The Business of Fashion Podcast

In the five years since the pandemic, fashion and beauty workplaces have undergone seismic change. Amid mounting economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and the ongoing climate crisis, a workplace reckoning is underway. Employees are re-evaluating what truly matters at work and for many, that means reassessing everything from their employers’ values to compensation and flexibility.

According to BoF Careers’ 2025 global survey of over 1,000 professionals in 74 countries, only 15 percent of respondents said they were satisfied in their current roles. Meanwhile, 45 percent are actively looking for new jobs and workers today are prioritising fair pay, career progression, flexibility, value alignment and transparency over legacy prestige or perks.

On this episode of The Debrief, senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young speaks with BoF’s commercial features director Sophie Soar to explore what talent really wants today and what employers need to do to attract and retain the best.

Key Insights: 

• Employees don’t just want transparency; they expect it as a foundation for trust and progression. From salaries to promotions, clarity enables professionals to visualise their future and stay engaged. “Transparency allows people to see their career trajectory at a business, as well as really visualising their future there and what it will look like,” said Soar. “Maybe they don’t find that motivating, but it can also set clear expectations and goals for them to work towards.”

• Hybrid work remains popular, but it’s not just about flexibility. Without visible leadership, the in-office experience falls flat and fails to deliver meaningful career support or culture. “If you are just providing a space that has a few desks and Wi-Fi, that is not creating the right kind of environment, the right set-up for community, as well as a comprehensive and effective working culture,” said Soar. “If you want employees to be back in the office, then leaders need to be there as well. They need to lead by example.”

• While high-profile brands still appeal to candidates, they’re no longer enough on their own. Employees are increasingly prioritising ethics, compensation, and leadership over legacy status. “When we were asking individuals as a part of the survey to share which companies they would most like to work for within the fashion and beauty industries, leaders were quite often called out by name,” said Soar. “Lina Nair at Chanel and Brunello Cuccinelli, they were called out individually as being very inspiring to individuals and a very motivating reason to want to work at a company.”

• As jobseekers increasingly rely on tools like ChatGPT to craft their CVs and cover letters, authenticity and personalisation are becoming critical differentiators. Top employers aren’t looking for generic admiration; they want thoughtful, tailored applications that clearly map experience to the role. “You kind of need to emphasise past the point of saying, ‘I love your brand, and it would be great if I could work at your brand’ – that is really not going to resonate with individuals hiring,” said Soar. “I would highly recommend making sure that if you're using this technology, you try and think about how you can put yourself into it.”

Additional Resources:

• What Fashion and Beauty Professionals Want From Employers

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From a very young  age, Dutch designer Duran Lantink has been fascinated by the transformative power of fashion. 

His journey began in his early teens, culminating in his first runway show at just 14 years old. That collection, made from repurposed Diesel jeans and his grandmother’s tablecloth, was picked up by a local multi-brand store. And the rest is history.

Today, Duran is known in the industry for his  playful experimentation, innovative collections and provocative runway presentations.  

"I'm all figuring it out now. For me, I am just doing it step by step,” he shared. “Later on I really fell in love with this sort of non-conformative thing and I feel that the House of Gautier is very much about freedom and about culture and about bringing artists in and all these things and I hope the freedom and the possibility to really bring that in and really bring back that vibe from the late 80s or the beginning of the 90s and that really excites me."

In Paris, for his first ever English-language podcast, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed sat down with Lantink to talk to him about his personal fashion journey, understand the source of his creativity and how he’s thinking about stepping into the role of creative director at an iconic fashion brand.  

Key Insights: 

• Duran Lantink’s passion for fashion manifested early, culminating in his first runway show at just 14. Using repurposed Diesel jeans and his grandmother’s tablecloth, Lantink created a collection unexpectedly picked up by a local multi-brand store. "I think till now that has been my most commercially successful experience," Lantink jokes. But the moment was pivotal, crystallising his future path: "It probably was one of those moments where I really knew what I wanted to do in life."

• Lantink's creative ethos has always revolved around repurposing and transforming existing garments. This distinctive approach initially met resistance in traditional fashion schools. "I've always been obsessed with cutting up clothes, mixing clothes," he says. At times, educators dismissed him, suggesting he might be better suited as "a stylist or artist," but Lantink remained unwavering: "I didn't really care. I just wanted to do what works for me."

• Lantink's visibility skyrocketed after designing Janelle Monáe’s viral "vagina pants," but his industry breakthrough came during the pandemic with a drone-based fashion show. "I was finally able to reach a bigger audience because nobody could go anywhere anyway." The inventive showcase attracted support from influential industry figures, propelling his reputation internationally.

• Taking on the creative directorship at Jean Paul Gaultier signifies a new chapter for Lantink. The opportunity resonated deeply with his creative philosophy and personal history. "It went back to where I came from, this obsession with nightlife and people dressing up," he says. Embracing the legacy of freedom associated with Gaultier, Lantink expresses excitement for the creative potential: "The House of Gaultier is very much about freedom and culture. That really excites me."

Additional Resources:

• Duran Lantink | BoF 500 | The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry
• Exclusive: Jean Paul Gaultier Names Duran Lantink Creative Director

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The luxury industry trades on a carefully constructed marketing image, deeply linked to artful claims of exclusivity, craftsmanship, and impeccable standards. But a slew of Milanese court cases linking some of luxury’s biggest names to sweatshops on the outskirts of the fashion capital have sent uncomfortable shockwaves through the sector. Last week, LVMH-owned cashmere brand Loro Piana became the latest company caught up in the scandal. According to prosecutors, inadequate supply chain controls meant thousands of the brand’s cashmere jackets were made under exploitative conditions in illegal workshops. The scandals raise critical questions about luxury’s supply-chain integrity at a time when trust in the sector’s value proposition is already eroding.

This week on the Debrief, chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent joins Sheena Butler-Young to unpack the investigation and what it means for brands and consumers.

Key Insights: 

• Prosecutors in Milan argue that luxury brands’ links to local sweatshops are a feature, not a bug in the system. Companies are negligent in how they monitor their supply chains and routinely turn a blind eye to red flags in order to maximise profits they say. "The crux of these cases is that big luxury brands are not really doing their homework," said Kent. Brands caught in the investigation say they have strong systems of controls in place and that they have cooperated with authorities to understand where things went wrong. 

• Loro Piana, a brand long considered the pinnacle of luxury craftsmanship, is the latest — and perhaps most surprising — name to be swept up in the investigation. Renowned for its control over production and its sourcing of rare materials like baby cashmere and vicuña, Loro Piana sits in one of the most exclusive tiers of fashion, alongside labels like Hermès.

• Brands caught up in the scandal have been placed under court oversight to ensure they tighten up their supply-chain controls, but the broader systemic issues revealed by the Milanese investigations have no easy fix. "There are deep-seated economic challenges for an industry that is still largely very fragmented, made up of mom-and-pop shops competing on a global stage with countries that have much lower labour costs," said Kent. Manufacturers are under intense pressure on price, speed and flexibility, conditions that have helped give rise to  “a cottage industry of cut-price suppliers that are not meeting Italy's own labour laws," she said.

• In the past, luxury brands have proved remarkably resilient to such scandals."What feels different this time is there is more jeopardy than there has been historically,” said Kent Hefty price increases over the past few years coupled with online complaints about declining quality are already fuelling a noisy debate about whether luxury brands are really worth the money. The sector’s alleged sweatshop links are “feeding into a bigger conversation that's already happening in a dangerous way,” said Kent. “This is not just a one-off scandal affecting one brand that can fade into the background.”

Additional Resources:

• How Loro Piana Was Linked to Labour Exploitation | BoF 
• If You Can’t Trust Loro Piana, Who Can You Trust? | BoF 

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Jérôme Mage is the founder and creative force behind Jacques Marie Mage, the luxury eyewear brand known for its distinctive silhouettes, limited production runs and deep-rooted storytelling. Originally from the Auvergne region in France, Mage relocated to Los Angeles in pursuit of creative freedom and with a deep passion for California's outdoor culture. 

His brand comes from a personal mission to reimagine luxury through the lens of collectibility, history and craft, starting with an obsession about sunglasses from a young age. 

“When I was 10 years old, my brother was 15, he came back with a pair of Vuarnet in my house. … I've never really seen my brother with glasses before and I was like wow looks so cool,” says Mage. I think for a lot of people it is transformative. … We live in a modern world that can be quite intrusive. All day people’s lives are on display and I think it's very nice to hide behind a pair of sunglasses.”

With each design, Mage channels his vast array of influences — from American mythologies to Napoleonic tailoring and iconic personalities — and transforms them into expressive objects with enduring emotional power. 

Hot on the heels of the brand’s latest retail opening, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed sat  down with Mage  at his new gallery on Rue de la Paix in Paris to explore how he built a cult luxury eyewear brand rooted in rarity, storytelling and craftsmanship – and why having an  outsider’s perspective is en his greatest creative strength.

Key Insights: 

• "My story is one of collectibility. That’s why I think people collect those glasses,"  says mage. A lifelong collector of everything from vintage eyewear to Napoleonic uniforms, Mage believes the story behind an object is what gives it lasting value. "Each pair of glasses needs to be charged up, infused with a story: a story of the past, but told in a modern way for a new generation."

• Mage is critical of the contemporary luxury industry's shift towards mass production, emphasising  that true luxury must maintain an inherent rarity. “I really wanted to return to a sense of rarity because for me there's no luxury without rarity – it's impossible," he says. Mage believes the current model, predicated on constant growth, is unsustainable. To resist that pressure, he committed to a deliberately complex and limited production model: "I did everything limited edition because it was almost guaranteeing me that I wouldn't fall in that trap."

• For Mage, embracing the role of the outsider enables deeper creativity and more meaningful work. "If you accept that role of outsider, then you're able to have a point of view or create something that is more tangible, more unique, and that has more value," he says. "Because obviously you look at things from a different point of view than others. And that's a true quality in being an outsider." His advice to anyone who feels they don’t fit in? "Don't be discouraged. If you stick long enough with it, it'll become a great asset in life."

Additional Resources:

•  Jacques Marie Mage | Latest news, analysis and jobs 

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After turning to other matters for a few weeks, President Donald Trump has reignited his aggressive tariff strategy, threatening sweeping new duties on key fashion-producing nations starting Aug. 1, as well as a fresh set of new levies on the EU, Brazil, South Korea and other trade partners.  

On this episode of The Debrief, correspondents Joan Kennedy and Marc Bain join hosts executive editor Brian Baskin and senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young to unpack how brands are reacting, where prices are headed, and why diversification may no longer be the solution it once was.

Key Insights: 

• Apparel prices in the US are finally starting to reflect the cost of tariffs. "We got the first bit of evidence that tariffs are actually having an impact on prices," said Kennedy, pointing to new CPI data showing apparel prices up 0.4% in June. "They're starting to rise because we're seeing inventory start to trickle onto shelves that are affected by these new duties." Bain added that shoppers are particularly sensitive: "It’s about managing perceptions... It’s why you see these brands putting out Instagram posts about tariffs and why they’re raising prices."

• Supply chain diversification isn't working like it used to. Brands once counted on shifting production as a way to dodge tariffs. But now, alternative hubs are also getting hit. "It is kind of like a game of whack-a-mole," said Kennedy. "One of the countries that was expected to benefit was Brazil... but we've seen a new 50% tariff threatened on Brazil." Bain noted that brands are now being advised to build in redundancy. "It’s not just about finding another source. It’s having some layer of redundancy built in."

• In response to rising costs and consumer fatigue, brands are reducing product variety and pricing selectively. Levi's, for example, announced they’re going to discontinue certain less popular styles during the holiday shopping season. Bain explained the logic: "If you know these are more sure bets, you’re less likely to have to discount them later... so as you're trying to offset the cost going up from tariffs, you can try to reduce your costs in other places too." Kennedy added: "We've seen brands get smart about where exactly they make these price hikes... like upping the price on a more fashion item, but keeping prices on staples stable."

Additional Resources:

• What Trump’s Latest Tariff Threats Mean for Fashion | BoF
• Higher Clothing Prices Are Officially Here | BoF 

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The latest fashion season marked a period of significant transition with new creative leadership taking centre stage at some of luxury’s biggest houses. Highly anticipated debuts at Dior, Celine and Maison Margiela set the tone for a new direction, while designers like Rick Owens continued to redefine the emotional and aesthetic parameters of fashion. At Balenciaga, Demna bid farewell to his iconic aesthetic, setting the stage for his upcoming tenure at Gucci.

Against this backdrop, BoF’s editor-at-large Tim Blanks and editor-in-chief Imran Amed discuss the realities of a shifting luxury landscape and the growing tension around pricing, accessibility, and the future structure of the luxury market.

Key Insights: 

• Jonathan Anderson's debut at Dior represented the start of a carefully managed transformation. "Dior is like a performance for him; J.W. Anderson is the real Jonathan," says Blanks. "I felt he was on a mission to manage expectations. He was basically saying, give me time." The conceptual collection served as an opening statement rather than a full evolution.

• Rick Owens remains a source of creative independence and authenticity. "There is no compromise in what Rick Owens does. He is a beacon of hope," said Blanks. Amed also highlights how Owens' shows now offer a safe space that celebrates difference: "He's been talking about how he wanted to create a place where people who don't subscribe to conventional notions of beauty can find a place where they can fit in. It's always so remarkable at his shows and presentations because you can really see that all come to life."

• Demna’s final Balenciaga show symbolised a deliberate departure from his signature aesthetic. "He said goodbye to his Balenciaga," said Blanks. Amed observed, “At Balenciaga, Demna needed to put more of his own codes into it. At Gucci, he has so much to work with.” With this pivot, Demna closes one chapter while preparing to reinterpret another legacy house.

• Amid a challenging economic environment, luxury brands are reconsidering their pricing strategies. “Luxury always worked in this pyramid where you had very high-end customer spending at the top. That pyramid structure has been kind of bloated in the middle now,” explained Imran. Brands are being forced to reevaluate what “entry-level” really means. “They're thinking about what they can put at the bottom… the entry-level price points."

Additional Resources:

• Paris Couture’s Life and Lifelessness | BoF 

Couture’s Age of Experience, Experience of Age | BoF

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In nearly two decades since the first “Real Housewives” franchise debuted, reality TV has moved from the fringes of entertainment to become a major cultural force. Today, “Housewives” stars are influencing fashion trends, driving sales, and making inroads into luxury circles that once ignored them. Brands previously wary of the stigma around reality TV are now leveraging the passionate and loyal fanbase of the franchise, positioning these women as both influencers and aspirational figures.

Senior news and features editor Diana Pearl joins The Debrief to explore this evolution, uncovering how and why fashion has finally learned to love “The Real Housewives.”

Key Insights: 

• Reality TV's path from lowbrow entertainment to cultural staple can partly be credited to the Kardashians, whose acceptance by fashion opened the door for shows like “Real Housewives”. “The Kardashians, for a long time, were not embraced by the fashion industry, and then in the 2010s that started to change,” says Pearl. Even when the fashion industry hesitated publicly, its insiders were already hooked privately. “People started watching the shows themselves… That guilty pleasure has just sort of come out of the shadows,” Pearl explains. 

• Fashion has become integral to the storytelling on “Real Housewives.” What started as subtle displays of wealth, such as Chanel bags or accessories, has evolved into head-to-toe designer ensembles and full-blown fashion storylines. “They’re all decked out in designer looks and it’s like the designers play a role in the show. There’s plot points around, ‘This dress costs this much money,’ or ‘Did you buy that diamond necklace?’” Pearl says. “People are more into the Housewives’ clothes now. It’s just become much more a part of the fabric of the show.”

• The demographics of the “Housewives” audience significantly overlap with those targeted by fashion brands. The fanbase, consisting largely of women and gay men, is aspirational, engaged and passionate about style. “People of all stripes like reality TV. Lots of luxury customers watch reality TV,” says Pearl. “If you want to connect with consumers, you have to meet them where they are.”

• Despite increased acceptance, luxury brands remain cautious about fully embracing “Housewives,” partly due to cultural and geographic divides. “The Real Housewives is a very American show. A lot of the luxury industry is in Europe,” Pearl notes. Yet, she adds, embracing these stars can pay off: “When we've seen brands embrace the Housewives, I think the fans reward them for that.”

Additional Resources:

• How Fashion Learned to Love The Real Housewives | BoF

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Rachel Scott, founder of Diotima, has built a reputation for bringing a nuanced portrayal of Caribbean culture to the global fashion stage. Drawing on her Jamaican heritage and global experience, Scott seeks to foreground overlooked craft traditions and champion a narrative that moves beyond exoticised tropes. 

“Craft doesn't have an aesthetic. Craft is technique and execution,” Scott says. “There are endless possibilities, and on a conceptual level, I think that craft is the most intimate form of fashion. Because it is made by hand, there is this energy exchange. So I kept thinking about intimacy, sensuality and desire.

This week on The BoF Podcast, Rachel Scott sits down with BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed to discuss how she is redefining craft and advocating for a more inclusive design industry.  

Key Insights: 

• Scott credits her global outlook to extensive travels during her childhood. "When I was younger, [my mother] was adamant not to take us to Europe because that was easy. So she would take us to Asia… and South America. I already had this grounding of a global perspective," she explained. Her extensive travels through Asia and South America particularly influenced her to view fashion as a form of communication: "I started thinking about clothes as language, especially because I was seeing these different perspectives and these different approaches to dressing.”

• Scott seeks to foreground informal, yet globally shared, knowledge of embroidery and craft techniques. "I remember seeing techniques in India that I had seen in Jamaica… there is this global knowledge, but only one place gets valued," she says. This recognition inspired her mission to challenge the traditional valuation of craftsmanship. "It's almost like an oral tradition that exists that I wanted to find a way to elevate and present to the world," she adds.

• For Scott, craft is inherently sensual and intimate. "Because it is made by hand, there is this energy exchange," she says. This philosophy underpins her creative approach, focusing on tactile and emotional connections: "I would receive the production of the crochet… I would open the box and feel this energy. There is spirit and there is something imparted from the person making it to the person wearing it.”

• Scott’s advice to aspiring fashion designers is to challenge traditional expectations and timelines. "Fashion is really crazy… someone really small is judged on the same level as someone from a conglomerate," she explained, encouraging designers to embrace their unique journeys. "You don't have to abide by these notions of when you should do something, how you should do it… wait until you're ready and find your way."

Additional Resources:

• How Fashion’s Rising Stars Are Surviving the Luxury Slump | BoF
• Diotima’s Rachel Scott, Willy Chavarria Take Home CFDA Fashion Awards | BoF

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After years of disillusionment with fashion tech, investors are once again excited about its potential, but with a very different mindset to the hype-fuelled boom of the last decade.

From AI-powered personal styling apps to virtual try-on tools and personalised search engines, a wave of start-ups is gaining traction – and big backing – by offering real technological solutions to long-standing fashion industry problems.

In this episode, senior e-commerce correspondent Malique Morris joins The Debrief to explore how fashion tech is finally growing up, and which companies are leading this more grounded, results-driven wave of innovation.

Key Insights: 

• In the previous fashion tech boom, investors were heavily investing in e-commerce startups with little true innovation. “DTC brands … positioned themselves as tech companies because they sold goods online, but there was nothing really revolutionary about them listing products on a website. And I don't know how investors didn't cop to that,” says Morris.  Today’s backers are more discerning, favouring startups with clear technical roadmaps and founders who can evolve their product in meaningful ways.
• Investor interest in fashion tech reignited thanks to the rise of generative AI. As Morris explains, venture capital had been sitting on the sidelines during a broader funding freeze, but AI’s real-world applications reignited excitement. “Startups like Daydream are building a platform for personalised search using AI tools from companies like OpenAI and Google, and they want to be the ChatGPT for fashion and be disruptive in the way that ChatGPT has changed how we use the internet,” says Morris. “What was once a dream is now closer to being tangible and investors want to be the first ones in on that.”

• Today’s investors are looking beyond flashy pitches and prioritising founders with real technical know-how. “Something that is really separating the people who are just trying to raise money and not breaking through from those who are, are having some sort of technical experience, technical expertise,” says Morris. With the complexity of AI and other advanced tools, investors want to back teams that can build efficiently and with minimal lift. “They want to back founders who know what they're doing,” he adds.

• While new fashion tech apps offer highly personalised experiences, their complexity may limit mainstream appeal. The question of scale is still unanswered: “There may be a billion people out there who want to do that… There may only be a million. We don't know that just yet.”

Additional Resources:

• How Investors Fell Back in Love With Fashion Tech | BoF 

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As a fashion buyer and creative force at retail institutions like Browns and Liberty, Yasmin Sewell has long been tuned into aesthetics and the power of intuition. But it was during a moment of  personal reset, that her intuition propelled her from fashion into an entirely new world: the business of beauty. 

Founded in 2021, her fragrance brand Vyrao blends traditional perfumery with spiritual practices like Reiki, kinesiology, and neuroscience. 

“When I was in fashion, what made me successful was tapping into my intuition and tapping into energy, which is everything I’ve created now. I was born quite psychic; I’ve always been able to connect with many things, and I used that ability to discover the designers at Browns,” Sewell shared. “That feeling is what I’ve lived by my whole life. It’s what’s led me to where I am now. And actually, what I believe I’ve done is bottled that into fragrance.”

At The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025, Sewell sat down with BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed to discuss why she built a business rooted in energy, how she learned to manufacture fragrance from scratch, and why intuition is an underrated superpower in business.

Key Insights: 

• Yasmin Sewell transitioned from fashion to beauty not as a rejection of her previous career but rather as an extension of her intuitive abilities, driven by a significant personal shift following her divorce. "When I was in fashion, what made me successful was tapping into my intuition and tapping into energy, which is everything that I've created now,” she explained.

• Vyrao was born from a deeply personal vision Sewell experienced during a transitional period in her life. "I heard this voice saying, 'everything needs to be green'. ... That's all I could hear. It was like a speaker I couldn't turn off," she recounted. "I sat there and Vyrao came to me as an absolute vision from somewhere else." 

• The fragrance brand now sits in a distinct position in the market, combining fragrance formulation with emotional and spiritual wellbeing, backed by neuroscience. "Every single plant and flower and every single fragrance is chosen for how it makes you feel… Now we work with neuroscience. It's proven to trigger certain emotions in the brain," she explained.

• Sewell emphasises the power of intuition as her primary guide, despite the challenges of navigating a business world dominated by analytical thinking. "I tend to lead with the gut... I'm sort of 98% intuition, 2% common sense," she said, describing how this has shaped Vyrao’s strategic direction and her interactions with investors. "I lead with intuition, and I use the brain as a tool. I don’t think the brain can take us that far – for me, it doesn’t.”

Additional Resources:

• The Business of Beauty Global Forum: Connection in the Age of Disruption | BoF 

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