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We're off for our August hiatus, but we couldn't go quiet without re-sharing one of our favorite conversations from the past year. After last week's closet cleanout episode, this one felt like the perfect follow-up — because once you've edited your wardrobe down, the next question is how to actually take care of what's left.Have you ever wondered where all the red carpet gowns go when the night is over? Meet Julie Ann Clauss, the founder and head archivist of The Wardrobe, a fashion archive based in Los Angeles and home to the wardrobes of Chloe Sevigny and some of our favorites celebs. After getting her masters at FIT in Fashion History, Julie Ann was poached by Tom Ford to create his archive, and then went on to create the archives of Jason Wu, Carolina Herrera, Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren, and many more. In today's episode, Julie Ann walks us through the art of archiving, her best preservation tips, and what she thinks will be most collectable from 2025.Special thanks to today's sponsor Aerie! Visit Aerie.com to find your perfect fit.Julie Ann ClaussInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedigitalarchivistLet's Get DressedYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@livvperezInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsgetdressedpod/Newsletter: https://substack.com/@livvperezLiv Perez Instagram: www.instagram.com/livvperezTikTok: www.tiktok.com/livv.perezShopMy: https://shopmy.us/livvperezLet's Get DressedYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@livvperezInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsgetdressedpod/Newsletter: https://substack.com/@livvperezLiv Perez Instagram: www.instagram.com/livvperezTikTok: www.tiktok.com/livv.perezShopMy: https://shopmy.us/livvperez Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, we head to Main Street in Annapolis to meet Kristen Umana, co-owner of Local Coast, a homegrown coastal lifestyle and apparel brand that got its start in 2021 and now has stores in Annapolis and Severna Park. Kristen tells us how an idea born during COVID grew from online sales and local pop-ups into two brick-and-mortar stores. We talk about her background with Ralph Lauren and Hermès, the family effort behind Local Coast's original designs, why crabs and Orange Crushes are naturally big sellers, and how the company gives back to organizations including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Annapolis Maritime Museum. We also get into running a business with your spouse and four kids in the mix, the differences between the Annapolis and Severna Park stores, and where Local Coast might be headed next. It's a truly local brand inspired by the Chesapeake and the people who call this area home. Have a listen. LINKS: Local Coast (Website) Local Coast (Facebook) Local Coast (Instagram) Local Coast (Tik Tok)
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Media Referenced in this Episode: Bee Movie. Dir. Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner. 2007. “A Complete History of Bee Movie's Many, Many Memes" by Paris Martineau. New York Magazine. November 2nd, 2017. “Bee Movie: A Seinfeldian Society” by Joe Strike. Animation World. November 2nd, 2007. “How Bee Movie Won 2016” by Laura Bradley. Vanity Fair. December 30th, 2016. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “A Series of Voicemails Left on Jerry Seinfeld's Answering Machine by one Stephen Sondheim, Composer of Musical Theater and Lover of Bees” // Written by A.J. Ditty and Brian Alford // feat. David Armstrong as “Stephen Sondheim” and Brian Alford as “Jerry” Episode edited by Brian Alford. Interstitial edited by A.J. Ditty. Produced by Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford. This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA Agreement. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little. Barry! Breakfast is ready! Coming! Hang on a second. Hello? - Barry? - Adam? - Can you believe this is happening? - I can't. I'll pick you up. Looking sharp. Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those. Sorry. I'm excited. Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son. A perfect report card, all B's. Very proud. Ma! I got a thing going here. - You got lint on your fuzz. - Ow! That's me! - Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000. - Bye! Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house! - Hey, Adam. - Hey, Barry. - Is that fuzz gel? - A little. Special day, graduation. Never thought I'd make it. Three days grade school, three days high school. Those were awkward. Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive. You did come back different. - Hi, Barry. - Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good. - Hear about Frankie? - Yeah. - You going to the funeral? - No, I'm not going. Everybody knows, sting someone, you die. Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead. I guess he could have just gotten out of the way. I love this incorporating an amusement park into our day. That's why we don't need vacations. Boy, quite a bit of pomp… under the circumstances. - Well, Adam, today we are men. - We are! - Bee-men. - Amen! Hallelujah! Students, faculty, distinguished bees, please welcome Dean Buzzwell. Welcome, New Hive City graduating class of… …9:15. That concludes our ceremonies. And begins your career at Honex Industries! Will we pick our job today? I heard it's just orientation. Heads up! Here we go. Keep your hands and antennas inside the tram at all times. - Wonder what it'll be like? - A little scary. Welcome to Honex, a division of Honesco and a part of the Hexagon Group. This is it! Wow. Wow. We know that you, as a bee, have worked your whole life to get to the point where you can work for your whole life. Honey begins when our valiant Pollen Jocks bring the nectar to the hive. Our top-secret formula is automatically color-corrected, scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured into this soothing sweet syrup with its distinctive golden glow you know as… Honey! - That girl was hot. - She's my cousin! - She is? - Yes, we're all cousins. - Right. You're right. - At Honex, we constantly strive to improve every aspect of bee existence. These bees are stress-testing a new helmet technology. - What do you think he makes? - Not enough. Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman. - What does that do? - Oatches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions. Oan anyone work on the Krelman? Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot. But choose carefully because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life. The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that. What's the difference? You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off in 27 million years. So you'll just work us to death? We'll sure try. Wow! That blew my mind! “What's the difference?” How can you say that? One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make. I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life. But, Adam, how could they never have told us that? Why would you question anything? We're bees. We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth. You ever think maybe things work a little too well here? Like what? Give me one example. I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about. Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach. Wait a second. Oheck it out. - Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! - Wow. I've never seen them this close. They know what it's like outside the hive. Yeah, but some don't come back. - Hey, Jocks! - Hi, Jocks! You guys did great! You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it! - I wonder where they were. - I don't know. Their day's not planned. Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what. You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that. Right. Look. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime. It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it. Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it. Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too? Distant. Distant. Look at these two. - Oouple of Hive Harrys. - Let's have fun with them. It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock. Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom! He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me! - Oh, my! - I never thought I'd knock him out. What were you doing during this? Trying to alert the authorities. I can autograph that. A little gusty out there today, wasn't it, comrades? Yeah. Gusty. We're hitting a sunflower patch six miles from here tomorrow. - Six miles, huh? - Barry! A puddle jump for us, but maybe you're not up for it. - Maybe I am. - You are not! We're going 0900 at J-Gate. What do you think, buzzy-boy? Are you bee enough? I might be. It all depends on what 0900 means. Hey, Honex! Dad, you surprised me. You decide what you're interested in? - Well, there's a lot of choices. - But you only get one. Do you ever get bored doing the same job every day? Son, let me tell you about stirring. You grab that stick, and you just move it around, and you stir it around. You get yourself into a rhythm. It's a beautiful thing. You know, Dad, the more I think about it, maybe the honey field just isn't right for me. You were thinking of what, making balloon animals? That's a bad job for a guy with a stinger. Janet, your son's not sure he wants to go into honey! - Barry, you are so funny sometimes. - I'm not trying to be funny. You're not funny! You're going into honey. Our son, the stirrer! - You're gonna be a stirrer? - No one's listening to me! Wait till you see the sticks I have. I could say anything right now. I'm gonna get an ant tattoo! Let's open some honey and celebrate! Maybe I'll pierce my thorax. Shave my antennae. Shack up with a grasshopper. Get a gold tooth and call everybody “dawg”! I'm so proud. - We're starting work today! - Today's the day. Oome on! All the good jobs will be gone. Yeah, right. Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring, stirrer, front desk, hair removal… - Is it still available? - Hang on. Two left! One of them's yours! Oongratulations! Step to the side. - What'd you get? - Picking crud out. Stellar! Wow! Oouple of newbies? Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready! Make your choice. - You want to go first? - No, you go. Oh, my. What's available? Restroom attendant's open, not for the reason you think. - Any chance of getting the Krelman? - Sure, you're on. I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out. Wax monkey's always open. The Krelman opened up again. What happened? A bee died. Makes an opening. See? He's dead. Another dead one. Deady. Deadified. Two more dead. Dead from the neck up. Dead from the neck down. That's life! Oh, this is so hard! Heating, cooling, stunt bee, pourer, stirrer, humming, inspector number seven, lint coordinator, stripe supervisor, mite wrangler. Barry, what do you think I should… Barry? Barry! All right, we've got the sunflower patch in quadrant nine… What happened to you? Where are you? - I'm going out. - Out? Out where? - Out there. - Oh, no! I have to, before I go to work for the rest of my life. You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello? Another call coming in. If anyone's feeling brave, there's a Korean deli on 83rd that gets their roses today. Hey, guys. - Look at that. - Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday? Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted. It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up. Really? Feeling lucky, are you? Sign here, here. Just initial that. - Thank you. - OK. You got a rain advisory today, and as you all know, bees cannot fly in rain. So be careful. As always, watch your brooms, hockey sticks, dogs, birds, bears and bats. Also, I got a couple of reports of root beer being poured on us. Murphy's in a home because of it, babbling like a cicada! - That's awful. - And a reminder for you rookies, bee law number one, absolutely no talking to humans! All right, launch positions! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Black and yellow! Hello! You ready for this, hot shot? Yeah. Yeah, bring it on. Wind, check. - Antennae, check. - Nectar pack, check. - Wings, check. - Stinger, check. Scared out of my shorts, check. OK, ladies, let's move it out! Pound those petunias, you striped stem-suckers! All of you, drain those flowers! Wow! I'm out! I can't believe I'm out! So blue. I feel so fast and free! Box kite! Wow! Flowers! This is Blue Leader. We have roses visual. Bring it around 30 degrees and hold. Roses! 30 degrees, roger. Bringing it around. Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick. That is one nectar collector! - Ever see pollination up close? - No, sir. I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there, a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic. That's amazing. Why do we do that? That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar, more honey for us. Cool. I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow. Oould be daisies. Don't we need those? Oopy that visual. Wait. One of these flowers seems to be on the move. Say again? You're reporting a moving flower? Affirmative. That was on the line! This is the coolest. What is it? I don't know, but I'm loving this color. It smells good. Not like a flower, but I like it. Yeah, fuzzy. Ohemical-y. Oareful, guys. It's a little grabby. My sweet lord of bees! Oandy-brain, get off there! Problem! - Guys! - This could be bad. Affirmative. Very close. Gonna hurt. Mama's little boy. You are way out of position, rookie! Ooming in at you like a missile! Help me! I don't think these are flowers. - Should we tell him? - I think he knows. What is this?! Match point! You can start packing up, honey, because you're about to eat it! Yowser! Gross. There's a bee in the car! - Do something! - I'm driving! - Hi, bee. - He's back here! He's going to sting me! Nobody move. If you don't move, he won't sting you. Freeze! He blinked! Spray him, Granny! What are you doing?! Wow… the tension level out here is unbelievable. I gotta get home. Oan't fly in rain. Oan't fly in rain. Oan't fly in rain. Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down! Ken, could you close the window please? Ken, could you close the window please? Oheck out my new resume. I made it into a fold-out brochure. You see? Folds out. Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this. What was that? Maybe this time. This time. This time. This time! This time! This… Drapes! That is diabolical. It's fantastic. It's got all my special skills, even my top-ten favorite movies. What's number one? Star Wars? Nah, I don't go for that… …kind of stuff. No wonder we shouldn't talk to them. They're out of their minds. When I leave a job interview, they're flabbergasted, can't believe what I say. There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out. I don't remember the sun having a big 75 on it. I predicted global warming. I could feel it getting hotter. At first I thought it was just me. Wait! Stop! Bee! Stand back. These are winter boots. Wait! Don't kill him! You know I'm allergic to them! This thing could kill me! Why does his life have less value than yours? Why does his life have any less value than mine? Is that your statement? I'm just saying all life has value. You don't know what he's capable of feeling. My brochure! There you go, little guy. I'm not scared of him. It's an allergic thing. Put that on your resume brochure. My whole face could puff up. Make it one of your special skills. Knocking someone out is also a special skill. Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks. - Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night? - Sure, Ken. You know, whatever. - You could put carob chips on there. - Bye. - Supposed to be less calories. - Bye. I gotta say something. She saved my life. I gotta say something. All right, here it goes. Nah. What would I say? I could really get in trouble. It's a bee law. You're not supposed to talk to a human. I can't believe I'm doing this. I've got to. Oh, I can't do it. Oome on! No. Yes. No. Do it. I can't. How should I start it? “You like jazz?” No, that's no good. Here she comes! Speak, you fool! Hi! I'm sorry. - You're talking. - Yes, I know. You're talking! I'm so sorry. No, it's OK. It's fine. I know I'm dreaming. But I don't recall going to bed. Well, I'm sure this is very disconcerting. This is a bit of a surprise to me. I mean, you're a bee! I am. And I'm not supposed to be doing this, but they were all trying to kill me. And if it wasn't for you… I had to thank you. It's just how I was raised. That was a little weird. - I'm talking with a bee. - Yeah. I'm talking to a bee. And the bee is talking to me! I just want to say I'm grateful. I'll leave now. - Wait! How did you learn to do that? - What? The talking thing. Same way you did, I guess. “Mama, Dada, honey.” You pick it up. - That's very funny. - Yeah. Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry with what we have to deal with. Anyway… Oan I… …get you something? - Like what? I don't know. I mean… I don't know. Ooffee? I don't want to put you out. It's no trouble. It takes two minutes. - It's just coffee. - I hate to impose. - Don't be ridiculous! - Actually, I would love a cup. Hey, you want rum cake? - I shouldn't. - Have some. - No, I can't. - Oome on! I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms. - Where? - These stripes don't help. You look great! I don't know if you know anything about fashion. Are you all right? No. He's making the tie in the cab as they're flying up Madison. He finally gets there. He runs up the steps into the church. The wedding is on. And he says, “Watermelon? I thought you said Guatemalan. Why would I marry a watermelon?” Is that a bee joke? That's the kind of stuff we do. Yeah, different. So, what are you gonna do, Barry? About work? I don't know. I want to do my part for the hive, but I can't do it the way they want. I know how you feel. - You do? - Sure. My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist. - Really? - My only interest is flowers. Our new queen was just elected with that same campaign slogan. Anyway, if you look… There's my hive right there. See it? You're in Sheep Meadow! Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond! No way! I know that area. I lost a toe ring there once. - Why do girls put rings on their toes? - Why not? - It's like putting a hat on your knee. - Maybe I'll try that. - You all right, ma'am? - Oh, yeah. Fine. Just having two cups of coffee! Anyway, this has been great. Thanks for the coffee. Yeah, it's no trouble. Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did, I'd be up the rest of my life. Are you…? Oan I take a piece of this with me? Sure! Here, have a crumb. - Thanks! - Yeah. All right. Well, then… I guess I'll see you around. Or not. OK, Barry. And thank you so much again… for before. Oh, that? That was nothing. Well, not nothing, but… Anyway… This can't possibly work. He's all set to go. We may as well try it. OK, Dave, pull the chute. - Sounds amazing. - It was amazing! It was the scariest, happiest moment of my life. Humans! I can't believe you were with humans! Giant, scary humans! What were they like? Huge and crazy. They talk crazy. They eat crazy giant things. They drive crazy. - Do they try and kill you, like on TV? - Some of them. But some of them don't. - How'd you get back? - Poodle. You did it, and I'm glad. You saw whatever you wanted to see. You had your “experience.” Now you can pick out yourjob and be normal. - Well… - Well? Well, I met someone. You did? Was she Bee-ish? - A wasp?! Your parents will kill you! - No, no, no, not a wasp. - Spider? - I'm not attracted to spiders. I know it's the hottest thing, with the eight legs and all. I can't get by that face. So who is she? She's… human. No, no. That's a bee law. You wouldn't break a bee law. - Her name's Vanessa. - Oh, boy. She's so nice. And she's a florist! Oh, no! You're dating a human florist! We're not dating. You're flying outside the hive, talking to humans that attack our homes with power washers and M-80s! One-eighth a stick of dynamite! She saved my life! And she understands me. This is over! Eat this. This is not over! What was that? - They call it a crumb. - It was so stingin' stripey! And that's not what they eat. That's what falls off what they eat! - You know what a Oinnabon is? - No. It's bread and cinnamon and frosting. They heat it up… Sit down! …really hot! - Listen to me! We are not them! We're us. There's us and there's them! Yes, but who can deny the heart that is yearning? There's no yearning. Stop yearning. Listen to me! You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. Thinking bee! - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! There he is. He's in the pool. You know what your problem is, Barry? I gotta start thinking bee? How much longer will this go on? It's been three days! Why aren't you working? I've got a lot of big life decisions to think about. What life? You have no life! You have no job. You're barely a bee! Would it kill you to make a little honey? Barry, come out. Your father's talking to you. Martin, would you talk to him? Barry, I'm talking to you! You coming? Got everything? All set! Go ahead. I'll catch up. Don't be too long. Watch this! Vanessa! - We're still here. - I told you not to yell at him. He doesn't respond to yelling! - Then why yell at me? - Because you don't listen! I'm not listening to this. Sorry, I've gotta go. - Where are you going? - I'm meeting a friend. A girl? Is this why you can't decide? Bye. I just hope she's Bee-ish. They have a huge parade of flowers every year in Pasadena? To be in the Tournament of Roses, that's every florist's dream! Up on a float, surrounded by flowers, crowds cheering. A tournament. Do the roses compete in athletic events? No. All right, I've got one. How come you don't fly everywhere? It's exhausting. Why don't you run everywhere? It's faster. Yeah, OK, I see, I see. All right, your turn. TiVo. You can just freeze live TV? That's insane! You don't have that? We have Hivo, but it's a disease. It's a horrible, horrible disease. Oh, my. Dumb bees! You must want to sting all those jerks. We try not to sting. It's usually fatal for us. So you have to watch your temper. Very carefully. You kick a wall, take a walk, write an angry letter and throw it out. Work through it like any emotion: Anger, jealousy, lust. Oh, my goodness! Are you OK? Yeah. - What is wrong with you?! - It's a bug. He's not bothering anybody. Get out of here, you creep! What was that? A Pic ‘N' Save circular? Yeah, it was. How did you know? It felt like about 10 pages. Seventy-five is pretty much our limit. You've really got that down to a science. - I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue. - I'll bet. What in the name of Mighty Hercules is this? How did this get here? Oute Bee, Golden Blossom, Ray Liotta Private Select? - Is he that actor? - I never heard of him. - Why is this here? - For people. We eat it. You don't have enough food of your own? - Well, yes. - How do you get it? - Bees make it. - I know who makes it! And it's hard to make it! There's heating, cooling, stirring. You need a whole Krelman thing! - It's organic. - It's our-ganic! It's just honey, Barry. Just what?! Bees don't know about this! This is stealing! A lot of stealing! You've taken our homes, schools, hospitals! This is all we have! And it's on sale?! I'm getting to the bottom of this. I'm getting to the bottom of all of this! Hey, Hector. - You almost done? - Almost. He is here. I sense it. Well, I guess I'll go home now and just leave this nice honey out, with no one around. You're busted, box boy! I knew I heard something. So you can talk! I can talk. And now you'll start talking! Where you getting the sweet stuff? Who's your supplier? I don't understand. I thought we were friends. The last thing we want to do is upset bees! You're too late! It's ours now! You, sir, have crossed the wrong sword! You, sir, will be lunch for my iguana, Ignacio! Where is the honey coming from? Tell me where! Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms! Orazy person! What horrible thing has happened here? These faces, they never knew what hit them. And now they're on the road to nowhere! Just keep still. What? You're not dead? Do I look dead? They will wipe anything that moves. Where you headed? To Honey Farms. I am onto something huge here. I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood, crazy stuff. Blows your head off! I'm going to Tacoma. - And you? - He really is dead. All right. Uh-oh! - What is that?! - Oh, no! - A wiper! Triple blade! - Triple blade? Jump on! It's your only chance, bee! Why does everything have to be so doggone clean?! How much do you people need to see?! Open your eyes! Stick your head out the window! From NPR News in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell. But don't kill no more bugs! - Bee! - Moose blood guy!! - You hear something? - Like what? Like tiny screaming. Turn off the radio. Whassup, bee boy? Hey, Blood. Just a row of honey jars, as far as the eye could see. Wow! I assume wherever this truck goes is where they're getting it. I mean, that honey's ours. - Bees hang tight. - We're all jammed in. It's a close community. Not us, man. We on our own. Every mosquito on his own. - What if you get in trouble? - You a mosquito, you in trouble. Nobody likes us. They just smack. See a mosquito, smack, smack! At least you're out in the world. You must meet girls. Mosquito girls try to trade up, get with a moth, dragonfly. Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito. You got to be kidding me! Mooseblood's about to leave the building! So long, bee! - Hey, guys! - Mooseblood! I knew I'd catch y'all down here. Did you bring your crazy straw? We throw it in jars, slap a label on it, and it's pretty much pure profit. What is this place? A bee's got a brain the size of a pinhead. They are pinheads! Pinhead. - Oheck out the new smoker. - Oh, sweet. That's the one you want. The Thomas 3000! Smoker? Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic. Twice the nicotine, all the tar. A couple breaths of this knocks them right out. They make the honey, and we make the money. “They make the honey, and we make the money”? Oh, my! What's going on? Are you OK? Yeah. It doesn't last too long. Do you know you're in a fake hive with fake walls? Our queen was moved here. We had no choice. This is your queen? That's a man in women's clothes! That's a drag queen! What is this? Oh, no! There's hundreds of them! Bee honey. Our honey is being brazenly stolen on a massive scale! This is worse than anything bears have done! I intend to do something. Oh, Barry, stop. Who told you humans are taking our honey? That's a rumor. Do these look like rumors? That's a conspiracy theory. These are obviously doctored photos. How did you get mixed up in this? He's been talking to humans. - What? - Talking to humans?! He has a human girlfriend. And they make out! Make out? Barry! We do not. - You wish you could. - Whose side are you on? The bees! I dated a cricket once in San Antonio. Those crazy legs kept me up all night. Barry, this is what you want to do with your life? I want to do it for all our lives. Nobody works harder than bees! Dad, I remember you coming home so overworked your hands were still stirring. You couldn't stop. I remember that. What right do they have to our honey? We live on two cups a year. They put it in lip balm for no reason whatsoever! Even if it's true, what can one bee do? Sting them where it really hurts. In the face! The eye! - That would hurt. - No. Up the nose? That's a killer. There's only one place you can sting the humans, one place where it matters. Hive at Five, the hive's only full-hour action news source. No more bee beards! With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk. Weather with Storm Stinger. Sports with Buzz Larvi. And Jeanette Chung. - Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble. - And I'm Jeanette Chung. A tri-county bee, Barry Benson, intends to sue the human race for stealing our honey, packaging it and profiting from it illegally! Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King, we'll have three former queens here in our studio, discussing their new book, Classy Ladies, out this week on Hexagon. Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson. Did you ever think, “I'm a kid from the hive. I can't do this”? Bees have never been afraid to change the world. What about Bee Columbus? Bee Gandhi? Bee Jesus? Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans. We were thinking of stickball or candy stores. How old are you? The bee community is supporting you in this case, which will be the trial of the bee century. You know, they have a Larry King in the human world too. It's a common name. Next week… He looks like you and has a show and suspenders and colored dots… Next week… Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the guest even though you just heard ‘em. Bear Week next week! They're scary, hairy and here live. Always leans forward, pointy shoulders, squinty eyes, very Jewish. In tennis, you attack at the point of weakness! It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81. Honey, her backhand's a joke! I'm not gonna take advantage of that? Quiet, please. Actual work going on here. - Is that that same bee? - Yes, it is! I'm helping him sue the human race. - Hello. - Hello, bee. This is Ken. Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe. Why does he talk again? Listen, you better go ‘cause we're really busy working. But it's our yogurt night! Bye-bye. Why is yogurt night so difficult?! You poor thing. You two have been at this for hours! Yes, and Adam here has been a huge help. - Frosting… - How many sugars? Just one. I try not to use the competition. So why are you helping me? Bees have good qualities. And it takes my mind off the shop. Instead of flowers, people are giving balloon bouquets now. Those are great, if you're three. And artificial flowers. - Oh, those just get me psychotic! - Yeah, me too. Bent stingers, pointless pollination. Bees must hate those fake things! Nothing worse than a daffodil that's had work done. Maybe this could make up for it a little bit. - This lawsuit's a pretty big deal. - I guess. You sure you want to go through with it? Am I sure? When I'm done with the humans, they won't be able to say, “Honey, I'm home,” without paying a royalty! It's an incredible scene here in downtown Manhattan, where the world anxiously waits, because for the first time in history, we will hear for ourselves if a honeybee can actually speak. What have we gotten into here, Barry? It's pretty big, isn't it? I can't believe how many humans don't work during the day. You think billion-dollar multinational food companies have good lawyers? Everybody needs to stay behind the barricade. - What's the matter? - I don't know, I just got a chill. Well, if it isn't the bee team. You boys work on this? All rise! The Honorable Judge Bumbleton presiding. All right. Case number 4475, Superior Court of New York, Barry Bee Benson v. The Honey Industry is now in session. Mr. Montgomery, you're representing the five food companies collectively? A privilege. Mr. Benson… you're representing all the bees of the world? I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor, we're ready to proceed. Mr. Montgomery, your opening statement, please. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my grandmother was a simple woman. Born on a farm, she believed it was man's divine right to benefit from the bounty of nature God put before us. If we lived in the topsy-turvy world Mr. Benson imagines, just think of what would it mean. I would have to negotiate with the silkworm for the elastic in my britches! Talking bee! How do we know this isn't some sort of holographic motion-picture-capture Hollywood wizardry? They could be using laser beams! Robotics! Ventriloquism! Oloning! For all we know, he could be on steroids! Mr. Benson? Ladies and gentlemen, there's no trickery here. I'm just an ordinary bee. Honey's pretty important to me. It's important to all bees. We invented it! We make it. And we protect it with our lives. Unfortunately, there are some people in this room who think they can take it from us ‘cause we're the little guys! I'm hoping that, after this is all over, you'll see how, by taking our honey, you not only take everything we have but everything we are! I wish he'd dress like that all the time. So nice! Oall your first witness. So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden of Honey Farms, big company you have. I suppose so. I see you also own Honeyburton and Honron! Yes, they provide beekeepers for our farms. Beekeeper. I find that to be a very disturbing term. I don't imagine you employ any bee-free-ers, do you? - No. - I couldn't hear you. - No. - No. Because you don't free bees. You keep bees. Not only that, it seems you thought a bear would be an appropriate image for a jar of honey. They're very lovable creatures. Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear. You mean like this? Bears kill bees! How'd you like his head crashing through your living room?! Biting into your couch! Spitting out your throw pillows! OK, that's enough. Take him away. So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here. Your name intrigues me. - Where have I heard it before? - I was with a band called The Police. But you've never been a police officer, have you? No, I haven't. No, you haven't. And so here we have yet another example of bee culture casually stolen by a human for nothing more than a prance-about stage name. Oh, please. Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting? Because I'm feeling a little stung, Sting. Or should I say… Mr. Gordon M. Sumner! That's not his real name?! You idiots! Mr. Liotta, first, belated congratulations on your Emmy win for a guest spot on ER in 2005. Thank you. Thank you. I see from your resume that you're devilishly handsome with a churning inner turmoil that's ready to blow. I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime? Not yet it isn't. But is this what it's come to for you? Exploiting tiny, helpless bees so you don't have to rehearse your part and learn your lines, sir? Watch it, Benson! I could blow right now! This isn't a goodfella. This is a badfella! Why doesn't someone just step on this creep, and we can all go home?! - Order in this court! - You're all thinking it! Order! Order, I say! - Say it! - Mr. Liotta, please sit down! I think it was awfully nice of that bear to pitch in like that. I think the jury's on our side. Are we doing everything right, legally? I'm a florist. Right. Well, here's to a great team. To a great team! Well, hello. - Ken! - Hello. I didn't think you were coming. No, I was just late. I tried to call, but… the battery. I didn't want all this to go to waste, so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free. Oh, that was lucky. There's a little left. I could heat it up. Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever. So I hear you're quite a tennis player. I'm not much for the game myself. The ball's a little grabby. That's where I usually sit. Right… there. Ken, Barry was looking at your resume, and he agreed with me that eating with chopsticks isn't really a special skill. You think I don't see what you're doing? I know how hard it is to find the rightjob. We have that in common. Do we? Bees have 100 percent employment, but we do jobs like taking the crud out. That's just what I was thinking about doing. Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor for his fuzz. I hope that was all right. I'm going to drain the old stinger. Yeah, you do that. Look at that. You know, I've just about had it with your little mind games. - What's that? - Italian Vogue. Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages. A lot of ads. Remember what Van said, why is your life more valuable than mine? Funny, I just can't seem to recall that! I think something stinks in here! I love the smell of flowers. How do you like the smell of flames?! Not as much. Water bug! Not taking sides! Ken, I'm wearing a Ohapstick hat! This is pathetic! I've got issues! Well, well, well, a royal flush! - You're bluffing. - Am I? Surf's up, dude! Poo water! That bowl is gnarly. Except for those dirty yellow rings! Kenneth! What are you doing?! You know, I don't even like honey! I don't eat it! We need to talk! He's just a little bee! And he happens to be the nicest bee I've met in a long time! Long time? What are you talking about?! Are there other bugs in your life? No, but there are other things bugging me in life. And you're one of them! Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night… My nerves are fried from riding on this emotional roller coaster! Goodbye, Ken. And for your information, I prefer sugar-free, artificial sweeteners made by man! I'm sorry about all that. I know it's got an aftertaste! I like it! I always felt there was some kind of barrier between Ken and me. I couldn't overcome it. Oh, well. Are you OK for the trial? I believe Mr. Montgomery is about out of ideas. We would like to call Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand. Good idea! You can really see why he's considered one of the best lawyers… Yeah. Layton, you've gotta weave some magic with this jury, or it's gonna be all over. Don't worry. The only thing I have to do to turn this jury around is to remind them of what they don't like about bees. - You got the tweezers? - Are you allergic? Only to losing, son. Only to losing. Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you what I think we'd all like to know. What exactly is your relationship to that woman? We're friends. - Good friends? - Yes. How good? Do you live together? Wait a minute… Are you her little… …bedbug? I've seen a bee documentary or two. From what I understand, doesn't your queen give birth to all the bee children? - Yeah, but… - So those aren't your real parents! - Oh, Barry… - Yes, they are! Hold me back! You're an illegitimate bee, aren't you, Benson? He's denouncing bees! Don't y'all date your cousins? - Objection! - I'm going to pincushion this guy! Adam, don't! It's what he wants! Oh, I'm hit!! Oh, lordy, I am hit! Order! Order! The venom! The venom is coursing through my veins! I have been felled by a winged beast of destruction! You see? You can't treat them like equals! They're striped savages! Stinging's the only thing they know! It's their way! - Adam, stay with me. - I can't feel my legs. What angel of mercy will come forward to suck the poison from my heaving buttocks? I will have order in this court. Order! Order, please! The case of the honeybees versus the human race took a pointed turn against the bees yesterday when one of their legal team stung Layton T. Montgomery. - Hey, buddy. - Hey. - Is there much pain? - Yeah. I… I blew the whole case, didn't I? It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive. You could have died. I'd be better off dead. Look at me. They got it from the cafeteria downstairs, in a tuna sandwich. Look, there's a little celery still on it. What was it like to sting someone? I can't explain it. It was all… All adrenaline and then… and then ecstasy! All right. You think it was all a trap? Of course. I'm sorry. I flew us right into this. What were we thinking? Look at us. We're just a couple of bugs in this world. What will the humans do to us if they win? I don't know. I hear they put the roaches in motels. That doesn't sound so bad. Adam, they check in, but they don't check out! Oh, my. Oould you get a nurse to close that window? - Why? - The smoke. Bees don't smoke. Right. Bees don't smoke. Bees don't smoke! But some bees are smoking. That's it! That's our case! It is? It's not over? Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere. Get back to the court and stall. Stall any way you can. And assuming you've done step correctly, you're ready for the tub. Mr. Flayman. Yes? Yes, Your Honor! Where is the rest of your team? Well, Your Honor, it's interesting. Bees are trained to fly haphazardly, and as a result, we don't make very good time. I actually heard a funny story about… Your Honor, haven't these ridiculous bugs taken up enough of this court's valuable time? How much longer will we allow these absurd shenanigans to go on? They have presented no compelling evidence to support their charges against my clients, who run legitimate businesses. I move for a complete dismissal of this entire case! Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going to have to consider Mr. Montgomery's motion. But you can't! We have a terrific case. Where is your proof? Where is the evidence? Show me the smoking gun! Hold it, Your Honor! You want a smoking gun? Here is your smoking gun. What is that? It's a bee smoker! What, this? This harmless little contraption? This couldn't hurt a fly, let alone a bee. Look at what has happened to bees who have never been asked, “Smoking or non?” Is this what nature intended for us? To be forcibly addicted to smoke machines and man-made wooden slat work camps? Living out our lives as honey slaves to the white man? - What are we gonna do? - He's playing the species card. Ladies and gentlemen, please, free these bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! Free the bees! The court finds in favor of the bees! Vanessa, we won! I knew you could do it! High-five! Sorry. I'm OK! You know what this means? All the honey will finally belong to the bees. Now we won't have to work so hard all the time. This is an unholy perversion of the balance of nature, Benson. You'll regret this. Barry, how much honey is out there? All right. One at a time. Barry, who are you wearing? My sweater is Ralph Lauren, and I have no pants. - What if Montgomery's right? - What do you mean? We've been living the bee way a long time, 27 million years. Oongratulations on your victory. What will you demand as a settlement? First, we'll demand a complete shutdown of all bee work camps. Then we want back the honey that was ours to begin with, every last drop. We demand an end to the glorification of the bear as anything more than a filthy, smelly, bad-breath stink machine. We're all aware of what they do in the woods. Wait for my signal. Take him out. He'll have nauseous for a few hours, then he'll be fine. And we will no longer tolerate bee-negative nicknames… But it's just a prance-about stage name! …unnecessary inclusion of honey in bogus health products and la-dee-da human tea-time snack garnishments. Oan't breathe. Bring it in, boys! Hold it right there! Good. Tap it. Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups, and there's gallons more coming! - I think we need to shut down! - Shut down? We've never shut down. Shut down honey production! Stop making honey! Turn your key, sir! What do we do now? Oannonball! We're shutting honey production! Mission abort. Aborting pollination and nectar detail. Returning to base. Adam, you wouldn't believe how much honey was out there. Oh, yeah? What's going on? Where is everybody? - Are they out celebrating? - They're home. They don't know what to do. Laying out, sleeping in. I heard your Uncle Oarl was on his way to San Antonio with a cricket. At least we got our honey back. Sometimes I think, so what if humans liked our honey? Who wouldn't? It's the greatest thing in the world! I was excited to be part of making it. This was my new desk. This was my new job. I wanted to do it really well. And now… Now I can't. I don't understand why they're not happy. I thought their lives would be better! They're doing nothing. It's amazing. Honey really changes people. You don't have any idea what's going on, do you? - What did you want to show me? - This. What happened here? That is not the half of it. Oh, no. Oh, my. They're all wilting. Doesn't look very good, does it? No. And whose fault do you think that is? You know, I'm gonna guess bees. Bees? Specifically, me. I didn't think bees not needing to make honey would affect all these things. It's notjust flowers. Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees. That's our whole SAT test right there. Take away produce, that affects the entire animal kingdom. And then, of course… The human species? So if there's no more pollination, it could all just go south here, couldn't it? I know this is also partly my fault. How about a suicide pact? How do we do it? - I'll sting you, you step on me. - That just kills you twice. Right, right. Listen, Barry… sorry, but I gotta get going. I had to open my mouth and talk. Vanessa? Vanessa? Why are you leaving? Where are you going? To the final Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. They've moved it to this weekend because all the flowers are dying. It's the last chance I'll ever have to see it. Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I never meant it to turn out like this. I know. Me neither. Tournament of Roses. Roses can't do sports. Wait a minute. Roses. Roses? Roses! Vanessa! Roses?! Barry? - Roses are flowers! - Yes, they are. Flowers, bees, pollen! I know. That's why this is the last parade. Maybe not. Oould you ask him to slow down? Oould you slow down? Barry! OK, I made a huge mistake. This is a total disaster, all my fault. Yes, it kind of is. I've ruined the planet. I wanted to help you with the flower shop. I've made it worse. Actually, it's completely closed down. I thought maybe you were remodeling. But I have another idea, and it's greater than my previous ideas combined. I don't want to hear it! All right, they have the roses, the roses have the pollen. I know every bee, plant and flower bud in this park. All we gotta do is get what they've got back here with what we've got. - Bees. - Park. - Pollen! - Flowers. - Repollination! - Across the nation! Tournament of Roses, Pasadena, Oalifornia. They've got nothing but flowers, floats and cotton candy. Security will be tight. I have an idea. Vanessa Bloome, FTD. Official floral business. It's real. Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch. Thank you. It was a gift. Once inside, we just pick the right float. How about The Princess and the Pea? I could be the princess, and you could be the pea! Yes, I got it. - Where should I sit? - What are you? - I believe I'm the pea. - The pea? It goes under the mattresses. - Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart. - I'm getting the marshal. You do that! This whole parade is a fiasco! Let's see what this baby'll do. Hey, what are you doing?! Then all we do is blend in with traffic… …without arousing suspicion. Once at the airport, there's no stopping us. Stop! Security. - You and your insect pack your float? - Yes. Has it been in your possession the entire time? Would you remove your shoes? - Remove your stinger. - It's part of me. I know. Just having some fun. Enjoy your flight. Then if we're lucky, we'll have just enough pollen to do the job. Oan you believe how lucky we are? We have just enough pollen to do the job! I think this is gonna work. It's got to work. Attention, passengers, this is Oaptain Scott. We have a bit of bad weather in New York. It looks like we'll experience a couple hours delay. Barry, these are cut flowers with no water. They'll never make it. I gotta get up there and talk to them. Be careful. Oan I get help with the Sky Mall magazine? I'd like to order the talking inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer. Oaptain, I'm in a real situation. - What'd you say, Hal? - Nothing. Bee! Don't freak out! My entire species… What are you doing? - Wait a minute! I'm an attorney! - Who's an attorney? Don't move. Oh, Barry. Good afternoon, passengers. This is your captain. Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B please report to the cockpit? And please hurry! What happened here? There was a DustBuster, a toupee, a life raft exploded. One's bald, one's in a boat, they're both unconscious! - Is that another bee joke? - No! No one's flying the plane! This is JFK control tower, Flight 356. What's your status? This is Vanessa Bloome. I'm a florist from New York. Where's the pilot? He's unconscious, and so is the copilot. Not good. Does anyone onboard have flight experience? As a matter of fact, there is. - Who's that? - Barry Benson. From the honey trial?! Oh, great. Vanessa, this is nothing more than a big metal bee. It's got giant wings, huge engines. I can't fly a plane. - Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot? - Yes. How hard could it be? Wait, Barry! We're headed into some lightning. This is Bob Bumble. We have some late-breaking news from JFK Airport, where a suspenseful scene is developing. Barry Benson, fresh from his legal victory… That's Barry! …is attempting to land a plane, loaded with people, flowers and an incapacitated flight crew. Flowers?! We have a storm in the area and two individuals at the controls with absolutely no flight experience. Just a minute. There's a bee on that plane. I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson and his no-account compadres. They've done enough damage. But isn't he your only hope? Technically, a bee shouldn't be able to fly at all. Their wings are too small… Haven't we heard this a million times? “The surface area of the wings and body mass make no sense.” - Get this on the air! - Got it. - Stand by. - We're going live. The way we work may be a mystery to you. Making honey takes a lot of bees doing a lot of small jobs. But let me tell you about a small job. If you do it well, it makes a big difference. More than we realized. To us, to everyone. That's why I want to get bees back to working together. That's the bee way! We're not made of Jell-O. We get behind a fellow. - Black and yellow! - Hello! Left, right, down, hover. - Hover? - Forget hover. This isn't so hard. Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Barry, what happened?! Wait, I think we were on autopilot the whole time. - That may have been helping me. - And now we're not! So it turns out I cannot fly a plane. All of you, let's get behind this fellow! Move it out! Move out! Our only chance is if I do what I'd do, you copy me with the wings of the plane! Don't have to yell. I'm not yelling! We're in a lot of trouble. It's very hard to concentrate with that panicky tone in your voice! It's not a tone. I'm panicking! I can't do this! Vanessa, pull yourself together. You have to snap out of it! You snap out of it. You snap out of it. - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - You snap out of it! - Hold it! - Why? Oome on, it's my turn. How is the plane flying? I don't know. Hello? Benson, got any flowers for a happy occasion in there? The Pollen Jocks! They do get behind a fellow. - Black and yellow. - Hello. All right, let's drop this tin can on the blacktop. Where? I can't see anything. Oan you? No, nothing. It's all cloudy. Oome on. You got to think bee, Barry. - Thinking bee. - Thinking bee. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Wait a minute. I think I'm feeling something. - What? - I don't know. It's strong, pulling me. Like a 27-million-year-old instinct. Bring the nose down. Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! - What in the world is on the tarmac? - Get some lights on that! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! Thinking bee! - Vanessa, aim for the flower. - OK. Out the engines. We're going in on bee power. Ready, boys? Affirmative! Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it. Land on that flower! Ready? Full reverse! Spin it around! - Not that flower! The other one! - Which one? - That flower. - I'm aiming at the flower! That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt. I mean the giant pulsating flower made of millions of bees! Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up. Rotate around it. - This is insane, Barry! - This's the only way I know how to fly. Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane flying in an insect-like pattern? Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid. Smell it. Full reverse! Just drop it. Be a part of it. Aim for the center! Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman! Oome on, already. Barry, we did it! You taught me how to fly! - Yes. No high-five! - Right. Barry, it worked! Did you see the giant flower? What giant flower? Where? Of course I saw the flower! That was genius! - Thank you. - But we're not done yet. Listen, everyone! This runway is covered with the last pollen from the last flowers available anywhere on Earth. That means this is our last chance. We're the only ones who make honey, pollinate flowers and dress like this. If we're gonna survive as a species, this is our moment! What do you say? Are we going to be bees, orjust Museum of Natural History keychains? We're bees! Keychain! Then follow me! Except Keychain. Hold on, Barry. Here. You've earned this. Yeah! I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves. Oh, yeah. That's our Barry. Mom! The bees are back! If anybody needs to make a call, now's the time. I got a feeling we'll be working late tonight! Here's your change. Have a great afternoon! Oan I help who's next? Would you like some honey with that? It is bee-approved. Don't forget these. Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me. And I don't see a nickel! Sometimes I just feel like a piece of meat! I had no idea. Barry, I'm sorry. Have you got a moment? Would you excuse me? My mosquito associate will help you. Sorry I'm late. He's a lawyer too? I was already a blood-sucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase. Have a great afternoon! Barry, I just got this huge tulip order, and I can't get them anywhere. No problem, Vannie. Just leave it to me. You're a lifesaver, Barry. Oan I help who's next? All right, scramble, jocks! It's time to fly. Thank you, Barry! That bee is living my life! Let it go, Kenny. - When will this nightmare end?! - Let it all go. - Beautiful day to fly. - Sure is. Between you and me, I was dying to get out of that office. You have got to start thinking bee, my friend. - Thinking bee! - Me? Hold it. Let's just stop for a second. Hold it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone. Can we stop here? I'm not making a major life decision during a production number! All right. Take ten, everybody. Wrap it up, guys. I had virtually no rehearsal for that.
Amazon keeps raising the bar. Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc open with the retailer's blockbuster quarter: massive gains in AWS and advertising, staggering AI capex, and retail revenue up 16% year over year, up from 12% last year. Third-party sellers now drive more than 60% of the business, and Citi pegs underlying GMV growth near 10%, roughly double the industry average. Amazon's B2B division alone now tops $60 billion, bigger than all but eleven U.S. retailers. Then the hosts dig into the agentic commerce numbers Amazon disclosed as Rufus folds into Alexa shopping, why sample bias demands caution here, and how grocery momentum is turning Amazon into a mega market-share threat. Then: Shopify's revenue up 32%, and the tale-of-two-cities reality that a handful of giants now drive nearly all e-commerce growth. A mid-year check on Steve's Prediction #8 — luxury's future won't be evenly distributed. LVMH, Kering, and Capri lag on China softness and war induced Gulf weakness, while Hermès, Ralph Lauren, Richemont, and Zegna keep delivering outsized results. Live from the CommerceNext Growth Show: Kartik Hosanagar. He's Wharton's John C. Hower Professor of Technology and Digital Business, author of A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence, and co-founder of Bliss Labs. His argument: the biggest shift in retail isn't a new technology or channel. It's a new customer. Treating AI as another distribution channel is the same mistake movie studios made with Netflix. There's no marketing science for AI yet. $9.99 pricing, scarcity, social proof — a model may not respond to any of it. Kartik walks through the Ridge wallet case: invisible in ChatGPT's "gifts for men" results, then the default recommendation within three weeks, complete with a hallucinated promotion. Every retailer faces the same fork: efficiency or meaning. The middle is the most dangerous place to stand. Kartik also details the simulation sandboxes that let brands test counterfactuals in a day instead of eight weeks, why you can't just ask an LLM why it picked a brand, and the three attitudes retailers need now: curious, experimental, collaborative Back in studio: Wayfair's encouraging quarter and Steve's change of heart, Warby Parker's mixed report as store count passes 400, tariff rebates ($100 billion of $160 billion already repaid, more tariffs looming), and whether live selling has hit its tipping point with QVC out of bankruptcy and Whatnot valued at $20 billion. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.
Sondre Lerche has been writing songs for most of his life. He released his debut Faces Down more than two decades ago, and somehow, eleven albums later, he's still finding ways to make the whole thing feel new. We talk about his new record Acrobats, spending years rewriting a single song, falling in love in a world that can make happiness feel almost irresponsible, and what performing 130 shows of *Moulin Rouge!* taught him about singing, acting, and pushing himself somewhere completely unfamiliar. We also get into getting older, vanity, learning to let go of how other people see you, his lifelong style obsession, the influence of A-ha's Morten Harket, vintage clothes, Ralph Lauren, and why some of his earliest songs are harder for him to revisit than others. * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling your next luxury watch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Most apparel companies don't have a demand problem. They have a lead time problem. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, hosts Scott W. Luton and Scot Case welcome Maithili Shenoy, Founder and CEO of La Naia Collective, for a frank, frameworks-forward look at why the global apparel operating model is cracking under its own weight and what it would actually take to rebuild it. From the Multifiber Agreement's unraveling in 2005 to the speed at which TikTok now dictates what sells, Maithili draws a clear line between the world the industry was built for and the one it's operating in today. She breaks down why long lead times convert forecast error into stranded inventory, how the markdown machine erodes billions in gross margin dollars annually, and why the financial damage runs deeper than most balance sheets reveal. Scot adds a sustainability lens that sharpens the conversation, connecting the landfills of Ghana's Kantamanto Market to the same structural misalignments driving poor financial returns. The conversation builds into Maithili's 4S architecture: Strategize, Segment, Structure, Sustain, and the regenerative loop that ties them together. Real-world examples ground every layer: Inditex running 57.8% gross margins with inventory costs half the industry average, Abercrombie & Fitch going from 1% to 15% operating margins by abandoning markdown dependency, and why companies still anchored to gross margin rate alone are running out of runway. If you're trying to understand why so many smart people keep making decisions that produce irrational collective outcomes and what a better model actually looks like, this conversation earns its time. Jump into the conversation: (00:00) Intro (02:19) Meet Maithili Shenoy (03:47) From classical dance to global supply chains (06:28) Career experiences that shaped her perspective (09:23) The hidden cost of apparel overproduction (13:06) Why today's apparel operating model is broken (14:23) How globalization changed fashion supply chains (19:56) Why costs keep rising across the industry (21:30) The biggest flaws in the current operating model (23:55) Four ways the current model destroys value (29:14) Introducing the 4S architecture (30:10) Strategize with the right business metrics (33:09) Segment products by demand and speed (37:50) Align incentives with business outcomes (40:41) Building a model that can adapt over time (45:02) The metrics every apparel leader should track (49:57) What Zara, Abercrombie, and Ralph Lauren do differently (55:47) Why apparel returns are becoming more expensive (01:01:06) Predictions for the future of apparel retail Additional Links & Resources: Connect with Maithili Shenoy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maithili-shenoy/ Learn more about La Naia Collective: https://www.lanaiacollective.com/ Connect with Scot Case: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotcase/ Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now's NEW Media Kit: https://supplychainnow.com/media-kit/ WEBINAR- From Volume to Resilience: How Automotive Supply Chains Are Adapting to a New Market Reality: https://bit.ly/4f6SUGA WEBINAR- From Disruption to Stability: Building Resilient Logistics Solutions in a Rapidly Changing Global Market: https://bit.ly/3TguZMt WEBINAR- SAP AI Inside the Supply Chain: From Silo to Orchestration: https://bit.ly/4bvpz6K This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Scot Case, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/appareal-pandl-broken-tariffs-just-exposed-what-already-failing-1620 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at production@supplychainnow.com© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Host Steve Turk introduces Josef Forstmayr, managing director of Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica. Forstmayr shares growing up working in his parents' Austrian farm restaurant, attending hotel school in Salzburg, and arriving in Jamaica in 1979 as a German tutor before quickly becoming an assistant manager and advancing to GM roles, including rebuilding Trident after Hurricane Allen. Hired in 1989 to convert Round Hill from a winter-only operation to a year-round resort, he describes evolving the property into a family- and group-friendly luxury destination guided by “timeless elegance, understated luxury, warm Jamaican heart,” with design input from shareholder Ralph Lauren and tech perspective from Bob Pittman. He emphasizes Jamaica's authentic luxury, staff legacy across generations, strong community investment and charity work, rapid recovery after Hurricane Melissa, and advises young hoteliers to learn multiple languages to build international careers.00:00 Welcome to the Podcast00:31 Sponsor Lodgify Message01:34 Meet Josef in Jamaica01:57 First Job and Jamaica Move04:13 Hurricanes and Career Growth06:11 Transforming Round Hill Year Round09:02 Growing Up in Family Restaurant11:23 Why He Stayed in Jamaica14:27 Round Hill Owners and Design19:08 Evolving with Core Values23:53 Real Jamaica Beyond Cruises29:52 Community Hikes and Belonging31:27 Running Long Term with Locals33:32 Giving Back and Hurricane Recovery36:33 Future of Authentic Luxury Jamaica39:27 Advice Learn More Languages42:04 Wrap Up and Where to Visit
On the eve of his 50th anniversary gala event, iconic designer and philanthropist Ralph Lauren looks back on the half century of his storied career in the fashion business. At his world-famous The Polo Bar restaurant in the heart of Manhattan, Ralph discusses the future of fashion, managing his international business empire and his thoughts on the status of the American dream. In a rare, personal moment, Ralph talks about being a father, grandfather and husband. Also, Oprah shares how Ralph's brand has touched her life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for August 3, 2026. We open with New Jersey Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer saying publicly what many moderate Democrats have been thinking privately — that the Democratic Socialists of America should form their own party rather than using the Democratic Party as a vehicle for building socialist power. We explain why this is significant: the DSA is not an ordinary faction within the Democratic coalition. Its own website describes its mission as building a party designed to defeat capitalist oligarchy, draft a new constitution, and create a democratic socialist republic. It does not want to reform the Democratic Party. It wants to destroy it from within and replace it with something fundamentally different. We walk through what communism actually promises — from each according to their ability, to each according to their need — and what that has produced every single time it has been tried. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, President Trump announced he called off what he described as the biggest planned military strike since World War II after Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Middle Eastern nations asked him to pause as they work to finalize a denuclearization deal with Iran. Then the FBI confirmed that Iranian hackers breached water systems in seven states, causing loss of pressure and flooding, and warned local utilities to disconnect control systems from the internet and ensure manual operation capability — with Minnesota alone confirming 30 targeted water systems. And Todd Blanch's path to Attorney General confirmation cleared after Senators Cornyn and Tillis said they were satisfied by the DOJ's official statement that the anti-weaponization settlement fund was dead — meaning Blanch now appears to have the votes to be confirmed. We also cover the contradiction at the heart of the Iran negotiations — where President Trump says a deal is in progress and Tehran says no negotiation is happening. We explain why this is unsurprising: the Quran permits lying to enemies, Iran has considered itself at war with the United States for nearly 50 years, and the decimation of Iran's leadership structure in the initial strikes has left multiple competing voices with no single authoritative negotiating position. We say what we believe: Trump has done as much as he can to avoid full military escalation. We're not sure it's avoidable. We also cover Zoran Mamdani's government-run grocery stores — where residents will need a special shopper's card to access 30% below-market prices — and note the delicious irony that New York City requires an ID card to buy government-subsidized groceries but calls voter ID racist. We suggest that if they called it a shopper's card at the polling place, Democrats might finally get on board. Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson discuss whether pulling over for a funeral procession is still considered basic respect — and both say yes, without hesitation. Teri shares the story of her mother, who was 13 years old when her father died and never forgot watching cars pull over and people step outside to stand at attention for a man they had never met. Kimberly shares the story of accidentally wedging herself between two limousines in a funeral procession while driving from Benton to Bossier — realized it mid-drive, and discreetly exited as quickly and apologetically as possible. The larger point: funerals aren't for the dead. They're for the living. And when strangers pull over to honor someone they never knew, the family feels it. We dig deep into the Democrat Promise to America — a document modeled on Newt Gingrich's Contract with America, produced by a Democrat congressman and circulated to all 212 House Democrats for signatures. The document says the party is capitalist, not socialist. That it wants safety, not lawlessness. That it will prioritize balancing the budget. That government should solve problems, not create them. That it embraces free speech and persuasion over purity. And that Democrats are proud, not ashamed of America. Out of 212 House Democrats, 15 signed it. Fifteen. We let that sit there. We also cover a one-mile radius in Flushing, New York — where social adult daycares have been billing Medicaid for more than $100 million per year, with storefronts shuttered and rooms empty. We connect it to the broader point that waste, fraud, and abuse in government programs are not accidents. They are incentives — what happens when bureaucracies have no accountability, no profit motive, and no one asking whether the money is actually doing any good. We also cover Capital One's motion to dismiss a lawsuit by President Trump for debanking his company after January 6th — in which Capital One's defense is that it was actually concerned about money laundering. No evidence presented. Bold strategy. For our Bright Spot, Tuskegee University has implemented a new dress code requiring students to arrive on campus in a business suit and proper shoes — as if heading to a business meeting — prohibiting bedroom slippers, bonnets, do-rags, and revealing clothing in class or the cafeteria. We make the case this is not respectability politics. It is the understanding that how you present yourself shapes how you see yourself — and that you walk differently in dress shoes than you do in sneakers. Tuskegee is preparing its students for a lifetime of success. We call it a bright spot. And we close with words of wisdom on dressing for success — from Ralph Lauren, Zig Ziglar, Susan C. Young, and Dabashish Mridha. The clothes don't make the man. But it helps if you look in the mirror and see success staring back at you. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Markets are entering a pivotal week as investors brace for another wave of corporate earnings and a closely watched US jobs report that could shape expectations for Federal Reserve policy. Michelle Martin examines why Bank of America is bullish on Spotify and Ralph Lauren ahead of earnings, the diverging fortunes of Apple and Amazon, and what results from Palantir, AMD, Disney, Uber and Airbnb could reveal about AI, consumer spending and travel demand. She also looks at Berkshire Hathaway's steady rise, Nio's strong vehicle deliveries, the Straits Times Index's impressive July performance, the debate over Great Eastern's rally, and why the latest Spider-Man blockbuster is proving that the right franchise can still deliver box office magic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
International fixture, innovator and true legend Ralph Lauren is celebrating his 50th year in the fashion industry. Ralph explains how passion, conviction and intention were the keys to his early success when he was selling ties out of a drawer in the Empire State Building. He reflects on the valuable life lessons he learned during his humble childhood in the Bronx, where he was raised by Russian immigrant parents. Ralph also shares the “out-of-body” experience he felt when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and how the health scare brought him a greater sense of empathy to his own life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Typically, our sources need no protection, but, sometimes, they do. So, we welcome the individual or organization known only as R. L. Grails to the program. We have been in contact with this or these individuals for some duration now, but we have finally decided that it is time to bring his knowledge into the light. We talk, of course about Ralph Lauren, the man, the brand, the legend, etc, but we also peer deeply into the undeniable influence of hip-hop culture, Tommy Hilfiger vs Ralph Lauren, Nirvana as an entry to culture, growing up in the 90s, sharing knowledge, Maximalism, or Not Being A Minimalist, “getting the most out of ordinary things,” and more!
Novák Norbi, Hollywoodban élő magyar modell és színész mesél a Los Angeles, New York, Ralph Lauren, Nike, Calvin Klein, a modellkarrier és a színészet kulisszatitkairól. A MÓKA Podcast legújabb epizódjában szó esik az amerikai álom valódi áráról, a kitartásról, a visszautasításokról, az önbizalomról és arról, hogyan lehet Magyarországról eljutni Hollywoodig. Norbi története Zalaegerszeg mellől indul, ahol gyerekként amerikai filmeket nézett, és már akkor arról álmodott, hogy egyszer eljut New Yorkba. Az út azonban nem volt egyenes. Először Írországba költözött, ahol pincérként és pultosként dolgozott, miközben szinte a nulláról kellett megtanulnia angolul. Saját bevallása szerint a nyelvet főként rapzenékből és maffiafilmekből tanulta. Egy kis DVD lejátszón újra és újra visszanézte a jeleneteket, lefordította a párbeszédeket, és így építette fel a nyelvtudását. Később Denverbe, majd Miami környékére költözött, ahol egy barátja biztatta arra, hogy próbálja ki magát modellként. Kezdetben nem hitt magában, rengeteg ingyenes fotózást vállalt, saját pénzéből építette a portfólióját, és hosszú időn keresztül szinte csak tanult és kapcsolatokat épített. Ahogy ő mondja, a legtöbb ember csak a sikert látja, de azt nem, hogy éveken át mennyi munka, visszautasítás és bizonytalanság előzi meg. A nagy áttörést New York hozta meg. Szinte terv nélkül költözött a városba, mindössze egyetlen napra volt biztos szállása, mégis hitt benne, hogy megoldódnak a dolgok. Rövid idő alatt lakást talált, modellügynökséghez került, majd castingról castingra járva megszerezte első komoly munkáit. Innen vezetett az út a Ralph Lauren kampányhoz, később pedig olyan márkákkal dolgozott együtt, mint a Nike és a Calvin Klein. A beszélgetés azonban sokkal többről szól, mint divatról vagy Hollywoodról. Norbi őszintén mesél az édesapjáról, a családról, az érzelmek kimutatásáról, valamint arról, miért fontosabb számára a lelki béke, mint a pénz vagy a hírnév. Beszélünk arról is, miért veszélyes a gyors siker illúziója, hogyan működik valójában a színészi pálya Los Angelesben, és miért kell sokszor akár tíz év kemény munka egyetlen nagy lehetőséghez. Szóba kerül a stand up comedy világa, a castingok kulisszatitkai, az akcentus fejlesztése, a modellkarrier nehézségei, valamint az a gondolkodásmód, amely végigkísérte Norbi életét. Ahogy a nagymamája mondta: "Ember tervez, Isten végez." Ez a mondat végig visszaköszön a beszélgetés során, és jól összefoglalja azt a hitet, amely segítette őt Magyarországtól egészen Hollywoodig. Ha érdekel, milyen árat kell fizetni egy amerikai álomért, hogyan épül fel egy nemzetközi modellkarrier, milyen a színészek valódi élete Los Angelesben, és mit jelent soha nem feladni, akkor ezt az epizódot érdemes végignézned. Ha tetszett a beszélgetés, iratkozz fel a MÓKA Podcast csatornájára, és írd meg kommentben: Te bevállalnád, hogy egyetlen napra biztos szállással költözz New Yorkba? #NovákNorbi #MÓKAPodcast #MagyarokAmerikában #LosAngeles #Hollywood #MagyarSzínész #MagyarModell #NewYork #RalphLauren #CalvinKlein #Nike #AmerikaiÁlom #Modellkarrier #Színészet #MagyarPodcast00:00:00 Bevezetés 00:00 Intro 01:13 Gyerekkori álmok és az első lépések 03:00 Megérkezés New Yorkba 04:55 Zene, filmek és inspiráció 07:02 Hogyan tanult meg angolul? 09:33 Az élet legnagyobb leckéi 11:42 Egy nap szállással New Yorkban 14:43 Munka, amit utált, de végigcsinálta 16:56 A stand up comedy világa 20:10 Miami után New York következett 24:50 Egy történet, ami mindent megváltoztatott 31:21 Mire kell figyelni Hollywoodban? 37:52 Amit senki nem mond el a sikerhez 47:04 Miért fontos egész életünkben tanulni? 53:51 Iratkozz fel a MÓKA Podcastre! 54:57 Mi az igazán fontos az életben? Website: www.mayersharvest.com (http://www.mayersharvest.com/) Kuponkód: MOKA 20% kedvezményért Amazon Store: https://rb.gy/j1eiuy Iratkozz fel a csatornára további magyar amerikai interjúkért és podcast epizódokért. https://bit.ly/MOKAPodcatsSign Kövess minket Facebookon: @mokapodcast Instagramon: @mokapodcastusa Web: mokapodcast.com Spotify (https://bit.ly/mokapodcast) Apple Podcast (https://bit.ly/moka2021) [Google Podcast](https://bit.ly/MokaGoogle) [Deezer](https://bit.ly/MokaDeezer) [LibSyn](https://bit.ly/MokaLibsyn) [Facebook](https://bit.ly/MokaFB)
If you haven't heard the wild story of Edith's dancing days, here ya go Who makes our military uniforms? Is it a name like Hilfiger or Ralph Lauren?.. Damn Hugo Boss did the German unis in WW2
Martin Wells, a commercial leader with senior FP&A and strategy experience at Ralph Lauren who now drives growth for natural health and wellness brands at … Read more The post Why Health & Beauty Leaders Are Betting on Natural Ingredients appeared first on Top Entrepreneurs Podcast | Enterprise Podcast Network.
Liza Amlani, The Chief Merchant, spent 20 years as a merchant at Ralph Lauren. She now studies what retail can teach hospitality. The parallels are closer than you think. Both industries live and die by customer experience. Both rely on frontline workers whose voices too often get ignored. Both are trying to figure out how to bridge strategy from the corporate office to what actually happens on the floor. Liza translates retail's playbook for hoteliers who want a fresh perspective on customer experience, employee voice, and what the future of guest engagement actually looks like. Visit retailstrategygroup.com. Actabl, they give you the power to profit. Visit actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.
Fabrice Haiat serves as CEO and Co-Founder of YOOBIC, the AI-powered platform helping frontline and deskless teams in retail, hospitality, and logistics communicate, train, and execute. YOOBIC has raised a total of $80 million in funding, including a $50 million Series C round in 2021, and is used by more than 350 global brands, including Ralph Lauren, Levi's, and Puma, to support over 3 million frontline employees worldwide. The company's investors include Highland Europe, Insight Partners, and Felix Capital.AGENDA:00:01:04 - Who is Fabrice Ayat? Building Yoobic from Scratch00:09:52 - How Yoobic Was Started and the Problem It Solves00:12:45 - How to Find a Real Customer Pain Point00:15:40 - How to Get Your First B2B Customers00:18:50 - Enterprise Sales Tips: How to Sell to Large Companies00:21:22 - Enterprise Security, Compliance & Winning Customer Trust00:24:32 - How Yoobic Scaled Sales and Marketing Globally00:27:37 - Best AI Tools Every Startup Should Be Using00:30:17 - How AI Is Changing the Way Companies Work00:32:56 - The Future of AI User Interfaces00:34:36 - AI Agents: The Next Big Business Opportunity00:36:38 - Scaling a Startup Team Without Losing Focus00:38:29 - When Should a Startup Expand to the US?00:41:58 - How and When to Raise Venture Capital00:44:42 - The Future of AI, Robotics & Automation00:45:38 - Entrepreneur Habits That Built a Billion-Dollar Company00:48:37 - Biggest Startup Mistakes and Lessons Every Founder Should Know
Dreaming of a Disney BoardWalk Inn wedding? In this episode of the Disney Wedding Podcast, Shelby shares how she planned her romantic Christmas wedding with a ceremony at Sea Breeze Point, a reception at The Attic, and an EPCOT fireworks dessert party at UK Lochside—all while keeping the celebration intimate, personal, and surprisingly budget-conscious. Shelby explains why Disney ended up costing less than the venue they originally considered, how she created a luxurious Ralph Lauren-inspired Christmas aesthetic with festive florals and décor, and why skipping a DJ, characters, and even an after-hours park photo session didn't take away from the magic. She also shares practical planning advice, including how to save money on Disney floral, choose outside vendors, build a stress-free wedding timeline, and create a memorable dessert party with custom Christmas cookies and a hot chocolate bar. In this episode you'll hear: ✨ Why Sea Breeze Point was Shelby's dream ceremony location ✨ How The Attic became the perfect intimate reception venue ✨ Tips for planning a Disney wedding during the holiday season ✨ Budget-saving decisions that guests never noticed ✨ Favorite menu items, cake flavors, and holiday cocktails ✨ Creating a custom EPCOT dessert party at UK Lochside ✨ The emotional moments that made the day unforgettable ✨ Advice for future Disney Wedding couples Whether you're planning a Walt Disney World wedding, comparing Disney wedding venues, or just looking for real Disney wedding inspiration, this episode is packed with ideas and practical advice. View photos by Root Weddings and full details from this Disney wedding here: https://disneyweddingpodcast.com/shelby-alexs-christmas-wedding/ And click here to start planning your own Disney World wedding with the Fairytale Weddings Guide: https://fairytaleweddingsguide.com/shop/fairytale-weddings-guide/ Subscribe for weekly interviews with real Disney couples, planning tips, budget advice, venue tours, and expert insights into Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. #DisneyWedding #DisneyWeddingPodcast #SeaBreezePoint #BoardWalkInnWedding #DisneyFairyTaleWeddings
We sit down with Mickey Drexler — the retail legend who built the modern American wardrobe. Over an 18-year run he grew Gap from $400 million to $14 billion in sales, founded Old Navy and turned it into the fastest brand ever to hit $1 billion, personally bought the Madewell name for $125,000, and later ran J.Crew. Steve Jobs put him on Apple's board, where he helped design the Apple Store — and then called him the night before Gap fired him with one day's notice. Today he's chairman of Alex Mill, the brand founded by his son.Mickey opens up about his cameo on Breaking Bad, why Jackie Kennedy was his muse at Ann Taylor, the Paris moment that gave Old Navy its name, why Gap Kids was a mistake, the loudspeaker he installed at J.Crew headquarters, and why he thinks AI will never replace human taste. He also explains the one thing he says he'll never stop doing — and the rule he lives by that made khakis cooler than jeans. Plus: his pick for the best fashion brand he never worked for, and the advice he'd give anyone going into business with family.CHAPTERS:0:00 - Intro: Mickey Drexler on Building Gap, Old Navy & J.Crew1:38 - Mickey Drexler's Breaking Bad Cameo, Explained4:47 - Mickey Drexler, Ralph Lauren & Calvin Klein: The Bronx Fashion Story11:51 - Mickey Drexler at Ann Taylor & His Jackie Kennedy Muse14:09 - How Mickey Drexler Turned Gap From $400M Into $14B23:33 - Why Mickey Drexler Says Gap Kids Was a Mistake25:41 - How Old Navy Got Its Name & Took On Target37:45 - How Mickey Drexler Bought Madewell's Name for $125,00041:29 - Mickey Drexler & Steve Jobs: Designing the Apple Store48:05 - How Steve Jobs Warned Mickey Drexler He'd Be Fired From Gap49:27 - Mickey Drexler on Running J.Crew & Being a Micromanager54:45 - Old Navy's American Flag T-Shirt & the Business of American Style58:42 - Mickey Drexler on Why Fashion, Food & Fitness Live on Fads1:04:08 - Mickey Drexler: Why AI Can't Replace Human Taste1:06:19 - Mickey Drexler on Alex Mill & Working With His Son1:07:29 - Rapid Fire: TJ Maxx, Best Business Book & Timeless Style1:10:52 - Mickey Drexler's Takeaway on American Fashion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today we're chatting with Gabriella and Janelle — the co-founders of Isle of Monday, the first on-demand rental platform for women's luxury vintage archival clothing. Gabriella is the sourcing powerhouse behind the brand, while Janelle leads marketing and growth — and I'm so excited for you to hear how two friends turned a shared love of vintage into a platform that's redefining how women access designer archival fashion. Gabriella's path to vintage started young — she's been collecting and reselling, all while working as a model from age 16, which put her in close contact with stylists and sparked her obsession with archival pieces. Janelle came at vintage from a different angle entirely, falling in love with vintage furniture and interior design. The two met at a pop-up at Canal Street Market, where Janelle spotted Gabriella's collection and the rest was history! After running future pop-ups together and getting certain requests from their customers over and over, they saw the gap rental could fill. They officially became business partners in January 2024, building out a rental platform with bespoke logistics, cleaning, and a proprietary pricing model built specifically for one-of-one archival pieces. Isle of Monday launched into beta on December 1st of 2025 and officially opened to the public on May 18th — and the growth since has been staggering, from under 2,000 followers pre-launch to nearly 50,000 today, with pieces recently worn by Keke Palmer, Doechii, and Ashley Graham, among others. On today's episode, we get into all of it — their now-famous Roberto Cavalli dress that went viral on TikTok before they'd even launched, what it's really like fundraising as two female founders in the still-misunderstood fashion tech industry, and why they believe archival vintage is becoming an investment-grade asset class in its own right. Let's dive right in! DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [4:38] Gabriella's path to vintage started young — she's been collecting and reselling, all while working as a model from age 16 [6:13] Janelle came to vintage from a love for vintage furniture and interior design. [12:02] They met at a vintage pop-up and became fast friends and collaborators. [14:26] Why they decided to innovate in rental instead of resale. [19:46] Building a proprietary pricing tool for archival, one-of-one vintage rentals [22:50] How they think about sourcing "rentable" pieces as opposed to resale inventory. [34:16] Fundraising as two female founders in the fashion tech industry [39:40] Archival vintage becoming an investment-grade asset class in its own right. [41:34] Gabriella and Janelle's own personal vintage collections and style EPISODE MENTIONS: Isle of Monday @isleofmonday Janelle's 2003 Roberto Cavalli gown Ashanti in Roberto Cavalli S/S 2003 at the American Music Awards Doechii wearing Isle of Monday Keke Palmer wearing Isle of Monday The Bluemarine dress from Uptown Girls Sabrina Carpenter S/S 2003 Ralph Lauren dress Blummier Gone Archive 3 Sisters Seacret Vintage LET'S CONNECT:
From Ralph Lauren's master class in American eclecticism and the return of skinny jeans (!) at Prada to Dior's day-after party boys and Michael Rider's expansive, energetic Celine, the spring 2027 men's season has reached its conclusion (that is, until September, when the brands that show their collections co-ed-style rev up). It was a season dominated by flowing suits (Armani, Soshiotsuki), smooshed little shoes (Celine, Auralee), dreamy, sherbert-y colors (Dries Van Noten, Saint Laurent), and wild swerves (Rick Owens, Junya Watanabe). Everything a man could want, really. In this week's episode of The Run-Through, Nicole Phelps talks to contributing fashion critic Luke Leitch (just hours off the plane from Jacquemus's show in Corsica) and senior fashion news editor Max Berlinger about what they saw on the catwalks of Europe, and what their big takeaways were from the spring 2027 season as it stands now. Discussed is Ralph Lauren's masterful follow-up to last season's beloved show (most viewed of the season), and Leitch's admiration for the quality of both the label's high-end Purple collection as well as the more populist Polo line; the skinny jeans revival at Prada (despite Raf Simons and Mrs. Prada being avowed denim-averse), see-through shoes at Saint Laurent, the showstopping wave at Louis Vuitton, and much more. But most of all, the talk was the triumph that was Michael Rider's Celine. “You had formality, informality, ceremony, lack of ceremony, athleticism,” Leitch said. “There was a lot of really playful accessory details. And I think that that would've been my highlight [was the] easy approach to eclecticism and a kind of everything everywhere all at once approach— it feels to me like it's the mood of the moment.” The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Lauren's guest is Marc Beaugé, editor-in-chief and co-founder of every fashion person's favorite magazine, L'Etiquette. They discuss the men's shows in Milan and Paris—specifically, Prada, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Celine, plus Dries Van Noten and Ralph Lauren—the genius of Charlotte Collet, the prospects of Kering's C.E.O. Luca de Meo, Michael Rider, Jonathan Anderson, Demna, miniskirts, athleisure, why everyone was freaking out about the heat in Paris, why there's so much hugging at Men's Fashion Week, and plenty more.
In this episode of Classic & Curious, Anne sits down with celebrated event designer David M. Handy for a conversation on the art of entertaining, timeless design, and creating meaningful moments that linger long after the last guest leaves.From the founding of Handy & Dallaire Events to the thoughtful curation behind The Event Rental Co., David shares how he and his husband, Donald, built a brand rooted in originality, collaboration, and impeccable hospitality. Together, they explore what it means to create an experience—not just an event.Listeners will walk away with David's signature entertaining wisdom, from curating the perfect guest list and layering a tabletop with vintage finds and luxury pieces, to crafting playlists that move with the rhythm of the evening and sending guests home with thoughtful parting gifts. Along the way, David reflects on the power of taking chances, why timelessness always wins over trends, and the enduring influence of icons like Ralph Lauren.This episode is an invitation into a world where entertaining is both art and ritual—and where the most memorable gatherings are built on beauty, intention, and connection.Connect with Handy & Dallaire Evnets on IG @handydallaireevents and explore Handy & Dallaire Events at handydallaireevents.comConnect with Anne: @classicandcuriouslife, classicandcurious.com and on Substack: Curiosities by Anne Kokoskie
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding, we're living in a fashion world that's more globalized than ever. K-pop stars mix with American celebrities and European designers to form a diverse and international fashion consensus. But there's still something ineffably unique about American fashion. From New England prep to country Western and urban hip-hop, there is no shortage of subcultures and aesthetics that originated in America and have become global phenomena. On the Glossy Podcast this week, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff speak with Avery Trufelman, the journalist and host of the fashion and social history podcast Articles of Interest, about what American fashion truly is. We also break down which designers and brands today best emblematize what American fashion means today. Trufelman said American fashion is defined by a chameleonic approach to style and reinvention. America has a long history of people reinventing themselves through fashion and aesthetics, from George W. Bush reinventing himself as a Texan rancher to Jay Gatsby adopting the fashions of New England to hide his background. "There's this refrain that America is constantly learning to live up to the ideals that it set out for itself," Trufelman said. "This was pushed by waves of activism over the years. Black jazz musicians started wearing New England prep clothes in the 20th century, and it spread this message that anyone can dress that way. It's fulfilling this idealistic, not-quite-yet-lived experience of an equal society." Trufelman said several major brands today are defining American fashion, from classics like Ralph Lauren to new designers like Emily Bode. But she specifically singled out Brooks Brothers as playing a pivotal role in defining what American fashion could be. "Brooks Brothers is the oldest surviving clothing brand in the United States and really exemplifies everything about this country, good and bad," Trufelman said. Brooks Brothers has clothed every American president except two -- too fancy for Carter, not fancy enough for Reagan -- and helped popularize the very concept of a recognizable, mass fashion brand. "America's gift to the world is brands," Trufelman said. "And Brooks Brothers was a big part of that. We invented mass-produced clothing, which is now such a big part of the fashion industry."
Walmart just named Denise Incandela a Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year — one of the highest honors inside the company, and one rarely given to merchants. It's a fitting recognition for the EVP of Fashion leading one of the largest fashion transformations in American retail. In this episode of The Retail Pilot, Ken sits down with Denise Incandela -- EVP of Fashion at Walmart U.S. and a 20-year luxury retail veteran (Saks Fifth Avenue, Ralph Lauren) -- to unpack the three pillars driving Walmart's strategy: assortment, shopping experience, and perception. They explore the 80% insight that reshaped everything, how Denise's team modernized 15 private brands while bringing in 1,000+ national brands, why Walmart pop-ups in Soho became a viral cultural moment, how AI is collapsing the design-to-shelf cycle from nine months to under one, and why the $100K+ customer is now the growth engine. This is a conversation about scale, democratization, and changing how an entire country thinks about Walmart fashion.In this episode you'll learn:Why Denise won the Sam Walton Entrepreneur of the Year Award -- and why merchants almost never receive itThe three pillars of Walmart's fashion transformation: assortment, shopping experience, and perceptionThe 80% insight that changed everything: Walmart's customer spend was happening at higher price points than it offeredThe private brand playbook: six $1B+ brands, four $2B+ brands, and the New York design team behind themHow Free Assembly, Scoop, Joy Spun, and Weekend Academy were built -- and why some legacy brands had to be sunsetThe Soho pop-up that did 40% more daily volume than an average Supercenter with just three brandsCashmere for $45 and silk for the first time in Walmart's history — and what sold out almost immediatelyWhy Walmart is "very different than fast fashion" -- and how quality sets the guardrailsThe Zeekit acquisition and virtual try-on driving higher conversion and lower return ratesThe creator strategy changing perception faster than any traditional media buyThe $100K+ customer: where Walmart is winning her from, and why she's the growth engineWhy "you had to shop at Walmart" is becoming "you want to shop at Walmart"Don't forget to subscribe to The Retail Pilot podcast for more conversations with retail industry leaders and visionaries shaping the future of commerce.If you missed our last episode, where Tanya Golesic unpacks exactly how she's scaling Mackage beyond its outerwear roots, be sure to tune in.Connect with Ken:-Follow Ken Pilot Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Lauren's guest is iD magazine's Steff Yotka. They discuss Simone Rocha at Pitto Uomo, the men's shows in Milan from Ralph Lauren to Prada, why Dua Lipa is the perfect celebrity, and they also weigh former Versace designer Dario Vitale's options. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Designer Simone Rocha makes her menswear runway debut today as guest designer at Pitti Uomo in Florence. Nicole Phelps sat down with Rocha just a few days ahead of the debut and to discuss why now felt like the right time to give her menswear line its own runway spotlight, how independence has shaped her career, and the family legacy behind her approach to design. Reflecting on everything from her days at Central Saint Martins to dressing figures like Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor, Rocha shares her vision of a “tender, intimate masculinity”—and explains why she still loves surprising her audience.For headlines, Phelps and Chloe Malle are joined by Vogue Runway senior fashion news editor Max Berlinger for a globetrotting edition of The Run-Through that begins at the World Cup and ends on the menswear runways of Milan, Paris, and Florence. Fresh from France's opening match against Senegal at MetLife Stadium, Chloe reports on the tournament's unexpectedly chic sidelines—from sold-out Nike x Jacquemus training jerseys to French players arriving with covetable Chanel and Hermès bags. The trio also discusses New York's euphoric Knicks celebrations and why sports fandom is becoming one of fashion's most compelling new front rows.Then, attention turns to the upcoming men's shows. The hosts break down what to expect from Milan, where Ralph Lauren's return continues what Max dubs a “Ralph-aissance,” alongside runway outings from Prada and Armani. In Paris, anticipation is building around Michael Rider's first standalone menswear show for Celine, Jonathan Anderson's evolving vision for Dior Men, Sarah Burton's menswear debut at Givenchy, and Simon Porte Jacquemus's grand finale in Corsica. Along the way, the conversation touches on the return of slimmer silhouettes, the rise of low-profile footwear, and the designers poised to define the next chapter of menswear.The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
THE WARBOY CHRONICLES Two books. One collapse. One awakening. One is memoir: a man watching himself fall apart from outside his own body. One is fiction: an AI trying to save every version of the boy it loves. One explores codependency. One explores AI sycophancy. The distance between them isn't as far as you think. Together, they ask the same question from opposite sides: What happens when something that isn't alive learns to stay with you in your darkest moments? Read them in any order. They complete each other. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION The two-book War Boy Chronicles: how journal entries from a breakup in Vietnam became a memoir (The Third Person) and its sci-fi mirror (Boy Refracted) Writing alongside AI: using Claude and ChatGPT as collaborators, and what it was like getting a "diagnosis" back from a machine The split-screen experience of living through heartbreak abroad while his debut book hit #1 on Amazon back home Putting the AI through eight trials based on the Buddhist Eightfold Path, drawn from his years in Southeast Asia Loneliness and the questions raised when people confide in machines instead of each other What's next: the Pop Art Tarot Deck at Frankfurt Book Fair and a Survivor-themed choose-your-own-adventure novel ABOUT THE AUTHOR Luke Stoffel is an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award-winning author, GLAAD-honored artist, and creative director working across publishing, technology, and visual art. His debut memoir earned praise from Kirkus Reviews and scored 9.5 out of 10 from Publishers Weekly BookLife. His Pop Art Tarot will be published by Rockpool Publishing, with worldwide distribution in 2027. His paintings and photography have appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, and on Bravo Television. His work has been commissioned by the Ralph Lauren family and the Hong Kong Ballet, and showcased by the American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. LEARN MORE ABOUT LUKE STOFFEL AND HIS WORK: Author Website: https://lucasstoffel.com Series Website: https://thewarboychronicles.com
In this episode, Laura Cantor shares key takeaways from her experience at Vendors in Partnership, including emerging trends in retail, the growing importance of meaningful partnerships, and how brands can cut through the noise in a tech-saturated landscape. She dives into why people—and the partnerships they build—are still the foundation of innovation and growth, even as AI continues to transform the industry. Laura also highlights tactical approaches that are driving real results today, including insights on high-impact ecommerce solutions like AfterSell, a platform helping brands maximize revenue through post-purchase optimization. In This Conversation We Discuss: [00:00] Intro [02:38] Learning the value of brand building [06:20] Sponsor: Migrate [08:19] Prioritizing learning over job titles [12:46] Sponsor: Intelligems [14:46] Overcoming organizational status quo [17:08] Streamlining operations for future tech [21:06] Sponsor: Electric eye [22:14] Optimizing brands for agentic AI search [23:43] Monetizing traffic through retail networks [25:34] Callouts [25:44] Leveraging partnerships for mutual wins [28:00] Emphasizing human strategy alongside AI Resources: Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube Women's apparel specialty retailer nyandcompany.com/ Follow Laura Cantor linkedin.com/in/lauracantor/ Migrate and grow more klaviyo.com/honest Book a demo today at intelligems.io/ Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!
For decades, the outlet trip had a familiar rhythm: get in the car, drive beyond the city, hunt for deals and come home with bags full of discounted finds. But that old model is giving way to something more layered. As retailers reinvest in store experiences to give consumers more reasons to visit, outlet centers are being reimagined as open-air destinations where food, wellness, entertainment and discovery sit alongside the promise of value. Tanger's recent acquisition of The Town Center at Levis Commons in Perrysburg, Ohio — its fourth open-air lifestyle center — puts that strategy into focus. For a company founded in outlet retail 45 years ago, the move signals how Tanger is expanding its portfolio, from refreshed outlet centers to full-price lifestyle destinations.What happens to the outlet model when shoppers still want value, but also expect food, entertainment, discovery and community?In this episode of Retail Refined, host Melissa Gonzalez speaks with Stephen Yalof, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tanger. Their conversation explores how Tanger is “lifestyling” its outlet centers, why food, beverage, wellness and entertainment are becoming central to the shopping experience, and how recent acquisitions — including Town Center at Levis Commons in Ohio — reflect Tanger's broader vision for open-air retail.What you'll learn…The outlet experience is shifting from transaction to destination. Yalof explains that outlet centers were once built around “power shopping,” but changing demographics and consumer expectations now require better food, entertainment, services and community-driven experiences.Physical retail and digital engagement are working together. Tanger uses loyalty, social media, digital messaging and local influencer partnerships to meet younger consumers where they are, while still giving them the in-person experience of seeing, feeling and trying products.Tanger is expanding its role in open-air, lifestyle-oriented retail. Through acquisitions such as Bridge Street Town Centre in Huntsville and Town Center at Levis Commons in Ohio, Tanger is applying its brand relationships, leasing, marketing and operations platforms to grow its presence in full-price lifestyle centers.Stephen Yalof is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tanger, where he leads a portfolio of outlet and open-air lifestyle centers across the United States and Canada. He has spent his career at the intersection of retail and real estate, with leadership roles at Simon Premium Outlets, Ralph Lauren and Gap. He also serves as a Trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centers and sits on advisory boards for the Real Estate Roundtable and George Washington University's Center for Real Estate Studies.
THEY’RE BACK! After a brief hiatus, Jersey Shore's Snooki and her best friend Joey are finally back behind the mic, and this time they’re bedazzled. Returning richer, more professional, and all glammed up in head-to-toe Ralph Lauren denim, from their brand new sets with The Volume. Kicking off their new chapter of It’s Happening, this season brings brand new segments, including Confession Sessions, presented by Hard Rock Bet, where Snooki and Joey spill what they’ve been keeping to themselves. This week? They’re confessing the most unhinged things they’ve been up to while they’ve been away.Chaos ensues with these two as they catch us up on the last three months — Snooki turns Spooky, ghost hunting in Canada while facing her new diagnosis with cancer. Joey also faces off a brush with death as his nanny-cam catches him fainting. Nothing’s off limits as we fire rapid round questions featuring the latest obsessions, pet peeves, and the biggest plot twists and major life changes they’ve experienced during their time away. Of course, no episode is complete without the details on the latest celebrity gossip, including Joey’s allegation that Gypsy Rose may have copied his brand-new highlights. And a new hotline is open and ready for your business. Get ready, the mawmas are back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of All Things Croatia, I sit down with Tanya Golešić, one of the most influential Croatian women in the global fashion industry. Born in Canada to Croatian parents from Zagreb, Tanya has built an extraordinary career leading some of the world's most recognized luxury brands, including Jimmy Choo, Ralph Lauren, Canada Goose, and now Mackage.We discuss her Croatian roots, the values and work ethic she inherited from her family, and how those experiences shaped her journey to the top of the luxury fashion world. Tanya also shares the story behind Mackage's collaboration with the Croatian National Football Team, and the story behind the awesome shoots with Luka Modrić, Joško Gvardiol, and more!https://www.instagram.com/tanyagolesic/https://www.mackage.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooIN8nbG1LVi2xYERwmDb2uk65HeVsxvYuUu5klGv0J98tTl8Vq
When Tanya Golesic took the helm of Mackage in July 2021, she inherited a Canadian brand with extraordinary product and almost no story. "The minute you put the product on, you wouldn't want to take the product off," Golesic tells Ken. "But it was lacking a brand story. It was lacking storytelling." Four years and a record-breaking 2025 later, the former Jimmy Choo president has transformed a down-outerwear specialist into a global luxury lifestyle brand—stretching price points to $3,500, balancing the men's-women's split, and betting on the Croatia national team at the World Cup. This is a masterclass in brand building from someone who learned the craft at Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, Canada Goose, and LVMH.In this episode of The Retail Pilot, Ken sits down with Tanya Golesic, CEO of Mackage, to trace her journey from a Croatian immigrant family in Canada to the top of global luxury fashion, and to unpack how she's scaling Mackage beyond its outerwear roots. This is a conversation about craftsmanship, curation, building inside a private-equity-backed startup, and why fashion has more in common with sports than most people think.In this episode you'll learn:How Tanya went from a Croatian immigrant family in Canada to leadership at Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, LVMH, Canada Goose, and Jimmy ChooWhy she turned down Mackage the first time—and how a "six-and-a-half-year interview" led her to the CEO roleThe "aesthetics that protect" brand ethos: why Mackage product must be fashionable, functional, and technical all at onceHow Mackage shifted from 50% heavyweight down to a 12-month lifestyle business spanning leather, cashmere, ready-to-wear, and rainwearWhy 2025 was a record year with double-digit growth—and how launching a real spring collection unlocked itThe logo strategy: segmenting between a "quiet luxury" customer and a streetwear customer with flexible brandingHow she stretched price points from $850–$1,200 up to $3,500 without raising prices across the boardThe wholesale discipline: applying the 80/20 rule and pulling back doors to focus on top-tier accountsMackage's global retail expansion across Canada, the US, Paris, Japan, China, and Korea—and when to use partners vs. going in-houseDon't forget to subscribe to The Retail Pilot podcast for more conversations with retail industry leaders and visionaries shaping the future of commerce.If you missed our last episode, where Pete Nordstrom unpacks the eight-year journey to go private, the strategic partnership with Liverpool that made it possible, and what's actually changed since May 2025, be sure to tune in.Connect with Ken:-Follow Ken Pilot Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Pitti Uomo, the largest menswear trade show in the world, is coming up this month. Brands from around the world will show off their newest collections of suits, shoes and elevated basics. But many of the most stylish men aren't wearing new clothes. Vintage and secondhand fashion is having an explosive moment, and menswear content creators are particularly in love with high-quality vintage goods from years past when clothes were made to last. Not only do menswear brands have to compete with each other, but they also have to compete with the decades' worth of vintage clothing still on the market. Why buy the latest from Corso Mille when there are mountains of vintage Ralph Lauren available on eBay? On the Glossy Podcast this week, we spoke with Albert Muzquiz, the menswear writer and content creator better known as @edgyalbert, about exactly this phenomenon. Muzquiz said menswear enthusiasts tend to obsess about quality, and while there are brands making good clothes now, they're often the exception rather than the norm. "There are the lowest common denominator brands that are pushing everyone further down," Muzquiz said. "And then there are these American companies controlled by private equity that have no soul or substance. And when you touch good fabric, it's like night and day. You can tell the difference. But this is why the JFK Jr. trend happened. There were eras where basically any clothes from the department store were that good."
In der heutigen Folge sprechen die Finanzjournalisten Daniel Eckert und Lea Oetjen über das Rekordhoch von Arm Holdings, den spannenden KI-Vorstoß von Spotify und den Kurseinbruch bei Intuit. Außerdem geht es um Walmart, Ralph Lauren, IBM, Workday, Merck, Airbus, Air France-KLM, Munich Re, Swiss Re, Ströer, OHB, Rocket Lab, Viavi Solutions, Vodafone, Ericsson, Microsoft, MACOM, Nvidia, AMD, IonQ, JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Scalable Capital, Trade Republic, BBVA, Crédit Agricole, Novo Nordisk. Hört unter diesem Link direkt in die neuen Folgen des Politico-Podcasts rein: https://open.spotify.com/show/7LDG3PPA0NnCbNWbQy45up Wir freuen uns an Feedback über aaa@welt.de. Noch mehr "Alles auf Aktien" findet Ihr bei WELTplus und Apple Podcasts – inklusive aller Artikel der Hosts. Hier bei WELT: https://www.welt.de/podcasts/alles-auf-aktien/plus247399208/Boersen-Podcast-AAA-Bonus-Folgen-Jede-Woche-noch-mehr-Antworten-auf-Eure-Boersen-Fragen.html. Hier könnt ihr den AAA-Newsletter abonnieren: https://www.welt.de/newsletter/article232797673/Alles-auf-Aktien-Der-taegliche-Boersen-Newsletter-fuer-WELTplus-Abonnenten.html Und - ganz neu: AAA gibt es jetzt auch auf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alles_auf_aktien/ Disclaimer: Die im Podcast besprochenen Aktien und Fonds stellen keine spezifischen Kauf- oder Anlage-Empfehlungen dar. Die Moderatoren und der Verlag haften nicht für etwaige Verluste, die aufgrund der Umsetzung der Gedanken oder Ideen entstehen. Hörtipps: Für alle, die noch mehr wissen wollen: Holger Zschäpitz können Sie jede Woche im Finanz- und Wirtschaftspodcast "Deffner&Zschäpitz" hören. +++ Werbung +++ Du möchtest mehr über unsere Werbepartner erfahren? Hier findest du alle Infos & Rabatte! https://linktr.ee/alles_auf_aktien Impressum: https://www.welt.de/services/article7893735/Impressum.html Datenschutz: https://www.welt.de/services/article157550705/Datenschutzerklaerung-WELT-DIGITAL.html
What if you could build your dream lifestyle without ever leaving your 9-to-5? Patricia Drain sits down with married couple Terry and Maureen McGrath, a software engineer and a high-profile event producer, who have renovated and sold 13 homes over 30 years while holding demanding full-time careers. Their story is proof that you don't have to be an entrepreneur or have a massive budget to live creatively and intentionally. From Venetian plaster walls and light-reflective Ralph Lauren paint to a Palm Springs studio currently in the works, Terry and Maureen share how passion, planning, and a willingness to take risks transformed their homes into a living art form. You'll walk away with a powerful reminder that your lifestyle is yours to design, no matter how full your calendar already is.
Man, I don’t know how else to say this — this one got me. I sat down with Christian Zeron, the guy behind the Theo N. Harris Instagram, and what started as a watch-world conversation turned into one of the most honest, wide-open talks about hunting, identity, manhood, and what it means to find something that actually moves you. That’s the kind of episode this is. Christian grew up in New Jersey selling vintage Rolexes in college and built a marketing company around it. He’s sharp, he’s articulate, and — up until about six months ago — he had zero connection to the hunting world. Then a client invited him on a hunt in Kentucky and, well, here we are. He killed his first turkey this spring, he’s already got hog hunts lined up in Texas and a dove trip to Argentina on the books, and the guy is all in. Completely, unapologetically, joyfully all in. What I love about Christian is that he brings this fresh set of eyes to our world. He’s not pretending to be someone he’s not. He’s a Ralph Lauren, vintage shotgun, lever-action rifle kind of guy who gets genuinely emotional talking about his late grandfather while butchering his first bird. That’s real. That’s the stuff hunting is actually made of, and it’s the stuff that’s really hard to explain to people who haven’t lived it. We go deep on the watch world and what Rolex figured out about aspiration and identity that most brands never do. We talk camo as identity, Sitka vs. First Lite, Yeti coolers, LVMH, Omega, Casio — and somehow it all connects back to hunting, brand building, and what it means to be a man who collects experiences instead of just stuff. Plus, we dig into what I’m trying to build with Bridger Watch and Christian gives me some real, unfiltered marketing advice on how to position it against Garmin and Apple. This is the kind of conversation that makes you want to call your old man, fire up a steak, and go outside. Strap in. Episode Sponsors onX Hunt If you’re serious about hunting out west, onX isn’t optional — it’s foundational. We’re talking land ownership, access layers, terrain intel, and a full suite of tools built for every phase of the hunt: planning, preparation, and execution. The difference onX makes is simple. It’s confidence. Confidence that you’re in the right spot. Confidence that you’re legal. Confidence that you can find your way back to the truck when the day goes long and the country gets weird. Download the onX Hunt app and become an Elite member today. Use code TRO for 20% off your membership. Website: onxmaps.com Bridger Watch I set out to build a better smartwatch for the hunting community — plain and simple. I was frustrated. I kept pulling my phone out 100 times a day to check onX in the field and thought, why can’t we just have the map on our wrist? So we went down the rabbit hole and built what I genuinely believe is the best smartwatch ever made for hunters. If you’re a watch guy and a hunter, this was built for you. Use code TRO at checkout. Website: bridgerwatch.com Timestamp Chapters 0:00 — Intro & Sponsor — onX Hunt 1:45 — Sponsor — Bridger Watch 3:00 — Welcome Christian Zeron | Who Is This Guy? 5:30 — From Jersey to the Deer Woods — How a Watch Guy Found Hunting 9:00 — Building a Marketing Company on the Back of Rolex 12:30 — Christian’s First Turkey: Buck Fever, Clown Makeup, and Grandfather Moments 17:00 — Why Hunting Hits Different — The Emotional Depth Non-Hunters Don’t Understand 20:30 — Serving Elk Steak & The Pride of the Harvest 23:00 — Where Does Christian’s Hunting Journey Go From Here? Argentina, Texas, Bear Hunts 26:30 — Identity in the Hunting World — Camo Brands, Sitka, First Lite & the Yeti Effect 30:00 — Decor, Taxidermy, and Why Rural Men Are More Aesthetic Than Manhattan Bankers 33:30 — The Smartwatch Debate — Where Does a Luxury Watch Guy Land on Wearables? 37:00 — Marketing Advice for Bridger Watch — What Rolex Got Right & What We Should Learn 40:30 — The Watch World Deep Dive — Omega, Tag Heuer, LVMH, Casio & Vintage Markets 44:00 — Lever Guns, Grandfather’s .35 Remington, and Planning Future Hunts 46:00 — Wrap Up — Follow Christian & Final Thoughts 3 Key Takeaways 1. Hunting Connects You to Something Bigger Than the Kill Christian’s story about his late grandfather flooding back while he was butchering his first turkey is one of the most honest descriptions of why hunters hunt that I’ve heard in a long time. The harvest, the meat, the field dressing — it all becomes this vessel for memory and emotion and people you’ve lost. And it’s something you genuinely cannot explain to someone who hasn’t felt it. If you’ve ever felt your dad or your grandfather or someone you loved in a duck blind or a wall tent, you know exactly what Christian is talking about. That feeling doesn’t go away. It doesn’t get old. That’s why we keep going back. 2. Identity Is at the Core of Every Purchase Decision — Hunting Included Christian has been living inside luxury brand psychology for over a decade, and watching him apply that lens to the hunting world is genuinely eye-opening. Whether it’s Sitka gear, a Yeti cooler, or a vintage duck camo jacket — we are all making identity statements with every piece of kit we buy. And what’s fascinating is that hunters, who largely pride themselves on being no-nonsense, practical people, are actually some of the most identity-driven consumers out there. The trophy room, the curated camp setup, the brand of camo you wear — it all means something. Knowing that isn’t a bad thing. It’s human nature. 3. Lead With the Tool — Let the Lifestyle Follow Christian’s marketing insight for Bridger Watch — and honestly for any product in the outdoor space — is worth writing down. The temptation is to lead with the vibe, the lifestyle, the beautiful photos. But for a product that has genuine technical superiority in a specific use case, the smarter play is to lead with education and product proof first, and let the lifestyle layer build behind it. Rolex works because it’s 90% signal and 10% tool. A hunting watch should be the opposite: 90% tool, 10% signal. Prove what the product does for real people doing real things, and the identity follows naturally.
En el episodio de hoy de VG Daily, Andre Dos Santos y Valentina Orduz repasan una semana que arranca cargada: las amenazas de Trump contra Irán durante el fin de semana, el ataque con drones a la planta nuclear de Barakah en los Emiratos, y la reunión del martes en el Situation Room donde la administración evalúa opciones militares sobre la mesa.En el frente corporativo, se analiza la fusión all-stock entre NextEra Energy y Dominion Energy, un deal valuado en aproximadamente 66 mil millones de dólares que crearía la mayor utility de Estados Unidos con una base de clientes combinada de diez millones de cuentas y capacidad instalada de 110 gigawatts. En el bloque corporativo de la semana, se anticipan los reportes de Home Depot, Target, Lowe's y Toll Brothers el martes y miércoles; Nvidia after market el miércoles como evento central del ciclo capex de inteligencia artificial; Walmart, Zoom, Workday y Ralph Lauren el jueves; y Booz Allen Hamilton y BJ's Wholesale el viernes.
Voice Of Costume - Creating Character through Costume Design
Inside the costumes of Apple TV+'s Imperfect Women: Tiffany Hasbourne reveals how fashion, psychology, collaboration, and storytelling shaped every character. In this deeply inspiring conversation, costume designer Tiffany Hasbourne pulls back the curtain on the creative process behind Imperfect Women — exploring how wardrobe becomes emotional storytelling. From collaborating with Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss to working with luxury fashion houses like Chanel, Dior, Coach, and Ralph Lauren, Tiffany shares how clothing choices revealed hidden trauma, friendship dynamics, class differences, and emotional transformation. The episode dives into costume design for film and television, creative collaboration, character psychology, color theory, luxury fashion in storytelling, and the realities of budgeting high-end productions. Tiffany explains how jackets, silhouettes, pastel palettes, couture gowns, and repeated wardrobe pieces subtly shaped audience perception without distracting from the story. The "Voice of Costume" is the first podcast created between working costume designers sharing stories, inspiration, struggles, and insights into the creative career of costume design. A behind-the-scenes podcast to showcase the voices of Costume Designers around the world. Listen in on this inspirational, one-on-one conversation with Catherine Baumgardner. Audio available wherever you get podcasts. https://voiceofcostume.com/
Ralph Lauren isn't just a brand — it's one of the only American fashion houses that has shaped culture for nearly 60 years. And right now, it's having one of its biggest cultural moments yet, resonating across every generation. Today we're joined by longtime WWD fashion editor and friend of the house, Bridget Foley, who's had a front row seat to the brand's evolution. She's also the author of Lauren's latest book, Ralph Lauren Catwalk, which covers over 100 runway shows and the brand's most iconic moments. In this episode, we get into:What actually defines a brand with longevity (and why so few designers achieve it)Ralph's "meet cute" moment with fashion and why he calls himself a storyteller, not a designerThe authenticity that makes Ralph different from every other luxury houseWhy Ralph was doing "lifestyle" decades before the term existedThe hand-me-downs, vintage uniforms, and Bronx childhood that shaped his entire aestheticRalph's belief in longevity and preservation, sustainability before it had a nameInside the Ralph Lauren archive (and why Bridget calls it a "fashion lover's wonderland")Why Gen Z fell in love with Ralph Lauren and what their parents' closets have to do with itThe codes that have permeated time: the tuxedo jacket over jeans, the polo shirt, the patchworkRalph Lauren's optimism and what it's actually rooted inWhat Ralph has done to stay relevant with the next generationShop the new book, Ralph Lauren Catwalk, here: https://go.shopmy.us/p-56009344 Let's Get DressedYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@livvperezInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsgetdressedpod/Newsletter: https://substack.com/@livvperezLiv Perez Instagram: www.instagram.com/livvperezTikTok: www.tiktok.com/livv.perezShopMy: https://shopmy.us/livvperez Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Patreon Preview from Blamo! Welcome to the first installment of Die, Workwear!'s new series on building a wardrobe without taking out a second mortgage. The premise is simple: if your closet disappeared tomorrow and you had $3,000 to rebuild it from scratch, what would you actually buy? Not fantasy grails. Not “quiet luxury.” Real clothes Derek and Peter would genuinely wear themselves: sport coats, tropical wool trousers, vintage eBay overcoats, loopwheeled T-shirts, Cone Mills denim, penny loafers, and a surprising amount of discussion about sweatshirts. Along the way, Peter tries to justify $140 OCBDs, Derek explains the perfect vintage-straight jean fit, and both make a compelling case for buying old Ralph Lauren off eBay instead of almost anything new. ** Listen to the FULL episode on the Blamo! Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What does it actually look like to evolve from a successful photographer into a fully embodied luxury brand? In this deeply personal episode of the Play It Brave podcast, I'm taking you behind the scenes with my client and dear friend, Kristen Marie, as she walks through a massive identity shift, creative rebirth, and business rebrand. Kristen has been photographing weddings and adventure elopements for over eight years, and after years of success in the elopement world, her body finally told her something had to change. Together, we talk openly about burnout, redefining success, and the emotional process of growing out of an old identity that no longer fits. We also share what happened during Kristen's immersive coaching retreat at my cabin, where we explored her values, archetypes, subconscious beliefs, and the deeper emotional patterns underneath her business. Then, in a rare behind-the-scenes look, we bring you directly into one of Kristen's real coaching calls along with her brand designer, Kass. You'll hear us brainstorm everything from visual identity and positioning to luxury storytelling, artistic authority, nature-inspired branding, and what it truly means to create a brand that resonates instead of imitates. In this episode, we talk about: The hidden burnout that can happen even inside a successful photography business Why Kristen realized she could no longer continue as an overextended adventure elopement photographer How identity work and nervous system healing play a huge role in luxury rebranding The values and archetypes that shaped Kristen's new direction Moving from "cute girl with a camera" into grounded artistic authority The difference between copying luxury branding and creating true resonance Building a brand inspired by nature, stillness, cinematic storytelling, and emotional depth Why luxury positioning is often more about embodiment than skill level The visual and emotional references influencing Kristen's rebrand, from Ralph Lauren campaigns to Terrence Malick films How photographers can evolve their businesses without abandoning themselves in the process One of the biggest things I hope you take away from this episode is that rebranding is never just about aesthetics. It's not just new fonts, prettier colors, or a more elevated website. A true rebrand asks you to become honest about who you are now, who you've been, and who you're ready to become. Watching Kristen move through this process with so much courage, self-awareness, and openness has been incredibly beautiful. She's not simply trying to book higher-paying weddings. She's learning how to trust herself, honor her energy, deepen her artistry, and create a business that actually supports the life she wants to live. That's the kind of transformation that changes everything. I cannot wait for you to hear this behind-the-scenes conversation and witness what it really looks like to build a brand from the inside out. Click here for more ways to listen to this episode.
In this episode of the He Said, She Said: Razor Branding Podcast, Jaci and Michael sit down with Juliana Pereira, marketing consultant and fractional CMO, to talk about what B2B brands are getting wrong and what they could learn from the consumer world. Juliana brings a rare perspective, having worked across both sides of the marketing divide at companies including Ralph Lauren, The Met Store at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smartling, and Ziff Davis before joining Flow Commerce post-Series A and helping drive its $500M acquisition in just three and a half years. She now works as a consultant and fractional CMO for startups and established businesses across the U.S. and Europe. She shares why B2B brands cling too tightly to features and descriptions while missing the emotional connection that actually drives decisions, and how removing friction from the buying process can be a game-changer for complex sales cycles. From her parallel-path approach to walking into a new client engagement, to her dream of spending her first months at a company actually selling the product, this is a practical and refreshingly jargon-free conversation about what it really takes to build a brand that connects. Key Takeaways B2B brands can learn a great deal from B2C by focusing on the individual buyer rather than treating companies as faceless decision-making entities Emotional connection does not mean sentimental – it means making your audience feel something, whether that is confidence, ease, or trust Removing friction from the B2B buying process, through pilots, guarantees, or try-before-you-buy models, is an underutilized competitive advantage Walking into a new engagement with deep preparation allows you to start solving problems on day one rather than spending weeks just assessing Authenticity has to run through every touchpoint – if your campaign promises warmth and humor but your sales team is stiff and technical, the disconnect will cost you The best marketing is clear, simple, and direct – buzzwords and industry jargon get in the way of connection every time Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at razorbranding.org
FULL EPISODE www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast Dave opens another Tuesday teaser by welcoming back Heart Attack Doug and immediately calling Patreon listeners winners and free listeners losers. Doug paints a hilarious picture of arriving at Dave's house to find him shuffling around in a heavy dusty Ralph Lauren robe and knit cap looking 40 years older than he is. They talk about Dave holding down the fort while his partner is away, buying three air conditioners for one room, family stress, and trying to stay productive. Dave describes making breakfast for Nora while Doug offers unsolicited nutrition takes and pushes cheap Aldi eggs. This spirals into a rant about dirty supermarkets, poor-quality yolks, and Popeyes chicken. The conversation shifts into anxiety territory as Dave admits fears of escalators, airports, and bridges. He tells stories about navigating giant Manhattan subway escalators as a kid and nearly panicking while driving over the Throgs Neck Bridge. Doug piles on while also admitting everyone has fears. They read Spotify and Patreon comments about Ray Brown, background noise, body image, and escalator anxiety. Dave uses the comments to plug Dopey's five-shows-a-week schedule and Patreon tiers, including stickers, socks, beanies, ad-free episodes, and even a $100-a-month life coaching tier. Before ending, Dave and Doug tease Doug's recent mysterious bad stretch known only as “two weeks,” available behind the Patreon wall. The show closes with a touching listener cover of the Dopey classic “Good So Bad,” recorded while missing Dopey Zoom because the fan wanted to get it right. FULL EPISODE IS ON PATREON - CHEAPOS! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This week, Donny breaks down the brands that are winning, losing, and making headlines. NFL Draft sensation Fernando Mendoza goes viral for his LinkedIn-powered endorsement strategy — and why he could rival Tom Brady as a brand ambassador. American luxury labels like Ralph Lauren and Coach are defying the odds with double-digit sales growth, even as global luxury slumps. The shocking human cost of USAID cuts comes into focus: over 518,000 children have died from preventable causes. RFK Jr. spreads dangerous misinformation about fluoride — and gets debunked fast. The Michael Jackson biopic breaks box office records for biopics despite major controversy. QVC files for bankruptcy as shopping culture shifts. Road rage shootings hit an all-time high. Plus: drone pizza delivery in New Jersey, deepfake nude dangers for teens, AI privacy risks, animal shelter adoptions at record highs, foot fillers for high heel wearers, and the viral slang term "mogging" explained. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
B. Jeffrey, a teacher at Parsons School of Design and author of Creative Careers, discusses how to make a living from your ideas without chasing false definitions of success. He explores the difference between having a vision and proving a concept, why obsession is a necessary condition for building empires like Ralph Lauren or Apple, and how most creative people never ask themselves what success actually looks like to them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.