TheIndustry.fashion & TheIndustry.beauty Podcast

In the latest episode of IN DETAIL, Tom Shearsmith, News & Features Writer at TheIndustry.fashion talks to Graduate Fashion Foundation Chairman Douglas McLennan, and Brand Partnerships Director Joy Campbell about the past, present and the future of the event, which acts as a springboard for new talent: bridging the gap between education and employment.

Douglas and Joy speak about the important work Graduate Fashion Foundation do, how a regular Graduate Fashion Week works, the impact of COVID-19 and subsequent strides in technology development, and what they hope the future looks like for those studying, graduating and exhibiting now and in the future.

In the latest episode of the ‘In Conversation’ podcast, Tom Shearsmith, News & Features Writer at TheIndustry.fashion speaks with Amanda Navaian, Founder of sustainable accessories brand Mārīcī.

As an advocate for sustainability and with years of experience in the fashion industry, Amanda set out to launch her own plant-based accessories brand in 2020, which is soon to be stocked in Selfridges as part of their ‘Project Earth’ Luxury designer edit.

Mārīcī is the only brand within the Selfridges luxury edit using Pinatex - an alternative to leather that does not rely on plastics and fossil fuels for its production.

The plant-based material is derived directly from the off-cuts of the existing pineapple industry, bought directly from farmers themselves.

Amanda speaks about her background and history in fashion, what drove her to launch her own brand, the deep-rooted sustainability and reliance on pineapples, and what it means to be stocked in one of the world’s most renowned department stores.

Friends who met at the school gates almost 20 years ago, Eileen Willett and Nancy Zeffman are the founders of “cool” brand Cucumber Clothing.

In the past six years, the duo have created simple, multifunctional designs that slip easily into every woman’s wardrobe.

The brands' clothes are made ethically, locally and sustainably.  It operates with a “five mile radius” rule,  using minimal packaging and focuses on British manufacturing .

The duo tell Tom Shearsmith, news and features writer at TheIndustry.fashion, about their brands journey, who handles the finances and who is the creative brain, their continuous push for further sustainability, and the impact of COVID-19.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski is the CEO and Founder of disruptive payments provider Klarna. With its buy now, pay later, pay in 3 and other flexible, or as Klarna likes to call it smoooth, payments options, this business has shaken up the way we shop, having been adopted by more than 250,000 retailers worldwide.

It’s also fair to say it has ruffled a few feathers among the traditional banking sector with its bright pink, sometimes frankly oddball, advertising and its celebrity backers.

But it has found favour among a largely millennial consumer base that is shunning credit in favour of debit and, despite its stunning success, Siemiatkowski is still hungry for more.

For the latest episode of the IN DETAIL podcast, Lauretta Roberts, Editor in chief of TheIndustry.fashion caught up with Sebastian in London recently when he was in town to visit Klarna’s new offices and to announce the launch of a new app that allows Klarna customers to shop across all brands whether they are Klarna merchants or not.

The son of Polish immigrants to Sweden, Sebastian grew up in very modest circumstances and gone on the become one of Sweden’s best known and most wealthy public figures, and he’s not yet 40 years old.

Sebastian tells Lauretta why he has no intention of slowing down, reckoning that he has another 50 years of work left in him, what his ambitions are for Klarna (and no, an IPO is not as imminent as others would have us believe), what he thinks of the intense media scrutiny he’s under, and, even, what he has for breakfast and what he’d like for his birthday.

Jack Zambakides, 24, was always entrepreneurial. From a young age, he started a cleaning business, a vintage clothes business and an electronics business – all of which failed. However, he went on to create ‘LS Personal Shopper’ using the overdraft from his student loan and within 18 months he managed to develop a business with a turnover exceeding £5 million per annum - achieving 10X growth over lockdown.

His clients include young Premier League footballers currently on duty with England for the Euros, including Mason Mount, Declan Rice and Reece James. There’s also England cricketer Sam Curran, You Tube sensation Chunkz, Towie star Georgia Kousoulou and Love Island favourite Laura Lou Crane.

LS Personal Shopper is an online retail collective who procure the rarest, most limited-edition clothes, watches, accessories and more from some of the world’s most sought-after brands, including Alexander McQueen, Nike, Adidas, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. 

Jack recognised that the high-street had been destroyed by the online market and people no longer wanted to go to shops, but simultaneously people missed the human interaction that came with the shopping experience.

LS Personal Shopper builds up personal relationships with their shoppers in order to supplement their evolving needs and keeps them up to date with all the latest releases suited to their fashion sense. 

He currently operates an appointment only showroom from Cobham, near Chelsea Football Club’s training ground, but the demand has been so overwhelming he is already lining up his next site – possibly in Knightsbridge - and it’s not uncommon for his clients to spend up to £10,000 ahead of going on holiday. In this episode of the ‘In Conversation’ podcast, Tom Bottomley, TheIndustry.fashion’s Contributing Editor gets Jack’s story so far.

In the lates episode of 'The Beauty Edit' podcast, Tom Shearsmith, News & Features Writer at TheIndustry.fashion joins Emma Thornton, CEO and Founder of True Skincare

True Skincare was developed with skin and the planet at heart, providing genuinely organic, natural, vegan friendly and waterless skincare using only the best of nature's ingredients.

The brand has made a conscious decision to reduce its profits without compromising on elegance, ethics or efficacy, so that everyone can enjoy beautiful, organic skincare without it costing the Earth. The ethos of the brand is that beauty should be inclusive, not exclusive.

Emma tells me about founding the business and her previous experience in fashion and beauty, what the brands sustainability credentials are, why being waterless is so important, her appearance on BBC's Dragons Den, and where the brand is heading next.

The Handbag Clinic was first launched eight years ago by Charlotte and Ben Staerck as a spin-off to the leather repair business run by Ben and his father in County Durham. The company offers cleaning and restoration for handbags and small leather goods, working both for members of the public, as well as department stores and fashion houses.

Since then, the firm has expanded into the resale market, and now operates through a chain of four stores, with locations including Kings Road in London, Leeds and Newcastle – as well as franchise stores in Europe and the Middle East, restoring around 700 bags each month in total.

The company has achieved record growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching £1m in turnover last year.  

Tom Shearsmith,  News & Featured Writer at TheIndustry.fashion speaks to Charlotte about founding the business, the process of repairing a bag at the Handbag Clinic, her own particular fashionable favourites and where the company may be heading in the future.

In the latest episode of TheIndustry.fashion's The Beauty Edit podcast,  Co-founder Antony Hawman speaks to the founders of Glow Recipe,  the Korean inspired skincare brand that is clean, fruit powered and unapologetically fun.  

Christine Chang and Sarah Lee learned the power of using fruit based ingredients to soothe and nourish the skin,  from their mothers and grandmothers who would incorporate ingredients from the kitchen in their home beauty recipes.

Their very first product, the Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask was inspired by a childhood memory of their grandmothers rubbing watermelon rind on the skin in the hot summer months, to soothe irritation and heat rash. 

 Christine and Sarah tell us about the importance of finding the perfect retail partner,  their stance on clean beauty and sustainability plus,  we get some tips and tricks on how to achieve the ultimate glowing skin. You’re welcome!

Bronte, Cody and Cooper Mance literally grew up in the footwear industry having worked in their father’s store in Melbourne Australia since they were old enough to do so.

While they were barely through their teens the intrepid siblings set off to China where older brother Luke was already based, to set up a footwear wholesale business, however, they became increasingly frustrated that they couldn’t find footwear on the market that they wanted to wear at an acceptable price point and quality. 

With Bronte and Cooper taking on creative direction for the women’s and men’s lines respectively, and Cody in charge of pretty much everything else, they launched Naked Wolfe in London. 

Its signature ‘stompy’ trainer have a distinct 90s vibe and offer a fresh take on the trend for Gen Z and millennial consumers. 

Originally conceived as a DTC brand, Naked Wolfe is now available in Selfridges and via the Flannels chain nationwide and has also become a firm favourite with influencers and celebrities globally. 

The Mance family speak to Lauretta Roberts, Editor in chief of TheIndustry.fashion about how they plan to expand Naked Wolfe with the addition of a sports performance shoe and later, apparel.  

They also reveal plans to create further brands to build a new generation fashion empire. 

In this,  the latest episode of ‘The Beauty Edit’ podcast from TheIndustry.fashion,  Gaelle Walker talks to Ava Matthews, Co-founder of the Australian-born skinscreen brand Ultra Violette, which has recently landed on UK shores. 

As its description as a skinscreen suggests, Ultra Violette is far from a typical sun protection brand.  

With a wardrobe of formulas for different skin types and containing a host of powerful Australian antioxidants to brighten, hydrate and nourish, the brand promises far more than simple sun protection.  

It’s been designed to look, feel and act like top-shelf skincare and it’s on a mission to teach UK shoppers that it’s time to “stop faffing with their faces and make a serious commitment to daily SPF and future-proofing their skin.” 

As the brand humorously puts it, “Those spency serums you put on every night? They won’t do sh*t if you’re not protecting your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.” 

The Ultra Violette range has also taken careful consideration of people’s beauty routines and how the products interact with other skincare items and makeup, promising to never ball or pill. 

Here, Ava talks to us in far greater detail about the brand’s concept, range innovations and its exciting plans for the UK market.