Hello, and welcome to FSW Conversations, brought to you by Fashion Strategy Weekly, hosted by me, Jessica Quillin.  And me, Bryce Quillin, co founders of FSW, as well as It's a Working Title, the luxury strategy agency.  FSW Conversations brings together fashion and luxury leaders, creatives, and bankers to discuss practical, strategic, and research based insights to help you, our listeners, keep on top of our fast moving sector. 

We'd love to hear from you. Feel free to contact us via the show notes. Plus, click follow in your podcast app to be the first to hear our latest bi monthly episodes. So now, on to Season 2.     

In this edition of FSW Conversations, we chat with Richard Kuchinsky, Principal and Owner of The Directive Collective, a full-service design footwear design consultancy.

With over 20 years of experience in the footwear industry, he has driven the creative design and development process for a range of clients focused on design DNA and strategy. Richard is a Boston Qualifying marathoner and is very active within the running community. 

In this episode, Richard dives into the art and science of footwear design and why “super shoes” may be worth the hype. He also discusses how his experiences creating running shoes inspired him to become a runner and why the running community is such an untapped opportunity for brands.

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In this episode, FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin talks with Clare Tattersall, the founder of Digital Fashion Week, about the future of fashion and technology. The conversation covers all the events happening at the upcoming Digital Fashion Week events in New York, Paris, and Milan in February. Clare also dives deep into the value of digital fashion and the possibilities it offers to bring about a better, cleaner future for fashion and the planet.

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We are proud to announce the launch of the new Fashion Strategy Weekly podcast, “FSW: Conversations.” In this podcast, members of the FSW team chat with decision-makers, makers, doers, and thinkers about on how strategy, economics, tech, and sustainability impact fashion, luxury, and the experience economy.

Our inaugural episode, which was recorded in October 2023, features textile artist and sustainable designer Mira Musank of Fafafoom Studio. In this conversation, FSW publisher Jessica Quillin and Mira talk about everything from the vision behind Fafafoom Studio and her design work to innovative fashion tech tools like AR and VR to social communities like FashionSocial.host on Mastodon.

For now, this podcast is free, like all FSW content, and will be available soon on major podcasting platforms.

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In this edition of FSW Conversations, our co-publisher Jessica Quillin speaks with Caroline Priebe, founder of Driftless Goods and the Center for the Advancement of Garment Making.

A longtime sustainability advisor, consultant, and designer with deep experience in the fashion industry, Caroline has spent her career using systems thinking to design pioneering apparel, supply chains, and business models. She founded her outdoor-wear brand Driftless Goods in early 2023, as an online store, gallery and brand for “people who like exceptionally nice things and would prefer not to wrap themselves in plastic.”

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In Episode 9 of FSW Conversations, Jessica Quillin speaks with Kate Pankoke, the designer and owner of luxury bridal, evening wear, and accessories line Elaya Vaughn.

A Project Runway All-Star and award-winning designer, Kate’s designs for Elaya Vaughn are frequently worn by major celebrities and featured at red-carpet events and galas, including the Oscars. A Florida native, Kate currently resides in Buenos Aires with her husband and two young daughters.

In this episode, Kate discusses her career in fashion and how her life has changed since appearing on Project Runway. She explains how she got started in fashion and came to discover her aesthetic. Kate also reflects on the joys of motherhood and seeing her daughters discover their style. Ultimately, she offers realistic insights for designers, particularly those early in their careers.

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In this eighth installment of FSW Conversations, FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin speaks with Vera Giusti, who is co-creative director of Italian heritage shoe brand Attilio Giusti Leombruni, better known as AGL, along with her sisters Sara and Marianna.

Founded in 1958 by Vera’s grandfather, Piero Giusti, AGL is part of a small coterie of Italian-native luxury shoe brands that have been creating beautiful shoes for generations. Since taking charge of AGL, Vera and her sisters have reinvented their grandfather’s brand with a core focus on female-focused creativity and quality craftsmanship.

In this interview, Vera reflects on her grandfather’s legacy and how she and her sisters have worked to modernize the brand while staying true to its roots. She also discusses why running a female-centric business is critical to both creating and delivering the right products for its core consumers and also to the future of luxury itself.

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In this seventh installment of FSW Conversations, FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin talks with Gill Linton, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Byronesque, an editorial-based e-commerce brand that specializes in contemporary-vintage clothes and subculture.

Originally from London, Gill divides her time between Paris and New York, collaborating with brands, designers, consultants, editors, and stylists, and also reissues vintage brands, preserving and modernizing creative brand histories.

During this conversation, Gill discusses the value of original fashion stories and the challenges of curating vintage fashion for a modern consumer. She contextualizes her vision in forming Byronesque as in essence a “middle finger [to] the mediocrity” of mainstream fashion.

In the end, Gill also dives into her inspiration behind the name of her company and explains why Lord Byron was the ultimate punk.

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This sixth episode of FSW conversations features fashion guru Kate Sheldon, CEO of The Fashioneering Lab, in conversation with FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin. Kate is a luxury fashion industry veteran with a career spanning over three decades. She has influenced an array of iconic brands, including Chanel, Dior, Prada, Moschino, La Perla, and many others, and is regularly featured in prestigious publications like Women’s Wear Daily.

In this episode, Kate talks about her formative background at Neiman Marcus and what inspired her to create her company. She also dives into the complex web of problems happening within fashion and luxury brands and her company’s unique approach to bringing solutions.

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In this fifth installment of FSW Conversations, FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin chats with Sasha Charnin Morrison, former Style Director of CBS Style Watch Magazine and author of "Secrets of Stylists: An Insider’s Guide to Styling the Stars."

During the episode, Sasha reflects on her long career and talks candidly about how fashion editorial has changed over the years. She also divulges what it was like to style J. Lo, why everyone should own a Norma Kamali coat, and why brands should be keeping an eye on auction platform What Not. Ultimately, Sasha brings insider insights into what's happening now with fashion and how brands should be engaging with today's consumers.

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In this episode, FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin talks with fashion PR and branding guru, Alison Lowe, MBE. As a serial entrepreneur and business mentor, she is well known as the founder of Felicities, a fashion branding and PR agency that supports, educates, and nurtures young creative talent.

Alison is the author of the book “How to Start Your Own Fashion Label - the Definitive Guide,” which became an Amazon No.1 bestseller. She has acted as a marketing consultant to brands across the globe and is the Director of Careers and Enterprise for the School of Arts and Creative Industries at the University of East London. Alison was awarded an MBE for Services to the Fashion Industry in HRH The Queen's Birthday Honours 2017.

Throughout the conversation, Alison discusses the imperative for critical business skills among fashion designers and what is missing from most fashion educational curricula. She makes the argument for why the industry needs a fashion-centric MBA program to educate designers on how to run a fashion business. Alison also reflects on her experiences receiving an MBE and meeting Queen Elizabeth II.

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In this episode, FSW co-publisher Jessica Quillin sits down with Aliza Licht, award-winning marketer, two-time author, personal branding expert, podcaster, and founder of Leave Your Mark. She was the original social media influencer as DKNY PR Girl.

Throughout the conversation, Aliza speaks about how her experiences in fashion and luxury marketing shaped her future work as a brand strategy and marketing expert and mentor. She also dives deep into why it is important to control your own narrative and other practical tips on personal branding from her second book “On Brand.”

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