Fashion Questions...

In an industry characterised by fierce competition and ever-changing consumer preferences, it is crucial for fashion brands to constantly innovate and adapt. Koral Ibrahim, Founder and Managing Director of the Ready House speaks with our Content Editor, Lina Vaz, sharing relevant strategies and tactics necessary for brands to elevate their game and stand out in a crowded marketplace. Join us as we delve into the challenges and opportunities brands face today, and discover practical steps to redefine your brand identity, enhance customer engagement, and create a lasting impact.

Traditional brick-and-mortar shops are facing challenging times. The retail landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation due to the pervasive influence of digital technology and shifting consumer needs. On this episode, we delve into the dynamic world of fashion retail and discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for businesses in the industry. Ibrahim Ibrahim is the Managing Director of Portland Design, Retail Strategist and the renowned author of "Future Ready Retail", a compelling book that offers innovative solutions to redefine and revitalise the high street. He talks with Lina Vaz, our Content Editor, about this episode’s question that every fashion brand and retailer needs to consider.

Generation Z, also known as Gen Z, is the demographic cohort born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s. This generation is known for its digital proficiency, social consciousness, and global perspective. As the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age, Gen Z has unique characteristics and values that set them apart from previous generations. How can businesses connect with Gen Z? Austin Okolo, Co-Founder & CEO of The Gen Z Club and Erifili Gounari, Founder and CEO of The Z Link talk with our Content Editor, Lina Vaz, about this hot topic.

Traditional retailers are developing omnichannel capabilities pioneered by their tech-first counterparts, investing in technology and innovation. Businesses with an elevated purpose and greater sustainability will do well, but it’s also important to use technology, data and automation to succeed. The customer will increasingly shape decisions, so much so that the latest report of The Future Laboratory, one of the world’s most renowned futures consultancies, is entitled “A hyperpersonalised future for retail”. Fiona Harkin, Foresight Editor at The Future Laboratory talks about the future of retail with our Content Editor, Lina Vaz.

According to an in-depth research and analysis by the MBS Group and the British Retail Consortium, about Diversity and inclusion in UK retail, 91% of retailers have a D&I strategy, “but generally many metrics have not moved significantly, or some have gone backwards.” Why is diversity important to your business? This is the question of episode 17. Luiza Gomes, HR Policy Advisor at The British Retail Consortium, talks to Hyve's Content Editor about the current situation in the retail industry and what can be done to improve it.

Much has been written about brand building, from creating a marketing strategy to grow your business to forming an emotional connection with your customers. But for many it’s still puzzling. How to build a brand? This is the question answered on this episode by brand developing experts Ed Burstell and Sandi Burrows. Our content editor, Lina Vaz, talks with both of them. They're renowned figures in the retail industry and have recently joined forces to create their own business consultancy, Burburs.

Over the past few years, experiential retail has become a buzzword as a strategic way of building customer loyalty and drive business growth. But will this continue to be relevant in the future, considering how data is leading the way? Fashion Questions… Can experiential retail drive business growth? Kate Ancketill, CEO and founder of business futurist consultancy GDR, talks about this with our Content Editor, Lina Vaz.

Trends keep evolving and play an important role in business growth. Fashion Questions… What consumer profiles should your business look into? This is the question of this episode featuring Promostyl, our Pure London partner. Sebastien Renault, Artistic Director and Malaika Ewande, now Creative Director of Promostyl, talk with Lina Vaz, Content Editor at Hyve about what your business should keep in mind to align with consumers and keep up with fashion trends.

People are wearing activewear not only for physical activities that improve their well-being, but also as casual clothing. The activewear market is expected to grow considerably over the coming years so it's important to understand why activewear is still going strong. Our content editor, Lina Vaz, spoke with Kate Nightingale, a Consumer Psychologist and Founder of Humanising Brands, a behavioural retail consultancy. Listen to learn more about this.

When it comes to branding, marketing and Public Relations, many businesses take matters into their own hands. This can be time consuming and Return on Investment can become elusive if one doesn’t have the necessary know-how to do it efficiently. When is it the right time to hire a PR agency? Do you have the necessary infrastructure to support PR activities? To help us understand this, our Content Editor, Lina Vaz, talks with Gabriella Nassif and Miguel Arquero, Co-Founders of MGC, a strategic Brand Management, PR and Communications agency based in London.

Stella McCartney has always been a pioneer in terms of sustainability. Her brand is always looking for new materials that are both cruelty free and environmentally friendly. Her campaigns are always entertaining while also educating consumers about a sustainable way of being stylish. How to communicate your sustainability credentials? Our content editor, Lina Vaz, talks with Philip Mak, Global Head of Content and Editorial at Stella McCartney, to learn more about this.

The fashion industry has always favoured tall and skinny models, if you look into catwalk footage of the past decades, they tend to look quite similar. But over the past few years, things have been changing and it’s not unusual to see mature and curvy models walking for top luxury brands. There’s still a lot to do, that’s why today’s question is: How to bring body positivity to your marketing campaign? Our content editor, Lina Vaz, talks with John Horner, Director of Models1 agency at Hyve studios.

Many retailers struggle to keep up with the sustainability movement. Businesses need to consider ESG – short for Environmental, Social and Governance – a set of standards measuring their impact on society, the environment, and how transparent and accountable they are. Tech can support stock inventory management, but ultimately it’s all about finding a balance between sustainability and business growth. On this episode, Lina Vaz, Content Editor at Hyve, talks with Dr. Bernice Pan, Founder & Creative Director of Deploy, a business that prides itself for being sustainable by design.

The pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the retail industry, physical stores move location much more frequently, and many businesses are using popups to test the market sometimes for only a couple of days. This has a profound impact in terms of sustainability, and retailers are now looking at new ways of designing a store to make it more environmentally friendly. How can your store become more sustainable? Our content editor, Lina Vaz, talks with Dr. Katelijn Quartier, Academic Director at Retail Design Lab and assistant Professor in retail design at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts of Hasselt University in Belgium.

There is definitely a buzz around the metaverse, from 3D stores to NFTs, the retail industry is venturing into this new ground to reach to consumers and increase sales, and not necessarily in cryptocurrency. Fashion Questions… Should your business enter the metaverse? Lina Vaz, content editor at Hyve, talks with Nora Zukauskaite, global marketing director at Brand Agency London, a company that owns 3 beauty brands: Ciaté London, Skin Proud and Lottie London. Listen to what she has to say about business opportunities in the metaverse.

Buyers and designers are always looking at colour trends to ensure they offer the right products at the right time. Purchasing decisions need to align with what customers want to buy. But how do you know what colours will be popular in the future? Many businesses rely on trend forecasting agencies. Celina Bailly, colour specialist at Promostyl, our Pure London partner, joins Lina Vaz, content editor at Hyve, remotely from Paris.

According to McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, “certain groups of talented individuals – in particular, people of colour – struggle to break into the [fashion] industry, and those who manage to get in don’t feel welcome." Since this report was published in July 2021, diversity and inclusion is still an issue in the fashion industry. Our content editor, Lina Vaz, talks with celebrity stylist Zadrian Smith, one of the founding members of the Fashion Minority Alliance, and also a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee at the British Fashion Council.

Businesses need to align with their customers’ core values around sustainability, such as care for our planet, fair working conditions across the whole supply chain and animal welfare. Annick Ireland is the Founder and CEO of Immaculate Vegan, an online platform selling vegan fashion and homewares. Our content editor, Lina Vaz asks her if vegan fashion is a good product strategy.

On this episode, Lina Vaz, Content Editor at Hyve, talks to Charlotte Williams, a business consultant, and former Vice President of Content at Cannes Lions, an International Festival of Creativity and the largest gathering in the creative marketing community. She explains why brands and retailers need to develop a content marketing strategy to build trust and truly engage with their customers.

What will the future retail store look like? This is the question of our second episode of Fashion Questions… To help us understand where the retail market is heading, we’ve invited Doug Stephens to talk to us about it. He is a retail futurist, renowned author, and founder and CEO of Retail Prophet, a consultancy specialising in trends forecasting and consumer behaviour.