A weekly podcast presenting thoughtful editorial stories and fashion-oriented perspectives in a fresh way.
In the late 2010s, and particularly after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the fashion industry appeared to embrace a progressive awakening on issues like racial justice and climate change. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) departments were established, and companies announced ambitious sustainability targets. Yet, from the outset, critics - often from the same communities these initiatives aimed to support - questioned the authenticity of this activism, suggesting it was more about marketing than meaningful change.
Now, those sceptics may have been proven right. Following the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, companies have begun scaling back hiring initiatives, grants for Black founders, and other DEI efforts. Sustainability commitments are also under scrutiny, with the industry far behind its climate goals and facing a hostile political environment in the US.
Executive editor Brian Baskin is joined by sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent and senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young to untangle the future of DEI and ESG (environmental, social, and governance).
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Many fashion brands are realising that operating across multiple cultural sectors is a business necessity. In our social feeds, fashion competes with music, film, and sports for our attention.
Learning how to tap into other cultural sectors is something that many fashion brands are trying to do, but few have done it better than this week’s guests.
At BoF VOICES 2024, BoF founder and CEO Imran AmedI spoke with Jens Grede, co-founder and CEO of Kim Kardashian’s Skims, the shapewear brand and David Allemann, co-founder and executive co-chairman of the Swiss sportswear company On, to learn how they’ve tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, especially at the growing intersection of sports and fashion.
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Resale is no longer confined to thrift stores or niche platforms; it has grown into a roughly $50 billion industry in the U.S. alone, by some measures. Platforms like Poshmark, The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective have transformed the experience, making it more accessible and attractive to consumers at every price point. At the same time, brands are increasingly stepping into the space, with some launching their own programs to resell returned or used merchandise, transforming what was once a reactive practice into a strategic business opportunity. And new start-ups hope to create a new secondhand market out of brands’ returned merchandise.
Retail editor Cat Chen and e-commerce correspondent Malique Morris join senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young and executive editor Brian Baskin to unpack the evolving resale landscape.
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In 2024, luxury e-commerce faced a harsh reckoning. A pandemic-era boom gave way to a bruising downturn that exposed deep-seated weaknesses, as rising marketing costs, excessive discounting, outdated technology management and intensifying competition hit profitability.
MatchesFashion went into administration at the start of the year, shortly after it was sold off in a fire sale to Frasers Group. Farfetch’s share price plummeted by 98 percent, bringing the company to the brink of bankruptcy, only for it to be rescued by South Korea’s Coupang. Richemont sold off Yoox Net-a-Porter to rival luxury e-tailer Mytheresa in October, ending a years-long effort to offload the struggling business.
This week on the podcast, Mytheresa CEO Michael Kliger and Lauren Santo Domingo, co-founder and chief brand officer of Moda Operandi, join BoF Founder and CEO Imran Amed on stage at BoF VOICES 2024. Together, they explore what went wrong in the luxury e-commerce sector, how they are navigating the ongoing luxury slowdown, and what comes next for the industry.
“We didn’t know that this big slowdown in aspirational demand would happen, but we were well prepared,” Kliger said.
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BoF VOICES 2024: Fashion's Next Moves: Industry insiders including designers Simon Porte Jacquemus and Glenn Martens, H&M CEO Daniel Ervér, e-commerce executives Lauren Santo Domingo and Michael Kliger and more spoke about key challenges and opportunities for their businesses and fashion at large. Meanwhile, McKinsey provided an outlook for 2025.
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When Simon Porte Jacquemus came on to the scene in 2009, he did so with a bang. The French designer’s playful take on Parisian fashion draws inspiration from 20th century sculpture, the French New Wave, and sunny afternoons in Marseille. His creations have catapulted him and his label into stardom, with the brand’s campaigns often going viral on social media.
“It’s [all about] having fun,” said Jacquemus. “Having fun is being creative, it's going one step aside and it's playing with the system.”
Jacquemus has been able to build on the social media buzz and create an independent label garnering more than 200 million euros ($210 million) in annual turnover. His fashion shows have been staged in picturesque locations across France, including the Chateau Versailles. In October, he opened his first store in New York City, drawing crowds akin to those mostly reserved for movie stars. This month, he opened another location in London, part of the designer’s plans for a global retail expansion.
At VOICES 2024, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed sits down with Jacquemus to discuss how the designer has been able to build a successful independent business in the competitive luxury sector and amidst a consumer downturn.
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The beauty industry has witnessed a wave of disruptors rise and fall. Brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Glossier and Morphe leveraged social media and influencer marketing to achieve rapid success and unicorn valuations. But maintaining momentum has proven challenging, and some of these disruptor brands have seen sales fall and financial hurdles mount.
As Glossier proves, there is the possibility of a second chance, but it requires radical changes to the business to pull off. As beauty correspondent Daniela Morosini points out, “The barriers to entry have been removed. You can get a critical mass of fans and build an aesthetic for your brand quite quickly. Making it stick is more difficult.” In today’s crowded market, sustainable growth and a deliberate strategy are essential for standing out.
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Tina Brown is a force of nature in the world of journalism, offering unflinching and sometimes provocative glimpses into the lives of the world's most famous figures.
Born in England and educated at Oxford, she stormed the traditionally male bastions of print media, becoming editor-in-chief of Tatler at just 25. A few years later, she ushered in a new era as editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, which was tens of millions of dollars in debt when she took over. Her unique formula of seductive storytelling, combined with hard-hitting journalism, increased the magazine’s monthly circulation from 200,000 to 1.2 million.
As an editor, Tina has never been afraid to push boundaries or challenge the orthodoxy, and she has not lost her magic touch. Last month she launched a weekly Substack newsletter, “Fresh Hell: Tina Brown’s Diary.” where she has already opined on trending topics from the Menendez Brothers to the re-election of Donald Trump. Right now, one of her main pre-occupations is around the future of journalism.
“More serious than anything is the death of truth and what that can do to a society,” she warns. “The resistance is going to have to come from the media.’
At VOICES 2024, Brown reflects on the seismic shifts in media, what this means for truth and democracy, and the role of journalism in the age of Donald Trump.
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For nearly a decade, the luxury sector has experienced what seemed like limitless growth, with brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel pushing product prices higher — and seeing consumers pay up. However, recent quarterly reports have marked a sudden shift, with even industry giants reporting disappointing revenue. As luxury editor Robert Willliams explains, “These brands are omnipresent and people are seeing them everywhere. Whether consumers finally pull the trigger is so much about their economic confidence, this feel-good factor. Are things going to be better for me next month than they are today?”
This week, BoF executive editor Brian Baskin and luxury editor Robert Williams discuss the forces contributing to this downturn, the implications for top brands and potential strategies luxury players are exploring to reignite growth.
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Sammy Basso left an indelible mark on our community last year at BoF VOICES 2023. Sammy had a rare genetic condition called Progeria that accelerates ageing, affecting only one in 20 million people, with an average life expectancy of 13-and-a-half years. Last year at VOICES, Sammy celebrated his 28th birthday with us, and shared his extraordinary resilience and passion, for life and for research.
“To be a patient and scientist is beautiful for me because it is a great antidote against fear,” he reflected. “Never think you are not enough to make a difference ... So many people said it’s impossible to do research into such a rare disease. But now thanks to that, we are opening ways to treat so many others. We are making a difference.”
This week on The BoF Podcast, Basso in conversation with friend Annastasia Seebohm Giacomini about the importance of his research and his philosophy of how to live a full life.
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Register now to join us at BoF Voices 2024, our annual gathering for big thinkers, streaming live from November 12 to 14
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In recent years, sports has provided a rich ground for fashion partnerships. Where even three years ago Dior’s tie-up with Paris Saint-Germain was relatively novel, today it’s harder to find luxury brands that aren’t at least dabbling in football, Formula 1 or other sports. These deals are also getting increasingly elaborate, with brands outfitting athletes, teams and even entire leagues on and off the field.
This new wave of partnerships is about more than just looks or finding new audiences — it’s about cultural relevance.
“Fashion brands have looked to [sports] to market their products to groups of consumers who maybe weren’t targeted by these brands previously, and athletes themselves have become major brands and media businesses in their own right,” says BoF sports correspondent Daniel-Yaw Miller.
This week on The Debrief, Executive Editor Brian Baskin and Senior Correspondent Sheena Butler-Young sit down with Daniel-Yaw Miller to explore how the worlds of fashion and sports are colliding like never before.
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Khalid Al Tayer, Managing Director of Al Tayer Insignia and CEO of the luxury e-commerce platform Ounass, leads one of the Middle East’s most powerful retail networks. In his first public interview at Oud Fashion Talks, Al Tayer shares insights into the rapid evolution of the Middle Eastern luxury market, the region's growing influence on global trends, and how his business approaches e-commerce with a customer-first mindset. He also discusses the strategic importance of respecting and investing in the Middle Eastern customer while creating opportunities for regional talent to flourish in the luxury landscape.
“The brands that have taken [the Middle Eastern] customer as a very important customer and respect them are seeing benefit. The ones that approach this customer as, ‘They’re just going to buy what we make, and we’re going to do … a good enough job because we’re busy somewhere else,’ are not benefiting. Respect the Middle Eastern customer,” shares Al Tayer.
This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Al Tayer to discuss the growing influence of the Middle Eastern luxury market and how businesses can succeed by prioritising the evolving needs of the regional customer.
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