Fashion & Founders The Podcast
Fashion & Founders is a media platform exploring how fashion is actually built. Hosted by Victoria Smith, the show sits at the intersection of fashion, technology, and capital spotlighting the founders, investors, and operators shaping the industry’s next era.
Through long-form conversations, we go beyond trends to unpack fundraising, manufacturing, resale, AI, sustainability, career, and the evolving business of fashion. This is where fashion’s builders speak, share, and connect.
Episodes
100 episodes
How Fashion is Forecasted with WGSN Head of Consumer Forecasting
What is trend forecasting? How are fashion trends predicted? How do brands predict what consumers will want years before it happens? In this episode, we go inside WGSN, one of the world's leading trend forecasting companies, to expl...
Luxury Business Secrets with LVMH Chairwoman
What business school won’t teach you about luxury. How do you work in luxury fashion? This is inside LVMH's playbook. This week, I'm joined by Pauline Brown, former Chairwoman of LVMH North America, Harvard Business School professor...
Hervé Léger Creative Director Michelle Ochs: How She's Bringing the Brand Into a New Era
What does a creative director in fashion do? How do I get a job in fashion? What is fashion school actually like? Hear from Michelle Ochs, the Creative Director at Hervé Léger. In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to ...
Morgan Riddle and Cherry Beagles: The Female Fan Economy and 400 Club
This week on Fashion and Founders, I'm joined by Morgan Riddle and Cherry Beagles, co-founders of The 400 Club, a community redefining sports through the lens of fashion, culture, and female fandom.Morgan Riddle was called “The Most Famo...
Make a Career out of Taste with VP of Partnerships at ShopMy
This week on Fashion and Founders Podcast, I’m joined by Caley-Rae Pavillard, VP of Partnerships & Business Development at ShopMy. If you've spent any time around creators lately, you've probably heard the same thing: "Get on ShopMy." But w...
Answering Your Biggest Fashion Career Questions: Solo Episode
This week, I’m answering your questions in a solo episode. I asked you to send in your biggest questions about working in fashion, founder tools, networking, fashion tech, and building a career you actually love, and we're covering all of it. F...
LoveShackFancy: Fashion Editor to Empire with Rebecca Hessel Cohen
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Rebecca Hessel Cohen, founder of LoveShackFancy. They discuss how Rebecca went from working as a fashion editor at Cosmopolitan to building one of the most recognizable brands in fashion. Rebecca shares ...
The Brand Behind Acquired Style’s Viral Bachelorette Trip: Swan Beauty
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Colby Mitchell, founder of Swan Beauty, the AI beauty tech startup that went viral after sponsoring Acquired Style’s bachelorette trip. They discuss the strategy behind the partnership, the inbound after...
The Future of Beauty with Glamsquad founder Giovanni Vaccaro
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Giovanni Vaccaro, co-founder of GlamSquad, to talk about the future of beauty and how access is changing everything. What used to be reserved for celebrities and top influencers, getting your hair and ma...
Building a Brand That Means Something: Sali Christeson Founder of Argent
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Sali Christeson, founder and CEO of Argent, to discuss what it really takes to build a fashion brand over the long term. Sally shares her path from tech to launching Argent, and how a gap in the workwear...
Vestiaire Collective: the $1 Billion Resale Platform
In this episode, Victoria sits down with the Chief Business Officer of Vestiaire Collective, Klemen Drole. They discuss how the company evolved from a niche resale platform into a global leader in secondhand luxury. He was previously the Chief ...
The Business of Being an Influencer with Hannah Lizzy
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Hannah Krohne, Hannah Lizzy on TikTok, a fashion creator who turned TikTok into a launching point for her career. Landing roles at David Yurman, Danielle and Alix in styling, and ASOS in merchandising an...
CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund: What It’s Really Like to be a Finalist
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Ashley Moubayed, founder of Don’t Let Disco and a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist. They discuss her journey from building the brand as a side hustle to becoming a full-time founder, and the realities of...
OOTD: Viral Fashion Content Strategy
In this episode, Victoria sits down with the team behind OOTD, one of the fastest-growing fashion media platforms capturing street style around the world. What began as candid outfit videos filmed on the streets of New York has quickly evolved ...
Matilda Djerf: Behind the Brand
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Matilda Djerf, the founder of Djerf Avenue, to discuss how she built one of the most recognizable aesthetics in modern fashion. They talk about launching a brand with strong values, building community bo...
NYFW isn't "dead," but it is too expensive
New York Fashion Week isn’t dead, but it is changing. In this solo NYFW recap, Victoria breaks down what felt different this season and how Fashion Week is getting too expensive. From major brands like Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs show...
Ganni Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Bartley
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Ganni’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Lauren Bartley. They discuss how the brand approaches sustainability and design, as they set trends rather than following them. Lauren unpacks Ganni's transparent ap...
Copenhagen Fashion Week Trends and Takeaways
In this episode, Victoria recaps her experience attending Copenhagen Fashion Week from street style and behind-the-scenes access to the sustainability frameworks shaping the future of fashion. She breaks down what makes Copenhagen different fro...
COVID Side Hustle to the Red Carpet: Undone by Kate
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Kate March, founder and designer of Undone by Kate. She shares how a pandemic project became a made-in-New-York bespoke, bridal, and special occasion brand. Kate shares her path from celebrity styling to...
Marina Larroudé: Reinventing the Footwear Business Model
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Marina Larroude, founder of Larroudé, to unpack how she built one of fashion’s fastest-growing footwear brands by rewriting the rules. Marina shares her journey from interning at Condé Nast to leading fa...
Rebecca Minkoff: Building a Household Name Fashion Label
In this episode, Victoria sits down with designer and founder Rebecca Minkoff to break down what it really takes to build a fashion brand and keep it alive through industry curveballs. Rebecca shares how an internship led to her first bre...
Cynthia Rowley: How to Make it in Fashion in NYC
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Cynthia Rowley, CFDA award winning designer, to talk about building a fashion career the scrappy way. Cynthia shares how she got started making clothes, her accidental path to New York, and what it reall...
Fashion Career Playbook
Fashion Career Playbook to break into fashion in 2026. How to break into the fashion industry in 2026. Part One out now on Substack.Link Here: https://fashionandfounders.substack.com/p/the-fashion-career-playbook-part
Archival Vintage Fashion Reimagined by Isle of Monday
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Gabriella and Janelle, co-founders of Isle of Monday, to discuss how they’re making runway vintage and archival fashion accessible through their fashion tech rental platform. They share how backgrounds i...
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Following Your Personal Mission: Influencer Social Responsibility with Alex Bushman
In this episode, Victoria sits down with Alex Bushman, founder of Influencer Social Responsibility (ISR), to talk about transforming the creator economy through meaningful social impact. Alex shares how a single cold DM to Danielle Bernstein le...
