The Glossy Podcast

Since the start of the pandemic, Tommy Hilfiger has only hosted a fashion show in September 2022 — when it gathered the fashion community at Brooklyn’s Skyline Drive-In for an Andy Warhol Factory-themed experience. This season, the brand is making its return to the event, but it’s taking an all-new approach. For starters, it’s no longer leveraging the see-now, buy-now model it helped pioneer in 2017; like most other fashion brands, it’s showing a fall 2024 collection. 

On the first of six dedicated New York Fashion Week episodes of the Glossy Podcast, which will roll out daily throughout the event, Tommy Hilfiger, the founder and principal designer of his 39-year-old namesake fashion company, discusses the opportunity that Fashion Week presents his company today, the power of the brand ambassador and the innovations he’s currently embracing, true to form.

In 2018, Chris Echevarria launched Blackstock & Weber, the Brooklyn-based footwear brand that has become well-known for its updated takes on classic loafers. 

“I own the business 100%, and it’s grown 300% every year since we started,” Echevarria said on the Glossy Podcast.

Still, he’s finding time to launch other businesses and tackle new projects: In November, he introduced the brand Academy, which brings his signature preppy-with-a-twist style to menswear. And, after being announced as creative director at Sperry in September, his debut Sperry by Chris Echevarria collection debuted at Paris Fashion Week Men’s last month. 

On this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast, Echevarria discusses the throughline of his projects, as well as his long-term goals for his businesses and a recent advertising pivot that’s working to his brands’ advantage.

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.

On this week’s episode, we talk about TikTok’s music shakeup and recent investment in e-commerce, H&M's new CEO and 2023 earnings report, and Lyst's latest quarterly Index revealing the buzziest fashion brands and styles.

We want to hear from you! We’re doing our first mailbag episode of the Week in Review podcast where we'll answer listener-submitted questions. If you’d like to submit a question, leave a voicemail at 929.688.2750, and we will play your recorded question on the air. You can also DM us on Glossy’s Instagram or email [email protected].

Based on the way she runs her third fashion label since the 1980s, it's clear that Tracy Reese has learned from the fashion industry's mistakes. 

Called Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, the 5-year-old brand prioritizes responsible design and production, as well as positive social impact in its home city of Detroit. Reese, who formerly led brands Tracy Reese Meridian and Tracy Reese, has, for the first time, chosen to self-fund her brand. Plus, she's producing fewer collections than the 10 per year she once deemed necessary. 

But she's kept at least one business practice alive: selling through retail partners. "Wholesale is the bigger part of the business," Reese said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. Currently, Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese sells through Saks Fifth Avenue, Anthropologie and around 30 specialty stores across the U.S.

On the podcast, Reese also discusses the NYC fashion landscape before e-commerce and the reason designers should avoid chasing trends. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international correspondent Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.

This week, we discuss the backlash brands are facing for the use of generative AI, the shuttering of Neighborhood Goods and what it means for DTC brands, and the ongoing trouble facing Saks Fifth Avenue and its parent company HBC as it struggles with liquidity.

Lauren Nouchi and Amélie Brick technically founded their fashion brand, Apparis, in 2016. But it wasn’t until 2018 that it took off, driven by the popularity of a single style: a colorful faux fur coat. 

“At the time, it was a third of the price of any competitors,” Nouchi said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. 

Along with affordability, quality and style, the coat’s ethical materials made it a draw for both consumers and retailers. Bloomingdale’s was the first to buy into the brand, followed by Saks Fifth Avenue.  

“We had no marketing budget, so having our product in those doors helped us grow our visibility and credibility as a brand,” Nouchi said. “It would have taken us years to do that with just our DTC business.”

Today, Apparis continues to sell through retailers including Nordstrom and Elyse Walker, but the founders have upped their focus on direct-to-consumer sales; in 2023, they updated the brand’s website, among other elements, to better tell the brand story and support the direct side of the business.  

They’ve also expanded the brand far beyond a coat. According to Nouchi, outerwear currently makes up 50% of the business, followed by winter accessories and home goods at 25% each. 

On the podcast, Nouchi discussed Apparis’s evolution and strategies, including its fundraising approach, its prioritization of conscious production and its marketing plans for 2024. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.

This week, we talk about the recent boost in U.S. retail sales, the big conversations at the NRF conference, the legal battle between Uniqlo and Shein, and the Western-influenced Louis Vuitton show that kicked off Paris Fashion Week Men's.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, footwear brand Loeffler Randall has experienced its fair share of industry highs and lows. Of course, a recent low was the height of the pandemic in early 2020. But since that time, when it faced “scarring” challenges, the brand has been in growth mode, co-founder Brian Murphy said on the Glossy Podcast. For example, it has opened its first two stores, entered new product categories and expanded its headquarters to accommodate a growing team. It’s also tripled the size of the business. 

On the podcast episode, Murphy breaks down Loeffler Randall’s approach to physical retail, which has resulted in its 750-square-foot NYC store doing $1.3 million in annual sales. He also talks through the company’s international ambitions and its strategy for becoming an $80-million, 100-employee company within the next 18 months.

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, editor-in-chief Jill Manoff and international fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.

This week, we discuss the highlights and surprises of the CFDA’s preliminary official New York Fashion Week schedule for fall 2024. We also talk about Rent the Runway’s latest round of layoffs, which impacted 10% of its corporate employees, and the fashion brands that ruled the Golden Globes red carpet.

In 2015, Rob Ronen and Michael Herman co-founded Material Good, a retailer specializing in fine jewelry and rare timepieces that first opened in New York City's Soho neighborhood. They had no backers — and still own 100% of the business — but they had years of experience working for Audemars Piguet and in the private jewelry sector, respectively. And they'd defined a white space that was particularly glaring in lower Manhattan.  

"The retail experience that was being offered was subpar," Ronen said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. "I would go to different retailers … that were carrying high-end timepieces, and I noticed that it was all about product and price. A client would walk into a store, they would ask for a specific product or ask to be shown different price point products, and then they would haggle and negotiate over price — because that was still a time when discounts were prevalent in the watch world. … It was not experiential. I felt like there would be something we could do better." 

The first store served as a proof of concept, even attracting Hailey Bieber and John Mayer, among other celebrity shoppers. So, eight years after its opening, in early December 2023, the founders opened a second store in Miami.

Along with discussing the company's unique approach to physical retail, Ronen spoke on the podcast about how it's meeting the standards of discerning luxury shoppers while also appealing to aspirational consumers.