In 2015, Jimmy, Lan and Conrad Sansone launched The Normal Brand, a fashion company focused on easy, comfortable clothing suitable for both workdays and weekends. In the nine years since, without outside funding, the brothers have opened 11 stores — in cities including Nashville and Indianapolis — and entered partnerships with retailers including Nordstrom and Von Maur. The Normal Brand, which is based in St. Louis, now sells in 500 stores nationwide.
Among the brand’s differentiators are its proprietary ultra-soft fabric, Puremeso, and its on-call influencer network — Sansone family members, including Lan, have large social followings and are regularly featured in brand marketing. The Normal Brand has seen 40% annual revenue growth since its launch, Jimmy Sansone said on the Glossy Podcast. 
Also on the podcast, Jimmy and Lan Sansone discuss The Normal Brand’s strategies for fueling growth, navigating challenges and maintaining a “humble, hungry and smart” team. 
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The Normal Brand’s Jimmy and Lan Sansone: ‘To build a lasting brand, you need a brick-and-mortar presence’

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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 perils of unregulated AI, the rumors of LVMH offloading Marc Jacobs and the immense growth (and pitfalls) of TikTok Shop.

Week in Review: AI regulation, LVMH's Marc Jacobs plans, the growth of TikTok Shop

Before taking the reins as creative director of Carolina Herrera in 2018, Wes Gordon had been immersed in the world of high fashion by running his own label and going to school at Central Saint Martins. After graduating, he launched his eponymous label in 2009 and quickly garnered attention for his sophisticated and vibrant aesthetic, which blends modern sensibilities with timeless elegance. 
Since stepping into his role at Carolina Herrera, Wes Gordon has been credited with infusing the brand with a fresh, exuberant spirit while also honoring the opulent and refined legacy of the founder, Mrs. Herrera. His collections are celebrated for their dynamic use of color, meticulous craftsmanship and playful yet sophisticated aesthetic. Under his creative guidance, the brand has continued to captivate a global audience, expand to new markets and grow its e-commerce reach. Carolina Herrera is opening multiple stores in the next couple of months, with its most recent opening being in Palm Beach. The brand is owned by Spanish conglomerate Puig, which also owns Paco Rabanne, Dries Van Noten and Jean Paul Gaultier.
This week's Glossy Podcast explores Carolina Herrera's Puig ownership, Gordon's challenges while taking over Herrera's role and the the brand's Met Gala plans this year.

Carolina Herrera's Wes Gordon: Department stores aren't the only important sales channel anymore

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
On this week’s episode, we discuss the ongoing collapse of luxury e-commerce companies like Matches Fashion, the slowdown in luxury spending in China, and the progress of the TikTok ban and its potential impacts on fashion.

Week in Review: Matches Fashion, luxury's China slowdown, the TikTok ban

Before becoming Lilly Pulitzer’s CEO eight years ago, Michelle Kelly had been with the company for 12 years. That experience helped set her up for success as the company’s leader, she said on this week’s Glossy Podcast.
"I was able to develop a strong sense of how we operate,” she said. “For everything we've built over the past 20 years, I have some knowledge of how it was done and how we got there. And, of course, the functional knowledge of how different departments work has been really helpful. For one, it’s provided confidence in knowing that we can change — because we have changed, and have been successful at it.”
Also on the podcast, Kelly discussed how the recent widespread move to coastal towns has affected 65-year-old Lilly Pulitzer, which specializes in resortwear. And she shared how the brand is adjusting its marketing and distribution mixes in keeping with its customer’s changing behavior.
Get more from Glossy with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit glossy.co/newsletters to sign up.

Lilly Pulitzer CEO Michelle Kelly: Our ‘balanced marketing mix’ includes catalogs and commercials

Digiday Media's WorkLife is proud to present season three of The Return, a podcast about the modern workforce, with this season focused on middle management.
Last season, we heard what it’s like for Gen Z to enter the workforce for the first time in a post-pandemic world. We highlighted themes like why values are so important to Gen Zers, whether or not they are loyal to their employers, how they use TikTok for career advice, what it means to be a young professional who is a boss to older workers, and so much more.
This time, we’re hearing from the population of workers that some argue is the backbone of a successfully-run organization: middle management. They are the ones who are navigating those RTO mandates, welcoming a new generation of workers that have a different approach than those who came before them, the rise of artificial intelligence – the list goes on.
In season three of The Return, we speak to middle managers themselves to hear beyond their everyday stresses of the job, but what they need to guarantee everyone they manage has what they need to be the best at what they do. C-suite, listen up because they need your help too.
We dive into how middle management stress is a decades-long issue (there are New York Times headlines dating back to 1971), how the wrong people are being chosen to be managers which is leading to the rise of “accidental managers,” what it’s like to have hard conversations and having to be a therapist at times, where people are finding support as a middle manager, and how AI is impacting the job of a middle manager.
With a Q+A format, you will hear in-depth conversations with folks including Colette Stallbaumer, Microsoft’s general manager of Microsoft 365 and Future of Work Marketing, Rob Pierre, former CEO of advertising services platform Jellyfish, and Emily Field, partner at McKinsey & Company who co-authored “Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work,” to name a few.
Season three of The Return is hosted by Cloey Callahan, senior reporter at Digiday Media’s WorkLife, and produced by Digiday Media’s audio producer Sara Patterson.
Subscribe to the WorkLife podcast now on Apple Podcasts – or wherever you get your podcasts – to hear the first episode on Tuesday, April 23.

The Normal Brand’s Jimmy and Lan Sansone: ‘To build a lasting brand, you need a brick-and-mortar presence’

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