“These people are creatives. They want to create, they want to get their product out there and talk about their product, yet they have to spend most of their time doing these things that they don’t want to do.” – Brand Assembly CEO Hillary France http://www.brandassembly.com/

Zack Hurley is Founder and CEO of Indie Source, a Los Angeles-based manufacturing and product development service provider that serves as an independent fashion hub for resources and education, and is helping many local independent designers build their businesses. Links: indiesource.com ABOUT AFP: If you would like to be a guest on the show, t ...…

Tito Chowdhury is the CEO of FashioNXT, a company fostering innovation in the fashion and technology industries out in Portland, Oregon. Why is this the home town of so many Project Runway winners? References: https://fashionxt.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tito-chowdhury/ http://garmentdistrict.nyc/ http://www.mikesnyctours.com/…

Garik Himebaugh is the founder of men’s ethical fashion blog and curated shopping platform eco-stylist.com (aka ecostylist.co). References: Adalante Shoe Company Remake Evrnu Study Hall

Sarah Flint is the designer, founder, and CEO of her namesake footwear label, Sarah Flint. In this interview, she discusses women’s footwear, switching from wholesale to direct to consumer, and her adventures getting comfortable shoes made for women in Italy. Sarah Flint – https://www.sarahflint.com/…

Flagpole swimwear brand founders Jaime Barker and Megan Balch talk about the path and growth of their dancewear-inspired Made In NYC swimwear brand. To find more episodes of the series or search for a specific guest, refer to our Episode Listpage. If you would like to be a guest on the show, there is a Be A Guest page. You can find press covera ...…

Kerry Cooper is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Rothy’s, a footwear brand making an impact on recycling with technology and comfort. To find more episodes of the series or search for a specific guest, refer to our Episode List page. If you would like to be a guest on the show, there is a Be A Guest page. You can find press coverage ...…

New York Fashion Week will soon be upon us again, and it’s best to be prepared. We’ve assembled a team of the world’s top experts for The New York Fashion Week Pregame Show to help you navigate the confusion many often feel when Fashion Week is going on. Timecode for reference: 00:00 Intro and Design Flaw / 06:00 NYMD Designers / 16:26 Yeohlee ...…

What you’ll hear in this episode includes details of a big upcoming sustainable fashion competition, short interviews with executives from Toshiba, Wipro, and C2RO Technologies, whom Cathy Schepis and Charles Beckwith spoke with at the National Retail Federation’s “NRF Big Show” tradeshow last week, plus what and who Charles saw at the Texworld ...…

Brooklyn Decker (actress and model) and Whitney Casey (former ABC and CNN anchor) are the founders of Finery, a tech startup with a big edge on organizing your wardrobe. It’s an innovative solution, and this episode gives a window into the lives and perspectives of two very intelligent and dynamic female tech startup founders. The Finery.co fou ...…

Tracy Matthews is the host of the Thrive by Design Podcast, the co-founder of Flourish & Thrive Academy. She has been an independent jewelry designer and entrepreneur for the past 25 years. Flourish & Thrive Academy – https://flourishthriveacademy.com/ Thrive by Design Podcast – https://www.flourishthriveacademy.com/podcast/ Tracy Matthews – ht ...…

The icon, Donna Karan, interviewed in the event space at her Urban Zen store in Greenwich Village, NYC, December 2018. Urban Zen – https://urbanzen.com/ Urban Zen Foundation – https://urbanzen.org/ To find more episodes of the series or search for a specific guest, refer to our Episode List page. If you would like to be a guest on the show, the ...…

Speed to market, dead inventory, fabric minimums, inflexible machines and processes, disconnection from customer needs and wants… all solved? All solved in an ethical sustainable manner?! That’s the assertion from Lawrence Lenihan and Joseph Ferrara, Co-Founders of Resonance Companies, and, yes, they have proof of concept. They’ve selected seve ...…

Robin Lewis (The Robin Report) and Jan Rogers Kniffen (veteran retail executive and a regular contributor to CNBC) are back to weigh in on the continuing rapid bloodbath and rebirth cycle that defines the current retail environment. Recorded with a live audience at a Retail Marketing Society lunch and learn networking event. The Retail Marketin ...…

Susan Hull Walker is the Founder of Ibu. We interview her about her global artisan textile network and mission to save the skills of distant artisan communities that are threatened by the pressures of global development. Ibu: http://www.ibumovement.com/

Ann Roth is the costume designer behind such celebrated films as The Hours, Cold Mountain, Mamma Mia!, The Birdcage, Postcards From The Edge, The Day of The Locust, and Midnight Cowboy. She received the Academy Award twice, for her work on The Talented Mr. Ripley and The English Patient. Ann has been a mentor to our other guest, Giovanni Lipari ...…

Our guest, Samantha Alston is the founder of Big Lives, a company creating exclusive curated retail experiences that feature fantastic emerging designer brands. Big Lives – https://biglives.co/ To find more episodes of the series or search for a specific guest, refer to our Episode List page. If you would like to be a guest on the show, there i ...…

L.A.-based brand Strapped was founded by creative director and television personality Jordan Wiseley, who finds inspiration in the culture around motorcycles and vintage Americana. With a cult and celebrity following already built on the release of a single leather jacket, Jordan discusses his plans for Season One of his show, or brand, or busi ...…

Malia Mills celebrates her company’s 25th anniversary this year. She is in the studio with her production director, Libby Mattern, talking about how she has run a small business, launched her own stores, operated her own factory, and made a post-9/11 strategic withdrawal from wholesale. Libby discusses her non-profit sewing school, Course of Tr ...…

A discussion of ideas from two new sustainable fashion books, Sustainable Fashion: Governance and New Management Approaches, a collection of essays edited by Sarah Margaretha Jastram and Anna-Maria Schneider, as well as Eco-Friendly and Fair: Fast Fashion and Consumer Behaviour, also a collection of essays, edited by Mark Heuer and Carolin Beck ...…

Accessories Council President Karen Giberson discusses the devastating effects of Washington’s new trade policy, and what you need to know about it. https://accessoriescouncil.org/

A lingerie brand and an accessories brand, both relatively new companies, both selling some wholesale and some direct to consumer, both making a name for themselves in the marketplace. This is a conversation with Aaron Luo, CEO of Caraa (which is designed by Carmen Chen Wu), and Thistle and Spire founders Lily Chen and Maggie Bacon. Their appro ...…

Elizabeth Pulos is an expert in the field of CSR, or Corporate Social Responsibility, and has been an overseas factory inspector in many places around the world. In this interview, she speaks about her experiences in China, Bangladesh, and South America, and how compliance issues affect the fashion supply chain. We have a large number of techni ...…

In the mid-1970s the Macys flagship store’s main floor was decorated with bedsheet patterns and bargain bins of dinnerware. The man who changed it, and changed much of how merchandising and retail works is Joe Cicio. “When you’re distinctive through merchandising, you become an attraction.” Joseph Cicio – Friends Bearing Gifts (Amazon)…

It’s South American Fashion Podcast this week, as we talk with Carlos Jereissati, CEO of Iguatemi, about how his company manages and promotes the most popular malls in Brazil. The conversation covers a bit of South American fashion and a lot of insight on Brazillian fashion culture. “The mall industry in Brazil is a very different industry from ...…

Kristy Caylor is one of the co-founders of the wildly influential luxury sustainable fashion brand Maiyet, as well as former President of Band of Outsiders. Kristy recently launched her latest business venture called ‘For Days,’ a new circular retail model that addresses the need for fresh basics without costing the environment. The premise is ...…

Sara Rotman is the Chief Brand Officer at sustainability-focused clothing brand Les Lunes, and she is rebranding Les Lunes while it rolls down the highway. Such action would not typically be advisable without a full stop, but Sara is a professional, and in this interview, you’ll certainly hear why. “We are all about strong opinions and soft clo ...…

Michele Gerber Klein is a philanthropist and the president of legacy clothing brand Joan Vass. She recently published an extensive new biography, Charles James: Portrait of An Unreasonable Man. It is the first full biographical work on Charles James, one of the most influential designers of the 20th Century. This interview with the biographer e ...…

A conversation about sustainable fashion, featuring Luna Atamian Hahn-Petersen of sustainability and social impact consulting firm Salterbaxter, Nicole Heim of ethical and sustainable fashion brand Cienne, and Saloni Shrestha of the ethical fashion brand AGAATI. “Even just understanding sustainability, it’s so complicated. I think having expert ...…

The iconic California Style designer, Trina Turk, reflects on changes in her company’s approach to commerce and responding to customer needs. “At the heigh of the contemporary market, our customers wanted new deliveries every single month, and that’s how we ended up with eleven. We don’t deliver in December or January or something like that. Bu ...…

Robin Lewis and Jan Rogers Kniffen are two of the world’s most influential experts on the retail landscape… and they love to argue. Hand on to your shopping bag as we take a look at the massive change happening in the retail marketplace. Also, look out for Robin’s book Retail’s Seismic Shift (link below). Robin Lewis Chief Executive Officer The ...…

Guests Stephan Rabimov, Julie Zerbo, and Mickey Boardman discuss the current state of fashion journalism. Charles Beckwith asks if it can even exist at major publications. The conversation turns to movements like #meetoo and its impact on the fashion industry and culture. Julie Zerbo is the founder and editor of The Fashion Law. Mickey Boardman ...…

Discussing the logistics of managing one of the world’s largest costume rental houses with the Director of the Universal Studios Costume Department, Poppy Cannon-Reese. Poppy is a former costume designer who stepped into the role a few years ago and brought new organization and technology solutions to the massive Universal Studios working archi ...…

Los Angeles Magazine called Pocket Square Clothing “the king of the Made In L.A. accessories scene.” The brand was started in 2011 by two UCLA graduates who set out to just make interesting things. Andrew Cheung and Rodolfo Ramirez are the founders, and they speak about clothing the “gentleman of today” in this interview from the Downtown Los A ...…

Sara Angelucci is the woman behind Armature, a Los Angeles-based clothing and jewelry brand. She makes and sells zeitgeist-inspired pieces both ready to wear and unique in the Venice area near the beach. Despite having her work dangling from the ears and necks of some of the most beautiful people in Hollywood, the designer is surprisingly low k ...…

“Los Angeles is basically one of the largest cities that all of America does garment production in, so we have a lot of vendors that have buttons, trims, whatever. So, technically if you have a wholesale license and you Google deep enough you can find it.” – Christine Ko This interview with Los Angeles-based Venia Collection designers Christine ...…

Husband and wife design team Anthony Cucculelli and Anna Rose Shaheen met while working for Diane von Furstenberg, and then moved to Italy together, where they worked for major houses such as Emilio Pucci and Roberto Cavalli. They now have their own custom demi-couture clothing line, Cucculelli Shaheen, which employs advanced fitting technologi ...…

“It’s a very exciting time in fashion right now. It’s exciting because anyone that has a passion to start a clothing line– ten years or so ago you would have to go overseas, you would have to get big production, you would have to get into all the big box retailers, if you couldn’t get into them you weren’t selling– now with the advent of the In ...…

Continuing our Los Angeles fashion adventure, Charles speaks with two men who are changing how boxers and MMA fighters dress for work. Will Hoover is a veteran designer who knows downtown L.A. fashion like few others. He is the founder and designer at Paul Dunne, a co-founder with J.R. at I.G.M.O.B. Clothing, and teaches at Fashion Institute of ...…

They’re riding high with the boho chic trend, but that look was in the Bob Marley song-inspired Johnny Was brand’s main playbook for a long time before it was popping up everywhere. As executive vice president, Catherine Nation says, “We’ve been doing this for 30 years, these signature embroideries, and it’s fantastic that we’re in-trend right ...…

Continuing our look at the Los Angeles fashion scene, in this interview Charles speaks with designer Jemma Swatek, whose popular Lykke Wullf brand is all about the Scandinavian cowgirl. “I moved here and I tried to get a design job, and I interviewed with some really big companies, and I would be like ‘So where’s your knitting department? Where ...…

California Apparel News covers the global fashion industry from a West Coast perspective. In this interview, Apparel News Executive Editor Alison Nieder speaks with American Fashion Podcast host Charles Beckwith at the California Market Center in downtown Los Angeles. The discussion covers the Downtown Los Angeles fashion scene, L.A. Fashion We ...…

If you’re on Instagram at all, Lisa Brezinski (@lkbphotography) is one of those photographers whose sexy sexy fashion photography work you’ve seen. Lisa provides insight on the Los Angeles fashion scene‘s constant need for edgy images, how video has become a more important part of fashion shoots, and the massive gap between the marketing budget ...…

Jason Sweet from Salesfloor Salesfloor is helping bridge the gap between online and brick and mortar shopping. Their omnichannel clientelling mobile app gives unparalleled new agency and business intelligence to store associates on the traditional salesfloor. Jason Sweet is Vice President of Sales for North America, and in this interview speaks ...…

This is a special preview of a new podcast from How Stuff Works called Dressed: The History of Fashion. Links: dressedpodcast.com Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher

Trevor Sumner, CEO of Perch Interactive, talks about how the use of their smart displays can result in a “30-80% sales lift while driving 5-10X customer engagement.” Perch uses sensors in their display units to provide customers with product information and an interactive experience. The company was part of an early class at the New York Fashio ...…

Charlie Cole is the Chief Digital Officer at Tumi and recently became the Chief Global Officer at parent company Samsonite Holdings. So… this episode is about accessories, specifically luggage, and how these giant companies approach selling it. This is also a crossover episode with our sister show Fashion Is Your Business, so you’ll hear hosts ...…

Recorded in front of a live audience in the O.N.S Clothing menswear store in Soho (71 Greene Street), a conversation first with Geo Hagan, content director at O.N.S Clothing, followed by O.N.S Creative Lab partner designers Abdul Abasi and Greg Rosborough of the Abasi Rosborough brand. Also joining the conversation, Sharifa Murdoch, co-founder ...…

Sidney Morgan-Petro is the Retail Editor at WGSN, a think tank with deep connections to the fashion and lifestyle businesses. Big on the horizon, purple for sure, but what is a scandi cowboy?

Richard R. Shapiro is the Founder and President of The Center For Client Retention. Richard has spent decades studying how to keep customers coming back to stores. This is rather important, considering how much it costs to get them in the door in the first place. “I’m a believer in technology, as long as it enhances the customer relationship.” ...…