Phlur's origin story: DTC launch to acquisition [04:42] Chriselle Lim's Missing Person: born from a divorce, sold out in 5 hours [06:36] The TikTok that made it viral [13:43] The layering trend and fragrance wardrobing [30:31] Ben Bennett and The Center's playbook (Naturium, Saltair, Phlur) 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.

  7. Jul 28

    M&S Just Humiliated Every "Cool" Brand

    Marks & Spencer went from British High Street staple to sold-out viral moments, a live shoppable Ibiza runway show, and a Formula One takeover. In this episode of Decode Sessions, we break down exactly what changed at M&S. The leadership shift, the Gillian Anderson campaign, the 600-account TikTok infrastructure, and the F1 partnership, and unpack why it's landing so hard with Gen Z. Five clear takeaways for any brand trying to reconnect with a younger audience without losing its heritage. [2:11] The Numbers That Prove It's Not Hype [3:02] The Ibiza Show That Changed Everything [5:30] The Gillian Anderson Masterstroke [6:36] M&S Takes Over Formula One [8:12] 600 TikTok Accounts. One Empire. [11:21] The Playbook Every Brand Needs to Steal 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.

  8. Jul 21

    Reformation's Glow Up Had a Very Unglamorous Ending

    "Brand loyalty and virality are not the same metric. Reformation built one of the most talked about retail concepts in fashion, and then forgot that the experience is not the content." This week Anna talks about how she walked into Reformation in Sloane Square on a random Friday and left with more questions than purchases. What she found was one of the most fascinating fashion brand strategy case studies in retail right now: a brand that built genuine cultural relevance through sustainability, quality and innovation, then accepted private equity investment and watched every metric of brand equity go down while every metric of brand growth went up. In this episode Anna decodes what Reformation actually built, what went wrong, what private equity does to a fashion brand and what every founder needs to know before they take the money. [02:00] What Reformation actually built. From vintage LA store to one of fashion's most culturally powerful brands. [03:40] Retail X and the viral fitting rooms. Why virality and brand loyalty are not the same metric. [12:30] The private equity acquisition and what happened to Reformation's brand equity after 2019. [16:05] Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the human connection that technology cannot replace. [17:35] How to take investment without losing your brand. The structural protections every founder needs to know. 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.

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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, this is where fashion, culture 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. Anna is the fashion and luxury marketer who has a track record of working with the most influential brands in the world: a former Condé Nast editor across Vogue and GQ London, with career roots at H&M Sweden, she spans mass market to luxury editorial. A sought-after speaker at Web Summit, IMS London, and eTail EU, she brings sharp cultural insight and strategy that brands of any size can put to work. She offers 20+ years of fashion & luxury experience. One perspective, one mic, no filter.

Information

  • Creator
    Anna Anderson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Decode Sessions

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