Contrary to popular parlance then, fashion is more about fitting in than standing out. It emphasizes group identity, highlighting those groups who wield the most power, or social significance, in the moment. Fashion underscores and externalizes the cultural zeitgeist. And by recognizing what is “in fashion” companies are able to best engage their audience and make a profit.

It seems then that fashion companies should simply be keen observers of the present in order to ensure their ongoing viability. And yet, it’s not quite so simple in an industry where determining what to produce often begins two years before a product arrives. This requires companies then to be constantly ahead of the curve in terms of potential societal trends, in order to deliver appropriate styles. Experts in trend analysis help to facilitate this process—and have become highly sophisticated at mining data to do so--albeit still victim to global health pandemics and Mother Nature. But there is another interesting tool at play—and that is the role of marketing in selling a particular trend. It starts in the business-to-business space—mills selling brands what fabrics they determine will be “in style,” brands then selling retail buyers on the clothes made from these fabrics at trade shows or on the runway, and then retailers selling customers on these same looks. In short, it’s the fashion industry, at large, that sells society on what will be “in fashion.”

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Schanel Bakkouche: Thank you for having me again. Social platforms characterized by their mass appeal, accessibility, and availability, contradict the very concept of luxury. Obviously, if we think exclusivity of brand, we can think of iconic items from renowned luxury brands; and not everyone owns them. This exclusivity helps luxury brands to maintain their stature: known by all, but paradoxically consumed by a few. 

I would mention a few points that are very important. First would be apply the personal touch and stay more authentic. Too often luxury brands will use one generic message. 

Then another point that it's very important is use consumer data. I think that customer data needs to be used to gain insight into what customer browse and add to their shopping cart, the offers that resonate with them and they respond to. By using signals such as purchasing behavior, interest, context, and location, luxury brands can make consumer feel that the communication are explicitly tailored to them, to receive personal attention, not to be addressed as a member of a broader audience. You know, this mindset can help luxury brands approach content and service in more meaningful ways. 

The other point would be experience. Obviously social media platforms are taking steps to embed the entire shopping journey from discovery to checkout. So, incorporating live streaming sales, integrated product catalog, and now even AR. So, the experience is very crucial point here again, to keep the exclusivity of luxury brands. 

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Schanel Bakkouche: Yes, of course. So, we all love snacks, right? So they can never compare to a lavish spread, but the instant gratification that snacks give is undeniable. It's the same with the way we consume content.

If we take today Twitter and I think Twitter is very good example, who would have thought, a few years ago, that this just 140 character medium of expression will change the way we communicate with each other. I feel like, the discipline of word limits imposed on Twitter user has saved us from rambling often found on the internet. And which actually made it even a better tool today and even a more relevant tool.

Joshua Williams: And you're absolutely right about Twitter in the sense that in many ways it's easier to consume. It comes in much more curated means. What does that mean for a luxury brand? How do they create strategies around content snacking, when usually their focus is on telling a much more lavish, as you said, story or narrative about their brand? 

Schanel Bakkouche: I mean, I would say that due to the fact that we are living in a time where visibility matters most, the flip side is that competition and growth within the luxury industry here is forcing brands to find new ways of developing creative brand awareness. I think this is where, like, you know, content snacking means a lot for brands, to develop their marketing strategy because they just need to communicate differently.

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Dig below the surface, and the efficacy of these collaborations, and their ability to truly capture new customers and increase sales, is dubious at best, especially for the luxury brand. It’s not like the typical Target customer all of the sudden shopped at the McQueen boutique, paying $1000s more for an item that was under $100 at Target. In fact, for many brands, these high-profile collaborations often raise a bar that cannot be easily or consistently recreated—forcing luxury brands to chase after their business, which is hardly the modus operandi of luxury brands and their quest for exclusivity. In fact, often these collaborations are a signal that all is not well with a brand—and that without relying on the affinity or success of another more accessible brand—they are not meeting their numbers. 

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We're talking about content marketing and how it shifted over the past few years, specifically in the luxury space. Content marketing is a buzz word in the marketing world, but what does it actually mean? 

Schanel Bakkouche: First, thank you for having me.

Content marketing or brand related content, is which consumers in all case or luxury consumers, actually choose to engage. So it has a value for the audience first, whether entertainment, information, or other value; and the brands second. Content can live in marketing and media channels; [00:01:00]it's not a channel itself, I would say. Content can be a spoke or a hub. It can be distributed through media or part of a destination. Importantly content is a means of engagement with current and prospective customer and give the luxury brands it's own voice. 

Joshua Williams: Very interesting. So, what is the role then of content marketing for luxury brands specifically?

Schanel Bakkouche: For luxury brands, the chief value of content marketing lies in its ability to reel in, persuade and evangelize the most discerning audience in the language and elevated aesthetic that is particular to luxury. 

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Sass Brown: The IOU Project. 

Joshua Williams: Ah, the IOU Project. I know they're based in Madrid. Spain. Can you tell us a little bit about them and their founder? 

Sass Brown: Absolutely. The founder is Kevita Parmar. She works predominantly with hand loomed madras cotton out of India. If you're familiar with the madras cotton, it's quite distinct, they're often candy colored checks and they're quite different from weaver to weaver. Each one is quite unique. And so what she does, she works with locally grown cotton from that region that is then hand-woven. So we're talking about a fabric that has literally no carbon footprint to begin with. But moreover, he really honors the makers, whether it's the maker of the garment or the weaver of the fabric as a truly vital component of her value chain of the garment. And as equal in terms of standing as the designer or the customer.

So it's a very flat, democratic program or company, if you like. It's not hierarchical, where the designers at the top and the makers at the bottom. And so the website is fabulous. First of all, it's beautiful. It's very visually presented. And it features each of the garments, the makers of the garment. So you can dig into each garment and see who the weaver was. You can read a little bit about them. You can see who the maker was, the producer of the garment, the garment manufacturer, maybe watch a video. She specializes in small, little workshops in Portugal and Spain. And the fabric, as I said in India.

So it's very much about authorship and provenance and respect for all of the components that go into making the garment and giving a face and a voice to each of those people, who are normally so hidden from the customer. 

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However, if we shift the context from adjective to noun, we find some additional clarity. A luxury is something that a customer doesn’t need, but chooses to buy nonetheless, to enjoy and find pleasure in. And while that may no longer be purchasing fine silver that requires polishing, or cashmere that necessitates brushing (especially when we don’t have a wait staff to do these things for us anymore), it certainly can be applied to purchasing clothing that we don’t need, but want. This might be purchasing a $20 black tee at Zara to add to an overflowing closet, or buying a $750 black Balenciaga logo tee-shirt simply because we can afford it. The latter is certainly not defined by its quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, etc.—rather it’s brand name and high price. And thus, it stands out as something a bit different than our traditional understanding of luxury fashion. Perhaps a more apt term for it is mass luxury, or even fast luxury, more connected to its fast fashion counterpart in terms of mass production and marketing, than not. And it’s an approach that is gaining traction, the more digitized and globalized we’ve become, and the more growth traditional luxury brands seek, especially in Asia.

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Luxury brands have always had three clear levers in which to build exclusivity.

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Sass Brown: We're featuring Elvis and Kresse. 

Joshua Williams: Ah, the duo out of the UK who started with a very specific fabrication. Can you tell us a little bit about that? 

Sass Brown: They did indeed. They started with decommissioned fire hoses, so very particular resource that of course, much like military equipment gets decommissioned quite quickly, because you're talking about health and safety here. So you don't want to a fire hose with a hole in it or a worn patch, so they get decommissioned quite quickly and there's very hard-wearing resource material. They make a whole line of accessories; bags, everything from little small wallets, all the way up to a great big weekend bags and totes out of these seamed together, decommissioned fire hoses. 

And they have this fantastic sort of patina and wear on them from use. Of course, the whole story of where they came from and their function prior to being a bag. But they're really slick, beautiful bags and purses and wallets and totes that they make out of this material. They're really lovely. 

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Universities will need to continue to build their faculty base, bridging the gap between industry and the academy and facilitating more crossover between both. This will require higher paying jobs that are more in consort with industry pay in order to attract top talent. 

Businesses will need to incorporate more nuanced learning opportunities into their own employee offerings, rather than relying on external degree programs. This might include offering “bridge curricula” for post-graduates, partnering with universities to build curriculum and programming, rethinking internship programs and even offering paid apprenticeship programs. In turn, these efforts will help provide more opportunities for a company to teach hyper-focused skills as well as innovate. Studies also show that employees that have access to learning through their employers are most likely to stay at a company. 

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The current university model is heavily reliant on an in-person, on campus experience. Not only is this how it’s “been done” for more than a century, it also provides institutions with multiplicitous profit centers from cafeterias, dorms, sports events and more. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, universities weren’t able to bring students on campus, meaning profit was no longer coming from these sources--and in fact, had become a liability in the form of empty classrooms and dorms. It is no wonder that these institution’s first priority then was to get students back in person. These preparations began in earnest once a shift to online learning was facilitated in spring 2020. By fall 2021, most universities were back open for business despite the Delta variant. 

In all of this, the stark contrast was that university development over the past 50 years was largely focused on building new buildings and expanding the campus footprint, while the rest of the world was turning more digital. Universities were putting very little thought (and budgets) into the development of new digital learning technologies, modalities and support systems, including the purchase of video equipment, recording studios and even digital pedagogy.

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This is particularly true when it comes to vocational studies, such as fashion, where master’s programs have proliferated from a handful across the U.S., to a handful of offerings from hundreds of universities. For example, Parsons School of Design in New York City now offers twenty master’s programs, including MFAs, MAs, MSs and MPSs. The MPS, or Masters of Professional Studies, is a relatively new moniker that is given to vocation-specific education, such as Fashion Management. It isn’t an MBA, in that it lacks the focus on finances and statistics, and it’s focus is on one industry only--fashion. 

The cost of these programs, especially by high-profile universities from Columbia to RISD, are very high, often over $50,000 per year. And that adds up in a 2 or 3 year program. And while data suggests that students who graduate with a masters do make more than their counterparts, these high costs make a graduate program very risky, saddling students with debt that may take years to pay off.

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Joshua Williams: Hello, Sass. Who are we featuring this month? 

Ah, Re;code, based in Korea. Can you tell us a little bit about them and what makes them unique. 

Sass Brown: Yeah, they are a really fabulous company. And they work effectively with upcycled materials, revalued, discarded, and unused materials. 

They're part of a larger conglomerate called Kolon Industries. They're a small subsidiary of it. And so they utilize the dead stock and the wasted materials from the other labels that are produced under the same umbrella company. So they use dead stock from their own warehouse. They use military waste. They use industrial waste, things like car seat covers and car airbags and seat belts and things like that. So, they do have some quite unique sources for their materials. 

And they do use also post-consumer, or finished garments anyway. So they dismantle them and reconstruct and redesign them. You can see it quite clearly when you look at their designs. You'll often see half a jacket front, which is inside out, or, you see the pocket details or a sweater that's been applicated on top of a sweater up front that's been appliqued on top of a shirt, for example. So you can see the reconstruction quite clearly in their aesthetic. 

Joshua Williams: How driven are they by a particular visual aesthetic or do they let the waste, the consumer waste that you're talking about sort of drive what that vision becomes? 

Sass Brown: I think it's a bit of both.

They have a very distinct aesthetic. You can pretty much tell a Re;code piece. They have a way of deconstructing and reconstructing their garments that's quite specific and quite unique and various aesthetically pleasing.

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However, as the economy shifted away from the factory to the office in the 1970s and 80s, blue collar jobs also became less desirable. This required companies to offshore their factories--and had the added benefit of cheaper labor, with less governmental regulation. By the 1990s, this meant that most fashion related production--textiles and apparel--no longer happened in the U.S. or in Europe; it had shifted primarily to China and India and then further into southeast Asia. This shift in production brought a wave of money to these countries, effectively shifting their economies and facilitating the birth of their own middle classes, as well as the fortunes of many. 

In time, the new business owners of China and India and their children and grandchildren became the fastest growing consumer segment in the world. Not only were they buying more things, they were also going to college in higher numbers. For those that could afford it, attending top schools in London, Paris and New York--especially to study fashion--was the primary objective. These schools were seen as the penultimate in design and business education--and offered well-known brand names on resumes. 

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Concurrent with the shift of fashion education into degree-focused programs was the growth of internships, wherein companies would collaborate with academic institutions to hire non-paid workers to do low level jobs--with the promise that students would get real-world experience and training, and possibly a job at the end of their internship. In theory, this system seemed to benefit all students, especially if an internship was built into a program. But in practice, internships have largely favored the economically advantaged, has normalized unpaid work, and often doesn’t lead to a full time job.  

First, internships have largely favored the economically advantaged for a few reasons. One, students who have more economic means have a stronger network--often through their parents--to access internships in general, and better internships more specifically. Two, because internships are tied to credits (as a way to legalize unpaid work), students are essentially paying for their own internship. So students must make a decision between paying for an internship, or paying for another elective, not to increase their base tuition. Those with economic means can more easily do both. And three, students often must work in order to pay for their college experience. Doing an internship on top of school and a paying job is almost impossible. And it’s rare that schools will allow a paid job to count as an internship--and if they do, then students are essentially paying to work their own job and not benefitting from additional courses in their major. On top of this, many students will choose schools in areas such as New York City or London to study, in order to access internships. The cost of living and studying in these areas is substantially more than at local universities. The net outcome is that students with means have more opportunities for internships and then jobs upon graduation. And this means that the funnel of incoming employees doesn’t match the diversity of the student population, thus perpetuating systemic racism within the retail and fashion industries.

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And because this research isn’t necessarily tied to a company’s success--meaning that it’s not research being done as part of one’s job, or in service of a client--this has provided more opportunity to research without a required or expected outcome. In short, it has allowed for more direct critique of the fashion system. It’s no surprise then, that a correlation can be drawn between the growth of fashion research and a growth of interest in subjects such as sustainability, human rights and EISJ. These topics are consistently in the top five when it comes to student research. 

Over time, these areas of academic focus have shifted from the institution to the industry, for two reasons: 1) students are graduating with these topics being front and center in their learning and 2) the more educated people become, the more they demand change from companies. However, this process has been slow and highlights the lack of direct collaboration between academia and industry.

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Christopher Raeburn is a design-led, London-based womenswear, menswear and accessories fashion brand. Christopher works with certified organic materials, recycled polyester, and a lot of surplus materials, particularly military surplus. According to Sass Brown, Christopher’s aesthetic comes from, “a fascination with military materials and something that he's quoted as saying ‘archeological discoveries.’” 

The brand dates back to about 2009 and Christopher’s first collection, which was fall winter 2010, was made from decommissioned military wool field jackets and nylon parachutes. Sass points out, “that's an aesthetic that has continued throughout the collection, since that day. It's very technically savvy; it's full of utilitarian details.”But it also includes some whimsy, she says.” This combination of whimsy and the utilitarian makes his designs very recognizable on the streets.

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While some of these corporate programs persist, their fundamental approach (and need) shifted once fashion education became fully integrated into undergraduate degree programs at universities. The onus for training employees shifted from the employer to the university. To a degree, this helped to provide a more consistent foundation in terms of knowledge and skills. And it provided students with a more 360 degree view of the industry beyond a specific job they were training for, along with better soft skills, such as collaboration and communication. But, it also meant that students were learning less hard skills, creating a chasm between what was learned in college versus what was needed on the job. 

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Shifting a fashion education into a more liberal arts setting requires students to take non-fashion courses such as sciences, mathematics, history and so forth, in order to meet accreditation standards. While this ensures a more well-rounded education, it also means less time to focus on fashion related subjects and skills training. For bachelor-level students, this means taking a series of foundational courses, and perhaps an elective or two, without ever having the chance to deep dive, or gain expertise in any one particular area. The goal then becomes on providing a foundation of knowledge and the ability to think critically--the hallmarks of a liberal arts education-- on which students can build, once they enter the industry. While there is certainly value in this approach, it has also led to a wide chasm between what knowledge and actual skills students graduate with, versus what employers expect of them, or need.

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One focuses on who has the right in a secondary market to sell certain brands. Most notably, Chanel has filed three lawsuits against The RealReal and 15 cease and desist orders. Their core contentions are that they should have complete control over who sells their product; they should always benefit from the sell of their product; and finally, that they are the only ones able to ensure authenticity. While Chanel, and other luxury brands, have long been sold at secondhand stores throughout the world, the difference here is The RealReal’s scale and control. 

The other conversation focuses on that of fashion sustainability and the shift of consumer behavior towards buying something used, rather than something new. In fact, this has been a marketing strategy that The RealReal has been using in its television ads. And while there are clear benefits to selling and buying secondhand products, for many this claim seems to be more greenwashing than true. After all, The RealReal relies on a heavy back and forth shipping scheme to receive and sell product. What’s more, the pay out for customers is fairly low, as the company sets the sell price—and therefore potentially undermines the customer’s reason to be part of this transaction 

What’s largely missing in these conversations, is a discussion about the long view of brand engagement, especially post-purchase. Typically, marketing strategy is focused on getting a customer back in the door to buy new product, not sell or purchase used product. And yet, by embracing secondhand sales, there is real potential for fashion brands, luxury specifically, to rethink and reengage customers in a more lifelong experience—that recognizes the twists and turns of trends and social behaviors.

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Sass Brown: We're talking about VOZ. 

Joshua Williams:Ah, VOZ. They're based in New York City, but do a lot of their work in Chile. Can you tell us a little bit about them? 

Sass Brown: Absolutely. They're an amazing brand. They were founded back in 2012 by Jasmine Aarons. And their mission is really to honor and empower artisans, to support them economically and culturally by showcasing their traditions of hand weaving and hand dying. So the collection is built around core items that are handwoven by the Mapuche and hand-dyed; vegetable-dyed through the long tradition of hand weaving and artisanship with cotton and with alpaca from the region.

Joshua Williams: And can you tell us a little about the Mapuche people because that's quite unique, their story, and why she's chosen to work with this particular group? 

Sass Brown: For sure. Well then the Mapuche are actually the largest indigenous group in South America. And we never call them cooked by the Spanish. And they have a very long heritage of working with natural fibers, local materials, both animal and vegetable and hand weaving, hand spinning the product. So, they have a very long tradition of it. Like many indigenous groups, there's stories and meanings behind the patterns and the symbolism that's embedded within the things that they weave. It's very graphic visually. Often, it's black on a off-white or a beige base, but it can be and other colors. And if you look at Jasmine's work, she often incorporates all sorts of different shapes. But usually very graphic patterning on a hand-woven base.

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Values are often separate from action--because values can be hard to pin down or define quantitatively, and because they are contextual. But rather than giving up, it’s a reminder that more education is needed, and that knowledge will empower brands and consumers to make more informed and sustainable choices and demand ongoing change. 

Maria Soubbotina, a graduate student and research assistant at Parsons School of Design, focuses her time on parsing how people use language as it pertains to fashion and retail. And for the past year, she has been deciphering the conversations happening at our sister podcast, “Retail Revolution.” 

“Over the past year, I’ve noticed a shift in how retail issues, including sustainability, are discussed. Sustainability, in general, was primarily a catch-all conversation for anything wrong with the fashion industry, or it was specifically referring to the effects of fashion production on the environment. And rightfully so, since that is a large part of it. For example, water pollution is just one part of the environmental aspect and 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile manufacturing.” 

But now, she says, the pandemic has begun to shift the language around sustainability towards the effects on the individual. For example, the extent of the impact that chemicals and dyes used to create clothing have on our skin. “Around 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into clothing, but the average consumer wouldn’t be able to name even one chemical that’s used in the production process, because it’s not something that’s discussed as frequently.” 

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However, what’s particularly fascinating about these numbers is that even at the height of the pandemic, 60% or more of sales were still transacted in a brick and mortar store. And instead of online sales holding at 40%, they have decreased, suggesting that in-person shopping still holds sway among customers. While customers appreciate the utility and perceived ease of shopping online, shopping is not just about the purchase itself, especially when it comes to buying fashion—which is often less about the piece we’re buying and more about the experience of finding something, trying it on and buying it. 

However, this is not to suggest that in-store versus online is an even comparison. The reality is much more complex and harder to truly track. Many experts estimate that 65% or more of in-store purchases involve a digital component—meaning customers are engaging online first, whether it’s searching for the perfect dress or trousers, finding a store location, or even purchasing online—before, they head to the store to pick up an item. Or, the customer is online while shopping in a store; they might be listening to music, getting style advice from a friend via FaceTime, or even shopping a competitor. 

What’s more, the primary way in which customers interact with brands now—on a daily basis—is online. This interaction starts first thing in the morning, when a customer picks up their phone, checks their emails, and scrolls through Instagram. This mostly 2D brand experience, often on a small screen, is the most common way customers interact with a brand. And they are doing so from their personal space, rather than in a fully branded space like a store, where the brand is in control. In other words, while customers might still prefer shopping and engaging with brands in a physical store, digital is defining and driving the overall experience. 

This reality requires a major shift from retailer leaders, where most decisions about online shopping have been based on traditional, brick and mortar store models; where online was seen more as an “add-on” than the driving force behind customer purchase behaviors. And it necessitates a realization that the interaction between the brand and the customer is fundamentally different and difficult to maintain. After all, the start of a customer journey probably begins with a Google search or a request to Alexa. Ultimately, this shift to a digitally-led business also requires a new type of employee skillset, that merges technology and data know-how with traditional roles in merchandising, buying, planning, logistics and management. And it requires agility and flexibility in order to stay competitive, beyond seasonal trends. 

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Sass Brown: We're talking about Tonlé. They're a Cambodian brand that does a contemporary collection, 

Joshua Williams: This is such an interesting brand, because they really are involved in so many different things. But at the core, they are a womenswear brand led by founders who are very activistic in terms of how to approach design and how to be part of the world as global citizens.

Sass Brown: Absolutely.  Rachel Faller, who's the founder, she's based in California. The brand itself is produced and operated out of Cambodia, which is where she splits her time with. And she is very impressive in terms of, she really understands the place that the fashion system has played in neo-liberalism, colonialism, the whole sort of white savior type mentality. And she really is extremely conscious of that and sees her role as developing a brand and a company out of Cambodia as an honor; that she is able to give back, that she is able to enable the population, to show their capabilities instead of continuing a  rather long and messy past between the U.S. and Cambodia. So, she's very much aware of the role that she plays. 

Joshua Williams: Can you talk a little bit about her design aesthetic, how she approaches her work? 

Sass Brown: It's a very contemporary, wearable, easy wear collection. They're very relatable clothes. They are at a median price point, so they're quite accessible.

A lot of the collection is made out of jersey, although they utilize a number of different techniques. One of the things that is really quite special about them is their focus on worker training. First of all, all their workers are full-time employees. They don't do piece work. They don't subcontract. They encourage their employees to train, to upskill, to learn, which is quite the reverse of your usual sort of workshops, factory setting, particularly in a place like Cambodia that does significant fast fashion production, where it's all about the de-skilling of workers and the underpaying of workers. She does the complete  reverse. She operates in a lean manufacturing model, which means workers work in a circle. They don't work in straight lines, looking at the back of the person in front of them. They're encouraged to learn new techniques, to try new machines. They are paid to up-skill They're encouraged to progress employment-wise towards managerial positions and so on. So it's much more of a humane model, or an ethical model of production, if you will. And in a country that's renowned for fast fashion and the reverse of that. 

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For years, capturing and analyzing data has supported fashion companies in their efforts to better understand, target and engage their customers. This data mining operation--driven by complex algorithms and information engineers--has largely been under the auspices of financial and marketing departments. But over the years, the world of big data has creeped into the creative process.  

Schanel Bakkouche, founder and creative director at SFB Creative, as well as editor and stylist for Vogue International Publications, says that this shift to data provides fashion brands with a competitive advantage. “Data can provide access to key market insights that allows a creative director to focus on what’s important to the customer, thus increasing speed to market, efficiencies and overall engagement.” She emphasizes that fashion can be very subjective, but data can help point creative teams in the right direction. “Data can help eliminate confusion internally and create consistency and transparency across all channels. It can also help to set manageable expectations, even optimize what works best.”

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It’s a tall order, agrees Renee Cooper, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, who focuses on management and leadership development. “These days, I think the qualities that set a fashion leader apart from execs in other industries is a bit unique.” When asked if there are any particular fashion leaders that she believes set the right example, she quips, “I suppose I should mention John Donahue or Mark Parker of Nike, but I have to go with a leader who has built a fashion brand that is becoming more and more formidable every day. And that brand is Harlem's Fashion Row, built by owner and founder, Brandice Henderson.”

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And while in the past, it was typical for a merchant or buyer to move up through the ranks into management roles and then the executive offices of a fashion brand, it’s now just as likely to see MBA graduates in the C-Suite, often without any fashion experience at all. Both scenarios come with their own pluses and minuses. However, according to Renee Cooper, a professor in the School of Business at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the ability to lead is fundamental. She states, “After all, a leader influences people to follow, whereas a manager gets people to work for them, thereby executing the leader's mission.”

Renee believes that in today’s evolving fashion industry the key challenge for any business leader is building a sustainable, competitive advantage beyond products and services. “It's not just about members sitting at the board table or majority stockholders. Today, the C-suite must ensure the demands of the customers, employees, and the communities in which they operate.” And they must do with this more transparency, authenticity and empathy. For example, she says, “Fashion business leaders should recognize the benefits of diversity and inclusion and put initiatives into action. Not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.” She emphasizes: “Look at your executive team leaders. Look at your candidate pool. Look at the current committed members of the organization who have never been given the recognition, title and salary for their contributions over the years.”

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Sass Brown: We're talking about Kur Collection.

Joshua Williams: Based in New York city. Can you tell us a little bit about them? 

Sass Brown: Sure. The founder is based in New York, but the production is done out of Sri Lanka. And they're a young contemporary women's wear, mostly dress collection, dresses and separates. Really pretty. That incorporates handmade Portuguese lace or Dutch handmade lace, but from Sri Lanka. It's called Biralu lace there. And it's really beautiful. 

Joshua Williams: It's very interesting because as you said, they're producing out of Sri Lanka, but they're also using Portuguese techniques. How did this sort of interesting combination come about?

Sass Brown: Well, traditional material culture is often just like culture itself, a response to immigration, to colonialism, all of those things. So Portuguese handmade lace was adopted in Sri Lanka through Portuguese colonialism and then Dutch colonialism, both of which countries ladies of leisure, used to do handmade lace in their own time. And so that was transmitted to the local population and taken up by them. And now it's part of their culture and part of their history.

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According to sustainability expert and founder of The Knew Purpose, Sydney Price recommends that companies adopt a circular economy model. This model is quite literally a supply chain that operates like a circle and is based on three core principles. 

The first principle Sydney says is designing out waste and pollution points. 

The focus here is on transitioning to more effective and efficient waste elimination processes that require fewer resource inputs such as fossil fuels, chemicals and even water. It also seeks to adopt more energy efficient resources such as renewable energy.

The second principle is keeping products and materials in use. 

The idea here is to transform the way clothes are designed, sold and used to break free from their disposable nature. Companies can start by creating more durable clothes. They can also change their business models to short-term rental subscriptions, resale and on-demand purchasing. Brands can also offer repair services.

Sydney points out that focusing on this principle can add to overall brand / consumer engagement, and augment the perceived quality of product, experience and convenience, or what creative strategist AJ Lacouette refers to as the new trinity. 

The third and final principle is regenerating natural systems.

A circular economy avoids the use of non-renewable resources and preserves or enhances renewable ones, for instance by returning valuable nutrients to the soil to support regeneration, or using renewable energy as opposed to relying on fossil fuels.

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This shift has meant that fashion brands have also had to rethink how they engage and sell to consumers. Dealing with a global pandemic, put fashion consumption in stark reality to more important issues. What’s more, customers were now working from home and were focused less on new trends and more on comfort. But they also desired relief from the constant stream of pandemic news and the monotony of being cooped up at home. This made the marketplace ripe for fashion brands to try new ways to engage their customers--outside of their normal, “tried and true” marketing strategies. And for many, this meant seeking partnerships and collaborations with other brands to create new narratives, and an element of surprise. 

Caryn Pang, an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, and retail technology consultant, also believes that collaboration provided an opportunity for brands to energize their employees, especially when racial issues added another layer to pandemic anxiety. She explains:

“At the core of collaboration is teamwork, which is an important part of the inclusivity and accessibility conversation that began in earnest in the spring of 2020.” And she adds that a sense of inclusivity and accessibility that can be engendered through teamwork can also lead to a much-needed sense of community. “In turn, community creates a sense of belonging and optimism. This real need for belonging, coupled with a sense of shared hope, can be attributed to the pandemic and being home for so long, disconnected from others. It’s human nature for people to want to come together and collaborate--to create a future together.”

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It’s an expensive process and takes expertise that is largely non-existent in the current workforce. However, for companies and schools that were already implementing 3D design into their workflow, the switch came more easily according to Soojin Kang, a fashion designer and faculty member at Parsons School of Design. 

[Soojin] I had the privilege to teach the first Clo3d trial class at Parsons, and so when the pandemic hit we did not have any significant difficulties switching from offline to online. 

She describes the remote teaching and learning process:

[Soojin] I was able to do live demonstrations via Clo3d software by sharing my screen on Zoom. I could then remote control a student’s screen and give them technical support right away. Even remotely, my students were still able to make 3D garments in the digital space, expressing their designs and outcomes beautifully; and with very few problems. 

When Parsons decided to go fully online for the fall, Clo3D was adopted into all third level courses, with the support and enthusiasm of students, who recognized this skill as an important one in their toolkit. 

[Soojin] I am very excited for our current Parsons students who will obtain 3D design knowledge and experiences before they graduate. 

Soojin notes that the industry has reached a tipping point. The need for 3D design experience and skills will not just be helpful on a resume, it will become a mandatory skillset, especially as businesses understand its benefits.

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For those who made it pass these initial hurdles, the focus turned to the fourth quarter, the most important season for fashion retailers in terms of overall sales. For most retailers, this meant putting more emphasis on e-commerce, restructuring promotional timelines and realigning direct-to-consumer distribution strategies. For others, this included more drastic measures, such as reconfiguring physical stores to be pick-up only locations, or even “dark stores” or warehouses. 

Now, as we near the end of the fourth quarter, retail executives are hoping to see that their efforts have paid off and will provide a foundation with which to rebuild their businesses in the short term, post-pandemic.

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Carla Fernandez is a Mexico City-based designer and brand, well known for supporting and promoting indigenous traditional craft from across Mexico and famous for saying that the haute couture of Mexico is located in the indigenous villages.” 

According to Sass, “one of the beauties of Mexico, and one of the things that Carla feels so strongly about, is the fact that there is such a diversity of material traditions across Mexico, across crafts, across communities that are all unique and special.” And she explains that Carla sees it as an honor to be able to work with, and in partnership with, those communities and those people. “She has a long history of working with indigenous communities by going and spending significant time with them, listening and learning from them about what their traditions are, what the meanings and the codes embedded in those traditions and processes are, and what their actual needs are.”

As an extension to her work with indigenous craftspeople, Carla designs a fashion collection, which she sells in her stores and online. Managing the supply side as well as customer demand for fashion products can be difficult, so she has divided her business into two entities: for-profit and not-for-profit. Sass explains that this is not unusual for a socially motivated brand to do, especially when they realize the limitations of a for-profit only business. She adds, “To a degree, the for-profit arm of the business offsets the costs of the not-for-profit work which focuses on engaging with artisans to develop their traditions and crafts into marketable products.” 

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More and more, Gen Z customers also prefer brands that take a stand on social justice and political issues; topics which brands have typically avoided. After all, one misstep may lead to being cancelled--leading to unwanted press, boycotts and impacting sales.      

However, because of its higher price point and its focus on a more mature customer demographic, luxury fashion has not had to deal with this issue as directly as more accessible brands. Sure, there have been plenty of mishaps that have led to negative press, such as the recent Dior, Gucci and Marni fiascos, but these largely blew over.

What’s more, luxury brands have always been in the business of creating an escape from the real world, creating products that are more about desire than need. Brands such as Chanel and Hermes have been carefully crafting their images for decades, carefully cultivating an aura of mystery and authenticity--myth-making at its best--and certainly the opposite of transparency and true authenticity. 

Here’s Luca Marchetti, cultural analyst, semiotician and co-founder of The Prospectivists in Paris: 

[Luca] On a general level, yes, these concepts are in some ways contradictory with the traditional vision of luxury, in Europe at least. Even if, historically, this field was built on the highest quality and excellence, and its desirability is culturally rooted in opacity and the aura projected around products. Transparency was not an option.

[Luca] Real change will come, when it will be an obligation. It will just be harsher and even more expensive.

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Some brands chose to send new styles from their collection to models and influencers, asking them to be creative and to use what they had at their disposal, hoping for the best. For many brands, this was the first time they had ceded creative control to the model or influencer. 

In the end, some of these campaigns, although home-spun, went viral and were very successful. Others didn’t quite hit the mark. Which begs the question, have brands hit on an all-together new marketing strategy? And is this model worth including in future marketing strategies? 

[Laura] No. As a matter of fact, I think this strategy will be short lived and produce results only in terms of metrics, data and social media engagement.

That’s Laura Lanteri, creative director and consultant at LLNYC Worldwide, a Global Advertising and Marketing firm based in New York City. She continues:

[Laura] In my opinion, a campaign is really successful when it becomes part of the day-to-day conversation, when it becomes part of our cultural landscape. Influencer marketing doesn’t have the power to do that. It all depends on what we decide to focus on: cultural relevance or Instagram likes.

And yet, with the growth of social media such as Instagram, and the ability and access for just about anyone to create content, a real shift in consumer demand has occurred over the past decade. A shift that places more value on realistic imagery and narrative as opposed to perfection, or at least the illusion of perfection, that the fashion industry has peddled over the past century. It’s an illusion that is very one-sided, stresses Laura.

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And while institutions grapple with these changes, potential fashion design students wonder how or if these issues may change the application process. Here’s Susanna Moyer, a part time professor in the BFA Fashion Design program at Parsons School of Design and an educational consultant in New York City.

[Susanna] Some schools and universities will be looking for students that are able to connect with global issues, with inclusivity being one of them. Students who bring innovation and critical thinking to these issues through the creative process will be the most attractive candidates for these institutions.

And more specifically, fashion schools are increasingly looking for students who show an aptitude and knowledge of emerging technologies. 

[Susanna] Technology, as well, is becoming more and more important for the student to understand. It is being used in the school environment and the professional arena.So, it's really important for students to understand 3D technology, including Clo3D. 

While it’s not expected that an incoming student learn a complex software platform like Clo3D, having an awareness of how it works, or how it changes the design process is very helpful. This is especially true when so much of learning is online right now. 

At the same time, Susanna points out that the core of what makes a successful portfolio hasn’t really changed. It’s still important for students to present “a clear, focused direction, and diversity in presentation.” 

[Susanna] All elements, including moodboard designs and technical flats need to be well thought out and executed so the storytelling of the collection is understandable to the viewer. Along with the portfolio, the student needs to create a design journal to process concepts and research for the portfolio. Some of this content can be used in the portfolio submission. The last thing is to remember, in most cases, the student cannot be there to present their work. They need to ask themselves if the presentation is clear for the viewer. 

And Susanna points out that students who understand their potential role as a designer within the bigger picture can also help them to stand out, as long as it is authentic. 

[Susanna] It is very, very important that the students ‘do’ themselves. As Oscar Wilde said, ‘be yourself, everyone else has taken.’ Be original and believe in something. And also look at what you need to learn before you get into school.

Part of the equation for any incoming student is whether fashion design school is right for them, or if there is even any future in fashion. After all, the world is changing precipitously, and the effect on fashion is obvious. 

[Susanna] The new opportunities for students include the broadening markets and the specializations that are emerging with the changing social rules that are being broken every day. Genderless clothing is one example along with sustainable and ethical practices that are becoming stronger trends with the consumer.

With any change comes opportunity. And an education is meant to prepare students to be ready for new opportunities--to be ready to ideate, innovate and implement. Susanna sums it up, “Choose a school or program that aligns with your values and goals, and gives you a safe space to learn through process and even failure.”

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Sass, thank you so much for being with us today. 

Sass Brown: Happy to be here. 

Joshua Williams: And so, who are you featuring this month? 

Sass Brown: Zazi Vintage, founded by Jeanne de Kroon in Amsterdam and they work across Uzbekistan, India, and Afghanistan. 

Joshua Williams: Tell us a little bit about what makes Zazi Vintage so unique. 

Sass Brown: They work with heritage textiles and artisan-based textiles that have been produced along the traditional Silk Route. So, they work with Uzbekistan ikat. They work with Kashmiri embroidery and with Suzani embroideries. 

Joshua Williams: Wow. So, are they fully customizing each piece or do they have a line that they sell direct to the consumer? 

Sass Brown: They have the small ready-to-wear line of contemporary fashion pieces, separates and predominantly dresses. But then they have a line of Suzani coats, which are those fabulous fur-trimmed, Afghan coats. If you think of Sergeant Peppers from the Beatles; that sort of iconic embroidered uor trimmed coat. And so, those are all covered in Suzani, vintage Suzani embroideries. Those are made to order. And you're able to customize them a little bit, in terms of choice of fur, color, type of embroidery, et cetera.

Joshua Williams: Sass, what do you think that other more mainstream brands can learn from Zazi Vintage? 

Sass Brown: I think there's an awful lot to do with intention and motivation. Honestly, Jeanne is the founder of the brand, is one of the most committed people I've ever met in terms of ethics and how she works. And it's all to do with her passion for textiles, and fo storytelling, and the people whose story she tells through the weaving, through the story threads of embroidery. And so, I think her values and our motivation are incredible. 

I think an example of that is when Covid hit, she reached out to her artissans and asked them what they needed to survive during this difficult time during lockdown, when people were canceling orders. She's not the only person that works with them. So, she went back to the other brands that were working with her artisans, and said, look, this is what they need to survive, to keep a roof over their head, to keep food on the table. How do we collectively work out a plan to ensure that they can survive through this? 

Joshua Williams: Such a human-centric touch. 

How can listeners learn more about Zazi Vintage?

Sass Brown:  Well, they sell direct to consumer only. So, you have to access them through their website, which is zazivintage.com. So, it's pretty straightforward. They also have a really lovely Instagram feed, which is also @ZaziVintage. So, it's very easy to find them. 

Joshua Williams: All right, Sass. Thank you so much. We'll see you in a month for your next feature.

Sass Brown: Look forward to it.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has tested the mettle of fashion executives worldwide. They have had to adapt quickly, shifting retail operations primarily online, reimagining their distribution and production, and moving their workforce to remote offices. In more dire cases, they have furloughed or fired employees, cancelled orders and closed stores.

The ripple effect across the supply chain is visible. According to the U.S. Fashion Industry Association, confidence in the fashion business has dropped more than 8% since 2019 and 95% of brands expect sales revenue decreases for the 2020 fiscal year.  

On top of this, civil unrest in the US and worldwide, has laid bare issues of systemic racism and gender pay inequality. And younger customers are quick to “cancel” brands that are not responding transparently with actionable change. 

In short, fashion executives have had to be more visible as consumers demand more transparency, in many ways changing the role of brand leadership and shifting how companies hire. According to Meghan Houle, a Senior Executive Recruiter at The Bowerman Group, fashion companies are taking this moment to be very picky in hiring new executives. 

[Meghan] It really is all about reputation. As the saying goes, ‘Your past can come back to haunt you.’ It is all about reputation.  

When it comes to leadership qualities needed during a crisis such as this, it’s all about “honesty, empathy and approachability.” she says. 

[Meghan] Honest with your communication strategies, empathetic to all situations. Everyone's going through a lot. And empathy, maybe compassion; we'll add that in there. I think it's just really important to teams overall. And to be approachable, really in creating environments where people feel seen and heard and valued. 

As fashion companies head into the fourth quarter and plan their budgets for 2021, they will be prioritizing key roles to ensure ongoing agility and the ability to pivot. So what does this mean for job seekers?

[Meghan] I would expect a slow, but steady, hiring pace, prioritizing key roles. So, I do believe interviews will continue. Offers may not come through until late end of 2020, rolling into the budgets of 2021, maybe early January 2021, unless it really is a critical position needed for the business to sustain and get through the season. Certainly, we're seeing brick and mortar store leadership openings that have been taking priority. There are a lot of companies out there that are just taking the approach of doing more with less for the time being. And you will certainly see a lot of department leaders internally stepping up, taking on new assignments to cover any potential openings that are out there until the right hire is made. And take a lot of vetting; I would very much be prepared, for anyone going through the interview process at any level, for a very strategic, precise hiring process that can maybe feel a little intense. And really as a candidate to make yourself visible, you have to be authentic, know your why, know your value, know what you can bring to an organization; a confident, but not cocky approach.

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However, for those companies that were in a strong enough position to avoid bankruptcy, their focus became two-fold: energize their online sales and re-open brick and mortar. And while the latter was welcomed in theory, in practice it meant store line employees at fashion retailers were put at the forefront of a health crisis, making them more vulnerable to Covid-19 itself, as well as front and center in the mask debate.

Christopher Lacy, former Director of Customer Experience, Learning and Development at Barneys New York and now an Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design points out that “Crises inform you the old system can no longer be maintained and that there is a need to change.” While the pandemic has certainly had an outsized negative effect on the retail industry, it could also serve as an opportunity for retailers to reset and refocus, beyond sales numbers. It’s a chance for them to rebuild trust between all constituents, the customers, the home office, and most specifically the store line employees who are central to the success of any retail business. 

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However, even this data couldn’t have predicted Covid-19 and it’s immediate effect on fashion trends, leaving brands to rethink their plans mid-stream for fall 2020 and spring 2021. In many cases, companies had to stop their processes altogether as studios and offices closed. And those that could, pivoted to making personal protective equipment, such as masks and shields, to take advantage of government contracts, thus keeping their employees at work, and supporting the needs of their communities. 

As the pandemic wore on, and masks were required in many places, demand rose for more PPE--no longer as simple protective gear, but as a fashion statement. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House in the United States Congress became an overnight sensation with her coordinated suits and masks. Masks also made their way to the runway in the spring 2021 shows and are predicted to make an appearance in future collections according to Keanan Duffty, fashion designer and director of the Fashion Management graduate program at Parsons School of Design:

[Keanan] During flu season, face masks were the polite society norm in Asia. Now, most of the rest of the world has accepted face masks and therefore they will become a seasonal fashion trend in order to combat flu and seasonal allergies. 

As with many fashion trends, what once served a utility, such as a jacket lapel, a riveted pocket or an upturned shirt collar, is now simply a preferred style without connection to function. And customers certainly don’t require brands to educate them on these histories . However, it’s an altogether different thing when PPE is serving a real health service in addition to being stylish, which becomes a unique balancing act for a brand. Here’s Keanan again: 

[Keanan] Subjectively, brands look like they are cashing in. For example, Spandau Ballet ‘True’ facemask. Perhaps facemasks are becoming the new slogan tee-shirt?

A tee-shirt with a real purpose beyond the logo or slogan itself, at least for now.  

And so, the question then becomes whether or not there is a place for luxury brands to provide customers with pandemic-related accessories, such as Louis Vuitton’s almost $1,000 face shield and Burberry’s $100+ face masks. 

[Keanan] The luxury sector has begun to appropriate streetwear ideas including sneakers and tracksuits, so luxury versions of pandemic-related accessories were the obvious next step. They provide ‘Status based protection” for the luxury consumer and are the new “it” bag.

After all, it wasn’t more than 25 years ago that fashion apparel companies began including handbags as part of their collections, and leather goods companies became purveyors of ready-to-wear. Perhaps in 25 years time, when the pandemic is a historical footnote, customers will still be wearing masks and shields without any real connection to how they saved lives in 2020. And brands will consider PPE accessories as an essential part of their offering.

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So, it’s time to start really asking why we, as customers, continue to support brands that have no real impetus to change, no matter their storied histories. It’s time to start putting our money where our mouth is. If we want change, then things must actually change and that may mean letting go of nostalgia, so that fashion brands will be forced to adapt, or make way for more innovative brands that don’t trade on built-in obsolescence.  

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And yet, this shift has gone largely unnoticed by higher education institutions where a physical, in-person experience reigns supreme, and a thoughtful online experience is still an afterthought to administrators, or at best, a potential new profit generator on the side. 

To be fair, there was very little reason for administrators to take notice—nor professors—because an in-person education was still what students wanted and fought for. And limited physical space, meant universities could turn away students and hike up prices. 

However, in the past few years, US demographics have shifted, creating too much supply of universities in the market and not enough demand. For schools not in the higher echelons, such as Harvard and Stanford, conversations began to shift to reaching new students. For many, this meant a focus on international students from emerging economies such as Korea, then China. These students largely pay cash for their educations—as federal financial aid is not available to them—and were a big boon to schools. They also served to obfuscate the massive shifts happening domestically, leaving schools woefully unprepared for a crisis.  

Covid-19 struck in March and changed the equation immediately, forcing schools to digitize with no long-term plan in place, no real strategy. The issue accelerated when schools realized that fall was going to stay online. And beyond simply shifting content and learning to online, there was a realization that a whole new Student Experience (SX) had to be considered. For example, how do students engage in learning at home with other family members around? How do we ensure that all students have a personal computer and WiFi connection? What about time zones? How do we facilitate internships on a global scale, with disparity in which companies that are open to business, or closed? How do we create a school community? 

During this period of profound change, academic institutions that take the time to truly understand the needs of their students, and faculty, whether they are working or learning from home or on campus, will be in a better position post-pandemic. These institutions have much to learn from consumer-based businesses—their trials and tribulations—when it comes to a more omni-channel, personalized approach.

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