Fashion & Founders The Podcast

By Victoria Smith

Fashion & Founders is a media platform exploring how fashion is actually built. Hosted by Victoria Smith, the show sits at the intersection of fashion, technology, and capital spotlighting the

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FAQs about Fashion & Founders The Podcast:

How many episodes does Fashion & Founders The Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 85 episodes available.

Fashion & Founders The Podcast episodes:

February 22, 2026 NYFW isn't "dead," but it is too expensive
New York Fashion Week isn’t dead, but it is changing. In this solo NYFW recap, Victoria breaks down what felt different this season and how Fashion Week is getting too expensive. From major brands like Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs showing off-schedule, Thom Browne showing in San Francisco, brands giving away show tickets leading to how NYFW could be evolving into an “Art Basel”-style citywide experience. She also shares the fashion tech + retail innovation that caught her eye, the behind-the-scenes realities of how outfits (and glam) actually happen during Fashion Week, and the pop-ups + community events that proved NYFW is increasingly about access, culture, and connection not just runway invites.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: ⁠@fashionandfounders⁠
Podcast Substack: ⁠Fashion and Founders⁠
Podcast Website: ⁠fashionandfounders.com⁠
Podcast TikTok: ⁠@⁠⁠fashionandfounders⁠
Podcast LinkedIn: ⁠Fashion and Founders⁠
Podcast YouTube: ⁠Fashion and Founders⁠
Podcast Links: ⁠Shop My⁠

Glamsquad:
Code: ⁠FASHIONANDFOUNDERS ⁠for $20 off

Rent the Runway:
Code: ⁠RTRXVSMITH50⁠and get 50% off your first month!

Rebecca Minkoff episode on fashion week being to expensive
⁠HERE⁠

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24min
February 15, 2026 Ganni Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Bartley
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Ganni’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Lauren Bartley. They discuss how the brand approaches sustainability and design, as they set trends rather than following them. Lauren unpacks Ganni's transparent approach to sustainability reporting, its investment in next-generation material innovation, partnerships in resale and repair, and how the brand balances trend-setting design with long-term environmental strategy. They also explore Scandinavian sustainability culture, the importance of consistency over perfection, and why innovation is key to moving fashion forward.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

Follow Ganni:
IG: @ganni
Shop HERE
The Ganni Playbook

Follow Boii Studios:
IG: @boiistudios
Shop HERE

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

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36min
February 08, 2026 Copenhagen Fashion Week Trends and Takeaways
In this episode, Victoria recaps her experience attending Copenhagen Fashion Week from street style and behind-the-scenes access to the sustainability frameworks shaping the future of fashion. She breaks down what makes Copenhagen different from other fashion capitals, why transparency and public access matter, and how brands are rethinking design through the lens of weather, function, and real life. Victoria also shares insights from industry panels, a Substack hosted dinner, standout designers, and why she believes climate-adapted fashion and functional pieces are the next major shift in the industry. Plus a back stage interview with designers Marie and Julie Skall of Skall Studio.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

Find the Brands mentioned on:
Substack and ShopMy

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

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29min
January 25, 2026 COVID Side Hustle to the Red Carpet: Undone by Kate
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Kate March, founder and designer of Undone by Kate. She shares how a pandemic project became a made-in-New-York bespoke, bridal, and special occasion brand. Kate shares her path from celebrity styling to teaching herself how to sew on YouTube, creating her first upcycled tees that sparked demand, and the influencer moment that drove $10K in Shopify sales in one day. They talk bootstrapping on unemployment checks, learning pricing the hard way, building a local contractor network, and why made-to-measure is both the new luxury and true size inclusivity. Plus: a last-minute Selena Gomez VMAs dress pivot, bridal trends, and Kate’s best advice for breaking into fashion.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias

Follow Undone by Kate:
IG: @undonebykate
Shop Custom Looks HERE

Fashion Career Playbook HERE

Brand Spotlight: Aven Atelier

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

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36min
January 18, 2026 Marina Larroudé: Reinventing the Footwear Business Model
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Marina Larroude, founder of Larroudé, to unpack how she built one of fashion’s fastest-growing footwear brands by rewriting the rules. Marina shares her journey from interning at Condé Nast to leading fashion at Barneys, and how those experiences revealed the white space that inspired Larroudé. They dive into why footwear is one of the hardest categories in fashion, how vertical integration and pre-orders became a growth engine, and why the brand chose profitability over “growth at all costs.” Marina also offers sharp career advice for early builders, the truth behind “good taste,” what fashion school doesn’t teach, and why progress done daily compounds over time.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias

Follow Larroude:
IG: @marinalarroude
IG: @larroude
Website

Fashion Job Board HERE

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

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40min
January 11, 2026 Rebecca Minkoff: Building a Household Name Fashion Label
In this episode, Victoria sits down with designer and founder Rebecca Minkoff to break down what it really takes to build a fashion brand and keep it alive through industry curveballs. Rebecca shares how an internship led to her first break, the celebrity moment that helped launch her label, and why success is a slow build of momentum over time. They dive into the business realities fashion school doesn’t teach like costing, pricing, profitability, and why she believes founders should bootstrap before raising money. Rebecca also pulls back the curtain on the true cost of Fashion Week, navigating fast fashion copycats, using AI to pitch and work smarter, and the resilience required to play the long game.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias

Follow Rebecca Minkoff:
IG: @rebeccaminkoff
IG: @beckyminkoff
Female Founder Collective
Superwoman Podcast
Her book Fearless

Fashion Career Playbook HERE

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

Thanks for listening!
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38min
January 03, 2026 Cynthia Rowley: How to Make it in Fashion in NYC
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Cynthia Rowley, CFDA award winning designer, to talk about building a fashion career the scrappy way. Cynthia shares how she got started making clothes, her accidental path to New York, and what it really takes to sustain a long-term career in fashion. She breaks down the realities behind runway shows, navigating changes in the global fashion industry, and why small wins, consistency, and risk-taking matter more than chasing instant success. Cynthia also offers advice for breaking into the fashion industry without a traditional background, moving to New York, and balancing creativity with the business side of fashion.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias

Follow Cynthia Rowley:
IG: @cynthiarowley
Website HERE

Fashion Career Playbook HERE

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

Thanks for listening!
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42min
January 02, 2026 Fashion Career Playbook
Fashion Career Playbook to break into fashion in 2026. How to break into the fashion industry in 2026. Part One out now on Substack.
Link Here: https://fashionandfounders.substack.com/p/the-fashion-career-playbook-part

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

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7min
December 14, 2025 Archival Vintage Fashion Reimagined by Isle of Monday
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Gabriella and Janelle, co-founders of Isle of Monday, to discuss how they’re making runway vintage and archival fashion accessible through their fashion tech rental platform. They share how backgrounds in fashion resale, finance, and tech led them to build a fashion tech company centered on access, preservation, and circularity. The founders break down the viral Roberto Cavalli moment that validated their idea, the importance of building a network when building a business, and what it really takes to source one-of-one archival pieces. They also discuss fundraising, advisors, launching in beta, and why the future of luxury fashion lies in vintage, rental, and circular fashion models.

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias

Follow Isle of Monday:
IG: @isleofmonday
TikTok: @isleofmonday
Substack: Isle of Monday
Rent HERE

ShopMy:
For Creators HERE
Learn more HERE

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43min
December 07, 2025 Following Your Personal Mission: Influencer Social Responsibility with Alex Bushman
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Alex Bushman, founder of Influencer Social Responsibility (ISR), to talk about transforming the creator economy through meaningful social impact. Alex shares how a single cold DM to Danielle Bernstein led to the start of We Gave What, impact branch of WeWoreWhat. Her previous work in the nonprofit sector led her to launching ISR, an agency that connects creators, brands, and nonprofits for community-centered events. With one of the first events with Bridget and Danielle Pheloung with Girls Inc. and Pickle. As well as events with the Nader sisters, Lexi Wood, and Miranda Mckeon.
After experiencing the loneliness that comes from being a founder Alex co-founded Good Ole Girls Club and started the Girl Dinner Series to create a community for other founders to come together. Looking to the future, Alex shares her vision for ISR and the innovative approach Gen Z is taking to nonprofit work.
Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and Founders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My
Victoria Pickle Closet: @victorias
Locker Links: Locker

Follow Alex Bushman:
IG: @alexbushman

Follow Influencer Social Responsibility:
IG: @influencersocialresponsibility
Website

Try Dupay:
Sign up HERE
Use code: VICTORIA25 for $25 off an annual membership

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35min

FAQs about Fashion & Founders The Podcast:

How many episodes does Fashion & Founders The Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 85 episodes available.