The Glossy Podcast

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

On this week's episode, Alexander McQueen's mushroom-themed show didn't contain any actual mushroom leather, Saks Off 5th rebranded for a younger audience and Abercrombie & Fitch became the latest mall brand to chase after the booming activewear market.

Joining Google mid-pandemic to be its global consumer marketing director for commerce wasn’t an obvious next step for Stephanie Horton. Prior, she held roles that were comparatively more fashion-centric, including CMO at Farfetch, chief strategy officer at Alexander Wang and global head of communications for Shopbop. But she was up for a new challenge.

“I’m not really a career architect. Things kind of come my way, and [the draw, for me] is really about the scope and what I can learn, and whether there is something new or innovative there,” Horton said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “[Google] seemed like a great chance for me to be a part of something that was in the building stages -- it was building blocks and really looking for an identity. And there were so many cool things on the table on the product side that I found really interesting and innovative.”

Now a year-and-a-half in, she’s making great progress on bringing the Google Shopping product vision to life and educating consumers on the tools the platform offers. Among them: Google Lens and a new interface that makes it easier for people to “window shop” on Google.

“We want to make Google the place where you start your shopping journey, no matter where you finish,” she said. “We're not a retailer and we're not a marketplace. We're the place that you can go and really compare, find, narrow down, be inspired, and then make your choice.”

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

In this week's episode, the hosts discuss the evolution of historically traditional Paris Fashion Week, the accumulating fashion brands retracting their business operations in Russia and the way fashion companies opted to recognize this year's International Women's Day, on March 8.

Launched in 2019, Marfa Stance aims to offer an innovative, more sustainable solution to the consumer desire for variety and constant newness: adaptable, enhanceable clothing. 

“To me, ‘modular’ is a way of unlocking your creativity,” said Georgia Dant, founder and CEO of Marfa Stance, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “You [get to] design your own piece for your lifestyle or for whatever functionality or occasion you're going to.”

That way of dressing is catching on, including among fashion “it” girls, many of whom have shown support for Marfa Stance without a paycheck. 

In the year ahead, Dant aims to host more in-person events and to open branded stores, granting online customers more access to the brand and its concepts. 

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

In this week's episode, the hosts discuss the ramifications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Ukrainian fashion and the efforts across the industry to send aid to Ukraine. Also this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, including what fashion brands are doing to reduce emissions, and a lawsuit between Cartier and Tiffany over non-competes and trade secrets.

Both Josephine Skriver and Jasmine Tookes have been modeling for more than a decade for brands from Victoria’s Secret to Tom Ford. Now, they’re focused on building a brand of their own.

Named Joja – derived using the first two letters of their first names – Skriver and Tookes’s activewear brand launched in February. It bears the same name as the Instagram account the pair launched in 2016, which unexpectedly gained a large following. 

“It really just developed over our passion and love for fitness and staying healthy, and holding each other accountable in the gym,” said Tookes. “We started posting our workouts on Instagram, and it was really just for us to share our journey in the gym with each other. And out of nowhere, girls from all over the world started sharing their workouts with each other and holding each other accountable.”

Today, the Instagram account has more than 700,000 followers. And that community’s demand for Joja “merch” is what drove the launch of the brand – which the founders plan to expand far beyond activewear.

“Hopefully, we can build an entire Joja universe,” Tookes said. “We have so many ideas we want to do. Joja is really a fun opportunity for us to build an entire umbrella around health and wellness, whether that includes protein drinks or beauty waters or workout equipment. The opportunities are endless.”

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

This week, Authentic Brands Group announced a strategic partnership with New Guards Group, with the goal of making Reebok into a luxury-streetwear crossover brand to compete with Nike. Elsewhere, Ye and Demna finally dropped their collaboration through the Yeezy Gap line, and Macy's announced that it won't separate its online and in-store businesses.

Luxury fashion resale site Dora Maar launched in 2019. It was good timing, considering how resale has taken off since the start of the pandemic.

“In 2020, we found our footing. And in 2021, we really blew it out,” said Lauren Wilson, founder and CEO of Dora Maar, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “Year over year, we grew 570%.” 

Dora Maar’s differentiator among resale companies is that it spotlights its sellers on its site and marketing channels, labeling them as “Muses” and treating them as influencers. It also attributes each product it sells to one of their closets.  

Wilson pointed to her previous job experience as the inspiration for the business model.

“While working at Moda [Operandi] and, prior to that, at Christie's, we were always digging behind the story of the designer or the women who wore it or the people who owned it,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Why doesn't this exist in secondhand?’”

“This is a new way of retail,” she added.

Moving forward, along with bringing more Muses and also brand partners into the fold, Wilson plans to elevate Dora Maar’s automation and personalization capabilities. She’ll also continue to expand its product offerings to new categories – Dora Maar's already introduced home and beauty categories since its launch. 

“2022 is really about scaling up, Wilson said.

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

This week, an NYFW recap, a look at LVMH's price increases and a discussion on Rebecca Minkoff's decision to sell to Sunrise Brands.

According to its president and CEO, Drew Green, 7-year-old suit specialist Indochino is "the largest custom apparel company in the world," and growing.

Indochino's set to eclipse 100 stores this year, opening eight in February alone, Green said on the latest Glossy Podcast. Its other plans for 2022 include expanding to women's suiting and increasing its wedding apparel business. 

For several years already, the company's done nine figures in annual revenue. Secrets to its success include taking a diversified approach to marketing that includes "everything from podcasts to team sponsorships with the Yankees, the L.A. Rams and the Boston Red Sox," Green said. 

The company's "showroom" store model, which necessitates minimal investment, and prioritization of the customer experience have also served it well. 

"I like the Four Seasons model [of earning customer loyalty]," Green said. "I understand the benefits of actually having points or cashback and all the different mechanisms within a loyalty program. But where we've invested for loyalty is in the actual experience: making it fun, making it interesting and making it memorable. That's what the Four Seasons does. They don't have points, they don't have cashback, they just provide a world-class experience."