The Business of Fashion Podcast

After years of disillusionment with fashion tech, investors are once again excited about its potential, but with a very different mindset to the hype-fuelled boom of the last decade. From AI-powered personal styling apps to virtual try-on tools and personalised search engines, a wave of start-ups is gaining traction – and big backing – by offering real technological solutions to long-standing fash...

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 of intuition. But it was during a moment of  personal reset, that her intuition propelled her from fashion into an entirely new world: the business of beauty.  Founded in 2021, her fragrance brand Vyrao blends traditional perfumery with spi...

As major luxury brands struggle to maintain momentum amid an industry-wide slowdown, one category is bucking the trend: jewellery. While demand for handbags and apparel softens, fine jewellery sales continue to rise, driven by consumer desire for lasting value, emotional resonance and self-expression. Simone Stern Carbone and Joan Kennedy join The Debrief to discuss how independent jewellers are t...

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-textured hair. Despite numerous obstacles, including scepticism about market viability and systemic biases in the product testing process, Ross has built Pattern into a leading haircare brand addressing an underserved market. “Black beauty and textured...

Earlier this month, cities across the US saw the most significant wave of demonstrations since the 2020 protests following George Floyd's murder. These latest protests have been sparked by immigration raids conducted by the Trump administration, and while some of those enforcement actions have targeted garment workers, the fashion industry has mostly stayed silent.  Executive editor Brian Bas...

When Hailey Bieber launched her beauty and skincare brand Rhode in 2022, it quickly built a loyal customer base and achieved rapid commercial success. By early 2025, Rhode had generated $212 million in net sales and, in May, was acquired by E.l.f. Beauty in a landmark $1 billion deal. “Rhode is not just about the product; it's the whole entire world of Rhode. I want people to feel something when t...

Nike has been synonymous with sports for decades, but that cultural and commercial cachet has mostly been driven by male athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods (Serena Williams being a prominent exception). As a result, despite substantial sales, Nike historically struggled to resonate authentically with women, and has at times faced pointed criticism from female athletes, employees and cons...

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 built her profile as a tastemaker in the streetwear scene.  But eventually, she got the entrepreneurial itch and leveraged her experience to turn Sporty & Rich, which started as a mood board on Instagram, into a multi-million-dollar brand with a...

Bieber, a celebrity and influential beauty figure with a strong Gen-Z following, launched Rhode just three years ago, quickly distinguishing the brand with minimalist product offerings closely tied to Bieber's personal aesthetic. She just sold to E.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion, even as rival celebrity beauty brands struggle to grow sales or attract buyers.  Priya Rao, executive editor at The Bu...

Giancarlo Giammetti met Valentino Garavani by chance on July 31, 1960, setting in motion one of fashion’s most enduring — and most successful — creative partnerships. Together, they transformed Valentino into a global fashion powerhouse, celebrated for its elegance, craftsmanship, and cultural influence.  In 2016, Giammetti co-founded the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti to...

The beauty sector historically thrived during economic downturns, earning a recession-proof reputation encapsulated in the “lipstick index.” However, recent earnings from major beauty conglomerates like Estée Lauder, L'Oréal, Coty and Shiseido indicate that beauty’s resilience is being tested. Sales are declining, layoffs are coming and consumer habits appear to be shifting dramatically.  BoF...

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, editor-in-chief of System Magazine , alongside Luca Solca, senior research analyst at Bernstein – as featured in the debut issue of System Collections . This conversation was recorded on March 14, about two weeks before Donald Trump’s shock announcemen...

As inflation bites and politics polarise, the fashion industry in 2025 is facing unprecedented pressure to hold onto its customers. Brands are looking to community as a deeper and more emotional form of engagement. But building true community takes more than buzzwords.  In this episode, BoF correspondent Lei Takanashi joins hosts Sheena Butler-Young and Brian Baskin to unpack his case study o...

Africa is experiencing an exciting shift, creatively and commercially, with growing global attention on its rapidly expanding middle-class population. Yet, local fashion entrepreneurs must navigate unique operational challenges and misconceptions about the quality and reputation of "Made in Africa." Pink Mango’s Maryse Mbonyumutwa entered apparel manufacturing in Rwanda to address both economic an...

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 on the news, but experts warn this relief might not fully resolve deeper industry uncertainties or consumer anxieties.  BoF retail editor Cathleen Chen and technology correspondent Marc Bain join hosts Brian Baskin and Sheena Butler-Young to unp...

A strange new genre of TikTok videos is challenging long-held assumptions about how luxury products are made. Often shot in anonymous Chinese factories, these videos claim that the so-called "superfakes" flooding the market are indistinguishable from, and sometimes made in the same factories as, high-end bags from the likes of Chanel or Louis Vuitton.  While all evidence points to these claim...

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 growth. Yet despite booming demand, modest fashion remains commercially fragmented and struggles for global recognition. Emirati fashion designer Rabia Zargarpur founded her namesake brand after confronting the severe lack of modest clothing options...

The Costume Institute's 2025 exhibition, "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," celebrated its opening at the annual Met Gala, marking the first menswear-focused exhibit in two decades and the first ever centred exclusively on Black fashion. Inspired by Monica L. Miller's seminal work on Black dandyism, the exhibition took a scholarly approach to exploring the historical and cultural significance of...

It’s been a complicated year for luxury. The sector was already grappling with slowing growth but now American tariffs have disrupted global supply chains, driven prices upwards and dented consumer confidence.  But there's another, deeper long-term challenge that the industry needs to contend with: the perceived trivialisation of high-end fashion. But brands that place craftsmanship at their...

Viral microtrends, the fleeting aesthetics popularised on platforms like TikTok, have defined recent fashion moments for young consumers. From the playful "Cottagecore" to the fleeting "Mob Wife", these trends have rapidly cycled through social media feeds and retail shelves. Post-pandemic experimentation drove this cycle, however, the once-accelerating churn of microtrends is beginning to slow, a...

Over the last few decades, Dubai has rapidly transformed from a humble trading port into a global hub for business, tourism, and innovation. With favourable economic policies, strategic location, and an ambitious young workforce, Dubai has become a vibrant destination at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Entrepreneur Anas Bukhash has experienced and capitalised on this transformation f...

From the legendary Hermès Birkin to recent sensations like Alaïa’s Teckel, luxury handbags have long held a distinctive power within the fashion world. Blending brand heritage, practicality, and emotional resonance, handbags often become a signature item for brands to capture consumer attention and drive commercial success. But the ongoing challenge for luxury brands is maintaining innovation, man...

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 brand global, first to Tokyo in 2009, and then on to Rome, Paris, Shanghai and beyond.  Today, Tory Burch operates more than 350 stores around the world and across the Global South, including the Middle East, Latin America and South East Asia. He...

In early April, President Donald Trump announced an unprecedented wave of tariffs, imposing duties as high as 145 percent on imports from China. Among the rationales offered were the prospect of a US manufacturing renaissance. The American fashion sector – heavily reliant on overseas production, particularly in China – now faces significant disruption. Some brands are adapting quickly, leveraging...

Born in the suburbs of Kolkata, India Sabyasachi Mukherjee grew up immersed in the rich cultural environment in the state of West Bengal. After attending fashion school, he focused on creating his own brand with a small team and a big vision: to create Indian fashion that honours tradition while setting a new global standard.  His first foray into the global market at  New York Fash...