American Fashion Podcast — exploring innovation and sustainability across the industry artwork

American Fashion Podcast — exploring innovation and sustainability across the industry

178 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 84 ratings

Exploring fashion as an art and a business. American Fashion Podcast is the fashion show for fashion people, diving deep into the designing, making, and selling of garments and accessories through long-form interviews with people at all levels and in all corners of the business, with an emphasis on sustainability and innovation, since 2014. Hosted by Charles Beckwith and Cathy Schepis.

Fashion & Beauty Arts Design
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Episodes

John David Ridge

November 16, 2021 07:01 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MB

John David Ridge is a celebrated American fashion and costume designer, through whose stories we hear firsthand what it was like to be just about everywhere in those worlds over the past fifty years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gerber Technology's 3D Fashion Design Experts

October 25, 2021 00:57 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MB

Gerber invented the technology that has underpinned the fashion industry for roughly the last five decades. Few people in the industry know the landscape of product development and manufacturing technology better than our guests in this episode, Karsten Newbury, Chief Strategy & Digital Officer, and Mary McFadden, Vice President for CAD Product Management, at Gerber Technology. We discuss what they do, where they think everything is going, and the new Innovation Center they've set up in midt...

A brand, a manufacturer, and a sewing machine maker walk into a pandemic...

October 08, 2021 19:05 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

Recorded in May 2020, the story of a collaboration between Lucky Brand, New Fashion Products, and Brother International Corporation to use what they had and start making masks as quickly as possible. — Guests: Peter Holland, Vice President, Industrial Products Division, Brother International Corporation — https://brother-usa.com Allison Charalambous, Senior Manager of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Lucky Brand — https://www.luckybrand.com/ Bobby Ahn, President & CEO, New Fash...

Aaaaaannnnd.... we're back.

September 23, 2021 06:17 - 1 minute - 1.33 MB

Hi, this is Charles.  So... a weird couple of months there, for various reasons. Not sure if you noticed some of them.  Anyway, dropping 6 episodes as quickly as I can get them edited. A few of them are actually from last year and just never got out the door. Then... fresh new stuff... weekly stuff... the stuff your ears and fashion nerd brain crave. There is a new feature on our website, where you can leave us a message. We would love to hear from you... SAY SOMETHING: https://americanf...

The Eyes and Ears of Investors - Gabriella Santaniello, Founder of Retail Consulting Firm A Line Partners

September 23, 2021 05:25 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MB

Gabriella Santaniello is the Founder of the retail consulting firm A Line Partners.  "With over 15 years working in the fashion industry and 12 in finance, Gabriella brings a unique blend of experience to discuss what is happening with fashion specifically at the retail level – she provides the color behind the numbers. Her company, A-Line Partners, is an independent retail research firm providing the investment community with research from a stable of retail specialists who visit malls acr...

Maxine Bédat's Denim Odyssey

June 15, 2021 04:23 - 1 hour - 56.9 MB

Maxine Bédat is Executive Director at New Standard Institute and the author of the new book, "Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment." The book: https://www.amazon.com/Unraveled-Death-Garment-Maxine-Bedat/dp/0593085973/ https://www.newstandardinstitute.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxinebedat/ https://americanfashionpodcast.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Todd Snyder

May 18, 2021 20:41 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MB

Designer and executive Todd Snyder is credited with changing the landscape of the global menswear industry on more than one occasion. From his time at J Crew, Old Navy, and Ralph Lauren, to running his own label, his career and aesthetic continue to set a special standard in the business. https://www.toddsnyder.com/ Visit us online at https://americanfashionpodcast.com/ to access over 250 previous episodes in our archive: https://americanfashion.supportingcast.fm/  See omnystudio.com/list...

Ann Roth, Academy Award-Winning Costume Designer

April 26, 2021 01:22 - 1 hour - 57.8 MB

A repost of our episode #197, featuring costume designers Ann Roth and Giovanni Lipari. On April 25th, Ann Roth received the Academy Award for her work on the film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Navigating The Supply Chain With Mary Cally

May 23, 2020 20:11 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MB

Mary Cally is an industry veteran who has worked on supply chain and manufacturing logistics issues for many large brands. We spoke with her on March 9th, just as the COVID-19 situation was beginning to shut down New York City. Find additional episodes of American Fashion Podcast in our Archives: https://americanfashionpodcast.com/archives See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American Fashion Podcast - your weekly look under the hood of the fashion business

May 08, 2020 20:48 - 3 minutes - 3.2 MB

Listen to new episodes for free and find all 250+ episodes in our archive: https://americanfashionpodcast.com/archives See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Alabama Chanin Story

May 04, 2020 04:01 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MB

In this, our 250th episode, we welcome one of the true original champions of the slow fashion movement, Natalie Chanin, designer and founder of the Florence, Alabama-based and globally recognized leading ethical fashion brand Alabama Chanin. https://alabamachanin.com/ https://journal.alabamachanin.com/ https://projectthreadways.org/ https://design.ncsu.edu/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supply Chain On The Brain - Lisa Morales-Hellebo

April 22, 2020 14:59 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MB

Our guest in the studio, Lisa Morales-Hellebo, is the Co-founder and GP at REFASHIOND Ventures, the Co-founder of The New York Supply Chain Meetup, and the Co-founder of The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation. She also happened to start the New York Fashion Tech Lab and was a pioneer in visual search. So, obviously, we're talking to her about astrology. Just kidding. This is a fashiontech and supply chain investment deep dive. Brace yourself. http://www.refashiond.com/ https://www.linkedin.c...

Lafayette 148 New York: Fantastically Vertical

April 11, 2020 08:00 - 44 minutes - 41 MB

Lafayette 148 New York CEO Deirdre Quinn discusses the brand's recent move to the Brooklyn Navy Yard innovation hub, their still thriving print catalog business, their next-generation vertically-integrated factory in China, and the brand's long fiscally conservative journey from a little shop in pre-chic Soho. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Women Who Run Badgley Mischka

April 04, 2020 19:19 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MB

Behind Mark and James are three dynamic partners who helped them buy the brand back from Iconix Group, and lead the iconic brand behind the scenes. Our guest are President Christine Currence, Executive Vice President of Sales Lara Piropato, and Executive Vice-President of Production Kimberly Lee-Sui, and they discuss their path to reclaiming the Badgley Mischka brand and their new journey forward through a mix of legacy and mass licensing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pier 59 Studios Founder Federico Pignatelli

March 27, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MB

Prince Federico Pignatelli della Leonessa is the Owner and President of Art and Fashion Group, the parent company of Pier 59 Studios. He involves himself in fashion, photography, art, cinema, virtual reality, and numerous other interests and enterprises. As the owner of Industry Model Management, he has been responsible for the creation and promotion of the Model's Bill of Rights, which is discussed in more detail in our previous interview with its Co-Founder, model Simone Aptekman. He is al...

The Models' Bill of Rights

March 23, 2020 20:53 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

Models' Bill of Rights Co-Founder Simone Aptekman talks about the movement for transparency and accountability in the world of models, agencies, and their contracts. https://www.modelsbillofrights.com/ https://www.simoneaptekman.com/ - - -  For access to hundreds of additional episodes going back to 2014, visit AmericanFashionPodcast.com and subscribe to our Archives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workforce Development For The American Fashion Industry

March 16, 2020 14:27 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MB

The future of the industry is being decided in a metaphorical crucible where labor and automation are currently burning. To understand what's coming in this wild and unpredictable reaction, we invited a panel of experts in the field of Workforce Development to discuss their initiatives and the general state of labor and automation in the American fashion business. Lee Wellington is Executive Director of The Urban Manufacturing Alliance Sarah Krasley is Founder and CEO at Shimmy Technologies, ...

Simple, Reusable, Chic - Scout Bags Elevate The Tote Task

March 16, 2020 04:01 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MB

Deb Waterman Johns is Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder at Scout. A former Vogue editor with a fine arts background, she turned a Chinatown discount store find into an upgraded staple. https://www.scoutbags.com/ - Find more episodes of America Fashion Podcast by clicking "Archives" in the main menu at https://americanfashionpodcast.com/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mighty Company

March 11, 2020 21:50 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MB

Jessie Willner was an artist with a dream of wild wonderful ethically-produced leather statement jackets. Together with her best friend Hanover Savas and the occasional "Hadidas" moment, they're making it happen in Los Angeles, and now around the world, with The Mighty Company. -- https://themightycompany.com/ Follow The Mighty Company on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themightycompany/  To subscribe to American Fashion Podcast's Archives and support the show, visit https://americanfa...

Amaio - High End Beyond Swimwear

February 19, 2020 06:27 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MB

To label Amaio as a swimwear company is to miss the much larger picture of their "après swim" approach, which is more of a total resort approach, as described in detail by founder and designer Samantha Khoury in this interview about her French couture-inspired Made In Los Angeles brand. Amaio: https://amaioofficial.com/ References: Drip By Drip - NGO tacking water issues related tot he fashion and textile industries: https://www.dripbydrip.org/ Women’s Global Empowerment Fund: https://wgefu...

To Create "Everybody & Everyone" Veronica Chou Left No Sustainability Stone Unturned

February 14, 2020 16:20 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MB

Veronica Chou is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Everybody & Everyone, a "big startup" "eco-innovative" women's clothing brand with a big vision and a heavy investment in the granular details of sustainability. https://everybodyeveryone.com/ References: https://www.commonobjective.co/ https://eco-age.com/ https://www.positiveluxury.com/ https://apparelcoalition.org/ https://textileexchange.org/ https://www.microfibreconsortium.com/ https://www.copenhagenfashionsummit.com/ American Fashion Po...

Making Nice Bags In Brooklyn - Canvas & Hyde

February 13, 2020 17:28 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MB

Lisa Pongrass, an Australian living in New York City, is Founder & CEO of Canvas & Hyde, a luxury handbag brand manufactured in the Brooklyn Navy Yard (and Italy). Lisa discusses how she made the move from her marketing background to designing accessories, how she thinks about sustainability, and what it's like to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. https://www.canvasandhyde.com/ https://americanfashionpodcast.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casting Coin Founder and CEO Michelle McCormack

January 31, 2020 02:43 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MB

Fashion photographer and media producer Michell McCormack set out to solve inefficiencies in the talent pipeline for fashion and entertainment brands, and the result is an app and platform called Casting Coin. https://americanfashionpodcast.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Best Fashion Technology Discussion You’ve Ever Heard

January 21, 2020 09:29 - 1 hour - 77.6 MB

Powering Fashion's Future: Technology Tools Impacting Today's Fashion Industry A panel discussion recorded as part of the Fashion Innovate program at the TexWorld USA 2020 trade show in New York City. Big thank you to Eileen Small from TexWorld for coordinating all of this leading up to the event. Big questions: What is the history here? How did this work five minutes ago? What are the now ubiquitous improvements of the last five or ten years? Who are the cool startups in this space, and w...

Ill-Fitting Intimates? After 2 Years of Research, CUUP Definitely Has Your Size.

January 13, 2020 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MB

CUUP co-founders Abby Morgan and Kearnon O’Molony talk about breaking out of the marking and grading mindset for making bras that make it so “you would never have to compromise between fit, function, and style” and using “fit therapists” to get it all just right. https://shopcuup.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suuchi - Helping Brands Manufacture Cost Effectively In The Americas

January 13, 2020 10:00 - 34 minutes - 32 MB

Continuing our look at "brand operating system" platforms, this is a conversation with Suuchi Ramesh, Founder and CEO of Suuchi, Inc., a company in New Jersey which has created the Suuchi GRID, a digital platform that connects brands with “a network of freelancers, factories, and suppliers” in North and South America, and allows brands to manage their production flow from a digital dashboard. For more information about this and similar platforms see, this article on Brand Operating Systems: ...

Color As Narrative

January 07, 2020 05:01 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MB

Keith Recker (now Editor and Chief of Table Magazine) is an author and expert who has a long history with color and natural processes. He discusses how all that ties together in his new book, True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments (find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/38DR23f ), and just... so much more. An episode you don't want to miss. Keith Recker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-recker-7221834/ Additional references: The International Folk Art Market - https://fo...

Meet Cala CEO Andrew Wyatt, and say goodbye to how fashion worked yesterday.

January 06, 2020 05:12 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MB

Andrew Wyatt is CEO and Co-Founder of Cala, an "operating system" for fashion brands. https://www.ca.la/ For additional analysis, see Charles Beckwith's article about End To End fashion platforms on Medium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Badgley Mischka

September 24, 2019 11:00 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MB

Badgley Mischka founders Mark Badgley and James Mischka discuss their business and careers. With special guest co-host, Dana Thomas, author of the new book Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes. https://www.badgleymischka.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fashionopolis - Ethical Fashion's New Bible

September 19, 2019 11:00 - 55 minutes - 51 MB

Author Dana Thomas discusses her new book, Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes. Order Fashionopolis here: https://amzn.to/2sUzAbr See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seek Collective

September 17, 2019 11:00 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MB

Seek Collective is a Brooklyn-based ethical fashion brand manufactured by artisan communities in India. Carol Militmore is the brand's founder. In this interview, the Parsons and Harvard-educated designer talks about the great lengths to which she has to go to work with traditional block printers on the other side of the world. https://www.seekcollective.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Billy Reid, An Icon of The Slow Fashion Movement

September 13, 2019 11:00 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MB

"I wanted to build a global fashion house from Florence, Alabama." - Billy Reid Just to be clear, Billy Reid's PR team flew us down to Florence for Shindig, put us up in a very nice hotel overlooking the river, and fed us all weekend, but the first question we had when they contacted us and offered to do all this was "well, what do the clothes look like?" The brand more than passed the test. The product is beautiful and all of the stores we've visited are beautifully decorated and well merc...

Nordstrom Mens

September 12, 2019 11:00 - 1 hour - 66.7 MB

The Nordstrom Men's store in Manhattan has been the subject of many conversations in recent months, as is the new main store that will soon open across the street. In this interview, Sam Lobban, Vice President of Men's Fashion at Nordstrom, talks about menswear, Nordstrom, and the changing retail landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hania New York

September 10, 2019 11:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MB

Anya Cole and Julie Conroy talk about Hania New York, a unique "homespun" knitwear brand that empowers women in immigrant communities across the New York region. https://hanianewyork.com

Swipecast Makes Booking Freelancers Seamless

September 05, 2019 23:33 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MB

Peter Fitzpatrick is the CEO and a founder of Swipecast, the tech startup changing how the fashion business books models, photographers, stylists, and other freelance talents. https://www.swipecast.com

Danilo Venturi - Polimoda

August 29, 2019 00:41 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MB

Roughly 2,300 students from 70 different countries learn the craft and business of fashion at Italy’s premier fashion school, Polimoda. Danilo Venturi is its director. https://www.polimoda.com

Even The Real Bags Are Fake - Raphael Lombardo Says Show Me The Leather

August 21, 2019 17:55 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MB

A conversation with leather patternmaker Raphael Lombardo, recorded on location in Florence, Italy, at a new leather design and manufacturing school, the Filo Firenze Fashion Academy, inside the walls of Palazzo Pucci. https://filofirenze.it/ http://tprojectshowroom.com/ https://www.lineapelle-fair.it/en/market-analysis  

Isabel Benenato

August 08, 2019 19:05 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MB

Tuscany isn't too far from Copenhagen, right? Charles is on the road in Europe. This interview from Lucca, Italy, was recorded while visiting the atelier and factory of Italian fashion designer Isabel Benenato, and getting some perspective on issues facing independent designers around the world. Isabel and husband Filippo Novelli discuss challenges facing their businesses as they scale and look toward e-commerce. A special thank you! to Claudia Innocenti, Product Development Manager, for a...

Copenhagen Fashion Summit

July 23, 2019 10:00 - 1 hour - 75 MB

From Copenhagen, Denmark, conversations with Dana Thomas, Simon Collins, The RealReal, and a host of innovators in the ethical fashion realm. Pre-order Dana Thomas' new book, Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion--and the Future of Clothes here (link) Links to people and companies mentioned in this episode: Naia - https://naia.eastman.com/ Dimpora - https://dimpora.com/ Nature Coatings - https://naturecoatingsinc.com/ Algalife - https://www.alga-life.com/ Circular Systems - https:/...

GQ Magazine's Will Welch, Editor In Chief

June 11, 2019 12:29 - 1 hour - 57 MB

Will Welch recently took over as Editor In Chief at GQ Magazine. This interview features a conversation about music, menswear, magazines, and the future of culture.

Tumi's Little Secrets, With Creative Director Victor Sanz

May 22, 2019 07:30 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MB

The iconic travel brand has nimbly branched out into new categories under the leadership of a new Creative Director, Victor Sanz, who talks about the Tumi brand's legacy and future in this candid interview.

Making A Great Sweater, Hogwarts And All

May 19, 2019 10:26 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MB

A great sweater can be everything, and that's where former tennis star Lady Melissa Percy, a.k.a. Missy, is placing her bet to launch an English country sports-inspired womenswear line called Mistamina in the U.S. market. https://www.mistamina.com/

New York's City Council Wants To Ban Fuzzy Leather? The Accessories Council Has Some Opinions

May 12, 2019 20:59 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MB

It seems certain extremist animal rights groups have been handing politicians big bags of money in exchange for some very aggressive new policies in America's major cities. You might agree that mink should be off the menu, but the inclusions of leather and shearling in the proposed bill don't seem to make a lot of sense, and what are the suppliers supposed to do with the products they already have or have on order? Where is this coming from, and where is it going to take us? AFP hosts Charl...

Bibhu Mohapatra

May 08, 2019 22:54 - 1 hour - 68.7 MB

The celebrated and award-winning designer, who served as design director at J. Mendel for a number of years, talks about how he arrived at producing his eponymous collection, Bibhu Mohapatra, as well as branching off into making jewelry, giving back at home, supporting traditional artisans, his ethical approach to fur and sustainable materials, and his educational path that includes a Masters degree in Economics.

Steven Birnbaum Bridal

April 30, 2019 07:25 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MB

Steven Birnbaum has been a bridal designer for over 40 years. He provides bespoke wedding designs for clients from a New York City atelier. http://www.stevenbirnbaumbridal.com/ 

Menswear Designer Joseph Abboud

April 25, 2019 19:01 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MB

Joseph Abboud keeps busy running design for his namesake label, Men's Wearhouse, and the Jos A. Bank brand. He manufactures his collection domestically at a factory in New Bedford. But how did he get to here? Listen and find out. https://www.josephabboud.com/ Subscribe to American Fashion Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox, TuneIn, using our RSS Feed, and on many other indexes and platforms. Looking for where to start? Try our list of The Best of Americ...

Romeo Hunte

April 22, 2019 05:55 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MB

With high-end streetwear's star showing no sign of waning, and his bespoke clients including the likes of Gabrielle Union, Michelle Obama, Evan Turner, and Beyonce, designer Romeo Hunte is riding a strong wave of success and notoriety but navigates the business cautiously.

213 - Fashinnovation Fashiontech Conference Co-Founder Jordana Guimarães

April 16, 2019 20:53 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB

Fashinnovation is a conference series covering trendy topics at the intersection of fashion, technology, and compassion. Jordana Guimarães, a fashion publicist, is the co-founder, along with her husband, who has a background in technology entrepreneurship. https://fashinnovation.nyc/ https://aclbyjojo.com/ https://americanfashionpodcast.com/

The BF+DA Is Closing?! And Other Updates

April 16, 2019 05:24 - 10 minutes - 9.54 MB

Reaction to the strange news that the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator will be shuttered at the end of June, along with news from The Accessories Council, a reminder about the NYC Fair Trade Coalition's Global Fest event coming up on April 26th, and Charles asks for input on his upcoming trip to The Copenhagen Fashion Summit. https://bkaccelerator.com/pratt-institutes-5-year-experiment-in-changing-an-industry-moves-on/ https://www.nycfairtradecoalition.org/ http://copenhagenfashion...

212 – Brand Assembly Does The Back Office And More For Independent Brands

April 12, 2019 17:00 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MB

“These people are creatives. They want to create, they want to get their product out there and talk about their product, yet they have to spend most of their time doing these things that they don’t want to do.” – Brand Assembly CEO Hillary France http://www.brandassembly.com/

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