The Business of Fashion Podcast The Business of Fashion

As London Fashion Week kicks off, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with four London-based creative talents to explore how the city’s rich creative scene stems from its unique cultural diversity and the sense of community and collaboration this provides.
Background: 
With over 300 languages spoken within its city limits — more than any other metropolis — London has cemented its place among the world’s most global cities. This has boosted its reputation not only as a creative hub, but also as a source of inspiration for creatives around the world working in sectors from fashion and media to music and art.
“London has a rich Diasporic culture, and it's where… you have the opportunity to build a community around you,” says fashion designer Jawara Alleyne. “London, being such a vast city, gives that space [for] these multiple different cultures that are existing on top of each other and inspiring each other and feeding off of each other.”
This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed chats with four exciting Londoners shaping the city’s creative scene.
Alleyne joins conceptual artist Amber Pinkerton, musician Bradley Miller and Dazed editorial director Kacion Mayers to discuss their experiences of living, working and creating in London and to hear their advice for other creatives looking for their big break.  
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London’s history of thriving subcultures has helped create an inclusive community spirit, says Alleyne, where “the people around you actually have a shared experience that you can amplify. You're no longer just speaking for yourself, you're speaking for all of the other groups of people who feel the same way that you feel.”Creatives starting out in London should channel their inner courage, says Pinkerton. “Don't be afraid to approach people or bother them… not being afraid to ask for advice, not being afraid to also get… feedback or criticism about things,” she says. Boldness alone isn’t enough, Mayers believes. “You need to really find your community, hone in on that and just work with each other and build on each other and create with each other and stay true to what you want to communicate and what you want to create,” he says. Mayers added that his own London community is a frequent reference in his work. “I always want to reflect back to the community. I always want people to open Dazed and… see things that they can recognise and see things that's aspirational… And I think that's key to a lot of people’s success, just being able to reflect a reality,” he says. Miller believes the industries that hindered creatives of colour in the past need to change if they want to remain relevant. “These systems and infrastructures… have to adapt to what we're [industry creatives of colour] doing because this is what's happening right now. For them to be relevant or seem to be functioning, they have to [provide] support in these things that are happening in their city,” says Miller. 
Additional Resources:

Meet the Creative Agency Behind Those Viral Dazed Covers: New School, a agency out of London reps a fast-rising group of tight-knit creatives, including members of the teams behind last fall’s Dazed covers featuring Rihanna and Harry Styles, campaigns for Apple and Klarna, and a show for Thebe Magugu.
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The founder of the streetwear sensation broke into fashion thanks not only to his steely determination and breakthrough creative ideas, but also the unwavering support of the community he built from the ground up.
Background: 
Within a decade, Colm Dillane, the New York-based founder and designer of streetwear label KidSuper, went from selling T-shirts to fellow students out of his New York University dorm room to winning the the Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize at the LVMH Prize in 2021 and designing a one-off menswear collection for Louis Vuitton. 
But it wasn’t a straight shot to success. The now 32-year-old has had to learn the ropes of fashion the hard way, maxing out his bank account, taking risk after risk to figure out how to transform his creativity into a bonafide business. 
Through it all, Dillane has focused on community-building as an end goal.
“It's always funny when brands reach out to me and they're like, ‘We love the community you created’. I would always be like, ‘They're creating community to sell product. I was selling product to create community. What are you doing this for? If it's not to meet interesting people?” says Dillane. 
This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Dillane to discuss his journey as a designer and his lessons for emerging fashion designers and entrepreneurs. 
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Dillane came from outside fashion, and from the start, has used his creativity to get the industry’s attention. “When I was young, [I felt] the fashion industry was the most elitist, stand-offish, impossible thing to break into,” he recalls. But in navigating his way further into the industry, he saw that “creativity and new ideas are embraced and supported and championed more so than I thought they would be,” 
When musicians started asking about the brand, Dillane didn’t simply ship off his T-shirts, hoodies and hats to them. Rather he wanted to build a relationship. “I always wanted to meet people, so I would never send clothing, I would send myself,” he says, recalling how meeting the late rapper Mac Miller in person led to one of the brand’s first breaks — with the musician sporting a KidSuper hat on an album cover.
Even amid the big breaks, perseverance is critical, he says. In 2019, he thought his brand would catapult to fame overnight after receiving a rave review in Vogue following his first show, a hastily produced off-calendar event during Paris Fashion Week. The reality was different. “I get this amazing review… I'm now a superstar designer. [But] nothing changes in my life,” recalls Dillane. The designer didn’t give up — “I’m not a quitter” — and by 2021, KidSuper held its first official PFW show, “Everything’s Fake Until It’s Real.”
Dillane believes young designers can look to KidSuper for inspiration. “I've never deleted an Instagram post, so you can scroll down and see like me buying my first sewing machine or and kind of chronologically follow how I got here,” he says. “I think it's pretty cool for how far I've gotten.”
Additional Resources:

Louis Vuitton Taps KidSuper Designer Colm Dillane For Next Menswear Collection:  Designer Colm Dillane, whose label KidSuper won LVMH’s Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2021, has “embedded” with Louis Vuitton’s menswear studio in recent months to help design its men’s collection set to be revealed 19 January.
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Ahead of New York Fashion Week, The Washington Post’s Rachel Tashjian speaks with BoF’s founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed about how the industry is changing post-pandemic. 
Background:
There's a good reason why New York Fashion Week isn’t the all important agenda-setter it once was, according to Rachel Tashjian, a fashion writer for The Washington Post. US consumers, she says, now take their fashion cues from influencers and social media as much as they do the runway. “Some of the more interesting things happening in American fashion are just outside of fashion week,” says Tashjian. “I just wonder if American designers feel like, is this [New York Fashion Week] really worth it for me to be doing? Is this where my audience is?”
This week on The BoF Podcast, Imran Amed, BoF’s founder and editor-in-chief, sits down with Tashjian to discuss her perspective on the state of the fashion industry today and her expectations for the evolution of NYFW in a post-Covid world.
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As some established brands look beyond NYFW to connect with customers to showcase their designs, Tashjian believes this shift has opened up space for emerging designers. “These smaller or more emerging brands are dominating [NYFW] because we don't have a lot of the larger brands showing,” says Tashjian.
That relationship will be seen up-close at NYFW this season, Tashjian predicts. Because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which leaves actors unable to promote their films, Tashjian says celebrities will dominate the front row. “This is going to be kind of an unprecedented season in terms of celebrity presence at fashion week because, with the strikes going on, these are things that celebrities can promote these relationships that they have with fashion brands,” she says.
How celebrities embrace fashion can impact how the public perceives them, as well, says Tashjian. “Fashion has this really interesting ability to recontextualise someone we think we know really well,” she says. “Margot Robbie during the Barbie Press tour, wearing these fun, campy Schiaparelli [looks] and hot pink Chanel. All of a sudden we're thinking, ‘Oh, this is a woman who has a really fun and playful understanding of fashion.’”
Tashjian believes the role of fashion criticism is different than it was in years past. “Perhaps because of the availability of fashion, we need critics more than ever before,” she says. “I think about my role as to provide an insider perspective or context. I was actually at this show and here's how it felt to be sitting in that room.”
Tashjian is also known for her newsletter, Opulent Tips, which she began when she was working at GQ. In the newsletter she discussed womenswear, products and smaller brands she admired. “I felt like it could be kind of fun to have a little space where I can talk about those things and maybe introduce those brands to some people who maybe wouldn't come across them,” she says. 
Additional Resources:

The BoF Podcast | Karl Lagerfeld at the Met: Designer, Polymath, Jigsaw Puzzle: Andrew Bolton’s latest curatorial miracle celebrates the creative process of one of fashion’s greatest icons. Bolton sits down with Tim Blanks for BoF’s latest podcast.
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Darnell Strom’s professional path has wound its way from politics to Hollywood, a trajectory that started with several globe-trotting years working for former US President Bill Clinton. As partner and head of culture and leadership at entertainment agency UTA today Strom represents totemic cultural figures including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and Edward Enninful, the outgoing editor-in-chief of British Vogue, as well as Gisele Bundchen and Michaela Cole. The breadth of his client roster reflects Strom’s thesis that captivating, culturally impactful people can come from anywhere.
 
“My definition of talent isn't just an actor, a musician and an athlete,” he says. “It's also a well-known politician or an incredible activist or a rock star CEO or someone in fashion, an artist … I want to be able to represent all those people.”
This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Strom to discuss what his career has taught him about the power of creativity and cultural convergence – and the opportunities this is creating for top talents. 

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It was a conversation with the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh that inspired Strom to think differently about his work as an agent and seek out clients from all types of industries. He recalls Abloh telling him: “You should be representing people like me, people who are multi-hyphenate, people who understand that there are no walls between these worlds of culture.” Strom believes social media has irrevocably democratised the entertainment industry, making it possible for even an aspiring filmmaker from anywhere to create a blockbuster movie or a fashion trend that stems from a single post. “As you look at the marketplace, both in fashion and entertainment and media, everything is moving at such a fast rate. And if you're doing the job the same way you did 10 years ago, you're going to get left behind,” he says.Strom believes the changes we are seeing is just the start of a bigger journey. “I think the future of culture is convergence, which we're seeing now. But I think it's just the beginning of it. I think the next 10 years are going to be fascinating,” says Strom. 
Additional Resources:
Darnell Strom to Lead UTA’s Newly Created Culture and Leadership Division: Political staffer turned Hollywood rep joins entertainment agency UTA to head its new culture and leadership division. What the Hollywood Strike Means for Fashion: While red carpets have momentarily dried up for brands and stylists, the SAG and WGA’s simultaneous strikes pose an unlikely opportunity for fashion companies to tap celebrity talent. 
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Mo Gawdat, an artificial intelligence expert and former chief business officer of Google X, explains how humans have the power to turn AI into a positive force that benefits society. 
Background:
Public perception of artificial intelligence ranges widely. Depending on who you’re listening to, it could be a source of unlimited technological potential or a dire threat right out of a science fiction novel.
According to Mo Gawdat, the former chief business officer for Google X, concerns about AI are valid. But fears that AI will turn against humanity are misguided. Rather, says Gawdat, we have an opportunity to teach AI to be a force for good. 
"If 1 percent of us, only 1 percent of humanity... show the good side of us in front of those machines, those machines will be intelligent enough to say humanity is a divine being,” Gawdat said at BoF VOICES 2022. 
This week on The BoF Podcast, Gawdat discusses the future of AI and why ethics are crucial to managing its development.
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As AI continues to evolve at a startling pace, Gawdat believes it will surpass human intelligence in the next few years. “My prediction is that [in] 2049, AI will be a billion times smarter than humans… It's a comparison between the intelligence of Einstein and the intelligence of a fly. And we are the fly,” says Gawdat.  Gawdat compares humanity’s relationship with AI to that of a parent and child. The technology has the potential to be greater than its creators, but like a child, it needs a positive influence to grow. Gawdat believes humanity can teach AI morals and ethics that are in society’s best interest. “If we start to look at those machines as a new form of artificial being, a form of being that's going to come into our society, then the question that we need to ask is a question of ethics. It's not a question of control,” says Gawdat. Gawdat believes humans can show AI the positive parts of society, but humanity needs to first understand how to get over its obstacle of negative bias. “The truth of humanity is amazing,” he says. “The only problem we have is we stopped showing that. We just talk about the negativity and the fakeness.”
Additional Resources:

How AI and Web3 Are Shaping Fashion’s Future: BoF welcomed business leaders, technologists and creative innovators to share their insights on the pivotal technologies shaping the fashion industry. Watch on-demand now.Fashion Execs Can’t Stop Talking About AI: Executives have been highlighting the technology more often on earnings calls, suggesting more businesses are adopting it — and maybe giving it a shoutout to impress investors.Generative AI Won’t Be the End of Human Fashion Designers: Just as photography didn’t spell the extinction of painting, generative AI won’t kill off human designers. It may even create more appreciation for the physical craft of fashion.
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When Ben Gorham of Byredo and Monique Rodriguez of Mielle Organics sold the businesses they spent years building, the financial milestone was just the culmination of more meaningful professional journeys that began with a clear sense of purpose. 
Background: 
Beauty founders Ben Gorham of fragrance label Byredo, and Monique Rodriguez of hair care brand Mielle Organics, both took their businesses from indie beauty darlings with cult followings to high-profile exits to major conglomerates: Byredo sold to Spanish luxury giant Puig for $1 billion in 2022, while Procter & Gamble bought Mielle Organics earlier this year. 
But the two founders didn’t start their businesses with the sole focus of cashing in quickly. “We live in a climate where expectations are that you start a company and you build it to great heights, and then you sell it, and you make lots of money. And this is how we define success stories,” said Gorham. “For me, for many years, it was really about just the craft. It was really about the product. It was really about learning how to operate a business.” 
As Rodriguez learned after building a loyal customer base, a sale impacts many other stakeholders. “When you build a brand in the Black community, it's not my brand, it's their brand,” said Rodriguez. Yet she doesn’t downplay the personal importance of the exit. “It's a true testament to — especially as a Black woman, a woman of colour — what we build is very valuable… I didn't grow up seeing this. So to accomplish just having a conversation [with investors, including P&G] was rewarding for me,” she said.
This week on The BoF Podcast, Gorham and Rodriguez sit down with Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty, to share how they navigate entrepreneurship and success in a conversation from The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2023.
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Rodriguez started Mielle to fill a void in hair care that she and other Black customers faced. “As a consumer myself, I saw that there was a lack of relatability. I thought that there was a lack of education. I felt that there was no brand that understood my needs as a natural hair consumer,” she said.Gorham also sought to fill an underserved market with Byredo. “The idea of luxury and the culture of luxury didn't speak to people that looked like me or grew up like me or came from my culture [with a Canadian father and Indian mother, growing up in Sweden]. So I set out to kind of redefine what that could mean as a brand,” said Gorham.When her start-up was ready to explore being part of a larger company, Rodriguez said it was important that she was clear what she wanted — and didn’t want — from Mielle’s suitor. “As you find a partner, it's like a marriage, right? And you don't want to get divorced… So it was really important that my partners understood where we were trying to go and did not want to disrupt what we knew we were already good at,” she said.Being part of a larger company and maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit are not mutually exclusive… My mother grew up in a garage in Mumbai. To say that the financial milestone or the monetary aspect wasn’t important… would be a lie.” said Gorham. “Selling kind of implies that I wouldn't be there or that I would exit… even though that’s the mechanical trigger of the transaction, my role is still intact. I continue to work night and day as I’ve done over this journey,” he said. 
Additional Resources:
The Business of Beauty Global Forum: Where Will Growth Come From?

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