Fashion & Founders The Podcast

How to start a jewelry business. Engagement ring trends. Lab-grown vs. natural diamonds. Acquired Style Wedding.

Ring Concierge founder Nicole Wegman joins Fashion and Founders to talk about scaling to a $100 Million Business. Nicole shares advice for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur, leave corporate and work for themselves, or eventually start their own brand. She explains why she believes you should gain work experience before starting a company, what aspiring founders should learn while working for someone else, how she built Ring Concierge without an industry network, and what it takes to grow from founder to CEO. We talk engagement ring trends, the bridal economy, and how social media is changing the market. Plus, we talk hiring, leadership, outside investment, natural vs. lab-grown diamonds, the biggest misconceptions in the jewelry industry, and what today’s brides are actually looking for.

This episode is brought to you by Roller Rabbit.

Take 20% off your order of $150 with code VICTORIA20 at rollerrabbit.com 

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IG: @ringconcierge

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How to work with luxury fashion brands. How to get invited to fashion week. Top 1% of fashion creators. 

Kate Bartlett has built one of the most recognizable careers in fashion content going from an FIT student posting day-in-the-life videos to working with some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. In this episode of Fashion and Founders, Kate breaks down how she turned content creation into a real business, what it actually takes to build relationships with fashion brands, and the behind-the-scenes realities of being a full-time creator. We talk about the TikTok that changed her career, gaining 100,000 followers overnight, getting signed by management, making money as a creator, and why reaching one million followers changed the way luxury brands viewed her. Kate also shares the unspoken rules of working with luxury fashion houses, how creators actually get invited to Fashion Week, and what brands are really looking for beyond follower count. We also get into the business side of influencing brand deal negotiations, exclusivity, whitelisting, production costs, working with photographers and glam teams, and why a 15-second sponsored video can take weeks of work behind the scenes. Plus, Kate talks about going back to school for her MBA at NYU, how she thinks about the future of her career beyond influencing, and her advice for anyone trying to build a career in fashion today. If you want to work in fashion, grow as a creator, work with luxury brands, or understand the business behind the influencer industry, this episode is for you.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.

Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community HERE. 

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Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

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September Reset Guide. Fall Reset. How to become a founder. Why Aureum stopped selling jewelry. 

Cass Dimicco joins Victoria Smith, host Fashion and Founders to break down how she went from fashion buyer to creator to founder of Aureum. Cass gives listeners a “founder playbook,” even if you’re not about to start a company this is a great September reset guide. We go into changing your habits, building confidence, and betting on yourself. Her company recently went through a big pivot too. Cass shares why the brand ultimately stopped selling the jewelry it became known for. We talk about knowing when to pivot, finding and building relationships with manufacturers, pricing luxury products, why your brand doesn't need to be for everyone, and how Aureum is intentionally separating itself from the traditional “influencer brand” model. Cass also shares how she thinks about creator gifting, what actually gets her attention when hiring, why women should have more audacity when charging for their work, and how she turned her relationship with ShopMy into an opportunity to become an investor. If you're building a fashion brand, growing as a creator, or figuring out when it's time to bet on yourself, this episode is full of tangible advice you can actually use.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.

Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community ⁠⁠HERE.⁠⁠

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IG: @cassdimicco

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IG: @aureum.collective

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What does the future of fashion tech actually look like and which companies will survive it? What is fashion tech? How to work in fashion tech? What companies get investment?

This week, Victoria sits down with Juan Pellerano, Chief Marketing Officer at Swap Commerce, a fast-growing fashion tech company that raised a $100 million Series C in 2026. Juan breaks down what agentic commerce actually means, how AI could change the way we shop online, and why the next generation of e-commerce may look far more personalized than the traditional dot com experience. Juan shares lessons from helping scale Swap: how the company landed its earliest customers, why community has become one of its most effective growth strategies, what makes a fashion tech startup attractive to investors, and why founders need to ask whether they're building a true company or simply a feature. Whether you are a founder, investor, marketer, or simply interested in fashion tech there is something to takeaway from this episode. 

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Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

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How to build a personal brand, make money as a content creator, and turn an online audience into a real business. 

In this episode of Fashion and Founders, host Victoria Smith is joined by Alexis Barber. Alexis is the founder and host of Too Smart For This and has built a portfolio career spanning content, consulting, speaking, entrepreneurship, and publishing. In this episode, she shares why she believes content creation is a skill, not a career and how creators can use content as a distribution channel for something much bigger. We discuss the shift from the “relatability economy” to the “credibility economy,” influencer vs. thought leader, finding your zone of genius, building multiple revenue streams, and why long-form content can be more valuable than going viral. Alexis also shares what working at YouTube taught her about the creator business, her first $30K brand deal, and how she’s approaching her next level with a focus on excellence and authority. If you're building a personal brand, growing as a creator, or trying to turn your expertise and audience into a sustainable business, this episode is for you.

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Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

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IG: @alexisbarber

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How to get invited to fashion week, what I wish I knew before attending my first fashion week, who gets invited to fashion shows?

Inside Copenhagen Fashion Week SS27. What makes Copenhagen Fashion Week different and why it’s one of my favorites. We go over the Live Podcast with Ganni and how the brand engages in fashion tech and innovation. Plus tips I’ve learned about getting invited to fashion events and how to make the most of them. 

Ganni Founder Podcast

Ganni Chief Sustainability Officer Podcast

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Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

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How did Ganni become a global name? Is Ganni a sustainable fashion brand? What innovation is needed for fashion brands?

Recorded live at Copenhagen Fashion Week at 1Hotel Copenhagen, Victoria sits down with GANNI co-founder Nicolaj Reffstrup  to talk about building one of fashion’s most recognizable global brands. 

Nicolaj shares how his background in tech shaped the way he and his wife, Ditte Reffstrup, built GANNI. He also reflects on the rise of the “GANNI Girl,” taking on outside investment, expanding internationally, and what happens when a brand becomes bigger than its founders.

The conversation explores why GANNI has never called itself a sustainable fashion brand, the business decisions behind its responsibility strategy, and why the company once walked away from bestselling products because of their environmental impact. Nicolaj also shares what he looks for when investing in founders, where he sees opportunity in materials and AI, and why he believes the future could become increasingly difficult for mid-market fashion brands.

Nicolaj answers audience questions on what he would do if he were starting his career again today, his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, and what actually makes someone stand out when applying to work at GANNI.

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Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow Ganni:

IG: @ganni

Website HERE

The Ganni Playbook HERE

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What is trend forecasting? How are fashion trends predicted? How do brands predict what consumers will want years before it happens? 

In this episode, we go inside WGSN, one of the world's leading trend forecasting companies, to explore how fashion and consumer trends are forecasted and what founders, marketers, and creatives should be paying attention to now. Cassandra Napoli is the Head of Consumer Forecasting at WGSN, where she helps brands understand how consumers think, feel, shop, and behave years before those shifts reach the mainstream. From AI and Gen Z to nostalgia, retail innovation, and the creator economy, Cassandra shares the frameworks WGSN uses to help companies future-proof their businesses and make better long-term decisions. We discuss how trend forecasting actually works, whether trends are really moving faster than ever, how AI is changing consumer behavior, and more. Whether you're building a fashion brand, working in marketing, launching a startup, or simply curious about what's shaping the future of consumer culture, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the world's biggest brands prepare for what's next.

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Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow WGSN:

IG: @WGSN

Website HERE

Create Tomorrow Podcast HERE

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Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!

Glamsquad:

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What business school won’t teach you about luxury. How do you work in luxury fashion? This is inside LVMH's playbook. 

This week, I'm joined by Pauline Brown, former Chairwoman of LVMH North America, Harvard Business School professor, and author of Aesthetic Intelligence. Pauline shares the lessons she learned leading some of the world's most iconic luxury brands. We cover a lot, from why climbing the corporate ladder doesn't always bring more freedom, to the mistake most people make when planning their careers, and why she believes taste will become one of the most valuable skills in the future of work. We also dive into what luxury brands understand about consumer psychology, how Dior and Chanel think differently from startups, what it really takes to break into companies like LVMH, and why Pauline convinced Harvard Business School to create a course on The Business of Aesthetics. Whether you're building a brand, growing your career, or simply trying to develop better taste, this episode is packed with frameworks you'll think about long after listening.

In this episode, we cover:

• Navigating a career pivot
• How she transitioned from consulting to fashion and beauty
• The biggest career mistakes young professionals make
• Why taste matters more in the age of AI
• How to stand out when applying to luxury brands
• The psychology behind iconic brands like Dior and Chanel
• Why attention doesn't always lead to sales
• Three questions to ask before starting your own company

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Follow Pauline Brown:

IG: @paulinegarrisbrown

Book HERE

Brunello: The Gracious Visionary

Watch the documentary film HERE

IG: @brunelloilvisionariogarbato

Thank you to this episodes's sponsor Blue Fox Entertainment!

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What does a creative director in fashion do? How do I get a job in fashion? What is fashion school actually like? Hear from Michelle Ochs, the Creative Director at Hervé Léger. 

In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to build a career in fashion from landing an internship at Marc Jacobs before even starting Parsons to navigating the job market during the 2008 financial crisis. After co-founding Cushnie et Ochs and spending more than a decade building the brand, Michelle made the decision to close that chapter of her career. Today, she's the Creative Director of Hervé Léger, where she's reimagining one of fashion's most recognizable brands for a new generation. Michelle also shares the strategy behind Hervé Léger's resurgence, why runway shows aren't always worth the investment, how Gen Z is rediscovering the brand, what she actually looks for when hiring designers, and why she still wants candidates to bring a printed portfolio to interviews. Whether you're hoping to work in fashion, build your own brand, or simply love hearing the stories behind iconic fashion houses, this episode is full of practical advice and an honest look at what it takes to evolve throughout your career.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What fashion school is really like
• Getting her first fashion internship
• Navigating the fashion hiring landscape
• Starting a fashion brand
• Becoming a creative director
• Fashion marketing
• Rebuilding an iconic fashion brand for a new generation
• What fashion hiring managers actually want to see in interviews

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Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

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Podcast Links: Shop My

Follow Hervé Léger:

IG: @herveleger

Rihanna’s Iconic Dress

Follow Michelle:

IG: @ochsmichelle

TikTok: @mrsmichelleochs

Rent the Runway:

Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!

Glamsquad:

Code: FASHIONANDFOUNDERS for $20 off

Thanks for listening!