Spirit of 608: Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability + Tech

From Idea to Launch: The Two Colorful Years Behind Building a Sustainable, Ethical Fashion Brand with Jola's Joie LaFrentz

In today’s episode of ‘Spirit of 608’ podcast host, Lorraine Sanders talks with guest Joie LaFrentz telling us what she has been up to and sharing the real deal behind how she has been building Jola.

How to Start Making it in the Metaverse Without Spending Anything at All

Welcome! Come along with me on my journey into the metaverse and what's next. Kicking off the first season of the Making it in the Metaverse, here's How to Start Making it in the Metaverse without Spending Anything At All.  Consider this your toe-dip into the landscape from a journalist-turned-ethical-fashion-advocate who got crypto curious in '18 but didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole until mid-2021.  Let me make your journey easier, more fun, less scary. Special bonus: Couple...

6 Ways Regular Folks Can Start Making it in the Metaverse

Welcome! Come along with me on my journey into the metaverse and what's next. Kicking off the first season of the Making it in the Metaverse, here are 6 Ways Regular Folks Can Start Making it in the Metaverse. Consider this your toe-dip into the landscape from a journalist-turned-ethical-fashion-advocate who got crypto curious in '18 but didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole until mid-2021.  Let me make your journey easier, more fun, less scary. Special bonus: Couples & Crypto.  N...

5 Things You Need to Know About Crypto Culture

Welcome! Come along with me on my journey into the metaverse and what's next. Kicking off the first season of the Making it in the Metaverse, here are 5 Things I Want You to Know About Crypto Culture.  Consider this your toe-dip into the landscape from a journalist-turned-ethical-fashion-advocate who got crypto curious in '18 but didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole until mid-2021.  Let me make your journey easier, more fun, less scary. None of this is financial advice y'all....

New Series: Making it in the Metaverse

Oh hey we have a brand new series coming out this spring (and beyond). A head’s up on what’s happening is waiting for you in today’s episode. More to come so soon. The TLDR: come with me on my journey into web3, blockchain, crypto and all things metaverse-y. There’s so much happening. Let’s figure it out together.   <3 <3 <3 Oh hey there! Please help the podcast out and leave us a rating and review on iTunes. This stuff is key to the show's success, and I appreciate you helping me play...

NY's Fashion Act Facts + Industry Insiders' Response Explained

Mentioned in the show: Thanks to our episode sponsor Magic Mind! Boost your productivity and get 20% off your next order with code SPIRIT at checkout. Ethical Fashion Insiders' Response and Proposed Amendments New York State Senate Bill S.7428 Why A Beloved Ethical Fashion Startup Closed Up Shop To Embrace An Entirely Different Future in FEST with Helpsy's Rachel Kibbe The Mavericks Repairing & Revamping Patagonia, Prana & Other Ethical Apparel Brands with Nicole Bassett of The R...

Why Ethical Fashion Should Care About Web3 (Plus, How to Get Started)

In this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, we dive into web3 and why ethical fashion should be paying attention to the possibilities in this rapidly unfolding space. If you’ve wondered how web3 technology and everything under that umbrella (cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and the Metaverse for a start) could be relevant, useful and game-changing for fashion brand and entrepreneurs seeking to create positive change in the space. You’ll hear how web3 is not to be ignored — and how...

From Building a Responsible Fashion Brand to Building Up the Next Gen of Brands in the Space with Danielle Salinas of Maison de Papillion and Project Gaia

Our lives are not lived in linear paths. The zigs and the zags are often what allows the most magical, unexpected and impactful moments to bubble up and become a reality. Such is the case with this week’s guest, Danielle Salinas, co-founder of popular sustainable fashion brand Maison de Papillon and, most recently, New York-based retail store and — as you’ll hear — a whole lot more: Project Gaia. Starting out in advertising and moving on to build a thriving dental practice with her then-hu...

Pioneering The Business of Ethically-Made Luxury Fashion on the Arabian Peninsula with Abadia's Shahd AlShehail

Ethical and sustainable fashion has become a conversation with global reach and proportions with entrepreneurs around the world building businesses seeking to create positive social impact through carefully-made clothing. One such founder is this week’s guest, Shahd AlShehail, whose Abadia clothing brand delivers sweeping, feminine silhouettes inspired by the traditional artisan craftsmanship of the Saudi Arabian peninsula and made in partnership with female makers across Saudi and the UAE. ...

How Upcycled Accessories Led to an Ingenious Idea for a Whole New Brand with Arkansas Maker Alyssa Bird of Picktokits

Need inspiration for your evolution as an entrepreneur? Well that’s coming to your ears in this week’s episode, which features a conversation with Arkansas-based designer and maker Alyssa Bird. Well-known in the indie design scene that’s bubbled up online in recent years, Alyssa has garnered fans with her brightly-colored, upbeat accessories and jewelry — not to mention her fun, authentic personality that comes through in her regular Instagram videos and social media. When you’re entrenche...

Nightswim’s Diana Ganem on Using Events, Community & Media Outreach to Grow Her Sustainable Fashion Brand

Curious how to use community and events to generate buzz and reach new audiences for your sustainable fashion brand? On this week’s show, I am excited to bring you Costa Rica and L.A.-based designer Diana Ganem for a conversation that’s one-part story and one-part live media strategy coaching. Like many professional designers who’ve worked in the fashion industry for years, Diana left the corporate world to launch Nightswim, a company that aligns with her values and devotion to sustainable ...

Q&A: How Should This Ethical Fashion Designer Successfully Market A New Non-Profit Partnership?

If there’s one thing I truly believe about getting visible through DIY PR and earned media (i.e. media you didn’t have to pay for, a.k.a. advertising), it’s this: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. There just isn’t. Yes, there are a ton of best practices and standard strategies, and they are great, but there are always questions that come up about people’s individual businesses. That’s, in fact, exactly why I created the PressDope DIY PR course program and set it up the way it is. The go...

Talking Media, Money, Messaging & the Future of Her Ethical Fashion Magazine with Katie of ESJ

Launching a magazine is not for the faint of heart. Sure, content is crucial for most businesses right now (especially those in the sustainable fashion arena). But consistently creating high-quality, thought-provoking, change-making content? It’s a hugely intensive endeavor, one that this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast knows well. During our conversation, ESJ magazine (a.k.a. Ethical Style Journal) founder Katie talks frankly about the complexities of building a media business ...

From Antique Lockets to The Today Show and Beyond with Luna & Stella Suzanne Ellis Wernevi

Sometimes you fall in love with vintage, and sometimes you fall so hard you start a business. The latter is the case for this week’s guest, who launched a line of jewelry born out of her love for antique lockets and went on to grow the company into a mixed collection of modern fine jewelry pieces and unique antique jewelry from her network of sources. In this week’s episode, we get the inside story of Suzanne’s journey from the corporate world (she’s an alum of J.Crew, RedEnvelope, Victori...

How Serial Fashion Entrepreneur Sarah Shaw Launched 6 Businesses & Landed Her Products in Hollywood Films

What happens when your product unexpectedly lands in the hands of a Hollywood costume pro who happens to be working on the sets of a film destined to become the next big thing. Ask this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, whose fashion business career spans decades and six different companies — some of which she ran at the same time. A multi-hyphenate creative and serial entrepreneur, Sarah Shaw lets us in on her journey from her early days in Los Angeles as an almost accidental ha...

We Scope the Future of Secondhand Style from a Hyper-local Lens

The future of secondhand fashion is unfolding in front of our eyes. For many of us who’ve thrifted for years and loved vintage and new-with-tags treasures long before they became big business, it’s easy to wonder: what’s next? How will the rise of billion dollar companies slinging secondhand style affect not just the mainstream fashion landscape, but the legions of local shops and sellers who see secondhand as so much more than the latest trend. To get some answers, our fabulous summer in...

Getting Visible with Video with Livestream Expert & Empirenista Founder Alicia Henderson

If you’ve ever stressed about live video — or any video content for that matter — you need to listen to today’s episode with Alicia Henderson of Empirenista and the Video Visibility with Alicia Show. That’s because she’s bringing us her completely down-to-earth and no BS approach to video content and why it’s time to get over your fears and hesitations and use this ultra-powerful way of communicating to reach new audiences and grow today. In her work with female entrepreneurs, Alicia help...

Growing with a Mission Statement at the Heart of Your Business with Influencer Marketing Strategy Expert Idalia Salsamendi

Power Moves: Creating a Sustainable Content Publishing System for Your Business

No matter what kind of content you’re creating for your business, I’m willing to bet one thing. There are times you’re totally overwhelmed. And maybe those times are pretty much all of the time. And if that’s the case, it’s for good reason: given today’s marketing landscape and the realities of what’s required to get visible as you grow, almost every brand — whether you’re a product-based DTC ecommerce business like the many I’ve interviewed on the Spirit of 608 podcast or the founder of a...

Doing Less to Get More Out of Life As A Multi-Hyphenate Fashion Designer, Neuroscientist & Community Activist

Designer, neuroscientist and community leader Sharmon Lebby is back with us on the Spirit of 608 podcast for a second episode updating us on how her journey building a an ethical fashion brand as a side-gig ultimately led her to become an activist and community leader pushing creating connections among ethical businesses and pushing for change in her native San Antonio and well beyond. As president of the Ethical Network of San Antonio, Sharmon is dialed into the social and economic issues...

The Easy 7-Step Framework for A Powerful PR Pitch

When was the last time you sent a pitch email to the media? With even a small amount of outreach, you can significantly increase your visibility through more outreach to journalists, bloggers and content creators. Oh yes, anyone can leverage media coverage and positive PR to elevate their business, build credibility, boost search engine rankings and reach new audiences with your message, products and services. The thing is, so often people let the pitch email get in the way. Instead of sta...

Leaving an International Career in Corporate Law to Launch Luxury Vintage with Rae Joseph of 1954 by Rae Joseph

This week, we welcome Rae Joseph to the Spirit of 608 podcast to let us in on her journey from corporate law to starting a business at the intersection of luxury and vintage fashion. Listen to the episode for a dive into what it’s like to leave a lucrative, successful career in order to turn your passion into a business, how she’s educating shoppers in her native Saudi Arabia about the joy of luxury vintage clothing and accessories and what’s next for the business of secondhand style. <3 ...

Marketing a Responsible Footwear Brand Responsibly with Beckett Simonon's Adela Cardona

We’re kicking off this year’s second season of the Spirit of 608 podcast with an inspiring woman helping to pioneer responsible fashion in Colombia — and as you’ll hear in the episode — far beyond that, thanks to her role leading the responsibility efforts and media outreach for men’s footwear brand Beckett Simonon. I was already well aware of the Colombia-based purveyor of made-to-order shoes, boots and sneakers before I met Adela earlier this year when she joined the PressDope DIY PR co...

The Thing We're Not Talking About in Sustainability & What's Next

In the final episode before our annual summer break (we’ll be back with all-new interview episodes in August), I’m talking about the thing we’re not talking about enough in the sustainability space. Especially when it comes to business. It’s been on my mind for a while, and I am sharing it all in this episode. Plus, a bunch of things I want you to know about where the podcast is headed, what’s changing and what to expect from us while we’re on break (hint hint, if you have wanted to be a p...

Brand Photographer Jessie Wyman Tells Us What Every Ethical Fashion Biz Needs Before The Next Photo Shoot (Plus, Pivots & Choices)

Oh the joy and challenge of amazing photography. Visual imagery is queen today, especially considering every brand aiming to grow is basically tasked with becoming its own mini publishing house. Honestly, just think about it: it used to be that brands, well, they sold things. And the media, well, they published things about the things other people made and sold. Today, every brand reaching new audiences is using content to make it happen — and churning out magazine-sized volumes of copy and ...

LastObject's Isabel Aagaard on the Business of Design-Driven Alternatives to Single Use Objects

Want inspiration for building a design-driven business with sustainable values and rethinking single use daily habits that seem so, well, normal until you realize they’ve only been common for the last 50 to 100 years? Then you’re going to be all ears for this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, Danish designer and Last Object co-founder Isabel Aagaard. Even at the helm of a fast-growing company (look out for their retail presence in U.S. Anthropologie stores soon) with a baby in a g...

Power Moves: Money Mindset, Simplification & Noticing What's Right There in Front of You

Power moves, y’all! Yes this episode is making me drop the yalls. Why? Because it’s full of ideas and encouragement I want you to hear right now: so many of us struggle with money mindset, simplifying and taking full advantage of the resources and amazing things we have right in front of us. And that’s not because we’re unworthy or doomed to failure — absolutely not. It’s because of how our minds work — in part two, you will hear that explained quite literally in thoughts drawn from my recen...

Nikki Reed on Heading from Hollywood to Build Bayou With Love Jewelry from Recycled Computer Gold + Launch A LOCI Vegan Footwear Collection

Sometimes business is grueling and challenging and frustrating to no end. But then, sometimes things begin to fall into place and you come up for air to realize you are in exactly the right spot for right now. That’s what happened to multi-hyphenate actor-musician-artist-activist-entrepreneur Nikki Reed (you will remember her from the Twilight series and many others) when she stepped beyond Hollywood to launch a business focused on sustainability. Joining with Freedom of Animals founder Morg...

How Accel Lifestyle's Megan Eddings Turned a Stinky Workout Shirt Into a Brand, Then a Multi-Faceted Business that's Going Far Beyond Fashion

This week’s guest turned her pain personal point — her husband’s stinky workout shirts — into product that’s now fueling not one, but multiple businesses. On this week’s episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, you will hear how Texas entrepreneur Megan Eddings left a corporate career while at the top of her game to risk building an activewear brand aiming to solve for stinky shirts. But she didn’t just create an apparel line — she put her college chemistry degree and sales acumen to work and e...

6 Content Marketing Strategies Every Product Biz Should Steal — Immediately

What can product businesses in FEST (fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech) learn from content marketers in the current digital landscape? As a content creator, producer, consultant and entrepreneur who works primarily with product businesses, I’m here to tell you the answer is so much, especially right now — a time when every business is being asked to become a publisher in order to stay visible and connect with new audiences. From simple social media communication tactics to t...

Samara Walker on Building Luxury Vegan Nail Lacquer Brand Auda.B, a New Nordstrom Partnership + More All While Holding a Corporate Job

On this week’s show, we brush up to (sorry not sorry) the story, tips and advice from an entrepreneur building a luxury vegan nail lacquer company that’s out to make an impact in the beauty world with high-quality, cruelty-free products and a tech play that stands to increase inclusivity in more ways than one. Plus, and this is no small feat, Auda.B founder Samara Walker is doing it all while holding a full-time corporate job at one of the world’s best-known companies. Sam’s story is one t...

From Food to Fashion: Nicole Rawling on Creating the Material Innovation Initiative to Help Change the Future of Textiles

In this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, we get seriously material about the future of fashion with guest Nicole Rawling, co-founder of the Material Innovation Initiative. Their mission? To make it easier for next generation textiles and product materials to make it into the marketplace in meaningful way. To that end, MII is betting collaboration and communication are key to their goal and, as such, act as connectors in a complex, global web of entrepreneurs, innovators, suppliers and ...

Mini Mindset Workshop: 5 Ways to Revive Your Mindset During Anxiety, Imbalance & Overwhelm

In this solo episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, I get personal about my own anxiety and offer up 5 tried-and-true ways to revive your mindset when you’re suddenly hit with a wave of anxiousness, imbalance or overwhelm. I’m pulling the inspiration for this episode directly from my own super anxious day earlier this week, but the advice I’m offering up comes from figuring out what works for me through years of grappling with mindset highs and lows during life transitions, entrepreneurship, ...

The Folklore's Amira Rasool on Building Africa's Luxury Ecommerce Platform, Hiring & Joining an Accelerator

For Amira Rasool, The Folklore is far from just a business. Not only that, this female founder travelled far from her home in the U.S. to discover the origins of her current business while studying in South Africa. After dedicating her life to African-American studies, Amira has realized that being visible as a black female entrepreneur and being able to shine the spotlight on luxury African fashion brands was a calling and a way to bring economic power to Black people and the design talent ...

5 Things I Want YOU to Know Right Now to Create More Abundance & Growth

In my neck of the woods, the switch suddenly flipped to spring mode and, with that, I’ve been thinking A LOT about growth, abundance and all the things that help cultivate those in life, as well as the things that, yup, get in the way. As you know if you’ve listened to the Spirit of 608 podcast for any length of time, you know that I am possibly the world’s unlikeliest mindset junkie. And if you didn’t know that about me, I hoping that tidbit helps put a big fat underline underneath my promi...

Dagsmejan's Catarina Dahlin on Creating Better Sleep with Sustainable, Science-Backed Clothing in Switzerland

If there’s one luxury in life that money can’t buy, it’s a good night’s sleep. Except, well, after you hear this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, you might think differently. That’s because Catarina Dahlin, co-founder of Swiss sleepwear brand Dagsmejan, is here this week to let us in on her journey from a successful corporate job that included lots of international travel (translation: lots of jetlag) to founding a sleepwear brand that’s backed by scientific research and approved...

5 Years Later: How Many FEST Brands Persisted, Pivoted, IPO'd? What Percent Are Still Operating Today?

It’s the 250th episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast! For this milestone episode, I’m getting all analytical on you and checking in on the status of the first 25 brands to be on the show. I tallied up how many are still operating, who has shut down, who’s pivoted or shifted and who’s IPO’d — and it’s more than one! That would have been pretty unbelievable to me back in 2015 when I started the show. But the FEST space has come a long way, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Want to know...

Going Back to Where it All Began and Finally Finding Your True People & Passion with Purusha People's Hayley Elliott

Pretty much everyone has been in Hayley Elliott's shoes. Hayley had always wanted to express herself in some way, and create something beautiful. For her, this desire manifested in a business that she was passionate about - creating sustainable yoga wear that's ethically made and sourced. In this episode, Hayley Elliott talks about how being authentic and true to herself boosted her branding and even connected her to her ideal audience. Check out this episode where we talk about balancing ...

Five Things That Have Worked Really Well for Me in 2021

Why wait until the middle or end of the year to evaluate what’s working well in ‘21? Two months and a bit in, I want to share 5 things that are working really well for me this year, including: The personality test that has changed everything for me One thing I finally gave in and started doing, and it’s making all the difference Two habits I paused on in the second half of last year and am never giving up again One more bonus! Seriously, these things have made all the difference for me ...

Pioneering Fashion AI from Paris to Help Fashion Produce More Responsibly with Heuritech's Charlotte Fanneau

This week, we hear from a leader in fashion tech from Paris, long the home of industry leading houses and couturiers who, despite their prominence, for years were notoriously slow to adopt technology as an inherent part of fashion’s future. But tech’s no longer an outsider idea in fashion. In fact, many major brands are leading the way forward by being early adopters of technology that makes it possible for brands to produce more selectively, decrease waste and foster more eco-aware thinkin...

How Swap Retail's Melodie van der Baan Sells with Soul and Turned a Manual Process Into a Inventory Swapping Startup for Fashion Retailers

I love startup stories that involve taking a manual, real-life process and creating a tech solution that mimics it and stories from founders who, in the quest to solve their own problems, end up bringing needed new ways of doing things into areas begging for innovation. This week’s guest is doing BOTH. During her years as a fashion brand rep, Melodie found herself going the extra mile to serve the stores she visited. In fact, she was quite literally going the extra mile by driving her ret...

Should you be on Clubhouse? What FEST founders need to know now about this wildly popular new platform

Everyone is talking about Clubhouse, the less-than-a-year old audio app that caught wildfire last fall. Its invite-only nature has added to the hype. But the real question is whether you should care. Should you spend time creating, building and maintaining a Clubhouse presence -- essentially adding yet another social media platform to your plate? For FEST founders, there are special considerations -- how will an audio-only social networking platform benefit your highly-visual, probably pro...

Laura Mallows on Building Her Body Positive, Mental Health Promoting Beauty Brand in a Pandemic

Starting a business in the middle of pandemic, when the future seems a little unpredictable, doesn't seem like the smartest of ideas, but for Laura Mallows, it was the best one. Laura talks about how being real gave her an identity that everyone resonated with, even though it was totally against how the traditional beauty market presents itself. From showing off scars, bad hair days, and even bad skin days, Laura talks about how Mallows Beauty let everyone be unafraid to be REAL, even herself.

Poshmark Co-Founder Tracy Sun on Entrepreneurship, Networking + the Early Pivot that Changed Everything [SO608 Recycle]

Lauren Tanaka Fortune on Building Sustainable Fashion Magazine Global Garbs & Modern Shoe Repair Biz Goods & Services in Los Angeles

It’s easy to get swept away by the glitz and glamour of the fashion industry, and for Lauren Tanaka, it certainly was a glamourous start. From rubbing elbows with celebrities like Charlize Theron and the cast of The Lord of the Rings, Lauren’s first gigs in the industry were every stylist and designer’s dream. But even as she was living the dream, some eye-opening moments drove Lauren to ask some tough questions about the fashion industry and her why. Listen to this week’s episode of the S...

Find Your FEST Story Break Down: 3 Exercises + Five Questions You Need to Be Asking Yourself NOW

Want to get visible? You need a story. Better yet, you need to know the version of your story you want to tell right now. One of the things I get asked most often when brands are starting out in their journey toward more visibility is what they should say when they start trying to reach that goal. When they’re wavering and hesitating on visibility projects like pitching more media and launching regular content marketing, one of two things is almost always at play: Either 1) they’re not sur...

Darling's Linnea White on Building a Business with Serious Values while Staying Seriously Fun

Do you believe in the power of a business to not only be a part of a community, but also be instrumental in building one? In today’s episode, Linnea, a.k.a owner and CFSO (chief of figuring sh*t out) at ecommerce and IRL shop Darling talks about how she bought the store 6 years ago at the age of 25 and has been cultivating a dream from her heart all these years. It was a special treat to have a Charlottesville entrepreneur on the show during my five-year anniversary of moving to here from S...

How to Stop Letting the Top DIY PR Myths Sabotage Your Visibility and Hold You Back [Special Series Part 3]

My Top Recommendations for Getting Started with your DIY PR Strategy This Year [Special Series Part 2]

Why PR is More Important Than Ever This Year + Top 5 Benefits Waiting for You [Special Series Part 1]