Fashion and Founders The Podcast - Details, episodes & analysis

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Fashion and Founders The Podcast

Victoria Smith

Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 111

Fashion & Founders is a media platform exploring how fashion is actually built. Hosted by Victoria Smith, the show sits at the intersection of fashion, technology, and culture spotlighting the founders, investors, and operators shaping the industry’s next era. Through long-form conversations, we go beyond trends to unpack fundraising, manufacturing, resale, AI, sustainability, career, and the evolving business of fashion. This is where fashion’s builders speak, share, and connect.

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https://www.fashionandfounders.com/
81 shares
https://shopmy.us/fashionandfounders
56 shares
https://shop.shoponpickle.com/closet/d2b2190e-a572-4d0b-a2bc-486bd7c89ed0?via=oneLink
52 shares

https://www.instagram.com/fashionandfounders
81 shares
https://www.instagram.com/interwovenstories.pod
30 shares
https://www.instagram.com/threadsoftech
3 shares

https://www.tiktok.com/@vfsmith11
85 shares
https://www.tiktok.com/@fashionandfounders?is_from_webapp=1&amp
37 shares
https://www.tiktok.com/@fashionandfounders?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
19 shares

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Score global : 21%

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How to Become a Fashion Editor | Who What Wear

Monday, November 9, 2026 • Duration 38:09

How to pitch a fashion editor and get noticed? How to get a job in fashion? Why you need to start a Substack to work in fashion.

This week on Fashion and Founders, Victoria sits down with Sierra Mayhew, Fashion Editor at Who What Wear, to go behind the scenes of fashion media. Sierra shares her journey from starting a fashion blog in college and interning in the fashion closet at ELLE to working at Harper's Bazaar and Who What Wear. She breaks down what it takes to get hired in fashion, build a portfolio, and get your first byline. But the conversation goes beyond career advice. How do fashion editors decide which brands get featured? Are trends really organic, or are brands manufacturing them? And as social media reshapes the industry, what does the future of traditional fashion publishing look like? As both a fashion editor and content creator, Sierra also shares why she's building her own personal brand and Substack, how fashion publications actually make money, and what she's learned about turning an online audience into a business.

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Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

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Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Links: Shop My

Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Roller Rabbit Discount Code: VICTORIA20 for 20% off

Follow Sierra Mayhew:

IG: @_sierramayhew

Substack HERE

Articles HERE

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IG: @whowhatwear

Thanks for listening!

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The Woman Building the Buzziest Brands

Monday, October 26, 2026 • Duration 59:10

Behind buzziest influencer brands like the Bar and Phe Phe. What really goes into building a successful fashion brand?

Ashley Leo is the woman behind some of fashion's buzziest brands, including The Bar and Phe Phe, founded by Bridget and Danielle Pheloung (Acquired Style). After spending over 20 years in the fashion industry building brands like ALC, Rag & Bone, Theory, and Fleur du Mal, Ashley saw an opportunity to rethink how fashion brands are built. She went on to co-found The Bar and launch The Leo Group (TLG), where she partners with creators to turn their audiences and ideas into successful businesses. In this episode of Fashion & Founders, Ashley takes us behind the scenes of the influencer brand business model, from product development and manufacturing to marketing, inventory, and financing. We get into some of the biggest questions and misconceptions surrounding influencer brands: Are sellouts intentional? How involved are influencers in actually designing their collections? Does follower count determine whether a brand will succeed? And can an influencer-founded brand eventually stand on its own? Ashley also shares her career journey, why she left traditional fashion retail, what she looks for in business partners, and her advice for anyone hoping to break into the fashion industry or launch a brand of their own.

This episode is brought to you by Roller Rabbit.

Use code VICTORIA20 for 20% off your order!

Shop the Merry in Print Collection

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Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

The $10 Billion Tech Company that Happens to Sell Clothes

Monday, October 19, 2026 • Duration 56:38

How do you build a career where opportunities come to you instead of constantly applying for jobs? And how did Quince become a $10.1 billion company selling $50 cashmere sweaters?

This week on Fashion and Founders, I'm joined by Dakota Kate Isaacs, Head of Brand Strategy and Narrative at Quince, to talk about building a career in fashion, taking risks, and the technology changing the fashion industry. Dakota has never applied for a job she's held. After completing 12 internships in college, she took a chance on a little-known beauty startup called Deciem, the parent company of The Ordinary, where she helped build the brand in the US. Today, she's shaping the narrative behind Quince, one of fashion's most talked-about companies. We get into the career moves that helped her get here, from building relationships and making yourself invaluable at work. Get an inside look at Quince's business model. Dakota breaks down how the company uses technology to rethink traditional retail, why luxury products cost what they do, how Quince approaches quality and manufacturing, and the debate around dupes, sustainability, and fast fashion. Whether you're looking to break into fashion, take the next step in your career, or build a breakthrough business, this episode is packed with lessons from someone who has helped shape two of the industry's most disruptive brands.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.

Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community HERE.

Follow Fashion & Founders:

Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

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The Skills that Get You Ahead in Fashion

Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 56:39

How to start a jewelry business. Engagement ring trends. Lab-grown vs. natural diamonds. Acquired Style Wedding.

Ring Concierge founder Nicole Wegman joins Fashion and Founders to talk about scaling to a $100 Million Business. Nicole shares advice for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur, leave corporate and work for themselves, or eventually start their own brand. She explains why she believes you should gain work experience before starting a company, what aspiring founders should learn while working for someone else, how she built Ring Concierge without an industry network, and what it takes to grow from founder to CEO. We talk engagement ring trends, the bridal economy, and how social media is changing the market. Plus, we talk hiring, leadership, outside investment, natural vs. lab-grown diamonds, the biggest misconceptions in the jewelry industry, and what today’s brides are actually looking for.

This episode is brought to you by Roller Rabbit.

Take 20% off your order of $150 with code VICTORIA20 at rollerrabbit.com

Follow Fashion & Founders:

Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders

Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Links: Shop My

Fashion Career Mentor: Advice from Vogue & The RealReal [From the Archives]

Monday, October 5, 2026 • Duration 38:22

How do you build a career in fashion and actually get your foot in the door at companies like Vogue and The RealReal? Rachel Glicksberg shares the career advice, networking strategies, and cold email tactics that helped her build a nonlinear career across some of fashion’s biggest names.

This is a reposted episode from 2025. Rachel is the Women’s Fashion and New Initiatives Lead at The RealReal, where her role has evolved far beyond the job she was originally hired to do. Before joining The RealReal, she worked across fashion media and editorial, including Lucky Magazine and Vogue Italia, building her career through cold outreach, genuine relationships, and a willingness to follow opportunities even when they didn’t fit a traditional path. Rachel is a mentor at Monday Girl and shares the fashion career advice we all need to hear. We also get into The RealReal, the rise of luxury resale and vintage, developing personal style, supporting emerging designers, and Rachel’s best tips for finding the best pieces on the platform. If you’re trying to break into fashion, pivot within the industry, or create more opportunities in your current role, this episode is packed with practical career advice you can actually use.

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Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

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Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders

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The Unspoken Rules of Working with Luxury Fashion Brands with Kate Bartlett

Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 01:02:40

How to work with luxury fashion brands. How to get invited to fashion week. Top 1% of fashion creators.

Kate Bartlett has built one of the most recognizable careers in fashion content going from an FIT student posting day-in-the-life videos to working with some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. In this episode of Fashion and Founders, Kate breaks down how she turned content creation into a real business, what it actually takes to build relationships with fashion brands, and the behind-the-scenes realities of being a full-time creator. We talk about the TikTok that changed her career, gaining 100,000 followers overnight, getting signed by management, making money as a creator, and why reaching one million followers changed the way luxury brands viewed her. Kate also shares the unspoken rules of working with luxury fashion houses, how creators actually get invited to Fashion Week, and what brands are really looking for beyond follower count. We also get into the business side of influencing brand deal negotiations, exclusivity, whitelisting, production costs, working with photographers and glam teams, and why a 15-second sponsored video can take weeks of work behind the scenes. Plus, Kate talks about going back to school for her MBA at NYU, how she thinks about the future of her career beyond influencing, and her advice for anyone trying to build a career in fashion today. If you want to work in fashion, grow as a creator, work with luxury brands, or understand the business behind the influencer industry, this episode is for you.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.

Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community HERE.

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Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

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Why She Stopped Selling Her Bestsellers

Monday, September 21, 2026 • Duration 56:28

Why Aureum stopped selling jewelry. September Reset Guide. Fall Reset. How to become a founder.

Cass Dimicco joins Victoria Smith, host Fashion and Founders to break down how she went from fashion buyer to creator to founder of Aureum. Cass gives listeners a “founder playbook,” even if you’re not about to start a company this is a great September reset guide. We go into changing your habits, building confidence, and betting on yourself. Her company recently went through a big pivot too. Cass shares why the brand ultimately stopped selling the jewelry it became known for. We talk about knowing when to pivot, finding and building relationships with manufacturers, pricing luxury products, why your brand doesn't need to be for everyone, and how Aureum is intentionally separating itself from the traditional “influencer brand” model. Cass also shares how she thinks about creator gifting, what actually gets her attention when hiring, why women should have more audacity when charging for their work, and how she turned her relationship with ShopMy into an opportunity to become an investor. If you're building a fashion brand, growing as a creator, or figuring out when it's time to bet on yourself, this episode is full of tangible advice you can actually use.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.

Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community ⁠HERE⁠.

Follow Fashion & Founders:

Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

Who Will Win Fashion Tech?

Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 48:35

What does the future of fashion tech actually look like and which companies will survive it? What is fashion tech? How to work in fashion tech? What companies get investment?

This week, Victoria sits down with Juan Pellerano, Chief Marketing Officer at Swap Commerce, a fast-growing fashion tech company that raised a $100 million Series C in 2026. Juan breaks down what agentic commerce actually means, how AI could change the way we shop online, and why the next generation of e-commerce may look far more personalized than the traditional dot com experience. Juan shares lessons from helping scale Swap: how the company landed its earliest customers, why community has become one of its most effective growth strategies, what makes a fashion tech startup attractive to investors, and why founders need to ask whether they're building a true company or simply a feature. Whether you are a founder, investor, marketer, or simply interested in fashion tech there is something to takeaway from this episode.

Follow Fashion & Founders:

Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders

Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Links: Shop My

opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

How to Turn a Personal Brand Into a Real Business with Alexis Barber

Monday, August 31, 2026 • Duration 56:04

How to build a personal brand, make money as a content creator, and turn an online audience into a real business.

In this episode of Fashion and Founders, host Victoria Smith is joined by Alexis Barber. Alexis is the founder and host of Too Smart For This and has built a portfolio career spanning content, consulting, speaking, entrepreneurship, and publishing. In this episode, she shares why she believes content creation is a skill, not a career and how creators can use content as a distribution channel for something much bigger. We discuss the shift from the “relatability economy” to the “credibility economy,” influencer vs. thought leader, finding your zone of genius, building multiple revenue streams, and why long-form content can be more valuable than going viral. Alexis also shares what working at YouTube taught her about the creator business, her first $30K brand deal, and how she’s approaching her next level with a focus on excellence and authority. If you're building a personal brand, growing as a creator, or trying to turn your expertise and audience into a sustainable business, this episode is for you.

Follow Fashion & Founders:

Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders

Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Links: Shop My

Inside Copenhagen Fashion Week: Invites, PR, Events

Monday, August 17, 2026 • Duration 29:41

How to get invited to fashion week, what I wish I knew before attending my first fashion week, who gets invited to fashion shows?

Inside Copenhagen Fashion Week SS27. What makes Copenhagen Fashion Week different and why it’s one of my favorites. We go over the Live Podcast with Ganni and how the brand engages in fashion tech and innovation. Plus tips I’ve learned about getting invited to fashion events and how to make the most of them.

Ganni Founder Podcast⁠

⁠Ganni Chief Sustainability Officer Podcast

Follow Fashion & Founders:

Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders

Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com

Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders

Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders

Podcast Links: Shop My

opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.