The Fashion Consumer

In this final episode of the season, we look at a fashion technology that has the potential to fundamentally change the way consumers try on clothing. Haniff Brown, co-founder of FIT:Match, shows us how contactless apparel shopping works, what today’s consumers think about it, and the opportunity COVID-19 represents for this long-promised, but never-quite-caught-on tech.

Jess Fleischer admits that his brand – Son of a Tailor – wasn’t initially a great success. But he and his team persisted. They followed customer feedback and built a better product for a very specific sort of customer. Five years later – based on the simple value proposition of custom, fitted and tailor-made T-Shirts – they’ve not only survived but thrived… and have weathered the COVID-19 crisis pretty well indeed. You’ll learn about the consumer segment that buys a higher-quality, better...

Gucci, Omega and Barneys New York are just a few of the well-known brands Christopher Lacy has worked with. Over 20+ years in the business, he has developed a specialty in creating amazing customer experiences – especially for affluent clients. He now shares that expertise as a consultant and educator at Parsons. In this interview, Christopher shares a marketing campaign (for Barneys) that drew in scores of younger affluent consumers… and successfully turned them into long term customers. He...

Sabinna Rachimova might never have become a fashion designer, having been rejected from her first-choice fashion school. But she persisted and the fashion world is richer for it. As well as managing her own eponymous brand, she lectures at the London College of Fashion and has worked with the Fashion Innovation Agency. She talks about the trouble with trying to rollout a new (fashion) technology when consumers just aren’t ready for it and how to build a long-term relationship with customers...

For most of the fashion world, COVID-19 has been nothing short of a disaster. But, as Kerry Murphy attests, within crisis can come opportunity. His Amsterdam-based firm, The Fabricant, works with brands of all calibers to create purely digital fashion products. In a world where consumers can only engage with us online for the near future, The Fabricant’s platform has become very popular indeed. In this interview, he answers a very common question: Who actually buys digital fashion? Kerry...

When given the opportunity, fashion consumers will choose a personalized experience over a one-size-fits-all encounter. Over the last few years, leading direct-to-consumer brands have used that preference to get a leg up on the competition, taking market share in the process. In today’s market – where brands need every advantage they can get – personalization has become a critical way to compete for limited consumer spending brought on by the pandemic. Highlights:

tentree was founded as a fashion brand with an underlying goal: to help plant more trees around the world in order to stem climate change. It’s clearly a message that’s resonated with consumers. Over the past seven years, they’ve grown from a start-up selling t-shirts in Vancouver to a firm with a presence across North America and Europe. CEO Derrick Emsley gives us a look inside. Highlights:

Luca Faloni is the product of two dominant trends – globalisation making it easy for talented folks to move in search of opportunity and the internet making it easy for brands to reach consumers directly. After seeing the direct-to-consumer trend firsthand in Silicon Valley, Luca launched his eponymous brand to serve a global clientele that wanted high quality Italian menswear at a very affordable price. Seven years later, with a strong web presence and retail stores in London, Sweden and...

Modest fashion has grown from being exclusively associated with religion to a style embraced by the mainstream as an alternative to the often-provocative looks associated with many standard brands. In this interview, we speak with Dr. Nicole Muhammad, a clinical psychologist and founder of Sew Elevated – a young brand that combines modest dress with unique, fashion-forward forward style. Highlights:

The Coronavirus has clearly turned the fashion world on its head. Fashion brands are announcing massive revenue drops. Luxury conglomerates down double digits. And with consumers unable to go anywhere, a global recession is a real risk. Yes, the news is bad. But could it also be an opportunity? To kick off our Coronavirus “Sur-Thrival” Series (available here), our founder Brandon Roe addresses the threat but also opportunities available to us to better serve our consumer through these dark...

11Honoré helped pioneer luxury fashion for the curvy consumer. Over the last three years, they have teamed up with well-known luxury brands, including Dolce & Gabbana, Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs, to offer their customers beautiful clothing in sizes 12 through 24.

Brandon and Kim discuss an important topic every fashion brand marketer should understand: how the modern consumer actually buys. As first introduced in Why Fashion Brands Die.

Stephanie Barker Fry has worked with the likes of Swarovski and WGSN over the course of her career. She is now a lecturer at the London College of Fashion and a freelance brand consultant helping small and medium-sized brands develop effective marketing messages. Highlights:

“The Retail Apocalypse” is everywhere right now. But the truth is, fashion retail brick-and-mortars have some advantages online does not. Smart brands like Warby Parker, Bonobo’s and IndoChino get it… having made the jump from purely online to retail locations. In this discussion, you’ll find out why. Highlights:

Asket is a very different fashion brand. They don’t rely on seasons or drops. They don’t change up their product lines very much. They don’t offer discounts or have sales. And yet, over the past five years, they’ve made a strong impact in the menswear market, building a wide fan base in the process. Co-founder August Bard Bringéus tells us how they did it. Highlights:

Swedish brand Limitato combines two categories – art and fashion – to create something quite unique. Today, their “fine art apparel” is sold in more than 200 locations around the world and online. Co-founders Gustav Peterson and Emrik Olausson share what they’ve learned along the way. Highlights:

The “retail apocalypse” has been making tons of headlines recently. More than 9,300 store closures were announced in 2019. Macy’s is kicking off 2020 with a plan to shutter 29 locations. But is it really an “apocalypse” or simply the result of the old leaders losing touch with their consumers (and paying the consequences)? As pulled from recent interviews he’s done across the country, Brandon Roe offers a different perspective. You’ll discover:

Over the last couple weeks, TFC host Brandon Roe has been discussing 2020 consumer fashion trends on a number of radio shows across the country. In today’s conversation, he reveals some of the most important insights shared on those interviews. You’ll discover: Stories from a hyper-competitive fashion segment:

What’s the key to building a strong, authentic fashion brand today? Kelly Dee Williams of branding agency Superbase brings an interesting perspective to the conversation. Over the last few years, he’s built a practice that helps brands communicate that rare – but important – selling point: authenticity. Highlights:

In 2016, the London College of Fashion was looking for someone to lead their brand-new Psychology of Fashion undergrad program. They found the perfect fit in Aurore Bardey, who has brought her considerable psychology experience to an industry hungry for a better understanding of the inner workings of today’s fashion consumer. Highlights: