Advance Copy

Stephanie Oberg and Simon Homes are the life and work partners behind Sono: an independent luxury brand, established in 2004. Having worked at The Row and Lemaire, the couple decided to focus full-time on Sono during Covid. And it worked: things clicked. This is an account of what it takes to build a luxury company independently over more than twenty years, and reach creative freedom and commercial stability. In this episode, we talk about:

1. Longevity, limiting options, keeping investments low

2. Managing wholesale thoughtfully

3. Founder burnout

4. The two sides of social media

5. London studio and store

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


A two-part conversation with Natasha Mead, a New Zealand-based Art Director and Founder of 1of1 Studio. She is the mastermind behind some of today’s most referenced visual identities across independent fashion, lifestyle, skincare, interior and hospitality companies. Her collaborators and projects include: Lesse, Binu Binu, F. Miller, Reome, Baina, J. Hannah, Anyone Girl, Moon Lists. 

In Part 1 of this conversation, we’ll learn about:

• The role of naivety and isolation on the development of Natasha’s studio
• Utilitarian and archival references inspiring her work
• Natasha’s approach to craft as a commitment to expressing care
• The 1of1 Studio client filter

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Preview of Radical Refinement: a paid workshop on how to define a brand philosophy to see you through a turbulent market reality and beyond. Purchase the full workshop here. 

DESIGNED FOR:

• Brand-owners & aspiring brand-owners
• Decision-makers in fashion & creative industries
• Branding, marketing and copywriting experts

TOPICS:

1. Why it’s important to set a strong philosophy now
2. Are your brand values genuine?
3. Establishing what makes your work unique
4. Translating your philosophy to sales, communication and visual strategies

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


A preview of an uncut workshop with the Los Angeles-based designer, Jess Hannah. Recorded in London in May 2024 and joined online by 10 diverse business owners, we discussed Jess's decade of learnings with her brand, J.Hannah, and reflected on mindful growth, de-growth, and “honest capitalism.” Become a paid Apple Subscriber to enjoy the full conversation, Episode 28.

Topics

• A decade of opportunities
• What lays beneath the numbers
• Non-linear financial reality
• Off-line marketing
• Wholesale post-Covid
• Profitability over growth
• "Honest capitalism"

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


To mark 2024 Melbourne Design Week and the release of Advance Copy’s book, Growing Independent Fashion Brands, the iconic Australian fashion designer Lee Mathews and publisher and creative director Beth Wilkinson, gathered a small group of fashion industry insiders and admirers of the brand for an intimate conversation.

In this characteristically frank reflection, Lee delved into her founding principles, offshore production, the pricing conundrum and so much more. Take a moment to sit down and tune in to this much-needed personal account of an iconic independent brand owner. Enjoy!  

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


This spring, the Advance Copy podcast is developing into a suite of members-only audio consulting sessions, register here to show your interest. 
 

Tailored to the perspectives of elevated independent brands and approached with honesty and pragmatism, each session will bring you unique insights on how to grow a fashion or lifestyle company fit to the needs of today’s world. 

The discreet episodes are designed for:

• Founders
• In-house decision-makers
• Expert freelancers of elevated independent brands

Topics of focus

• Refining brand values
• Wholesale partnerships
• Direct-to-consumer
• Financial stability
• Communicating true purpose

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Book
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• Substack
• Website
• Newsletter

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Carmen de Baets reflects on how she met her husband and business partner Joris ter Meulen Swijtink, establishing their guest house, shop and kitchen Carmen Amsterdam and the much respected visual signature of their company.

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Casa Shop's Emi Moore and Jacqueline Davis, reflect on how their paths crossed, the company's trajectory since its establishment in 2016 and the origin of their distinct Instagram aesthetic. With a little help of a marine biologist, we’ll also talk about how the definition of “development” has been misunderstood and why “less is better” best symbolises Casa Shop’s idea of growth.

Guests
Emi Moore
Jacqueline Davis

Quote from "Ladders, trees, Complexity, and Other metaphors in Evolutionary Thinking"  by Andreas Hejnol in Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet - Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene, pp.G87–G102. Available to purchase here.

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
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• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Family-run womenswear brand Muse demonstrates how ambition, conscious values and a personal touch can draw unexpected paths to building a fashion company. Founder, Christine Kourim is a natural self-starter and a life-long creator of fashion. When she attempted to sell her high-quality garments at a Melbourne market stall the success was immediate prompting Christine to enlist the help of her daughter, fashion designer, Sarah Kourim. Together they translated the label to a permanent home online and created a touchpoint for their growing community. In this episode, we're joined by Sarah to learn about her and her mother’s independent journeys, nurturing a market stall into a growing e-commerce business, and the under-representation of modest voices in fashion.

Guest: Sarah Kourim, Muse
Muse Journals with Rosie Fea

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
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• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Palo Studios is a multi-division company comprising of a wholesale agency, a brand, and a creative production agency all under one ethically minded umbrella of its founder, Cassie Rose Ebner. Every collaborator of Palo Studios is driven by positivity and well-being thus creating a new template for working in fashion.

We talk to Cassie about the critical moment when the grasp of the classic wholesale model begun to loosen inspiring her to bridge the gap between conscious brands, retailers, and customers.

Guest: Cassie Rose Ebner, Palo Studios

Welcome to Advance Copy: 

• Consulting Membership
• Book
• Instagram
• Substack
• Website

Post-production & editing: Mark Smith

Music & post-production: Emmanuel Corre