Decode Sessions

"Most brands chase trends. Alo chased a woman. They followed her from the yoga studio to the street, from the street to the airport, from the airport to the wellness club, from the wellness club to a superyacht in Cannes." A catalogue arrived in the post. Beautifully produced, heavy in the hand, unbranded on the outside. What happened next is a masterclass in luxury athleisure brand strategy. A se...

"Clubbing is out. Vitamins are in. The wellness economy has built a better version of the nightclub, and the fashion and beauty brands that understand this will win Gen Z." The wellness economy is the fastest growing consumer trend reshaping fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands in 2026. In this episode Anna and Caitlin decode why 37% of UK nightclubs have closed since 2020, why 24% of UK adults ab...

"Live shopping conversion rates are 10 times higher than traditional e-commerce. The fashion and beauty brands that move now will own this space before it gets crowded." Live shopping, social commerce and e-commerce strategy are reshaping how fashion and beauty brands sell in 2026, and most brands are still sleeping on it. In part two of our TikTok Shop and live shopping series, Anna and Caitlin d...

Everything brands need to know about TikTok Shop: the $64 billion platform changing the way we shop. This week on Decode Sessions, we're diving into one of the biggest shifts in modern commerce: TikTok Shop. With billions in revenue, one-click purchasing and a generation that's shopping through content rather than search, TikTok Shop is changing the way brands sell. But while the opportunity is ma...

The Everlane you used to love is soon to probably be nothing of what it used to be. This week on Decode Sessions, we're unpacking two very different brand stories. Everlane, the poster child of "radical transparency", has been acquired by Shein, sparking outrage across fashion and sustainability circles. Marc Jacobs has been sold by LVMH after years of strategic missteps, raising questions about l...

Most brands say they want a community. What they actually want is an audience that buys things. The problem? People can tell the difference. This week Anna and Caitlin decode two things that start with C. Coach the brand and community the buzzword. And both conversations are more connected than you might think. Coach has been around since 1941, longer than most French luxury fashion houses. But by...

Money can buy a seat at the Met Gala. The question is whether it can buy culture. This week Anna and Caitlin tackle the most controversial fashion moment of the year. The Met Gala 2026. Dubbed the Tech Gala. And the question dividing the Decode Sessions studio: did tech bros ruin fashion's biggest night or did they have every right to be there? Here is what actually happened. Jeff Bezos and Lauren...

Susan Yara sold Naturium for $355 million after three years. Iskra Lawrence built Saltair into a beauty brand people genuinely swear by. One that sits in both Space NK and Boots simultaneously, something almost no brand manages to pull off. This week Anna and Caitlin decode exactly how they did it and what every brand can learn from both. But first, why are indie beauty brands dominating right now...

Five years ago Facebook changed its name to Meta and told everyone we were all going to live in the metaverse. Fashion bought in. NFTs, digital runways, 3D catwalks. And then quietly it all fell apart. Now the pendulum has swung completely the other way. And this week Anna and Caitlin decode exactly what that looks like. Meta has signed a 10 year lease on Fifth Avenue, positioned between Dior, Guc...

Is Coachella dead? Absolutely not. It just stopped being a music festival a long time ago, and the brands that understand that are winning big. This week Anna and Caitlin decode what Coachella actually is in 2026. Hint... it's not really about the music. With 125,000 attendees a day, half a million across two weekends, $120 million in ticket sales alone and a brand ecosystem worth over a billion d...

Matthew Blazy opened the Chanel show with a 50 year old woman with grey hair and no obvious cosmetic surgery. And the fashion world lost its mind. This week Anna and Caitlin decode why that moment matters far beyond fashion and what it tells every brand about presence, realness and what Gen Z actually wants right now. Then things get a little unexpected. Nido, the gel sensory toy that sat in museu...

Anna sneaked into the Jellycat experience at Harrods without queuing. There were people standing in the rain on a side street waiting for over an hour to get in. And the question is not how she did it. The question is why anyone is queuing at all for a soft toy that has not changed in decades. This week Anna and Caitlin decode four very different brand moments that all point to the same truth. Jel...

A $20 smoothie. A Barbie collaboration. A matcha drink that has somehow become a marker of cultural credibility. What do all of these have in common? They are not products. They are cultural moments. And the brands behind them have figured out something that most brands are still trying to catch up with; people do not buy things anymore. They buy into worlds. This week Anna and Caitlin get into th...

The beauty industry is being rewritten by independents. In this episode of Decode Sessions, we sit down with Milo from Rollr to unpack why indie brands are dominating cultural relevance, how community is replacing traditional marketing, and what really creates cult status in beauty today. From the premiumisation of deodorant to the future of founder-led brands, this conversation explores the new r...

Founder of Forest Colard and Caro E Padel, Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and contributor to SLMan, Tunde sits at the intersection of fashion, entrepreneurship and youth culture. In this conversation, we explore how Gen Z is reshaping the rules of influence — from mental health and evolving social habits to quiet luxury, community-led style and the growing importance of authenticity. As both a founde...

From Vogue's creative shift (Chloé Malle & Anna Wintour in conversation with The New York Times ) to Skims' new campaign and Salomon's fresh creative direction, what happens when heritage brands rewrite their narrative?

The Grammys gave fashion, but not in the way we expected. From Harry's ballet flats to Gaga's drama, gender-fluid dressing, Versace's reset and the Lyst Index reality check. Because right now? Restraint is radical.

For this episode of Decode Sessions, we sat down with Lune, founder of Monday Muse, to explore the inspiration and creative journey behind the brand. What began as a personal skin concern became the catalyst for developing a label rooted in authenticity, intention, and self-awareness. From shaping its identity to navigating today's fashion landscape, Lune shares what it really means to build somet...

Salomon is a technical footwear brand that, in recent years, has become increasingly worn by celebrities, cementing its place at the centre of the fashion conversation. In this episode, we break down the strategy behind Salomon's rise and how it became a key player in today's fashion conversation.

In this episode of Decode Sessions , we turn our lens to K-pop, not just as a music genre, but as a cultural system. From idol architecture to fandom economies, aesthetics, and narrative control, we analyse how K-pop has become one of the most powerful global phenomena of our time. A conversation about identity, discipline, desire, and the future of pop culture beyond borders.

In this episode of Decode Sessions , we sit down with Rebecca Jago to explore how desire is meticulously crafted in the world of ultimate luxury spirits. From thoughtful curation to powerful narrative building, we explore how brands move beyond products to create myths, emotions, and cultural value. A conversation about storytelling as strategy, authenticity as currency, and why true luxury is nev...

In this episode of Decode Sessions, we explore live streaming as a cultural space, looking at how it shapes communities, language and real-time connection.

French brands are having a moment again; some are fading, some are reinventing, some are suddenly everywhere. In this episode, we unpack The Kooples, K-Way, Sandro, Maje and Sézane, and decode what their trajectories teach us about brand DNA, nostalgia, cultural timing and community power. Practical insights, no fluff.

Lululemon used to be the activewear brand everyone looked to - the leader in leggings. But when you establish and own a market, the competition will creep up, and new brands will steal your market share. In today's episode of Decode Sessions, we're looking at what is actually happening in the active wear category. Who's winning and why? Can Lululemon reclaim the throne as the performance wear lead...

For this episode of Decode Sessions we sit down with Alex Unitt to unpack the inner workings of Harrods, the world's most iconic department store. From day to day operations to the shifting landscape of luxury retail, Alex shares an insider's view of what it truly means to work behind the scenes of a global landmark.  We explore last year's Loro Piana partnership that took 8 months to fully plan a...