If you want to stay in the know about the latest luxury news,
social media innovations and in-depth fashion
industry podcast interviews, subscribe
to Jessica’s newsletter ASAP.
All in Fashion Your Seatbelt
Stephanie Phair, the chief strategy officer at luxury online marketplace Farfetch, has been in the news lately because she was just appointed as the new Chair of the British Fashion Council, succeeding Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet, who stepped down in December 2017 after five years in the role.
I was lucky enough to be a moderator of a panel that Adam Pritzker, the Chairman and CEO, Assembled Brands, was on at the famed Fashion Tech Forum conference that took place in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by the renowned Karen Harvey, who founded the Karen Harvey Consulting Group and is known for her ability to make high level connections between fashion and tech companies around the globe.
The first thing you notice about Paula is her smile. It is always there...from ear to ear…honestly she is one of the most positive, up beat people you are likely to meet working in fashion. And her colorful headquarters in Milan, where we did this podcast interview, beautifully reflects her personality. As do her vibrant shoes and her eye catching bags, with their very distinctive clasp.
Fausto Puglisi is a designer who embraces life with both hands. Born in Sicily he is one of fashion’s big personalities. Everything he does he does with 100% passion and creative fire. From his visceral and vibrate fashion shows to his friendships- Fausto is a man who claims the center stage with an open heart and a desire to inspire the women he dresses and the fashion world at large.
Late last year I was honored to be asked by Karen Harvey, CEO of Karen Harvey Consulting Group and founder of Fashion Tech Forum to participate in the latest Fashion Tech Forum conference in Los Angeles. And besides speaking on the center stage of the forum I had the all access privilege to interview some of the key speakers at the event.
If you are a woman working in fashion today might I suggest Ruth Chapman, the co-founder of Matchesfashion.com, as a role model. Not only did she build up her fashion empire with her husband Tom from scratch, with a single brick and mortar store in Wimbledon, in southwest London, 30 years ago, she turned it into one of the leading independent luxury e-commerce players in the industry.
Capasa, who has a love of black perfecto biker jackets, has been a fixture on the Italian fashion scene for years, having spent the bulk of his career as the chief executive and co-creator of Costume National, a brand he founded with his brother — and the company’s designer — Ennio Capasa in 1986, until the brothers announced their resignation in March 2016.
There are some people who work in fashion that you could just listen to for hours. Their knowledge about the industry, both institutional and anecdotal make them treasured sources of information and education. And if there is one person working in fashion today who does this, pretty much better than anyone else its Stephen Jones.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Angela Missoni’s reign at the head of the family owned Missoni house. During those two decades she has proven over and over again that there is always room for creativity, even within the confines of a house that has such an iconic DNA.
Belgian designer Cédric Charlier is about to celebrate two milestones in his life, the 5th anniversary of his brand and his 40th birthday. Both dates have kind of snuck up on him. This is because he is a designer who is so incredibly focused on the work.
Designer Julie de Libran has breathed new life into the iconic French fashion house Sonia Rykiel since she became the creative director of the brand in 2014. Her ability to reinterpret the codes of the label for a new generation of empowered women has made her one of the few designers who is able to honor a house's past while blazing a bright path into the future.
To the ill-informed she might be seen as just another concrete catwalk celeb with a bright smile and bubbly personality who looks great in her eye catching outfits. But Leaf is so much more than this.
Joanne Palmaro is a budding actress of Italian and German descent who looks like a modern day boho version of Peggy Lipton with just a soupçon of Bridget Bardot. This twenty-something is in the ingénue phase of her career having had just a few acting roles under her belt in some short French films like "Errance" and the TV mini series "Addict". And she has been featured in short films for brands like Miu Miu, Armani, Jour/ne and H&M.
Marie Cabirou is the talented woman behind the fledgling French fine jewelry house Marie Mas. She has the pedigree and the skills to become a leader in luxury jewelry design. Cabirou studied at the prestigious École Duperré and the IFM (French Fashion Institute) in Paris. And you probably already love her work, if you took a shine to the artistic and asymmetrical jewelry that was a hallmark feature of the Dior shows during the reign of Raf Simons at the house.
On the eve of the 85th anniversary of Lacoste, the company's creative director, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, talks about the special place Lacoste has within the fashion world, Novak Djokovic, the brand's new ambassador, and why he decided to close his signature label to focus all his energy on the renowned French house.
Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, talks about his new collaboration designing costumes for the Paris Opera house, the debut of his make-up line with L'Oreal, his childhood, his friendship with Kim Kardashian and where he wants to take the Balmain brand.
