Lunch Break with Daphne Seybold at Thai Diner.

During my first season at Saks, Vogue released an article titled “Fashion Week’s Coolest Street Style Stars are Behind-the-Scenes.” That piece marked the first time I laid eyes on Daphne Seybold. Although I had previously met her virtually while interning at V Magazine, and even made several trips to the Comme des Garçons office for pickups and drop-offs, I never managed to catch a glimpse of her in person. But there she was in the Vogue article, wearing what I can only assume was one of her many Comme des Garçons pieces. With one hand tucked casually in her pocket and the other tousling her hair, she exuded a serene aura, no doubt influenced by her idyllic surroundings.

One line from the piece that truly captivated me was her description of her signature style: "Katherine Hepburn à la Comme des Garçons. Oversized, layered, and easy, with vintage jewels from my mama, and always a flat: slippers, brogues, or creepers." The phrase 'Katherine Hepburn à la Comme des Garçons' immediately captivated me—how could I resist? I rarely use this word, but in this case, it's the only one that fits: chic. So, when I had the opportunity to sit down with Daphne to discuss her current role at Sky High Farm Universe and her 14-year tenure at Comme des Garçons, I knew I would walk away feeling even more inspired and enriched.

After leaving CDG in 2022, Daphne transitioned to Sky High Farm Universe as their Co-CEO and also serves as co-founder and CMO. In our conversation, we delved into her remarkable career at CDG, including the all-important question: what does one wear when meeting Rei Kawakubo for the first time? And perhaps even more critically, how does one leave a lasting impression.

As is my usual style, I won’t delve too deeply into my guest’s background here—I encourage you, dear reader, to listen to the episode or read the transcript for the full experience. Sky High Farm’s mission is incredibly close to my heart, and I find Daphne to be so intelligent and insightful that it would be a disservice not to make this episode accessible to as many people as possible. (After listening to this episode, I highly recommend going back to my conversation with Danielle DuBois of Sakara Life, where we also explore important topics about the food landscape.)

On a side note, as i mentioned yesterday I’ve extended the discount promotion through tomorrow. So if you enjoy listening to or reading these full-length interviews and don’t want to miss a single moment, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

One more thing before we dive into Daphne’s episode: Sky High Farm Universe just launched their F/W '24 collection, co-created with Jen Brill of Homme Girls, and they’ve also released an all-purpose tallow balm that is simply divine! I’ve been obsessively rubbing it into my hands, and it’s an absolute must-have.

Jalil Johnson (00:00:00): Alrighty. Daphne, would you please introduce yourself and what you do?

Daphne Seybold (00:00:07): Okay. I'm Daphne Seybold. I am the co-founder, co-CEO, and the CMO. We're a startup called Sky High Farm Universe, which is a brand that we built to generate advocacy and revenue for the food equity work of the nonprofit Sky High Farm, which is a farm that's based in the Hudson Valley.

JJ (00:00:29): Amazing. So the first time I met you—and we didn't even really meet, it was over email—was when I was still assisting in the styling world, and you