Podcast appearances and mentions of imran amed

In recent months, the fashion industry has seen unprecedented price hikes, CEO turnovers, sustainability back-peddling, and more — culminating in what The Business of Fashion's Imran Amed is calling, a ‘full-blown luxury crisis'. Amed joins Rapid Response to take us inside the industry chaos, and share his insights and predictions for the year ahead. Plus, he shares how the savviest brands today are finally cracking into the Indian market, finding a competitive advantage with AI, and taking inspiration from Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this episode, David explains why your beliefs could be holding you and your business back. Importantly, he also shares simple tactics you can use to change them so that you can make progress again.  If you are a leader who is feeling stuck, and constrained by the situation you are in, applying the advice in this episode will play a key role in getting you unstuck. To explore how to get unstuck on your mission, put your purpose into practice and convert your ideas into impact book a discovery call with David here https://calendly.com/david-peoplewithpurpose/30min  KEY TAKEAWAYS Your beliefs impact problem-solving and decision-making. As a child we form our belief system based on experiences, socialisation and other factors. At some point, those beliefs hold us back from going into certain situations. Conviction is the strongest belief. Often, they are a part of our identity, but they can still be changed. In challenging situations start each meeting with what is going well and what you are already doing to address the problems. David shares a simple way to prove to yourself and your team that you can solve problems. Thus, neutralising the negative belief that you don´t have the ability to overcome the challenge(s) you are currently facing. Use flipping the script as a way to use positive beliefs to overcome and quieten negative beliefs. David explains how during the episode. Identify core beliefs that serve you and work to change those that are not serving you. BEST MOMENTS “The problem is not the problem. The problem is the state that you go into as you approach the context where you think the problem is.” “The belief tells us whether we should or shouldn't go into this situation .” “If you start the meeting with what's going well, then actually that immediately lifts the vibe in the room.” “ There's ways to borrow belief and borrow advocacy that can help you .” EPISODE RESOURCES Part 1 of Enneagram patterns series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/enneagram-part-1-what-patterns-of-behaviour-are/id1610709739?i=1000670111087 Part 2 - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/enneagram-part-2-what-patterns-of-behaviour-are/id1610709739?i=1000670853560 Part 3 - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/enneagram-part-3-what-patterns-of-behaviour-are/id1610709739?i=1000671721027 Imran Amed - https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranamed ABOUT THE HOST David Roberts is a highly regarded CEO, mentor, and investor with 30 years of experience across multiple sectors. As an intrapreneur and entrepreneur, David has bought, grown, started and sold several businesses, working with values-driven start-ups, award-winning SMEs, and multinational corporations on strategies for service excellence, leadership, and profitable growth. David's passion is for purpose and creating an environment where everyone can succeed, through building teams that get things done, execute on their mission with passion, deliver exceptional service and really make a difference. ARTWORK CREDIT Penny Roberts - https://www.instagram.com/penpennypencils CONTACT METHODS LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roberts-nu-heat Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DavidRobertsPeopleWithPurpose David's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dave.roberts.5076798  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/davidcroberts_ Email - david@peoplewithpurpose.live

Imran Amed, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of influential fashion platform The Business of Fashion, in conversation with Sadhguru on the importance of natural fiber textiles for human and ecological well-being. They discuss “Fashion for Peace” - a special event at New York Fashion Week 2019 where Sadhguru collaborated with designers Norma Kamali, Mara Hoffman, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Mimi Prober to spotlight natural and handwoven textiles, and the role of fashion industry leaders and icons in promoting sustainability, peace and inclusion in the fashion industry. They reflect on the need to preserve indigenous textile craft traditions and support artisans who carry forward heritage art forms. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imran Amed, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of influential fashion platform The Business of Fashion, in conversation with Sadhguru on the importance of natural fiber textiles for human and ecological well-being. They discuss “Fashion for Peace” - a special event at New York Fashion Week 2019 where Sadhguru collaborated with designers Norma Kamali, Mara Hoffman, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Mimi Prober to spotlight natural and handwoven textiles, and the role of fashion industry leaders and icons in promoting sustainability, peace and inclusion in the fashion industry. They reflect on the need to preserve indigenous textile craft traditions and support artisans who carry forward heritage art forms. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fashion world is at a sudden inflection point. Big luxury players are struggling, e-commerce markets are floundering, and ultra-fast players like Shein are disrupting. The Business of Fashion's Imran Amed takes us inside the tumult, providing a framework to understand the trends and their larger economic impact. Plus: how manufacturers are adapting to new sustainability scrutiny, and the first year of Pharrell Williams' tenure at Louis Vuitton. Subscribe to the Rapid Response podcast feed: https://listen.rapidresponseshow.com/SubscribeFor more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The fashion world is at a sudden inflection point. Big luxury players are struggling, e-commerce markets are floundering, and ultra-fast players like Shein are disrupting. The Business of Fashion's Imran Amed takes us inside the tumult, providing a framework to understand the trends and their larger economic impact. Plus: how manufacturers are adapting to new sustainability scrutiny, and the first year of Pharrell Williams' tenure at Louis Vuitton. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transport yourself into the room of our first-ever live public recording of the What Is This Behaviour? Podcast in conversation with Imran Amed MBE, founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion. The Business of Fashion is recognised around the world for its authoritative, analytical point of view on the $2.5 trillion global fashion and beauty industries. Their mission: to open, inform and connect the global fashion and beauty industries. Imran's storytelling and personal anecdotes had the room, full of aspiring and established entrepreneurs, fashion enthusiasts and creative professionals, absorbing the journey of self discovery that shaped his professional success. Self-describing as a misfit, join us as we meet Imran Amed, the mogul, live in London's White City House.

This fashion month was all about looking ahead. At several major brands, newly-appointed creative directors ushered in a new era, including Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen, Adrian Appiolaza at Moschino and Chemena Kamali at Chloé. But beyond the creative director premieres, recurring motifs of technology and the pared down everyday reflected the current state of the world — and what's to come. “Early on, I detected this rather peculiar strain of sci-fi,” says Tim Blanks, BoF's editor-at-large. “There is that incipient sense of apocalypse lurking and I think if you step back and take a really long view of what was happening, you could feel that kind of anxiety,” says Tim Blanks, BoF's editor-at-large. Following the conclusion of the Autumn/Winter 2024 shows, Blanks sits down with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss the highlights of fashion month.Key InsightsAt Louis Vuitton, Phillippe Parreno's immersive set design and Nicolas Ghesquière's futuristic garments left lasting impressions. “There was a lot of white and a lot of reflection, a lot of shiny stuff. They could have been heading off to a space station. And the sound was insane. The sound makes you want to go home and open a nightclub in your living room,” says Blanks. Undercover's Jun Takahashi featured a poem about a single mother raising her eight year old child, written by German filmmaker and playwright Wim Wenders. “Every detail is just so beautiful and evocative and then Jun Takahashi showed the collection to go with that; everyday clothes, but completely transmogrified by his insane ingenuity,” recalls Blanks. At Alexander McQueen, Seán McGirr's first show displayed his energetic direction for the house following Sarah Burton's departure. “I think that as a creative director debuting at a house, it's much harder to create new energy than it is to create merchandisable clothes. And I think that's what he succeeded in doing; he created a new energy around that brand,” says Amed.Following the sudden passing of David Renne, Moschino welcomed new creative director Adrian Appiolaza, who looked to the roots of the brand for his first show. “If you detail Franco Moschino's iconography, Adrian Appiolaza went down the list and ticked every box. I think that that was probably the most joyful show of the whole season. … I think he celebrated the work of [Franco Moschino], in such a way that I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does next,” says Blanks. At Chloé, Chemena Kamali's charisma shone through on the runway. “You could see her really embodying the new Chloé and being that kind of ambassador for Chloé in a way that maybe some of the more recent creative directors never were really able to do,” says Amed.Additional resources:Paris Fashion Week Says ‘So Long, Farewell' With Chanel, Miu Miu and Louis VuittonImran Amed and Tim Blanks Go Backstage at Milan Fashion WeekBackstage Pass | Rick Owens' Life Mission: Inclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having dominated Hollywood's cinematic landscape for decades, Angelina Jolie is now moving into uncharted territory — the world of fashion. This week, she opened the doors to Atelier Jolie, a multi-purpose brick-and-mortar workshop at 57 Great Jones Street in New York, once a home to art world legends Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat. The historic location reveals the motivations, philosophies and aspirations of Jolie's new venture. Atelier Jolie aims to provide a global group of artists and designers — including immigrants and refugees — a collaborative space for creating garments, including custom pieces, entirely out of deadstock materials. “I don't think of it as fashion. I think about it as self-expression and community,” Jolie says of her new business. This week on The BoF Podcast, Imran Amed sits down with Angelina Jolie to explore her creative journey and the personal philosophy that has led her to focus on ethical and sustainable fashion. Key Insights: Jolie's vision for Atelier Jolie is to allow small-scale artisans a chance to develop and grow their craft, and be able to support themselves . “Giving opportunities for people to work for themselves is the best thing we can all do for everyone. To me, doing business globally and partnering … matter to me more than just donations and charities,” she says.Jolie wants the creativity of others to be front and centre at Atelier Jolie. “I'm not interested in becoming a known designer,” she says. “I'm interested in being a part of a good family. … I built more of a home and I'm one of the creators that play in the home.”A sense of playfulness is also key to the business, which Jolie imagines as a space for free expression. “You have to make a mess and you have to figure out what you really love,” she says, adding that “I think for a long time … I haven't found the joy of [dressing up] because there was so much that was bothering me about the business. But now I want to play.”The New York location features a retail space, a café and a design studio. The plan is to adapt the format to new markets. “I would like to partner with people in different countries, and I'd like them to share ownership of the place and of the designs,” she says, noting that for example “the atelier that will be in Japan should feel very different, should be owned differently, should be run differently, but same principles.”When it comes to turning personal passions into projects that make a tangible impact on the world, Jolie's advice is straightforward: “You know what it is that really stirs your soul and makes you upset. … Whatever that is, you find other people that share that same feeling and spend time with them and go deeply into the work.” Additional Resources:Angelina Jolie Launches Fashion VentureAngelina Jolie's Atelier Jolie Opens Its First StoreWhy Celebrities Are Buying Their Brands Back Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Anaita Shroff-Adajania, Bandana Tewari, Lakshmi Menon and Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif to explore the country's evolving beauty landscape.Background:It's been 16 years since Vogue India's inaugural issue put a global spotlight on India's fashion and beauty industries. Today, the beauty sphere in particular is in the midst of a transformative shift, embracing inclusivity and making an impact far beyond its borders. “This is a 5,000-year-old culture of great style and heritage,” said Bandana Tewari, journalist, former fashion features director of Vogue India. “We had to do things to tell the outside world … what our cultural heritage of style and fashion is, that it existed over time.” This week on The BoF Podcast, Imran Amed explores the changing dynamics of the Indian beauty industry through conversations with Tewari as well as Anaita Shroff Adajania,former fashion director of Vogue India; model Lakshmi Menon and Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif on stage at the second annual Estée Lauder Beauty & You Awards in Mumbai, India. Key Insights: Featuring Australian model Gemma Ward front and centre, flanked by actresses Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra, the first cover of Vogue India “did not really nail diversity, did not nail India. It was trying to package India into some kind of modern context without any of its own culture in play,” Menon says.On the other hand, an inside story shot by Prabuddha Dasgupta showcased traditional Indian beauty, rather than in contrast to the westernised interpretation on the cover. “We had a lot of freedom because it was a space where the western powers didn't know what I was meant to do, so we were left to be ourselves and we were ourselves and we celebrated it,” says Tewari. Colourism is still an issue in the Indian beauty industry. The industry is driven by skin whitening products and Menon recalls a time she turned down a contract which included whitening cream. “It's not always about the money. It's also about who you are and how you want to put yourself out there, especially coming from a country like India, you know, who's had a huge colonial past.” Over time, the need for greater diversity in all aspects of the beauty industry is also essential, beginning in product development. “One thing that came out repeatedly was that there's no research on women of our skin colour. … I feel [the global industry] underestimates the power of the beauty revolution that's happening here,” says Shroff Adajania.For Kaif, authenticity is the key for success in the beauty market in India and beyond. “No amount of advertising can substitute the fact that the consumer and our audiences can see the truth. … They can sense what has been sold to them and what is genuinely coming from a place of authenticity,” Kaif says.Additional Resources:Decoding The Indian Beauty Landscape: Amazon Bets on Indian Beauty BrandHow India's Nykaa Aims to Beat Sephora Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF's editor-at-large and founder and editor-in-chief look back at the key moments of fashion month, from Sabato de Sarno's debut at Gucci to Sarah Burton's farewell show for Alexander McQueen.Background: This season, fashion month saw several highly-anticipated debuts (Sabato de Sarno at Gucci, and Peter Hawkings at Tom Ford) as well as goodbyes (Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, Fabio Zambernardi at Prada and Miu Miu, and Gabriela Hearst at Chloé). But, beyond those headline-making moments, the highlights included the slyness and humour at Prada where models walked down a runway against a backdrop of dripping slime to an Alfred Hitchcock soundtrack, Dries Van Noten's and models at JW Anderson in plasticine-made hoodies..“The best shows make you think and make you feel a little uncomfortable or they evoke some kind of emotion — but they also make you want to shop,” says Imran Amed, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief. Following the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week, Amed sat down with BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks to discuss the highlights of the Spring/Summer 2024 season and the hallmarks of a great fashion show. Key Insights:Sabato de Sarno's much-anticipated debut at Gucci, which included a change of venue from the streets of Milan's Brera district to Gucci's headquarters forced by inclement weather. “If those girls had been walking on cobblestones just like people going somewhere, seeing those clothes in a real environment, it would have taken on a different kind of life,” says Blanks. Alexander McQueen said goodbye to Sarah Burton, who served as a steward for the brand for more than 10 years after the death of its namesake designer. ( “ She was so umbilically connected with [McQueen] that the brand ethos was sustained to a remarkable degree. I would hate to see McQueen now become one of those brands where no one really knows what to do with it and it's in play,” says Blanks. Rick Owens show featured plumes of coloured smoke and bursts of rose petals — and a collection full of thought-provoking statement pieces. “There is really no one like him in fashion, and I don't know if there has ever been anyone like him in fashion,” says Blanks. Blanks calls Undercover's Jun Takahashi one of the industry's most fascinating designers. This year, Takahashi showed a provocative collection that played with proportions and layering, with a finale that included “terrarium” skirts, filled with plants and live butterflies. “He makes clothes that … people might consider to be avant garde, but they're so beautiful and wearable as well,” says Blanks.Prada was the “show of the season.” A few years into Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons' collaboration as co-creative directors, the show's success was a convergence of elements beyond the collection itself — from the soundtrack (Alfred Hitchcok's “Vertigo”) to the set. “It reminded us of Prada in its full glory where there was that slyness and humour and perverse glamour,” says Blanks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Ford's new creative director opens up to Imran Amed about his progression in the fashion industry and his first womenswear collection for the brand.Background: When Tom Ford started his namesake brand in 2004, his longtime deputy at Gucci Peter Hawkings was his first call — and his first employee. Fast-forward to April 2023, Hawkings' phone rang again. Only this time, Ford said he was stepping down and putting Hawkings forward for the top job. “I didn't sleep for the first two nights. It was crazy,” Hawkings said of his reaction to the news that he would step into his longtime boss' shoes and become creative director of the eponymous brand he created. “But after all of that subsided, I realised that Tom [Ford] was giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. And I am, to this day, super grateful to him for giving me this chance to continue the legacy.”This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Hawkings, the new creative director of Tom Ford following his runway debut at Milan Fashion Week to discuss his origins and journey into the fashion industry — and his plans to continue the Tom Ford legacy.Key Insights:It was in 1998 that Hawkings first met Ford, after finishing his master's course at Central Saint Martins. The then-24-year-old applied to the assistant menswear designer position at Gucci, where Ford was the brand's creative director. This would launch a 25-year partnership with the two designers and eventually lead to Hawkings becoming the creative director of the Tom Ford brand. Hawkings, who previously designed Tom Ford's menswear collections, said that he leaned on his wife when designing womenswear for the first time. “It's been invaluable, you know, having that conversation with her. Her trying clothing on, trying shoes on … for me, it's so important, comfort and fit and all of those elements that are so important when you're designing for a woman,” says Hawkings. During Hawkings' career, he had the opportunity to learn from not just Ford, but also other fashion talents, such as British designer Louise Wilson, who was one of his professors at Central Saint Martins. “I always go back … to the advice that Louise [Wilson] always gave me, which was one: work hard, absorb knowledge and give knowledge, understand what manners are and deploy them. Take risks. Failure is okay. You can learn from failure, for sure. Have at least one skill and develop it,” says Hawkings. Additional Resources:Peter Hawkings Named Creative Director of Tom Ford: With the sale to Estée Lauder complete, Tom Ford's longtime colleague and collaborator will take the creative helm at his namesake brand.The Miuccia-ness of Prada, the Gucci-ness of Tom Ford: Brand DNA is marketing speak until it isn't, as the latest Prada and Tom Ford collections proved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a new season of What I Did Next! I'm joined by fashion entrepreneur Imran Amed, one of the leading voices in fashion and CEO of The Business of Fashion. Today, BOF employs 75 people with a presence in London, New York, Paris and Shanghai. It also boasts a community of 800,000 email subscribers and 100,000 paying members across 120 countries. What I Did Next was a media sponsor at the first edition of Egypt Fashion Week, where I met & interviewed Imran in front of a live audience at the Agricultural Museum in Cairo. This episode is brought to you by: EFG Holding, a trailblazing financial institution with a universal bank in Egypt and the leading investment bank franchise in frontier and emerging markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of New York Fashion Week, The Washington Post's Rachel Tashjian speaks with BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed about how the industry is changing post-pandemic. Background:There's a good reason why New York Fashion Week isn't the all important agenda-setter it once was, according to Rachel Tashjian, a fashion writer for The Washington Post. US consumers, she says, now take their fashion cues from influencers and social media as much as they do the runway. “Some of the more interesting things happening in American fashion are just outside of fashion week,” says Tashjian. “I just wonder if American designers feel like, is this [New York Fashion Week] really worth it for me to be doing? Is this where my audience is?”This week on The BoF Podcast, Imran Amed, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief, sits down with Tashjian to discuss her perspective on the state of the fashion industry today and her expectations for the evolution of NYFW in a post-Covid world.Key Insights:As some established brands look beyond NYFW to connect with customers to showcase their designs, Tashjian believes this shift has opened up space for emerging designers. “These smaller or more emerging brands are dominating [NYFW] because we don't have a lot of the larger brands showing,” says Tashjian.That relationship will be seen up-close at NYFW this season, Tashjian predicts. Because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which leaves actors unable to promote their films, Tashjian says celebrities will dominate the front row. “This is going to be kind of an unprecedented season in terms of celebrity presence at fashion week because, with the strikes going on, these are things that celebrities can promote these relationships that they have with fashion brands,” she says.How celebrities embrace fashion can impact how the public perceives them, as well, says Tashjian. “Fashion has this really interesting ability to recontextualise someone we think we know really well,” she says. “Margot Robbie during the Barbie Press tour, wearing these fun, campy Schiaparelli [looks] and hot pink Chanel. All of a sudden we're thinking, ‘Oh, this is a woman who has a really fun and playful understanding of fashion.'”Tashjian believes the role of fashion criticism is different than it was in years past. “Perhaps because of the availability of fashion, we need critics more than ever before,” she says. “I think about my role as to provide an insider perspective or context. I was actually at this show and here's how it felt to be sitting in that room.”Tashjian is also known for her newsletter, Opulent Tips, which she began when she was working at GQ. In the newsletter she discussed womenswear, products and smaller brands she admired. “I felt like it could be kind of fun to have a little space where I can talk about those things and maybe introduce those brands to some people who maybe wouldn't come across them,” she says. Additional Resources:The BoF Podcast | Karl Lagerfeld at the Met: Designer, Polymath, Jigsaw Puzzle: Andrew Bolton's latest curatorial miracle celebrates the creative process of one of fashion's greatest icons. Bolton sits down with Tim Blanks for BoF's latest podcast.The Newsletter Fashion Insiders Can't Get Enough of: Rachel Tashjian, a Washington Post writer releases an exclusive newsletter each Sunday, with her take on fashion, culture and the industry at large. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kering's new deputy CEO of brand development shares her luxury brand management playbook in this archive interview with Imran Amed from BoF VOICES 2018.Background: Last week, Francesca Belletini was appointed deputy CEO of brand development at Kering, making her arguably the most powerful female fashion executive in the luxury sector. As part of her new role, not only will she retain her position as CEO of Saint Laurent, she will also oversee Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. It was at Saint Laurent, where the former investment banker cemented her reputation for razor-sharp merchandising strategies that married seamlessly with the work of creative director Anthony Vaccarello.“When you clarify the brand positioning, then everything comes together,” said Bellettini, on revitalising the Saint Laurent brand. “People recognise the authenticity in the way that we do that.”BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sat down with Bellettini at BoF VOICES 2018 to discuss how she balances the priorities of fostering creativity, cultivating customers and running a profitable business.Key Insights:Credited for growing Saint Laurent into a multi-billion-euro powerhouse, Bellettini believes that a key is to connect with customers in their home markets. "I'm a huge believer of building business first with local clients. Conquer a consumer at home, then when they travel, they follow," she said.Another key is authenticity. “It's better to present yourself the way you really are… Be authentic. If they choose you, they remain with you,” said Belletini on the importance of building meaningful relationships with customers.At Saint Laurent, Bellettini had a clear vision for growing both the top and bottom lines, “but in reality it's the profit that makes your business sustainable," she explained.Striking a balance between growth and continuing to resonate as a brand is top of mind for Bellettini. “How do we remain relevant? How do we continue growing without compromising on the positioning of the brand? How do we continue to launch a successful product?” she asked.Additional Resources:Who Should Be Gucci's New CEO?: Following this week's announcement that longtime Gucci chief Marco Bizzarri will exit the company in September, Imran Amed shares his top picks for one of the top jobs in the global luxury industry. As Gucci's CEO Steps Down, Saint Laurent's Chief Steps Up: Marco Bizzarri led the Italian luxury giant through a historic expansion before the business struggled to bounce back from the pandemic. Parent company Kering announced the move as part of a broader executive shakeup after which Saint Laurent CEO Francesca Bellettini will oversee all the group's brands.How Saint Laurent Became a $3 Billion Powerhouse: Chief executive Francesca Bellettini breaks down how she worked with designer Anthony Vaccarello to double sales in 5 years, leaning into an amped-up take on Parisian glamour, seasonless merchandising and a rapid expansion in leather goods. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Poolside FM and Isamaya Beauty have in common? Their founders have created brands with unique yet relatable identities.Background: Isamaya Ffrench, makeup artist and founder of Isamaya Beauty, and Marty Bell, co-founder of sunscreen brand Vacation (and Poolside FM), both took unconventional routes to turning their products into veritable brands. Vacation began as a spinoff of the internet radio station inspired by summer tunes of the 1980s, Meanwhile, Ffrench's brand sparked attention for her new Lips line's penis-shaped lipstick cases. Bold and risky in equal measure, these moves laid the groundwork for their businesses while giving their brands personalities and spark.“If you're strong enough to have a vision and get a brand off the ground, you know what your audience wants,” said Ffrench. “Do the things that feel natural and right, because it's when you start doing the things that the CMO tells you you have to do and you feel awkward about it… no one's going to want your product because it doesn't look authentic.”This week on The BoF Podcast, Bell and Ffrench speak with BoF founder Imran Amed about the power of brand building and how founders can inject their own personalities into their products to make them recognisable and memorable.Key Insights:Ffrench advises founders to scrutinise conventional wisdom about how to launch a brand rather than trusting their instincts and vision. “It's really about taking things [advice] with a pinch of salt, but following your gut and your spirit and doing what feels right for you and your brand,” she says. According to Bell, people gravitate towards brands that are a reflection of their founders' personalities and beliefs. “Some of the best brands in the early stages are just true personifications of their founders… That's very hard to compete with if you don't have someone who has a view on the world and a perspective,” Bell explains. Ffrench believes large beauty corporations struggle creating an authentic brand identity because they focus on numbers rather than forming a connection with customers. “You lose the essence, you lose the integrity and the artistry because that takes time and money and spirit,” Ffrench observes. Bell says the key to creating an authentic brand is finding an idea or aesthetic you're interested in and creating the product line around it. “If you're not deeply passionate about the world that you're going to build [with your brand], you need to find someone who can be obsessive,” Bell says.Additional Resources:The Business of Beauty Global Forum: How Do We Create Connection? During the third session of The Business of Beauty Global Forum, Pamela Anderson, Isayama Ffrench and Glossier chief executive Kyle Leahy unpacked how to build unique brands and drive authentic relationships with customers.Sunscreen Brand Vacation Takes Its Miami Pool Party Vibe to the Suburbs: Following a $6 million Series A funding round, the sunscreen brand prepares to move past its club of creative clientele and reach the masses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI and its applications are expected to have a transformative impact to rival or even exceed that of the industrial revolution. Bharath Reddy talks to Husan Chahal to find out where India stands in AI innovation and how we can make sense of the surrounding geopolitics. Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media. We are @‌IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts/ You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured Follow the show across platforms: Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music Do share the word with your folks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The celebrated menswear designer joins BoF's Imran Amed to discuss the evolution of his career in fashion from selling secondhand clothes to building his own brands.Background: At first glance, Oliver Spencer's story might seem like a fashion fairytale. In just a matter of a few years, he went from selling secondhand garments in a stall on London's Portobello Road to seeing actors wearing his bespoke waistcoats in the 1994 film “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” putting his formalwear label Favourbrook into the spotlight. But in the subsequent years, Spencer faced the challenges that come with running an independent fashion brand: from debt to self-doubt while aiming to reach profitability milestones. “Small is beautiful. You have to have a certain amount of business turnover to get to these levels, but you don't need hundreds of millions [of dollars] to run a profitable brand,” says Spencer.Key Insights:The British designer's formalwear background — which includes creating looks for highbrow events like the Royal Ascot — informed his approach to menswear, even given today's inclinations for toned-down dressing. “Just because you're wearing casual, doesn't mean you're not dressing right,” says Spencer. Even as consumer preferences change, however, Spencer believes it's just as critical to maintain clear sight of the brand's original vision as it is to evolve it. “I will have one foot stuck in the past and the rest of my body walking into the future,” he said. As a small brand, storytelling and working with the right wholesale partners go hand in hand. “The wrong wholesale partner can send the wrong message,” said Spencer. Spencer has ADHD and dyslexia, which he says creates both challenges and opportunities. “You understand how to deal with problems and you understand how to work out a problem in a different way… You can see things in a problem that other people can't see.”Additional Resources:To watch “Four Weddings and a Funeral” click here.Explainer — Why the Menswear Market Is on Fire: From the rise of work from home to the decline of streetwear, BoF unpacks what's driving the “unprecedented” boom in the men's market.Where Does the Suit Fit into the Modern Wardrobe? The fate of the traditional suit was already in question long before the pandemic. Where does the market go from here?To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dans cet extrait passionnant de notre épisode de mardi dernier avec Imran Amed, fondateur de The Business of Fashion (BoF), nous discutons de sa vision de la résilience, de la découverte de soi et de la persévérance. Imran raconte comment il a réussi à se faire une place dans un milieu qui semblait d'abord fermé pour lui. Il évoque les obstacles qu'il a rencontrés et comment il a tracé son propre chemin. Il partage également comment la connaissance de soi et l'appréciation de sa valeur personnelle ont joué un rôle clé dans son parcours. Pour découvrir le parcours captivant d'Imran, je vous invite à écouter l'épisode en entier. Et pour plus d'inspiration et de contenus exclusifs, inscrivez-vous à la newsletter TheBoldWay : https://www.theboldway.fr/newsletter La newsletter TheBoldWay, c'est chaque jeudi un mail court mais impactant avec des contenus exclusifs, des idées et des ressources pour vous aider à progresser et innover. PLUS, lorsque que vous vous inscrivez, vous recevez le best of du podcast : les 12 leçons les plus importantes que j'ai tirées de presque 400 interviews, ainsi que les playlists de mes épisodes préférés et les plus écoutés. Pour vous inscrire, cliquez ici !

In this riveting excerpt from our last Tuesday's episode with Imran Amed, founder of The Business of Fashion (BoF), we discuss his perspective on resilience, self-discovery, and perseverance. Imran tells us how he managed to carve a place for himself in an environment that initially seemed closed off to him. He talks about the obstacles he faced and how he charted his own path. He also shares how self-awareness and appreciating his personal worth played a key role in his journey. To uncover Imran's captivating journey, I invite you to listen to the full episode. For more inspiration and exclusive content, sign up for TheBoldWay newsletter: https://www.theboldway.fr/newsletter TheBoldWay newsletter is a short but impactful email every Thursday with exclusive content, ideas, and resources to help you grow and innovate. PLUS, when you sign up, you receive the best of the podcast: the 12 most important lessons I've learned from nearly 400 interviews, as well as the playlists of my favorite and most listened to episodes. To sign up, click here!

At Egypt Fashion Week, BoF founder Imran Amed shared the origin story of BoF and reflects on the forces that will shape fashion in the coming decade.Background: In the 16 years since he published his first post on The Business of Fashion, Imran Amed has seen the fashion industry try to adapt to adjust to seismic changes in technology, culture and business — and BoF has been a leading voice in guiding the industry through all that change. But he may never have created BoF if it weren't for the challenges that he was confronting in his own life. “It is in our struggles that we find ourselves — and that we find our purpose,” he says. In this wide-ranging conversation which took place during Egypt Fashion Week, Amed sits down with Malak Fouad, host of the “What I Did Next” podcast to discuss BoF's early days, Covid-19's impact on the fashion industry, fashion in the Middle East and the impact of new technologies including the metaverse and artificial intelligence.Key Insights:Amed, left his job as a management consultant and set up an incubator to support young fashion designers. When that project failed, he channelled his energy into the personal blog he had been keeping and called it The Business of Fashion. “It was for my friends and family to see my journey from McKinsey to the fashion world,” says Amed. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Amed saw BoF's role as providing guidance and information to those working in the fashion industry in the midst of great uncertainty. “I said, we have no idea what's going to happen. Our job is to act as a guide for the industry as we navigate a once-in-a-century global health crisis,” says Amed. Amed advises companies to lean on local expertise to connect with customers and find success in new markets. “[Fashion brands] need to empower local teams so they can create activations, products, experiences that resonate with customers,” says Amed.Amed believes innovations like AI will change how people work in the industry, though fashion will always need creative people “AI has the potential to impact a lot of the parts of the industry that I think people thought were a bit untouchable,” says Amed.Additional Resources:The Fashion Jobs Most Vulnerable to AI: BoF's Sheena Butler-Young takes readers through the effects AI can have on the fashion industry, and the creative job market. Luxury Adapts to the ‘New Ramadan Rush': As the Middle Eastern market grows in the fashion industry, luxury brands like: Dior, Fendi and Valentino are adjusting to the change. To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF's Imran Amed sits down with Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty, to go inside the findings of our new report ‘The State of Fashion: Beauty.'Background:The global beauty industry is booming. “Beauty remains one of the most dynamic, challenging and sought-after industries, much more than other consumer goods — or even fashion,” says Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty. “What we've seen is that consumers are so rabid and fervent for their beauty products… and brands are still really excited about bringing a new proposition to market.”This week on The BoF Podcast, editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Rao to break down the five critical themes covered in BoF's new report, “The State of Fashion: Beauty,” created in partnership with McKinsey & Company.Key Insights:In the oversaturated beauty and wellness market, it can be difficult for new brands to gain consumer attention. To break through, they should first focus on one product or theme before moving to other categories. “[Rihanna's] Fenty Beauty was known for colour cosmetics until they most recently launched skin care,” says Rao. “They didn't try to launch hair care and injectables and sexual wellness devices all at once.”Expert voices are key when it comes to building trust as a beauty brand. “What dermatologists or aestheticians have done for skin care, we need that in wellness,” says Rao. “The way that wellness really grows is with credibility from the people who are founding these brands and selling these products.”Gen-Z wants beauty products that are more environmentally friendly but also affordable. According to Rao, brands like E.l.f and Milani have been able to address that demand. “They are giving the best experience to beauty consumers, but they also check those boxes of being socially conscious and value driven,” says Rao. Beauty M&A will consist of smaller deals driven by strong underlying financials. Big deals like L'Oréal buying Aesop for $2.5 billion will be a more of a rare occurrence. “Profitability is going to come into play much more… that's across the businesses out there in consumer goods,” says Rao. Additional Resources:The State of Fashion Special Edition | The New Face of Beauty: The special edition of The State of Fashion report by BoF and McKinsey & Company explores the reshaping of the global beauty industry. Download the full report to learn about the key dynamics that will impact all categories in the years ahead, from the rise of wellness to the influence of Gen-Z.The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2023: Streaming Live from Napa Valley, California on May 30-31.To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF's Imran Amed speaks with Alec Leach about his manifesto on how we can move towards a better relationship with fashion.Background: For nearly five years, author Alec Leach worked as an editor at streetwear website Highsnobiety, where he spent his “career telling people to buy stuff.” Leach saw up close the contribution his content was having on overconsumption and the lack of responsibility brands and consumers took for their own part on the climate crisis, both subjects he tackles in his book, “The World Is on Fire But We're Still Buying Shoes.” “I love working in the industry. I really, really do,” says Leach. “I think we just all need to accept that we're part of this consumerist machine. And once you accept that, then the kind of potential for positive change becomes clearer.” This week on The BoF Podcast, Leach sits down with BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss how the fashion industry and consumers must change. Key Insights:During his time at Highsnobiety, Leach attended several events, including the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, focussed on sustainability in the industry. But for all the discussion of supply chain and new technologies, he felt that there wasn't enough talk about what he saw as the core issue. “No one's really asking why we buy so many things,” he said. “It always comes down to overconsumption.”In Leach's book, he says shopping is part of a consumer's identity because of the role it plays in self expression. “It's important to acknowledge that fashion is intimately connected to our sense of self. That makes shopping a pretty existential experience,” said Amed, quoting Leach's book. According to Leach, the supply chain is a “nonsensical system” that allows brands to take little accountability for their own manufacturing processes. “Brands aren't really that responsible for what happens in their supply chain, and they're not really responsible for what happens to all these clothes when they're no longer wearable,” said Leach. Leach's personal experiences in therapy over the course of years helped him dig deeper while writing his book. “That's where a lot of the more psychological and philosophical elements of the book came out, it was about me being in therapy every day, every week and asking myself some very difficult questions afterwards,” he said.Additional Resources:“The World is On Fire But We're Still Buying Shoes” by Alec Leach: Leach's debut book or manifesto explores society's relationship with overconsumption and how consumers can have a better relationship with fashion. To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Labour rights activist Kalpona Akter and chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent reflect on where the industry stands a decade after the deadly factory collapse. Background:Ten years ago this week an eight-storey factory complex in an industrial suburb of Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring thousands of others.The Rana Plaza disaster ranks as one of the worst industrial disasters on record. It shook the fashion industry, shining a spotlight on critical safety failings in major brands' supply chains. In its wake, hundreds of brands signed a groundbreaking safety agreement that helped improve conditions in thousands of factories in Bangladesh, but elsewhere little has changed.This week on the BoF Podcast, labour rights activist and founder of the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity Kalpona Akter reflects on where the industry stands a decade later, while BoF's Imran Amed and chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent discuss what still needs to change. “If you ask me then, ‘what did you achieve in the last ten years?' I can say then only the improvement of safety,” says Akter. “The other areas of workers' rights, like wages, it is still poor.”Key Insights:Fashion remains a dangerous business, with hundreds of people killed and injured in its manufacturing supply chain every year. “You see fires, electrical safety issues, issues around the handling of toxic chemicals, issues with unsafe boilers, really serious incidents that lead to injury and death on a regular basis,” says Kent. Efforts to address dangerous working conditions have been undercut by relentless demand for faster, cheaper fashion. “[It] leads to this race to the bottom, where manufacturers get squeezed and then start to cut corners in different places, from safety to wages to worker well-being. That is a huge systemic macro problem,” says Kent.Consumers have the power to make a big difference by letting companies know they care about how the people who make their clothes are treated. “When they're in the store, if they can go beyond size, colour, style and price and start asking questions from the store managers… I think that would start ringing the bell in bosses' offices,” says Akter.Additional Resources:How to Avoid Another Rana Plaza | Case Study: In the wake of 2013′s deadly factory collapse in Dhaka, more than 200 brands signed the Bangladesh Accord. BoF unpacks why it's widely viewed as fashion's most effective safety campaign.The BoF Podcast: Activist Kalpona Akter on Improving the Lives of Bangladeshi Garment WorkersCredits: 0:24 - CBC News0:46 - ITV News0:57 - Ronald EllisTo subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At Istituto Marangoni in Mumbai, the artistic director discussed the influence of Indian craft on her collections.Background: This week, Christian Dior presented its pre-fall 2023 collection at the Gateway of India monument in Mumbai, marking the first standalone show from a European luxury megabrand in the country.It was a historic occasion for fashion in India, which is projected to soon become the world's fastest-growing major economy, according to the International Monetary Fund. With that, Dior's appearance in Mumbai could prove to be a seminal moment: When Fendi staged a show at the Great Wall of China in 2007, it helped catalyse more than a decade of growth in the Chinese luxury market. This week on The BoF Podcast, Maria Grazia Chiuri, the artistic director of women's at Christian Dior since 2016, sits down with BoF's Imran Amed at the Istituto Marangoni in Mumbai to discuss the show, her intimate relationship with India and appreciation for Indian artisanship. “India has a huge history, a 6000-year history in textile style and embroidery,” said Chiuri. “This is part of the culture.”Key Insights:For Chiuri, Dior's Mumbai show was the culmination of a long-held ambition to present a collection in India due to her love for the country's traditional artisans. “We are really happy because it's a dream that we've had for a long time. It's very personal for me … it is not a simple fashion show,” she said. More than just showing the collection in the city, Chiuri wove local artisans' creativity into the collection through an ongoing partnership with The Chanakya School of Craft, co-creating intricately embroidered clothing with references to India's rich cultural heritage. “We're creating a new kind of modern embroidery that was not done before,” she said. When Chiuri met Karishma Swali, managing director of the Mumbai-based export atelier Chanakya International and the founder of the The Chanakya School of Craft, on her first trip to India, it sparked a friendship which has spanned over two decades, as well as numerous professional collaborations. “This is an important collaboration that I've had for a long time with Karishma, with this incredible family and company … I started to work with them in 1992,” Chiuri said. “We grew up together … our creativity and our discussions were so important in my career.”Additional Resources:Dior to Show at Mumbai's ‘Gateway of India' Monument: Dior's creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri presents the brand's 2023 pre-fall collection at the historic Gateway of India monument in Mumbai. Market Analysis: Is This Luxury's Watershed Moment in India?: In this story, Arnika Thakur explores luxury spending by Indian consumers, brands investing in domestic expansion in India and market competition from Indian designers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At The BoF Professional Summit: An Inflection Point in Fashion Tech, the seasoned luxury executive explained why Gucci believes in the long-term potential of fashion and web3. Background:Last September, Gucci announced that its CMO, Robert Triefus, would be taking on a new role as CEO of Gucci Vault and Metaverse Ventures. Now, he works closely with president and CEO, Marco Bizzarri, to shape Gucci's brand strategy while developing the house's expansion into web3. This week on The BoF Podcast, Triefus sits down with BoF's Imran Amed to discuss how the luxury fashion house's ambitions in virtual spaces fit with its wider business goals and brand repositioning. “If we think about all that we're doing in the metaverse, we always have an eye on creativity, creating the emotion,” says Triefus. “But underpinning that is the story of the brand and all that rich storytelling that has built up over 102 years.” Key Insights:Triefus says it's particularly important for a luxury brand like Gucci to experiment with new technologies, because it offers a testing ground. “Through [Gucci] Vault, we're able to push ourselves into places where for the core brand, it might be considered to be too risky. But through Vault, we have that playground space so that if by chance we were to make a mistake, we're not going to impact the core brand,” he says. Popping up in the metaverse plays a similar role for Gucci as running a billboard or other advertising activation. “It's an opportunity to engage with the community that is going into Times Square in the real world,” says Triefus. Gucci Garden, which received 19 million visitors in two weeks and saw a digital version of its Dionysus bag retail for more than the cost of the physical bag, helped dictate steps Gucci will take in virtual worlds going forward. Learnings from Gucci Garden “[inform] us about where we can place our bets in the longer term and how we can be much more scientific in what we're doing,” says Trefius. Additional Resources:Luxury Brands Gucci, Tiffany Dive Into NFTs Despite Slump: Kering SA's Gucci and LVMH's Tiffany & Co. take a leap into NFTs. Gucci adds the cryptocurrency to its roster as an additional way to purchase its products. How to Seize Fashion's Gaming Opportunity — Download the Case Study: In a BoF case study, Marc Bain discusses how fashion brands can benefit from expanding their reach into the video game industry. Gucci Teamed Up With Sims Community To Bring Its Off The Grid Collection To The Game: Nylon Magazine explains Gucci's collaboration with Sims 4 content creators Grimcookies and Harrie to bring the brand's Off the Grid collection into the game. To learn more about the metaverse and other critical topics discussed in the podcast click here. All BoF Professional members can watch the BoF Professional Summit: An Inflection Point in Fashion Tech on demand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Blanks and Imran Amed discuss the highlights of the Autumn/Winter 2023 collections, including Daniel Lee's debut at Burberry, a transitional show at Gucci and Balenciaga's first brand statement in the wake of the advertising scandal.Background:This season was a “restart” for the global fashion industry, says Imran Amed, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief. The Autumn/Winter 2023 collections felt like the first return to normal after the pandemic — especially as Chinese fashion professionals were finally able to return to runway shows following extended Covid-related lockdowns that limited their international travel. A number of fashion's biggest brands used their shows as a way to start a new path. Burberry rolled out its first collection under its new creative director Daniel Lee, while Gucci unveiled its first collection since the departure of Alessandro Michele. At Balenciaga, Demna returned to a more subdued approach after the brand fell under intense criticism at the end of last year after it was accused of sexualising children in an ad campaign.But overall, fashion was still fixated on navigating all the uncertainty that prevails in the world, economic and otherwise. “If there's one thing we learned over the last few years — it's that anything can happen,” says Amed. “Everyone was preparing for the unknown, the uncertain.” Key Insights: Over the course of the season, designers, editors and enthusiasts were talking about how the purpose of fashion has evolved. “It wasn't just brands, it was individual designers who were processing what they're doing and what they need to do, because obviously the future looms very dark and very uncertain,” says Blanks.Gucci is in a transitional moment, with new creative director Sabato De Sarno's vision for the brand still to be unveiled. The brand's first post-Alessandro Michele show was all over the place, according to BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks. “It was chaos, but enjoyable chaos,” says Blanks. Daniel Lee put a strong emphasis on Britishness for his Burberry debut. Meanwhile, Matthieu Blazy's Bottega Veneta show was a cohesive parade of clothes that doubled down on craft and storytelling, says Blanks. Diesel's Glenn Martins is solidifying himself as a designer to watch with his work in today's vernacular of denim and celebratory sexuality. “It's a mark of genius, what he manages to do with things that are really familiar — that alchemy of fashion,” says Blanks. Martins put a mountain of 200,000 condoms at the middle of his runway. In his first collection since the brand came under fire for its controversial advertisements, Demna — known for his ironic stunts — focused on the clothes, a nod to the label's founder Cristóbal Balenciaga. Additional Resources:Top 10 Shows of the Season: BoF's editors pick the top ten shows of the Autumn/Winter 2023 season.At Paris Fashion Week, Less Was More: In an age of clickbait fashion, it was acts of reduction that, paradoxically, stood out most, reports Angelo Flaccavento.Want more from BoF? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF's technology correspondent Marc Bain joins Imran Amed to discuss Silicon Valley's latest craze, and its potential for the fashion industry. Background: As chatter around NFTs, virtual reality and the metaverse dies down, conversation about generative AI, a form of artificial intelligence that makes novel content when given specific prompts, is heating up. Artificial intelligence has been around for decades, but recent advances like Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, which generates sophisticated text and DALL-E, which does the same with images, have set the groundwork for significant shifts in how culture and businesses operate. While specific use cases are still being ironed out, the possibilities for fashion could be transformative. “We've gone through these hype cycles with things like the metaverse. This is one I think could be different…” said BoF technology correspondent Marc Bain. “This is something where you can see the real-world applications.” Key Insights: There are many potential applications for generative AI in fashion: e-commerce sites could deploy it in chat boxes, fast fashion brands could ask it to produce styles based on customer data, and designers could use it for mood-boarding and colour conception.But there's a level of expertise AI doesn't have yet. It can produce images based on past analysis, but doesn't understand the technicalities behind garments, for example. While there's skill to crafting prompts for technology like ChatGT, one of its most promising aspects is its ease of use. Anyone can use it without much learning. AI is shaking up search on the internet, too. Bing is using ChatGPT to produce a technology that wouldn't just give users links to pluck through, but direct answers to queries. We will further address the critical topics discussed on this podcast at The BoF Professional Summit: Artificial Intelligence, Web3 and an Inflection Point in Fashion Tech on March 22, 2023.Join us at The Times Center, New York – or via the global livestream – together with global business leaders, technologists and creative innovators from brands including Gucci, Ambush, StockX and Levi's to gain actionable insights to inform business strategy, optimise supply chain and retail operations, and leverage new channels to engage with customers.Purchase your ticket before February 28, 2023 to secure your place at the early bird rate or register for the livestream now. Click here to sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The women's rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner spoke with BoF's Imran Amed about education, growing up as an activist and the evolution of her own activism at BoF VOICES 2022.Background:Malala Yousafzai, the activist and founder of the Malala Fund, has always fought stereotypes and labels. She says she no longer defines herself by the moment, at age 12, when she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while riding the bus to school. Already an activist for girls' education before the assassination attempt, that moment on the bus vaulted Yousafzai onto the global stage, where for a decade she has remained one of the most prominent and effective voices for gender equality. Yousafzai says she welcomes the label of global activist in the fight for equality, as opposed to “the girl who was shot by the Taliban,” she said in a conversation with BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed at BoF VOICES 2022. “Here I am today fighting for the rights of all the girls around the world,” says Yousafzai. “[So that] the 130 million girls out of school today can have access to safe, quality, free education.” Finding this inner resilience has led her to global fame as she overcame restrictions not just on her own education but also on how she dressed. Referencing the protests seen across Iran and the Iranian diaspora, Yousafzai spoke about the need for freedom in dressing to liberate women to feel safe both in dictatorial states and in battling Western norms. This week on The BoF Podcast, Yousafzai speaks about the development of her personal activism and how education is at the heart of resistance. Key Insights:Activism is not just about thought leaders with big personalities, or huge crowds of protestors. Yousafzai also believes in the power of small actions to make change. “Sometimes when we think of activism in our mind we think of great speeches, we see a huge crowd of people and there stands an inspiring leader… but it is small actions that [defines] activism overall,” says Yousafzai. Education is a crucial resource to promote equality and secure opportunity for women. “[Education] is a key instrument in changing a lot of issues we were talking about, including inequality, climate change, poverty,” says Yousafzai. “Education is at the centre of all of this. To me what matters most is equality for everyone.”The sensitive matter of whether or not women wear a hijab should be a choice of faith not an external mandate, says Yousafzai. “It's not just telling women that they should dress a certain way, but it's actually limiting them from opportunities,” says Yousafzai. “It's limiting them from having access to spaces again. Like just leave us alone. Let us wear what we want.”Additional Resources:BoF VOICES 2022: Live Your Best Life: In the final session of BoF's annual gathering, speakers from model Dennis Okwera and Coty chief Sue Y. Nabi to Nike's Larry Miller and activist Malala Yousafzai reflected on their personal histories and inner powers.Watch all of the BoF VOICES 2022 livestream sessions in full on demand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Moj Mahdara and Dina Nasser-Khadivi speak with BoF's Imran Amed about how creative communities from the Iranian diaspora are participating in the largest civil rights movement in Iran since the revolution in 1979.Background:Protests erupted across Iran in September following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested in Tehran for “improperly” wearing her hijab and then killed at the hands of the so-called morality police. Those protests have now evolved into the largest civil rights movement in Iran since the revolution in 1979 uniting Iranians at home with those in the wider diaspora and igniting outcry around the world and across social media. Looking for a way to bring storytelling to fuel the movement, creative leaders Moj Mahdara and Dina Nasser-Khadivi utilised their network to establish The Iranian Diaspora Collective and @from____iran, an artist-led media collective that amplifies unheard Iranian voices, respectively. From Instagram to physical billboards, the collective has centred Iranian people and maintained the ongoing attention of the West by focusing on human rights. “The only way to move culture is through storytelling,” Mahdara said. This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with Mahdara and Nasser-Khadivi to learn about the work they are doing to help people understand the intersectional solidarity of this movement and activate creative communities to share their stories. Key Insights:Social media has helped spread the word globally of the protests in Iran, helping to unite the Iranian diaspora with Iranians at home, while educating people around the world about what is happening on the ground. “The social media aspect of this movement, the reason why it was so important for me, it was not just about raising awareness, it ended up helping us identify who our allies were,” Nasser-Khadivi said. “And that is what then created an even stronger network.”In order for this movement to be supported internationally, Mahdara believes that recognition is critical. “[The international community] can recognise this,” says Mahdara. “This revolution.”The movement has collectively transformed the once-conversative perception of Iran to include tolerance as motivating progression towards a secular community. “This whole movement preaches tolerance,” says Nasser-Khadivi. “There are covered girls next to girls who are uncovered hugging each other. That's the message. It's tolerance.”Additional Resources: https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/global-markets/iranian-fashion-retailers-pursue-growth-amid-sanctions/https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/global-markets/iranian-fashion-brands-go-upmarket-amid-international-sanctions/ https://www.businessoffashion.com/videos/global-markets/masoud-golsorkhi-hoda-katebi-shirin-vaqar-shiva-vaqar-voices-talk-iran-fashion-industry-operating-underground/ Music credits: Baraye by Shervin Hajipour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fashion image-maker Nick Knight speaks to BoF's Imran Amed about why he believes in digital creativity and innovation in the metaverse.Background:The pandemic pushed the fashion industry to step out of its comfort zone and embrace new media for showcasing design and creativity. But while much of the industry has returned to in-person shoots and events once Covid restrictions were lifted, the respected image-maker believes this is only the beginning of the next great wave of digital innovation in the fashion industry. Virtual worlds, he added, will yet again bring digital innovation to the forefront of society. “So what are the possibilities? Let's talk about this. Let's actually look at this,” says Knight. Knight has recently launched ikon-1 NFTs in collaboration with model and creator Jazzelle. By creating digital renders, which act as collectable works of art, Knight believes fashion creativity can shift to this new medium. Those who look to the past risk falling behind.This week on The BoF Podcast, founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with Knight about the evolution of image creation and why digital fashion will remain important in the post-pandemic era. Key Insights:Knight believes that collaborative creation in the digital world will allow more autonomy for models authorising their own looks as opposed to being a “blank canvas.” “I wanted to put [models] in the creative middle… so they are authorising, coming up with creating their own looks for me rather than just imposing on them,” says Knight. “It was important to change that relationship.”The metaverse will require new ways of working rather than developing on existing methods of image creation in the physical world. “I think we are re-learning a whole bunch of things which you can't just take exactly what we do in the real world,” he says. “And that is not necessarily the best thing to do in a space, which is a virtual space [where] so many more things are possible.”Knight believes the idea of destabilisation is inherent to the fashion industry. “There is a natural feeling of destabilisation [with the metaverse], but surely that's what fashion is about, it's about showing people things that they previously had not seen and previously had not desired, but actually do want,” says Knight.Knight thinks now is the time for creatives to forge a new “civilisation step” and let creativity rule the metaverse. “I want artists to create the metaverse because I think we do have a chance, a utopian chance, to create a better civilisation in the metaverse, which isn't shaped by power, greed and money.”Additional Resources: The BoF Podcast: Inside The Future of Fashion Image Making with Nick Knight: The transformative photographer discusses the power of technology and the future of the fashion show, the fate of print magazines and fashion's culture of abuse and bullying.Nick Knight Says Heart and Mind are the Key to Fashion Imagemaking: BoF editor-in-chief Imran Amed sat down with Mr. Knight for the third installment of Fashion Pioneeers, a series of intimate live-streamed conversations between Mr. Amed and the industry's most interesting operators. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Somali-American model joins Imran Amed to discuss her journey from a refugee camp in Kenya to the US to the top of the fashion industry — and what she's learned since taking a step back. Somali-American model Halima Aden nabbed an IMG contract and quickly shot the centre of the fashion world after she earned first attention as the first hijab-wearing Muslim to compete in Minnesota's Miss USA pageant. She walked for Yeezy, Fenty, Dolce and Gabbana and Tommy Hilfiger, and posed in Vogue, Elle and Allure. Then, in November, she stepped away from it all, announcing her intention to leave the industry. In retrospect, she thinks the best thing she did for herself in her career was never just see herself as a model.  “I found that some of the most fulfilling campaigns or photoshoots I got to be part of always tended to be when it wasn't just about me. It wasn't just Halima,” said Aden. “I was sharing stories that I brought from the refugee camp, sharing stories of other Muslim women in all different fields … I found that my work was more meaningful when it was tied to giving back.” Key Insights: Aden was born in a refugee camp in Kenya before moving to St. Louis, Mo. Eventually, her family resettled in St. Cloud, Minn, which is home to a large Somali immigrant community. She went on to compete in Minnesota's Miss USA pageant in search of a scholarship. She didn't win the pageant, but got something arguably even better: A call from Rihanna's team to shoot for Fenty Beauty. Aden's quick ascent meant she came into the industry at a more privileged vantage point. She didn't have to go to casting calls and received private dressing rooms. However, that no one else received the same treatment started to bother her.  The ex-model said her experiences of extreme poverty made her look at the fashion industry's excess with a bit of disdain, and perhaps, fuelled some of her anger at it.  After a journey of self-discovery, she's realised she needs to turn that pain into power as she maps out her future in the industry.  Additional Resources:  Halima Aden Plots Her Return to Fashion Voices 2021 - The Fashion Systems Push to Evolve To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

BoF's editor-in-chief and editor-at-large walk through the highlights and unforgettable moments of fashion weeks in Milan and Paris.  Background: Fashion's Spring/Summer 2023 season was jam-packed with debuts, returns and chatter-inducing moments. Alessandro Michele was inspired by his mother and identical twin sister for his “Twinsburg” Gucci presentation which featured 68 pairs of identical twins. Rick Owens drew a dress from a 700 million year-old jellyfish. Dior and Yves Saint Laurent crafted elaborate grotto and fountain backdrops for their collections, while Dries Van Noten staged his Paris comeback in lockstep with Japanese designers including Junya Watanabe, Noir Kei Ninomiya and Jun Takahashi for Undercover — BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks' favourite of the season.  “To me that felt like one of the best commentaries on the pandemic that we've had from fashion — of everything that's passed, everything that's lost, everything that's been lost,” said Blanks. “And then at the same time, the celebration with the fact that he's still there.” Key Insights: In Milan, four major houses — Ferragamo, Missoni, Etro and Bally — debuted the first collections from new designers, with hopes to replicate the success big names like Tom Ford and Alessando Michele have been able to create for Gucci, said Tim Blanks.  For Balenciaga, Demna staged a mud-drenched show with battered and bruised, hoodie-clad models that provoked an intense emotional reaction from the crowd, while Nicolas Ghesquière showed an energetic and future-looking collection for Louis Vuitton.  This fashion month, many catered to both in-person and online audiences to varying degrees of success. Valentino, for one, notably struggled with an element of the show just for cameras, another for people outside and an uber-long runway that saw a number of models take their shoes off.  Fashion traditionally provides a sense of escape, said Blanks, but it's increasingly harder to turn away from the real world. Economies are deteriorating, Russia's assault on the Ukraine continues and the artist formerly known as Kanye West put a shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter,” a phrase deployed by hate groups, on the runway.    Additional Resources:  https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/chanel-miu-miu-louis-vuitton-paris-fashion-week-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2023/ https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/sacai-thom-browne-kanye-west-paris-fashion-week-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2023/ https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/junya-wantanbe-noir-comme-des-garcons-paris-fashion-week-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2023/ To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

I met today's guest briefly when he walked by while I was having dinner with a mutual friend. He is one of the most special people,  a perfect example of a person who has done the work. Growing up a" brown, gay, small, and muslim" man in a  post-9/11 North America, he has not only arrived at the very top of one of the world's most prestigious industries, but also at the height of knowing and embracing his true identity. And I promise you, it's a wonderful one.Imran Amed is one of fashion's leading writers, thinkers and commentators, and is founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Business of Fashion (BoF), a modern media company and the authoritative voice of the $2.5 trillion global fashion and luxury industries.Imran began his career as a management consultant and started writing about the fashion business from his sofa in London in 2007.BoF sparked a new kind of fashion dialogue, exploring the key drivers of an industry  undergoing unprecedented change and rapid growth. Imran's writing filled a void in fashion media and soon his analysis garnered tens of thousands of readers who would wake each morning to The Daily Digest email newsletter.  In 2017, ten years after founding BoF, he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the fashion industry. In 2018, Imran was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design. He has also been named in Fast Company's annual list of the Most Creative People in Business, British GQ's list of the 100 Most Influential Men in Britain, Indian GQ's list of the 50 Most Influential Global Indians, and Wired's list of the 100 most influential figures in Britain's digital economy.As you can tell, this episode is longer than normal. As a result, the last 15 minutes were only recorded on a back-up device. You will notice a shift in audio quality that may be bothersome at first, but stick it out and your ears will soon adapt. It's worth it. I am a one-man traveling podcast studio, and I don't always get the tech right. But we're doing our best for you and thank you for your patience as we perfect this craft.Listen as we discuss:We're all "fashion people", the most democratic form of expression.Why do wealthy people tend to dress extravagantly?The reason I wear a black t-shirt everyday (and my soft spot for cars).Imran's childhood and his journey to becoming who he is.A broad, general, multifaceted education beats - and often leads to - specializing.You don't have to fit into life. You can fit life into who you are.How we can find gratitude for our pain.A defining moment: confronting anti-Islamic abuse at Harvard after 9/11.What it's like to be an openly gay muslim man.The origins of his massively popular company, The Business of Fashion.Align your talent, skills, and passion, and you'll find your purpose.Why it's refreshing to be asked personal questions.YouTube: @mogawdatofficialInstagram: @mo_gawdatFacebook: @mo.gawdat.officialTwitter: @mgawdatLinkedIn: /in/mogawdatWebsite: mogawdat.comConnect with Imran Amed on Instagram @imranamed and his website, businessoffashion.comDon't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Sunday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with the BoF 500 cover star about the ups and downs of her personal and professional trajectory and what the West needs to understand about India and its rich, diverse culture.  Background: Deepika Padukone, one of Bollywood's highest-paid actors, started her career as a former professional badminton player before appearing in her first film, “Om Shanti Om,” in 2007, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. In 2017, she crossed over to Hollywood with the action film “XXX: Return of Xander Cage.” More recently, she's become a force in fashion as a global brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Levi's and Cartier. Padukone grew up far from the limelight and was an outsider to both the film and fashion industries. Setting herself up on the global stage as a young Indian woman, she had to combat preconceptions at every corner, she said.  “Of course, the hustle is much harder [as an outsider]. You've got to wait much longer for the right opportunities,” she says. “But also, from my perspective, the gratification is so much more.” This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with the actor and BoF 500 cover star about the highs and lows of her career and why India needs more recognition from the West on the global stage.     Key Insights: Padukone said her heritage is fundamental to who she is and how she represents herself on the global stage. “I just feel like India has so much to offer and I've been able to do everything that I do, just being Indian and being based out here,” she says. “In a way that feels authentic to me and to who I am.” Padukone says Indians are still stereotyped — especially in Hollywood. “You are the scientist. You are the computer geek. You are the taxi driver. You are the therapist. You are the owner of a convenience store,” she says. “I've had my fans ask me why I've not done more [global] movies. But that's not what I'm settling for, because I am — and we are — so much more than that.” Padukone says fashion brands need to understand more about India's rich heritage. . “It's extremely diverse. It's not one India, it's many Indias,” she says. “And as Indians, we're also extremely proud of our history, our culture and our heritage.” After being diagnosed with clinical depression, Padukone felt the need to open up conversations about mental illness in India. “No one in India had spoken about it like this before, and it felt to me that there was this huge burden on our country's shoulders that everyone was dealing with, but dealing with silently,” Padukone says. Padukone advises having  patience for people who want to achieve their dreams. “I think the one thing that isn't given enough importance to me is the power of patience,” she says. “Everything is instant gratification, but if there's one thing that has worked for me it has been to be patient.” Additional Resources: Deepika Padukone: The Bollywood Star That Fashion's Megabrands Are Betting On: With India set to become the world's third-largest fashion market, Bollywood's most-popular actress has become a global brand ambassador for the likes of Levi's, Adidas, Louis Vuitton and now, Cartier. In an exclusive interview with Imran Amed, she opens up about her global ambitions — and what the fashion world needs to understand about India. Deepika Padukone Is Cartier's Newest Ambassador: The Bollywood actress and BoF 500 cover star signals the French jewellery house's ambitions to broaden its reach among Indian consumers, both domestically and abroad. To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

The French designer, known for her embrace of eco-futurism, speaks to BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed about the evolution of her namesake brand and explains its deeper purpose. Background:  Designer Marine Serre has long had an affinity for evoking the apocalyptic in her work, a tendency that became particularly resonant during the pandemic. Serre spent lockdown reflecting on her time in the fashion industry and asking how it can change. Now, she has pledged to use her brand and influence to break the fast fashion cycle and build sustainable supply chains. On this week's BoF Podcast, we revisit Serre's conversation with BoF's Imran Amed discussing the evolution of her eponymous sustainability-focused brand for the post-pandemic world.  Key Insights: Despite the limitations of the pandemic, Serre did not steer away from her goal to prioritise sustainability at the heart of her brand. “From now to four years ago, I'm just walking the same way. I never really disassociate creation from process,” she says.  Serre believes that consumer needs have changed. When people go to buy her clothes they consider the brand's supply chain as well as the aesthetic. “I'm trying to relinquish that part of what was carved out is a luxury and de-link myself with fast fashion and growth,” Serre explains.  Known for her use of discarded and recycled fabrics, Serre says she has grown less shy about doing exactly what she wants to do in fashion, revising peoples' ideas of preciousness and creating garments out of materials already imbued with meaning. “I think the goal of the company is to question the fashion industry,” Serre says.  To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

Louis Vuitton is expected to name its Virgil Abloh successor within weeks. Lauren Sherman quizzes Imran Amed on what luxury labels think about when recruiting top designers. Background: Louis Vuitton has spent almost a year searching for a Virgil Abloh successor after the designer died in November 2021. According to sources, Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner and Telfar Clemens are among the names that were considered by owner LVMH, and the decision is expected to be announced within weeks. But how do brands like Louis Vuitton even go about finding a designer? “Without the creative energy, without that kind of excitement, there's nothing to sell,” said Imran Amed, BoF founder and editor-in-chief. Key Insights: While all brands have their own personality and the situations that necessitate finding a new creative director differ, the things most brands look for in a leader are similar. Executives have to consider whether they're looking for revolution, like when Gucci tapped Alessandro Michele for creative energy and new ideas, or evolution, like when Saint Laurent tapped Anthony Vaccarello to keep its aesthetic formula after Hedi Slimane departed. A strong vision is the most important thing. But creative directors also need to have commercial sensibility and the ability to work in a corporate environment. One of Abloh's achievements was that he managed to build a community at Louis Vuitton, and engage consumers who had been traditionally excluded by the luxury industry. Additional Resources: Virgil Abloh: Building on a Legacy: Like Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gianni Versace before him, the late Virgil Abloh leaves a powerful legacy. What does this mean for Off-White and Louis Vuitton? Which Luxury Leadership Configuration Works Best? In luxury fashion, the right configuration of creative and commercial leadership is critical to success, writes Pierre Mallevays. To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

Royal expert Elizabeth Holmes speaks to BoF's Imran Amed about Queen Elizabeth II's life and legacy — in fashion, culture and society at large.   Background:  Tributes to Britain's longest-reigning monarch have flooded social media, television and even public parks in the days since her passing, memorialising the Queen's steadfast leadership, but also her impeccable sense of style.  This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with royal expert Elizabeth Holmes who reflects on the influence the Queen's record-setting reign has had on the fashion industry and the wider culture.   Key Insights: The Queen was known around the world for her monochromatic outfits, designed to help her stand out in the crowd. She also created a unique twist on a set formula of basics: hat, coat, bag and pearls. “I think she understood the power of clothes,” says Holmes. “She used things like the colour of her outfit, especially when she was travelling overseas to perhaps match the host country's flag.” Holmes details how the Queen had a “tremendous sort of swing of the style pendulum” from her private life, where she'd wear headscarves and tartan skirts, to her public life, wearing tiaras and gowns. “It was very important to see all aspects of royal life,” says Holmes. “Both being worthy of the glamour of royalty, but then also sensible stewards of taxpayer dollars.” Her influence also stretched outside of her sovereign powers, with the path she paved for other female leaders around the world. Being crowned Queen at just 25, she became one of the only women at the table of leadership, and she made it count. “I think the Queen sort of made it permissible to really stand out.” As King Charles III takes to the throne commentators are looking to the future of the institution. “The conversation changes a little bit now that there is a King on the throne,” says Holmes. “Understanding that the whole spotlight shifts to him and with that, the good and perhaps the criticism, too.”   Additional Resources:  Queen Elizabeth II's Style Legacy: Britain's longest reigning monarch has died. Her influence extended to the realm of fashion, where she invented the concept of “sartorial diplomacy.” What the Queen Means to Designers: Queen Elizabeth was an inspiration for fashion designers from Vivienne Westwood to Alessandro Michele to Richard Quinn. Will any British royal have the same influence again?

The designer speaks with BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed about building his own business, the power of aspiration and opening doors for people who want to break into fashion.     Background:      French-Moroccan designer Charaf Tajer is the French-Moroccan designer behind Casablanca, a business that he started with only €3,000 to tap into the growing demand for women's resortwear, and which is now doing more than €45 million in annual revenue. But Charaf's rise in the Parisian fashion scene is also exceptional because of who Charaf is and where he is from. As one of the few people of colour working at the very top level of French luxury fashion, he has learned that no matter how high his star rises, he still faces discrimination related to his identity as he travels in these elite spaces. This only makes him want to work harder to break down barriers and become a role model. On the latest episode of the BoF Podcast, designer Tajer joins BoF's Imran Amed on The BoF Podcast to talk about building his own business, the power of aspiration and opening doors for people who want to break into fashion.     Key Insights:     Growing up in the outskirts of Paris, Tajer had an early appreciation for luxury, getting glimpses of wealth going with his mother to work as a cleaner in the 16th arrondissement. He channelled this sense of curiosity into the core of Casablanca and believes it lies in the industry itself. “I think this is what fashion does, is like it opens a certain option of dreaming of certain things,” says Tajer. Tajer believes you must go outside of your comfort zone and explore new paths to achieve success. “There is nothing for you in the past, so you have to go to the future because when you look back, there's nothing for you… There was no space for me to grow.” Tajer's background has at times led him to feel like a fashion outsider. That feeling inspired him to want to become a role model for others. “Beside the fact that I'm a North African Muslim guy, I also just want to represent the new face of France,” says Tajer. “It's my duty to also accomplish the biggest thing in the world, to become an example.” While entering the world of fashion, Tajer is careful to open doors for others and leave behind a legacy that any achievement is possible with effort. “For me I only want to go for the impossible possibilities,” Tajer says.     Additional Resources:      Fashion's Top M&A Targets: The market may be cooling, but a number of in-demand brands remain of interest to financial backers. BoF identifies the top targets. Can Fashion Start-Ups Cash In on the Tennis Boom? For a new wave of tennis-inflected fashion start-ups, success may depend on balancing the energy of the sport's increasingly inclusive present with the allure of its exclusive past.

In a rare interview, the influential Japanese designer speaks with BoF's Imran Amed about the philosophy that underpins his boundary-breaking career. Background:  After graduating from Keio University with a law degree, Yohji Yamamoto realised he wasn't interested in the law. “I didn't want to join the ordinary society,” he says. “So I told my mother after graduation … ‘I want to help you.'”  She agreed to let him work at her dressmaking shop in Kabukicho, an entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, and learn from the sewing assistants if he enrolled at Bunka Fashion College, now famous for training designers such as Kenzo Takada, Junya Watanabe and Yamamoto himself. After graduating, Yamamoto went on to set up a small ready-to-wear company that slowly acquired buyers in all of Japan's major cities. This success eventually led him to Paris, where his signature tailoring and draping in oversized silhouettes created an aesthetic earthquake at Paris Fashion Week in 1981. Since then, Yamamoto has developed a cult following of loyalists who swear by his avant-garde designs. “I'm not working in the mainstream,” he says. “I'm working in the side stream.” This week on The BoF Podcast, we revisit Imran Amed's rare interview with the legendary Japanese designer about his storied career — and the mindset designers need to succeed.  Key Insights: Yamamoto says the fashion industry's increasingly fast-pace has come at the expense of true creativity. “For me the fashion business became a money business,” he said. “I felt I've been losing my competitors year by year.” Yamamoto believes that modern technology can be a distraction. “When I speak with young designers, I [tell] them shut your computer,” he said. “If you really want to see real things, real beauty, you have to go there by walking.” Yamamoto believes it's a designer's job to completely immerse themselves in design. “If you want to create something, keep resisting the mediocracy of ordinary things. It's a life's work. Are you ready to sacrifice yourself to create something?” Additional Resources:  Watch the full interview here: Inside Yohji Yamamoto's Fashion Philosophy The Magic of Yohji Yamamoto  

Revisiting a conversation with BoF's Imran Amed from 2019, the 23 grand slam winning tennis champion, who announced her retirement this week, talks about how the mental toughness she has built on the court has prepared her for life as an entrepreneur.     Background:      This week, tennis superstar Serena Williams announced her imminent retirement as part of a cover story with American Vogue. Known in fashion circles for her on-court style, which included catsuits and denim skirts and a collaboration with late designer Virgil Abloh's Off-White, Williams will have more time to focus on as her burgeoning business empire, including her fashion label S by Serena and a venture fund, Serena Ventures.    This week on The BoF Podcast, we revisit Williams' 2019 conversation with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed about how the mental toughness she has built on the court has prepared her for life as an entrepreneur.    “It's really important for things not to come super easy for you, and to kind of accept that challenge, embrace it and then just roll with it,” said Williams.     Key Insights:     Rather than work with a partner, licence her name or sign another lucrative endorsement, Williams felt it was important to invest time, money and effort in herself and chase her own vision with S by Serena, a direct-to-consumer brand she has funded independently.  Serena Ventures just raised $111 million and has invested in over 60 companies including personal care brand Lola, supply chain management firm Calico and razor-maker Billie.  The fund was originally founded in 2014 when Williams noticed people of colour and women were not getting the investments they needed.  Balancing all her pursuits and personal life can be tough. But, when she feels pinched, William is reminded of one of her favourite quotes from Billie Jean King: “pressure is a privilege.”      Additional Resources:    Serena Williams: The Champion's Mindset  Serena Williams, Style Icon, Retiring From Tennis How Athletes Went From Selling Merch to Building Fashion Brands

The multi-tasking actor, executive producer and beauty entrepreneur shares her personal journey with BoF's Imran Amed and explains how she unlocked her full potential across a variety of pursuits.     Background:    Tracee Ellis Ross is best known for her roles in Girlfriends and Black-ish, but she is also the founder and CEO of Pattern which she launched in 2019 after more than a decade of development to address the gap in the market for products designed specifically for curly, coily, textured hair.   The Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated Ross joins BoF's Imran Amed on The BoF Podcast to talk about managing the little voice in her head, killing perfectionism and cultivating self-love and acceptance.    Finding purpose and unlocking potential starts by interrogating what you love, then finding ways to merge who you are with “what makes your heart sing,” said Ross.      Key Insights:    Pattern was born out of frustration. Ross couldn't find the right tools or products to serve her needs, and never saw Black women being centred — despite sitting at the centre of culture.   Ross took learnings from developing a clothing line with JCPenney to help get her business off the ground. From there, she sought out the right partners. Key to evaluating partners was learning to be present during conversation.  In her work with Pattern and with companies like Ulta on diversity and inclusion, Ross hopes to dissolve the myth that Black hair care and beauty is a niche market.     Additional Resources:   Modernising the Black Hair Care Market: A new wave of start-ups shaking up the textured hair care space are catching the attention of major retailers and investors, grabbing more shelf space and venture capital. Building the Glossier of the Black Hair Market: With her new DTC beauty brand, Radswan, blogger-turned-entrepreneur Freddie Harrel is pitching clip-in textured hair extensions and wigs to the digitally savvy black consumer.     To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

The founder and CEO of retail pop-up marketplace Appear Here shares his entrepreneurial journey and advice for young founders looking to break through.      Background:    Ross Bailey's love of entrepreneurship didn't start  in business school or a corporate job, but at the hair salon his parents owned in London.    “I watched my parents take this little shop and it became their livelihood,” he says to BoF's founder and editor in chief, Imran Amed, describing himself as a “busybody” who rearranged furniture and conducted customer satisfaction surveys from a young age. “To me, entrepreneurship was a game. It was about ‘how do I get people involved and have a bit of fun?'”   That mindset eventually led him to found Appear Here, “the Airbnb of retail,” in 2014. “The story of the world … was that the high street is dead, nobody wants it. And we had a contrarian view on that. When you have small high street stores and streets, people want to be on them … our data has always backed it up.”   By 2019, Appear Here was a global business with 250,000 entrepreneurs signed up to the platform and 30,000 stores launched. The company has facilitated pop-ups for fashion giants like Louis Vuitton, Loewe and Supreme, a bookstore for Michelle Obama's autobiography, as well as Harry's House for pop superstar Harry Styles.    Then the pandemic hit. Appear Here went from having its best year ever and closing a funding round with a nine-figure valuation, to losing 95 percent of revenue with just months' worth of cash left.   On this week's episode of The BoF Podcast, Bailey shares his lessons and advice from the early days of founding a business and the role leaders play in leading employees and stakeholders through challenging times.        Key Insights:    The traditional world of commercial real estate and retail is inaccessible and opaque, creating systemic barriers for entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds. But small independent stores are also the backbone of entrepreneurship for immigrants and other communities. “Whether it's the local takeaway restaurant, whether it's the local shop, all of those places… were people who were entrepreneurial, who were doing something, who were trying to build a livelihood.” Despite Covid's impact on retail, Bailey doubled down on Appear Here's mission. Seeing people returning to streets, even when non-essential retail was curbed, and queuing for coffees highlighted the human desire for in-person community. “I just felt that this wasn't the time to pivot, this wasn't the time to relax on our idea or rein it in. Actually, Appear Here would make more sense coming out of this than ever before.”  The future of retail is hyper-local, says Bailey, citing examples of global brands playing into cultural niches, like Adidas and Gucci's takeover of a working men's social club in Peckham. “It's no longer about Fifth Avenue and Regent Street or the Champs-Élysées, it's about neighbourhoods and interesting places.”       Additional Resources:  How Temporary Pop-Ups Became a Permanent Strategy What Happens When the E-Commerce Boom Ends   How to Open a Store in 2022 | BoF   To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

The multitasking entrepreneur joins BoF founder and chief executive Imran Amed to discuss the personal and professional journey that led him to co-create the category-disrupting brand Skims with Kim Kardashian.    Background:    Jens Grede has built some of the most successful direct-to-consumer brands in American fashion. Alongside his wife Emma, he launched Brady with Tom Brady, Good American with Khloe Kardashian, and, of course, Kim Kardashian's category-disrupting Skims. This week on the BoF Podcast, the Swedish-born former ad man joins BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss his journey through the fashion industry — from realising one of his early dreams of creating an ad for Calvin Klein to to elevating Skims into a once-in-a generation brand in the vein of Lululemon or Nike's Jordan brand.    “I've waited my whole career to be part of a moment like this, and I'm very scared of messing it up,” says Grede. “At the same time, I know that if we stop experimenting, if we stop innovating, that is the fastest way to mess it up.”   Key Insights:    Cultivating a sense of community is one of the only ways to scale a brand now, according to Grede. Great community starts with creating for yourself: products you like, want to buy and can afford.  Grede describes one of his biggest mistakes — attempting to trademark the brand name “Kimono” with Kardashian — as one of the most important moments of his career because of what he learned about community and partnership. He said the Skims team listened, owned the mistake and pivoted.  Fashion is at the cusp of a huge change in distribution due to pivots in culture, algorithms and the outsized role of social media. Grede thinks every major fashion brand that has scaled successfully was born in the cracks of a major distribution change.       Additional Resources:  Skims Plots Its Next Moves: ‘We Don't Have the Luxury of Failing.' Skims recently raised funding at a $3.2 billion valuation. Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede, in an exclusive interview with BoF, explain how the ‘solution wear' empire plans to prove it's more than a pandemic fad. First up: swimwear. The BoF Podcast: Building Disruptive Direct-to-Consumer Brands. The entrepreneurs behind Allbirds, Hims and Hers and Good American outline the keys to their brands' success. Building a DTC Challenger Brand | Download the Case Study. Fashion entrepreneurs need a new playbook to launch, scale and differentiate their companies, as regulations and rising costs mean performance marketing can no longer serve the critical role it once did for DTC brands.       Join BoF Professional today using the link here.