Molly Jong-Fast is a special correspondent at Vanity Fair and host of the Fast Politics Podcast.

You can find her at twitter at mollyjongfast 

On this episode, Molly speaks with Matthew Doull about the advantages and pitfalls of coming from a long line of writers and how she's navigated her own substance problems and the ever-changing media landscape.

Brooks Brown is a Learning & Development and Retail Director with a career spent in the beauty and fashion industry.  She has worked in wholesale, retail, branding and L&D for Ralph Lauren, Estee Lauder, Brioni, Donna Karan and Emmanuel Ungaro.  Additionally, she worked and lived in Hong Kong with responsibilities for the entire APAC region. She created and led initiatives in DE&I, luxury sales and service, client relations and product knowledge. Recently, she completed a styling certification from Fashion Institute of Technology. She loves hiking, yoga, travel, art and, like a true Southerner, iced tea.

On this episode, she spoke with Madeline Schwarz about the new paths and challenges she's sought for herself in her non-linear fashion career.

Madeline Schwarz has been called a career therapist, lifesaver and secret weapon.

She solves one problem that every business and employee has in common: to clearly and concisely articulate your vision, communicate what you do and why other people should care. 

She’s coached individuals and teams on presentation skills, storytelling and team dynamics. Her clients have included Tommy Hilfiger, Mastercard, Etsy and The Jewish Museum.

When she's not dreaming up ways to make communication more fun, you can find her hanging out in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, roaming art museums and building cardboard forts with her 9-year old son.

On this episode, Madeline speaks with Brooks Brown about her reasons for starting a business to advocate for quiet leaders.

Julian's research focuses on luxury fashion, consumption, and identity in America. As an extension of his academic work, Julian writes for Menswear Style and his site, julianrandall.com. Other interests include hip-hop, travel, and all things black truffle.

On this episode, Julian talks with Andrea Pascual about what led him to move from Texas to the UK, and his journey into the intersection of hip-hop, fashion and luxury.

Andrea Pascual leads Cool Eye Creative, where she works with bold founders to design trusted brands.

She is also owner and designer of ANDREA PASCUAL, her eponymous luxury fashion brand, where she designs exclusive items for a community of cultural disruptors. She was featured in Flare and FASHION magazines, and was a finalist in the Independent Handbag Designer Awards sponsored by InStyle.

Andrea’s Filipino-Canadian heritage inspires her work and storytelling. She loves music, art, yoga, and great coffee. She is currently based in her hometown, Toronto, Canada.

Talia Shuvalov is an accomplished Creative Director in the fashion industry and the co-founder of EREDE Official, a fine jewelry line launching in July 2023. Talia was most recently the SVP of Design and Creative at Alexander Wang overseeing all product design for the company. Talia has specialized in knitwear throughout her career, and is well known for her integral role in the growth of this category at companies such as Alexander Mcqueen, Narciso Rodriguez, Opening Ceremony, Theory, Dion Lee & Area NYC to name a few. She is renowned for her ability to achieve innovative design that exemplifies commercial viability. 

On this episode, Talia talks with Karen Ruenitz about how spending time as a kid on the floor of her grandparents' factory led her to pursue a career in knitwear.

Karen Santoyo Ruenitz is an accomplished creative director in footwear and accessories, renowned for her ability to create iconic products for lifestyle brands such as Soludos, Loeffler Randall, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Tory Burch, and Helmut Lang. Along with her creative vision, Karen is a passionate advocate for sustainability, as demonstrated by her leadership in pioneering the Soludos Sustainability Commitments resulting in over 70% of the brand's footwear being made using Environmentally Preferred Materials per the FDRA industry guide.

In this episode, Karen tells Talia Shuvalov the story of how she went from receptionist to designer at Helmut Lang.

Monica Botkier is a pioneer and leader in the accessories space Founder and Creative Director of Botkier New York. Exited 2018 Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Chosenwoven luxury merino lingerie. Author, Harper Collins Design.

On this episode, Monica speaks with her co-founder Olga Kapustina about the gamble she took to start her own handbag company, parting ways with it and the lessons she's put to use in starting over building a new company.

The Belarusian born, Brooklyn raised designer started her eponymous line in 1999. Her work was featured in Barneys for a decade along with numerous exclusive boutiques across the US.  Her clothes have been worn by celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Kim Kardashian, Katie Holmes, Brittany Spears and Rachel Bilson, among others. And her work was featured in major publications including Elle, Vogue, Bazaar, In Style, Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan,L’officiel , and Marie Claire.

In 2012, Kapustina, craving a life-change, closed her popular line and returned to her love of biological systems and engineering. After completing a degree in

In 2023, Kapustina launched Chosenwoven with her business partner Monica Botkier. A perfect amalgamation of her love of good design and engineering. Chosen woven creates luxuriously knit lingerie with one of her favorite materials: Merino Wool. 

On this episode, Olga speaks with her business partner Monica Botkier about how her decision to delay applying to medical school for a year paved the way for a career in fashion rather than the one she'd planned as a surgeon.

For 23 years, Greg Baratte has been a notable leader and innovator in the Digital, e-commerce and CRM space of the luxury goods industry.

Greg is currently working in the newly created Global Open Innovation team of Chanel, focusing on investing and supporting existing start-ups or building bespoke ventures; prior to this role he led http://Chanel.com globally and created the house’s first Global integrated Digital Services team.

In his positions at LVMH then Chanel, as well as creating and advising start-ups, Mr. Baratte has spearheaded multiple innovative initiatives and global programs. He contributed to the launch of the first multi-brand e-commerce platform for luxury goods in early 2001 when E-luxury.com was acquired by LVMH, then pivoted it into the arts & culture platform, nowness in 2008 ; launched the brands first e-commerce enabled websites, first CRM programs, digital and social media and marketing campaigns, influencers strategy, and omnichannel retail and customer service across multiple regions. He is now focusing on AI, Web3, other strategic emerging technologies and business models.

He currently shares his time between Paris, London and New York where he lives with his wife, and 2 dogs.