Out There with Lorraine Sanders

I love bringing smart, cool and accomplished media people on the Spirit of 608 podcast every once in a while to let us into their world and bring insight into what the people creating coverage and content think about the FEST space (if you've listened to the show for a while, you know this). For this week's episode, I was *so thrilled* to bring a conversation with a longtime journalist and expert...

For inspiration and real talk on how to retail in uncertain times, plus inspiring and uplifting yet totally practical and accessible tips for not only hanging in there, but also upping your marketing and outreach game in the midst of a global pandemic, please look no further than this week's conversation with ethical fashion pioneer and longtime supporter of independent brands Marcia Patmos.  From...

This week, we're bringing back one of our most popular episodes of all time with one of the ethical fashion movement's best-loved pioneers. Her thoughts on working from and her frankness about building a business during life's challenges are especially relevant right now, as is her participation in face mask-making efforts in her home state of New York. Originally shared in the fall of 2018, this...

We asked FEST brands and businesses to send messages, news, promos and deals our way so we could help share and support what they're working on as, well, everything around us all shifts and changes. For listeners, the gems in this week's episode are twofold. First, you're likely to find a business you want to support or a deal you want to take advantage of (I know I found several). Second, the sho...

What happens when you interview a top model-turned-fashion technologist who's lived through the COVID-19 outbreak from her outpost in Beijing? Well, this conversation is what happens. If I have a hunch, and I do, you're going to be both entertained and inspired by what this week's guest has to say about the world right now -- as well as her journey into a career turning technology into fashionable...

Behind every collection is designer Belinda Kazanci, who started BEL KAZAN after a life-changing journey to Bali, Indonesia. From the delicate flower offerings that lined the streets to their vibrant textiles and joyful spirits, she felt an unparalleled sense of inspiration among the Balinese people. It was then that Belinda decided to uproot her life in Los Angeles, determined to make her vision...

It's an podAMA! This week's episode is an Ask Me Anything featuring questions for listeners, Instagram followers and members of the Spirit of 608 Facebook group . What's this all about? The episode is all about what's on your mind. I'm weighing in with thoughts on everything from social media etiquette for maintaining privacy at a time when it seems like we're supposed to share everything online t...

When it comes to conscious consumerism, advocates for minimalism and intentional shopping, both seemingly gentler ways to enjoy fashion, often run up against the harsh reality of U.S. consumers' baked in urge to, well, consume. In the face of that, swapping style online stands out as an alternative that, these days, is starting to hold more than ample appeal -- even outside the thrifters and vinta...

Business can be heavy. But this week, the Spirit of 608 is all about bringing the light. Just look at our guest's brand name for starters. Next, consider how this female founder went from a bad situation with a former business partner to owning her own space, expanding into a second business and, fast forward to today, occupying a beautiful gallery of a shop in one of San Francisco's most popular...

In uplifting news, this week's guest is not only bringing to market bras for busty women who want to live active lifestyles (and feel comfortable while doing it, like that's so much to ask), but she's doing it her own way. One day she may be talking to a room full of almost 100 female CEOs, another figuring out how to manufacture ethically and with eco-conscious practices with partners in Sri Lank...

There's no doubt about it: global business is changing rapidly. Along with it, the game of getting -- and staying -- visible is nothing like it used to be. You probably know you need to have a plan for reaching new people and spreading your message that goes beyond outdated PR tactics and blasting your press release to lists of journalists. But what next? This week's episode is all about one strat...

This week, we hear from a founder who started out at one of the most recognizable mainstream fashion brands of its era and went on to become a rising star in the industry's burgeoning move towards ecommerce. But then, spurred by earlier experiments in entrepreneurship and a chance collaboration with her future co-founder a at a hackathon, this week's guest left her solid career in fashion with a c...

On the debut episode of the newest season of the Spirit of 608 podcast, we're back with an episode that may very well change everything you think you know about manufacturing in China. In this week's conversation from the forefront of fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech (a space I call FEST), we hear from a founder whose mission to make a better shoe for women's bodies based on her de...

Getting the word out about your ethical, sustainable brand is crucial to its future -- but growing visibility can be tricky and time-consuming. There's public relations, brand awareness, growth hacking, networked marketing, affiliate relationships, content creation, social media and on and on and on. It's part of my mission to elevate brands who are making positive change in the world. Let me help...

This week, we dive into a world where sustainable fashion gets experiential. We'll hear from a guest who not only designs using sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing practices, but is taking transparency to an entirely new level through travel. Launching a tour to India this fall, this California luxury fashion brand is not only preaching more positive practices in apparel, but opening u...

Do you need PR and visibility tips you can use for the holidays and beyond? If so, this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast is for you. Liza Moiseeva of Scaling Good recently asked me to join her for a Facebook Live inside her Facebook community to talk about growing brand visibility, PR and speaking opportunities for founders during the last weeks of the year and beyond -- and we kept talking fo...

Hot on the sparkling, sequined heels of FEST biz Bow & Drape's recent acquisition news, we're bringing back a popular conversation with co-founder Aubrie Pagano, who helped lead the company from its early days as a custom women's apparel startup to its current life as the go-to for punny casual wear featuring phrases like Goal Digger, You Had Me at Merlot + more. In this #so608 Recycle episode, Au...

  For the 200th episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, we had to bring back a special guest, fan favorite, visionary FEST pioneer and all around badass for an update episode looking at what kind of amazing things can happen in a couple years' time. Since the beginning of the Spirit of 608 podcast way back in the fall of 2015 (I know!), we have aimed to inspire, inform and entertain women in FEST so...

Finding FEST-ive manufacturing partners ain't easy, and this week's guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast is here to help streamline the process. Along with that, this recent L.A. transplant shares her story progressing from high-stakes New York PR to a career filled with meaning and purpose after an impactful trip to another country changed everything. Listen in to learn more about the reality of tr...

Come with me, FEST friends, into a land where growing your business is a breeze and landing top-tier press is as easy as pie....oh wait, no, sorry. That was a dream I had the other night. Of course we all know none of that is easy. But it is possible. Big picture advice is great, but this week I'm all about the details, so I'm diving into real client campaigns and letting you know what's working -...

For fans of vintage and secondhand clothing with next to no time to hunt through all the things online to pin the good stuff down, this week's guest has created nothing short of a true gem in the FEST space. In this episode, you will meet the New York-based, Finnish couple behind the new Google of secondhand style. Meet this week's guest, Liisa Jokinen, founder and CEO of  Gem App . Sign up for th...

Taking a career risks is never easy. But super early on? It's easier in some ways, more challenging in others. But when you have a strong vision, knack for branding and drive to fill a hole in the marketplace, you might just cruise from risk to reward like this week's guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast. Founder of a Los Angeles-based sustainable sleepwear brand that goes from day to know while rel...

Have you heard about practi-mental? Well, guess what! Probably not, because we're creating that focus here on the Spirit of 608 podcast. In this week's episode, here are four practical and four kinda-sorta woo-woo tips that will help you increase visibility, reach new people and get more earned media in your business.   Yes, sometimes you have to be completely practical. And at other times, being...

This week's podcast guest is all about collaboration - and not in the ways you might think. Yes, her brand, Secession Art & Design, is a gallery, boutique and workspace in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood that's championed the local arts scene for well over a decade. And yes, she's managed to create an untraditional storefront that allows customers to experience curated shows and see the proce...