The Business of Fashion Podcast
Episodes
Pete Nordstrom on the Enduring Power of Retail’s ‘Best Mousetrap’
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This year marks the 125th anniversary of Nordstrom — a company that began as a small shoe store in Seattle founded by a Swedish immigrant and has gr...
How Fashion Picks Its Hip Hop Style Icons
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hip-hop has served as a primary pipeline for fashion’s entry into pop culture for decades, transitioning from organic street-level references to hig...
Andrew Mukamal and the Rise of Method Dressing
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past two years, press tours for films like Barbie and Wuthering Heights have become strategic fashion narratives — moments that extend a fi...
Tariffs Are Down, But Uncertainty Is Back
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a year after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs sent shockwaves through the fashion industry, the Supreme Court ruled he d...
London’s Premier Party Photographer on the Art of Working a Room
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve been to a major party in London, Paris or Los Angeles, chances are that Dave Benett was there too. For nearly four decades, Benett has bee...
How Dior and Chanel Are Winning Back Aspirational Shoppers
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After raising prices aggressively during the post-pandemic boom, luxury brands are now confronting slower growth and a shrinking aspirational customer...
Ib Kamara: ‘Europe is Not the Centre of Everything. Where You Come From Matters.’
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From a childhood in Sierra Leone to navigating London as a teenage immigrant, Ib Kamara traces the cultural shocks that shaped his creative identity. ...
How Fashion Brands Are Winning the Winter Olympics
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
While the Olympics remain one of the world’s biggest sporting stages, they are also one of the most tightly controlled marketing environments. Rules...
Ask Imran Anything: Luxury’s Flop Era, Global Market Dynamics and Fashion Careers and more
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this Ask Me Anything episode, Imran Amed answers questions submitted by listeners from around the world, spanning luxury’s current downturn, the ...
The New Rules for Influencer Marketing
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Influencer marketing in 2026 is a different beast. Once dominated by follower counts and splashy sponsored posts, the sector is now shaped by richer p...
The Couture Season That Cut Through
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Editor-at-large, Tim Blanks and editor-in-chief, Imran Amed are back from the Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 shows where the biggest moments of the ...
Making Sense of Fashion’s Brutal Job Market
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Across fashion, companies that once embraced remote or hybrid work are increasingly pushing employees back into the office, with some moving towards f...
Jonathan Anderson on Reframing Couture at Dior
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday Jan. 26, Jonathan Anderson debuted his first couture collection for Christian Dior. In December, BoF founder Imran Amed travelled to Pa...
Lessons on Purpose, Restraint and Responsibility
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Speaking at the Institut Français de la Mode graduation ceremony in Paris, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed reflected on his own personal journey...
Have Sneakers Lost Their Cool?
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sneakers have driven growth for the sportswear industry for decades, in recent years accelerated by the pandemic and work-from-home culture. However, ...
How Willa Bennett Is Reimagining Magazines for a Social-First Generation
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Willa Bennett is the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen — two of the most influential legacy media brands now being reimagined for a soci...
Saks’ Bankruptcy and the Future of Luxury Retail
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Saks’ bankruptcy was widely expected, yet still felt like a shock to the fashion system. The department store giant’s Chapter 11 filing outli...
Inside Beauty’s 2026 M&A Pipeline
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
2026 opens with real movement in beauty deals. As first reported by The Business of Beauty, Estée Lauder is exploring a packaged sale of Too Fac...
Examining 20 Years of Fashion’s Influencer Economy
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What began as scrappy self-publishing has become a finely tuned industry machine. Influencing is now big business. Four of the industry’s most influ...
The Themes That Will Define the 2026 Fashion Agenda
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
BoF and McKinsey’s annual State of Fashion report finds the industry entering 2026 with caution: 46 percent of executives expect conditions to worse...
DJ Black Coffee on Breaking Barriers and Building Global Credibility
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A DJ from South Africa who survived a life-altering accident on the night of Nelson Mandela’s release, Black Coffee has gone on to headline the worl...
Awar Odhiang on Joy, Inclusion and Her Viral Chanel Moment
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born to South Sudanese parents and raised in Canada after arriving as refugees in 2002, Awar Odhiang grew up far from fashion’s orbit. She was study...
The Sneaker of the Year 2025
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Choosing “sneaker of the year” has rarely been this contentious. In 2025 the debate has splintered opinion between incumbent players like Nike and...
Riz Ahmed on the Radical Power of Storytelling
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To close the first session of this year’s BoF VOICES on The Wider World, we wanted a voice that could cut through the noise and offer a clear, power...
What Happens When Women Lead
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Collectively, Clare Waight Keller and Maria Cornejo have over two decades of experience in the fashion industry. Waight Keller’s impressive career i...
Can Luxury Brands Rebuild Trust With Customers Again?
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Instead of his usual place in the host’s seat, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed appears this week as a guest in an interview with Jonathan Wingfield, ...
5 Big Questions About Luxury
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Luxury’s most eventful year in some time is closing with a bang. From Prada’s Versace acquisition to Mattieu Blazy’s debut Chanel Métiers d’A...
An Act of Love: Securing Franca Sozzani’s Legacy
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Francesco Carrozzini grew up inside the rarefied world of Vogue Italia — not just observing it, but living it. As the son of Franca Sozzani, the mag...
Is This the Year Discount Mania Finally Ends?
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the holiday shopping season approaches, consumer sentiment is slumping, yet spending is bifurcated – the top end keeps buying while the bottom 80...
Prada Group CEO Andrea Guerra on Fixing the Luxury Business Model
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last two years, demand for luxury fashion has softened as aspirational shoppers have pulled back and consumer fatigue has crept in. Yet, Prad...
Can Fashion Still Meet Its Climate Promises?
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As COP30 gets underway in Belém, a port city on the edge of the Brazilian rainforest, the mood is sober. A decade after the Paris Agreement was adopt...
Amber Valletta: ‘Do What You Love. Serve a Higher Purpose.’
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Amber Valletta grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, spending time on her grandparents’ farm. Her childhood was defined by open fields, a freshwater creek and...
Why Is Everyone Obsessed With Accessories?
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Colourful charms, Labubu-laden handbags and a ring on every finger – accessories sales are booming. A surge of necklace stacks, playful rings and qu...
Why Robert Wun Ditched the Wholesale Model for Bespoke Creations
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Soon after sharing his graduate work from the London College of Fashion online, Hong Kong-born Robert Wun was approached by Joyce Boutique to buy his ...
The Human Cost of Trump's Tariffs
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In late August, the US doubled duties on Indian goods to 50 percent, in what President Donald Trump described as a punishment for India’s purchases ...
Khalifa Bin Braik on Dubai’s Transformation and the MENA Retail Playbook
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born in Dubai in 1978 when the city was still a modest trading port, Khalifa Bin Braik has witnessed the city’s rapid transformation into a 21...
Would You Let AI Shop for You?
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A new wave of AI shopping agents has emerged as Big Tech and start-ups alike vie for dominance of this new market. OpenAI, Google and Perplexity are e...
Sinéad O’Dwyer: ‘The Glorification of Vulnerability in Fashion Is Really Bizarre’
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Irish designer Sinéad O’Dwyer grew up in a household of creative entrepreneurs. Her father was a silversmith and a sculptor, her mother was a music...
Does Fashion Still Know What Women Want?
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This fashion month, models walked the tightrope between fantasy and function. On the runway, spectacle was dialled up to 100: Alaïa’s armless “st...
Kenya’s Katungulu Mwendwa on Building a Made-in-Africa Brand
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born and raised in Nairobi, Katungulu Mwendwa grew up cradled in the warmth and unpredictability of the bustling Kenyan capital and the hands-on...
Can a Shop Truly Be a “Third Place”?
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Retailers are racing to repackage shops as “third places” — low-pressure spaces to linger between home and work — as post-pandemic footfall so...
Tim Blanks and Imran Amed Reflect on the Biggest Fashion Month Ever
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve just returned from what was undoubtedly the biggest fashion month ever, a high-stakes season that saw new creative directors debut their visio...
Sports x Fashion: Who’s Really Winning?
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From team-branded fashion shows to tunnel-walk capsules and luxury watch deals, sport and fashion are converging at speed. The NFL has rolled smaller ...
Kiki McDonough on Changing How Women Buy and Wear Jewellery
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Raised in a family of antique jewellery specialists, Kiki McDonough launched her namesake jewellery brand in 1985 with accessible pricing and pieces w...
Can Gen-Z Beauty Brands Grow Up?
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brands like Bubble, Starface and Byoma rode TikTok-native aesthetics to win Gen-Z hearts and Sephora shelf space with plush mascots, playful stickers ...
Edward Buchanan on Being Written Out of Fashion History
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in Ohio, Edward Buchanan always knew he would have a creative career.That interest first led him to art school at CCAD in Cleveland and the...
Why Gen Z Isn’t Buying Luxury’s Story
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Luxury is struggling to connect with Gen Z, a cohort raised on TikTok and YouTube who research before they buy, shop vintage and resale as a first sto...
Glenn Martens: ‘Social Media Has Turned Fashion into the Hunger Games’
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Belgian designer Glenn Martens grew up in Bruges, studied in Antwerp and cut his teeth in Paris, where lean years taught him every role from pattern c...
The Great Fashion Reset: Can New Designers Still Build a Business?
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Department stores and major e-tailers once incubated new labels with consistent buys and patience; today those channels are shrinking or unstable. Soc...
Edward Enninful on Moving From Editor to Entrepreneur
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, unveiled EE72, a media platform and consultancy which blends a print magazi...
The Great Fashion Reset: Can Designer Debuts Revive Luxury?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This fashion month arrives after years of post-pandemic boom giving way to a sharp slowdown in luxury demand. Weaker consumer confidence in China, pre...
Special Episode: The Great Fashion Reset
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a post-pandemic high, the fashion industry is facing a hard crisis. Growth has cooled, prices have surged, quality is under scrutiny and aspirat...
What Went Wrong at Ssense
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ssense’s bankruptcy filing makes it the latest in a long line of online luxury retailers to find itself on the brink. In an internal memo, Ssense co...
The Best of The BoF Podcast: Clare Waight Keller on Finding Opportunity in Discomfort
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Clare Waight Keller’s career in fashion has been defined by her versatility as a designer and desire to step outside her comfort zone. She started o...
The Best of The BoF Podcast: Avery Trufelman on the Meaning Behind the Clothes We Wear
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On her award-winning podcast “Articles of Interest,” host and producer Avery Trufelman dives deep into the stories behind the clothes we wear. Fro...
The Best of The BoF Podcast: Francesco Risso Says Fashion Should Slow Down to Find Its Magic Again
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born in Sardinia on a sailing boat to self-described “adventurous” parents, Francesco Risso grew up in an environment that fostered independence, ...
The Best of The BoF Podcast: James Whitner on Culture, Community and Building Brands with Purpose
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
James Whitner — founder of The Whitaker Group and the visionary behind retailers such as A Ma Maniére and Social Status — reveals how culture, pu...
How Basketball Sneakers Got Their Groove Back
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Performance basketball shoes have long been embedded in fashion culture, from the iconic Air Jordans of the 1990s to the stylised sneakers worn in NBA...
The Jobs Fashion and Beauty Talent Want in 2025
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the five years since the pandemic, fashion and beauty workplaces have undergone seismic change. Amid mounting economic uncertainty, geopolitical in...
Why Duran Lantink Refuses to Follow Fashion’s Rules
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From a very young age, Dutch designer Duran Lantink has been fascinated by the transformative power of fashion. His journey began in his ea...
High Luxury, Cheap Labour: Inside Loro Piana's Sweatshop Links
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The luxury industry trades on a carefully constructed marketing image, deeply linked to artful claims of exclusivity, craftsmanship, and impeccable st...
Jacques Marie Mage and the Transformative Power of Sunglasses
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jérôme Mage is the founder and creative force behind Jacques Marie Mage, the luxury eyewear brand known for its distinctive silhouettes, limited pro...
Fashion Braces for Impact as Trump Tariffs Returns
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After turning to other matters for a few weeks, President Donald Trump has reignited his aggressive tariff strategy, threatening sweeping new duties o...
In Paris, Hellos, Goodbyes and Waiting For Creative Change
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The latest fashion season marked a period of significant transition with new creative leadership taking centre stage at some of luxury’s biggest hou...
How Fashion Learned to Love The Real Housewives
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In nearly two decades since the first “Real Housewives” franchise debuted, reality TV has moved from the fringes of entertainment to become a majo...
Rachel Scott on the Sensuality of Craft
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel Scott, founder of Diotima, has built a reputation for bringing a nuanced portrayal of Caribbean culture to the global fashion stage. Drawing on...
Fashion Tech Boom 2.0
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After years of disillusionment with fashion tech, investors are once again excited about its potential, but with a very different mindset to the hype-...
Yasmin Sewell: Intuition Can be a Superpower in Business
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a fashion buyer and creative force at retail institutions like Browns and Liberty, Yasmin Sewell has long been tuned into aesthetics and the power ...
The Jewellery Boom, Explained
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As major luxury brands struggle to maintain momentum amid an industry-wide slowdown, one category is bucking the trend: jewellery. While demand for ha...
Tracee Ellis Ross: Understanding the Diversity of Humanity is Good Business
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Tracee Ellis Ross launched Pattern Beauty in 2019, she set out to challenge the beauty industry's lack of products for curly, coily and tight-tex...
When Fashion Lost Its Voice
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this month, cities across the US saw the most significant wave of demonstrations since the 2020 protests following George Floyd's murder. Thes...
Hailey Bieber on Building Rhode into a Billion-Dollar Beauty Brand
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Hailey Bieber launched her beauty and skincare brand Rhode in 2022, it quickly built a loyal customer base and achieved rapid commercial success....
Is Nike Finally Winning With Women?
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nike has been synonymous with sports for decades, but that cultural and commercial cachet has mostly been driven by male athletes like Michael Jordan ...
Lessons in World-Building: How Emily Oberg Created Sporty & Rich
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Emily grew up far away from the fashion world in Calgary, Canada. After moving to New York for a role at the media company Complex, Oberg quickly buil...
Why Hailey Bieber Won the Celebrity Beauty Lottery
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bieber, a celebrity and influential beauty figure with a strong Gen-Z following, launched Rhode just three years ago, quickly distinguishing the brand...
Giancarlo Giammetti on Securing Valentino’s Legacy
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Giancarlo Giammetti met Valentino Garavani by chance on July 31, 1960, setting in motion one of fashion’s most enduring — and most successful — ...
Beauty Is in Its Flop Era
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The beauty sector historically thrived during economic downturns, earning a recession-proof reputation encapsulated in the “lipstick index.” Howev...
Inside The Great Luxury Reset
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Instead of his usual place in the host’s seat, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed appears this week as a guest in an interview with Jonathan Wingfield, ...
How Fashion Brands Build Community in 2025
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As inflation bites and politics polarise, the fashion industry in 2025 is facing unprecedented pressure to hold onto its customers. Brands are looking...
Redefining "Made in Africa"
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Africa is experiencing an exciting shift, creatively and commercially, with growing global attention on its rapidly expanding middle-class population....
Bonus: The Trade War’s Off, For Now. What's Next for Fashion?
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On May 12, the US and China reached a deal to temporarily reduce tariffs for 90 days, offering a breather from an escalating trade war. Stocks surged ...
TikTok, Tariffs and Luxury's Fake News Problem
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A strange new genre of TikTok videos is challenging long-held assumptions about how luxury products are made. Often shot in anonymous Chinese factorie...
Modest Fashion at a Crossroads
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a pivotal moment for modest fashion. Spending by Muslim consumers on fashion is projected to hit $428 billion by 2027, marking significant annual...
Celebrating Black Style Inside the 2025 Met Gala
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Costume Institute's 2025 exhibition, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," celebrated its opening at the annual Met Gala, marking the first menswear...
Why Craft is the Soul of True Luxury
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a complicated year for luxury. The sector was already grappling with slowing growth but now American tariffs have disrupted global supply ...
Are Viral Microtrends Losing Their Cool?
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Viral microtrends, the fleeting aesthetics popularised on platforms like TikTok, have defined recent fashion moments for young consumers. From the pla...
Anas Bukhash on Harnessing the Dubai’s Potential as a Global Crossroads
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last few decades, Dubai has rapidly transformed from a humble trading port into a global hub for business, tourism, and innovation. With favo...
The Power of a Luxury Handbag
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From the legendary Hermès Birkin to recent sensations like Alaïa’s Teckel, luxury handbags have long held a distinctive power within the fashion w...
Tory Burch and Pierre-Yves Roussel on Building a Global Brand with Local Relevance
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Right from the outset, Tory Burch had a vision: to create a business where profit and purpose could go hand in hand. She was quick to take her b...
Can Tariffs Really Revive 'Made in USA' Fashion?
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In early April, President Donald Trump announced an unprecedented wave of tariffs, imposing duties as high as 145 percent on imports from China. Among...
Sabyasachi on Building a Global Brand from the Global South
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Born in the suburbs of Kolkata, India Sabyasachi Mukherjee grew up immersed in the rich cultural environment in the state of West Bengal. After a...
Trump’s Tariffs Change Everything
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump announced an unprecedented wave of tariffs on April 2, imposing duties as high as 54 percent on fashion imports from key manufa...
Satoshi Kuwata Is on a Lifelong Search for Balance
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After years of honing his craft at Savile Row, studying at Central Saint Martins, and working for Givenchy, Edun and Golden Goose, Japanese designer S...
H&M's AI Models and the Future of Fashion Marketing
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fast-fashion giant H&M recently announced its plans to deploy AI-generated "digital twins" of real-life models in marketing campaigns. While H&...
Coldplay’s Guy Berryman Says He Makes Clothes the Way He Makes Music
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Guy Berryman grew up with an engineer's mind and a passion for making things. After studying mechanical engineering and architecture, he found global ...
What Happened to Pat McGrath Labs?
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pat McGrath is widely regarded as one of the most influential makeup artists of all time. Known simply as “Mother” to some in the industry, she’...
Thom Bettridge Says Viral Magazine Covers Are Only Sugar Highs
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
i-D magazine was founded in 1980 by Terry and Tricia Jones, pioneering a new kind of fashion storytelling that mixed street style with high fashion, a...
Is Forever 21 Shein's Biggest Victim Yet?
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Once a dominant player in fast fashion, Forever 21 recently filed for bankruptcy for the second time in six years, marking the likely end of its run a...
Breaking News: Demna Takes Gucci, Versace Enters a New Creative Chapter
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Demna's move to Gucci, announced after weeks of feverish speculation, stunned industry observers and sent shockwaves through financial markets, with K...
Tim Blanks and Imran Amed Reflect on Autumn/Winter 2025
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This season, all eyes were on the debuts of Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford and Sarah Burton at Givenchy. Meanwhile, designs at Alaïa and Valentino cont...