The Glossy Podcast

A lot has changed for Summersalt since 2017, when it launched as an online-only, perfect-fit swimsuit brand and quickly gained popularity on Instagram. For starters, it has since expanded to product categories including sleepwear, activewear and intimates, Plus, it now operates stores, on top of its e-commerce site, allowing customers to shop IRL in West Palm Beach, Myrtle Beach and Nashville. And Instagram is just one piece of a larger marketing pie.

The growing business is the brainchild of Lori Coulter and Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, serial entrepreneurs with complementary skill sets who managed to find each other and make a go of an ambitious business plan from their shared home of St. Louis.

"I was creating strategy and branding for amazing brands while running my own agency. Then, after doing that for about seven years, I realized I wanted to eat, sleep and breathe a brand," Chattaram Chamberlin said, regarding her road to Summersalt, on the latest Glossy Podcast.

As for Coulter, she was running a made-to-measure swimwear business, which had perfected the fits of its styles, mastered quick-turnaround manufacturing and maintained accessible price points. At the same time, she was tracking the evolving e-commerce environment and realizing the opportunities it presented. "I decided to create a business plan and develop a collection," she said. She initially approached Chattaram Chamberlin about hiring her agency, and the partnership took off from there.

Now, six years later, Coulter and Chattaram Chamberlin are preparing for yet another year of growth. Their plans for 2024 include opening more stores and doubling down on collaborations, following their successful collections with brands including Diane von Furstenberg and Rifle Paper Co. 

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

On this week’s episode, we discuss the state of luxury retail by looking at Saks Fifth Avenue’s reported inability to pay its brands and Gucci's lawsuit against three retailers alleging that they sold counterfeit products.

Surviving as a completely self-funded fashion brand for 10 years is no easy feat. However, designer Tanya Taylor beat the odds. This year, her namesake brand is celebrating a decade in business.

Also this year, Tanya Taylor opened its first store, in September — the new flagship is located on NYC's iconic Madison Avenue. To commemorate 10 years, the company threw a star-studded launch party at the historic Carlyle Hotel, located directly across the street from the store.

As for the future, Taylor said she's excited about the company's next phase of growth. For this week's episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, Taylor sat down with Jill Manoff, Glossy's editor-in-chief, to talk about her brand's evolution and current direction, especially considering its retail expansion.

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 what’s causing luxury watch prices to plummet, what strategies brands are tackling for Black Friday and to what extent the ongoing garment worker strikes in Bangladesh are impacting the fashion industry.

Garrett Leight grew up in the eyewear industry. The founder of the Venice Beach-based eyewear brand Garrett Leight California Optical is also the son of Larry Leight, founder of eyewear brand Oliver Peoples. So it’s no surprise that his namesake brand has seen significant success. For example, it sells 65% direct, but it also sells in top luxury retailers including Bergdorf Goodman and Dover Street Market. What’s more, it’s collaborated with brands from JJJJound to Rimowa and opened nine stores. Its brand fans include Brad Pitt and Elton John. 

Now approaching his brand’s 15th year in business, Leight still sees plenty of opportunities for growth and evolution. On the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast, Leight discusses the brand’s website refresh, set for January, as well as its next marketing play, focused on turning best-sellers into classics. 

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 discuss the diverging fortunes of Pandora and De Beers and how they exemplify what’s happening in jewelry; the CFDA Awards, including the big winners; and The RealReal’s continued efforts to reach profitability.

In 2016, Molly Howard, Valerie Macaulay and Meredith Melling launched the fashion brand La Ligne determined to do fashion and business differently. 

For their part, Macaulay and Melling had been Vogue editors for years and had grown tired of brands "that felt like they had to reinvent themselves season after season," according to Howard. Meanwhile, Howard had spent a couple of years working long hours in investment banking for Credit Suisse. At the time, she'd decided that, when her time came to run a company, she'd give everyone a voice by doing away with traditional hierarchies. What's more, she'd start the workday at 10 a.m. 

Now CEO of La Ligne, Howard’s made good on those promises, she said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. And Macaulay and Melling have successfully disrupted the fashion system by fulfilling their desire for a "timeless, democratic" brand. La Ligne’s pieces center on the classic stripe pattern, yet the brand offers plenty of versatility — it even sells denim.  

Howard, Macaulay and Melling were first introduced after a common acquaintance noticed that they were all consulting brands but in very different ways: Howard was offering business assistance, while Macaulay and Melling were supporting creative teams. Since coming together to launch La Ligne, their complementing strengths have served the business well. For one, the brand just launched its fifth retail location, in Marin County, California, plus it’s currently expanding internationally. And, it’s worth noting, its styles were “Anna Wintour’s preferred Covid attire,” said Howard, referencing images of the Vogue editor during lockdown. 

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 discuss some of the challenges facing Canadian outerwear brand Canada Goose, the reason Watchbox underwent a rebrand and the reports that Alo Yoga is seeking a $10 billion valuation.

For Hervé Léger, the early aughts — and its big celeb-driven PR moments — are back.  

“I wanted to be back in Us Magazine,” said Melissa LeFere-Cobb, division head of Hervé Léger, while discussing her plans to reignite the brand on the Glossy Podcast. She was referencing Hervé Léger’s original heyday, when the brand’s signature bandage dresses were a style staple for every “it” girl from Paris Hilton to Britney Spears. In 2021, three years after stepping into her role and getting the brand’s new products into the hands of stylist Law Roach and others with fashion influence, LeFere-Cobb’s wish came true. Celebs including Jennifer Lopez began re-embracing the brand, and Us, among other publications, took notice.

“The bandage dress will always be a pillar” of Hervé Léger, said Michelle Ochs, who was enlisted by LeFere-Cobb to join the brand as creative director in June. Prior, she was one-half of the creative duo behind the fashion brand Cushnie et Ochs, before going solo via the Et Ochs brand in 2021.

However, today, thanks in large part to the fresh eye that Ochs is bringing to its collections, Hervé Léger is much more than body-con minidresses — and it’s in growth mode. Together, LeFere-Cobb and Ochs are setting plans for product category and international expansion as they build toward the brand’s next great era. 

This episode was recorded during a Glossy+ member event at the Hervé Léger showroom in the Empire State Building. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff are joined by Glossy’s new West Coast Correspondent, Lexy Lebsack, and break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.

On this week’s episode, we discuss how luxury brands are dealing with the many factors slowing their growth, why Steve Madden acquired the apparel brand Almost Famous and how beauty brands are dealing with Prop 65 lawsuits.