The Glossy Podcast is a weekly show on the impact of technology on the fashion and luxury industries with the people making change happen.
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November 6, 202638 min
After his 12th CFDA award, what makes Ralph Lauren such an icon of American fashion?
This week, Ralph Lauren became the most decorated designer in CFDA history after he won the Menswear Designer of the Year award. That's 12 CFDA awards for Ralph Lauren, who has now won in every category there is to win. On top of Lauren's personal victory, Ralph Lauren, the company, posted earnings this week that were similarly triumphant. Revenue was up 10%, revenue in Asia was up 28%, and 1.7 million new customers shopped at Ralph Lauren's DTC channels this quarter. The wins coupled with Ralph Lauren's stellar financial performance beg the question: Why is Ralph so dominant? On the Glossy Podcast this week, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discussed what has made Ralph Lauren such a vital presence in American fashion.
October 30, 202629 min
Can fashion be funny? How comedians became the faces of fall
Recent fashion brand campaigns have gotten a lot funnier. Increasingly, brands are moving beyond working with athletes, musicians and influencers and are instead bringing in comedians to be part of their campaigns. J.Crew's recent campaign with the three "Saturday Night Live" cast members John Higgins, Martin Herlihy and Ben Marshall is an obvious example. But other current and former "SNL" cast members like Chloe Fineman and Sarah Sherman, as well as non-SNL comedians like Shane Gillis and Meg Stalter, have also all made recent appearances in campaigns from brands like Under Armour and Vivaia. On the Glossy Podcast this week, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska speak with Dayna Carney, founder of the creative agency Dayna's House, about the appeal for brands of working with comedians. Ultimately, Carney said, comedic content is far more shareable than a brand's curated lookbook. People tend to share things they find funny. "If you think about the purchase journey, it's about the moment that will bring you back to the brand," Carney said. "You watch something, it's funny, it's delightful, you save it for later, and maybe you share it with someone else. It's not always a 'swipe up and buy' play."
October 23, 202636 min
After its pop-up controversy, does Good American owe anything to nano-creators?
This past weekend, the Khloé Kardashian- and Emma Grede-founded denim brand Good American hosted a pop-up in New York City, inviting dozens of content creators and influencers. Many of the influencers who showed up, however, did not get the experience they were expecting. In the days after the pop-up, social media was flooded with videos of disgruntled creators sharing their experience. Believing the event was an "exclusive" experience for VIPs, some flew from other cities only to face a long line in the rain and decidedly less-than-VIP treatment. Since then, there has been widespread public debate over who was in the wrong here. Did Good American err by poorly communicating the exact nature of the event? Or did the influencers, as some have said, have too high an opinion of themselves or fail to read between the lines, expecting special treatment at what was ultimately a standard pop-up event? On the Glossy Podcast this week, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discussed what exactly went wrong with this pop-up and what it says about how brands work with influencers, who are increasingly central to their marketing efforts. "The problem was that a lot of these creators are nano-influencers or micro-influencers," said Zwieglinska. Typically, a nano-influencer has 1,000-10,000 followers, while a micro-influencer has 10,000-100,000. "A lot of them thought this was an exclusive invite and, for their size, having an opportunity to work with a big brand like Good American could be a really big deal." Zwieglinska pointed out that a separate, actually exclusive event later in the day let influencers with much larger followings in without issue. They posted far more positively about how much fun they had, adding to the bitterness for smaller creators, many of whom never even got into the store before being turned away. Manoff said she understood why the situation provoked such an intensely negative reaction from the influencers who felt burned. "I've had similar experiences," she said. "I've been invited to fashion shows, and they tell you you have a seat, and you get there, and it's such a scene — they've clearly invited too many people, or they're a buzzy brand and the public swarms it, and you don't get in. You have certain expectations when you get invited. You're there to do your job. And, bluntly, you feel like a loser. Like, what am I doing here? It's a really bad feeling." Fashion brands are increasingly relying on influencers and content creators to magnify their reach, and brand executives often tell Glossy reporters that micro-influencers are key to that strategy. Despite their smaller followings, they often have more engaged audiences, and their influence can be just as valuable as big-name celebrities. Yet in reality, brands often use a tiered system, and influencers with bigger follower counts still get the glamorous treatment. The hosts also discussed how they could have avoided this. All it really would have taken was Good American being more direct about what exactly the event entailed. "I think there is also a scourge of PR, in their efforts to make their clients look good, increasingly exaggerating their pitches," Parisi said. "I get a lot of PR pitches, and I feel like they are getting longer, vaguer and more exaggerated. They want to make every event sound sexy and
October 16, 202632 min
Has LVMH lost the sauce?
This week, LVMH reported earnings that showed its recovery last quarter was short-lived. Sales in its bellwether fashion and leather goods category fell 5% last quarter. Sales in Asia were also down 5%, and the company's share price has fallen by nearly 40% so far since its peak in 2023. While LVMH is still the largest luxury conglomerate in the world, it's clear that something isn't working in the company's strategy. Other luxury brands and conglomerates have faced similar issues, like slower sales in China and disruption in the Middle East, but several aren't facing LVMH's problems. Chanel, for example, has seen double-digit growth in every region, including Asia, this year. So what's going on at LVMH? On the Glossy Podcast this week, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discussed some of the reasons for LVMH's declining sales. For one, the company's brands are failing to inspire on the runway, and the lack of creative innovation is leading to a loss of desirability. "I've looked at a lot of recent reports from resale sites like Fashionphile, Rebag and The RealReal, and in 2023, LVMH had four of the top 10 most searched brands," Manoff said, citing a recent The RealReal report. "In 2024, they had four again; in 2025, they had five of the top 10. But in 2026, they only have one of the top 10. Louis Vuitton was the only one still there. That is quite a backslide in my eyes." Manoff also noted that executives on LVMH's earnings call on Monday talked a lot about environmental factors negatively affecting performance, but offered little in the way of planned changes to their strategy. "At some of their brands like Bulgari, they're introducing more accessibly priced products and being more innovative," Zwieglinska said. "But at Louis Vuitton, in particular, they've been very stubborn about making any changes."
October 9, 202639 min
The designers, products, and trends that dominated Paris Fashion Week
With Paris Fashion Week over, we've officially reached the end of this season's Fashion Month. For the latest Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff, came prepared to discuss Paris Fashion Week, including a designer that impressed them, a runway product that made an impact and a trend that said something about the state of the fashion industry. Here are their picks.
October 2, 202626 min
3 major takeaways from an extravagant, maximalist Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week wrapped earlier this week, and now that the dust has settled, it's clear there were several striking themes. Many of them centered on maximalism. As quiet luxury fades away, Milan showed a return to the more extravagant dressing of previous years. On the Glossy Podcast this week, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff broke down three of the major themes they saw at Milan Fashion Week.
September 25, 202635 min
Is London Fashion Week really back?
London Fashion Week returned with more international buyers, several major British brands and a sharper commercial focus. On this week’s Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi spoke with international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska about the September 17-21 shows. They discussed Christopher Kane’s Mulberry debut, McQueen’s London return, Burberry’s turnaround and the pressure on independent designers to make their shows pay off.
September 18, 202632 min
6 new things we saw at New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week Spring 2027 was a memorable one. Between the return of several big-name designers and the controversy involving the CEO of the CFDA, there was much to discuss. On the Glossy Podcast this week, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss six of the biggest new things they saw at NYFW this season.
September 11, 202629 min
Inside Uniqlo's US expansion strategy with head of marketing Nico Cessot
Uniqlo has taken the U.S. by storm. The Japanese purveyor of affordable but high-quality basics has become a household name, particularly on the populous East and West Coasts of the country. But in the last year, Uniqlo has ratcheted up its expansion in the U.S. It has opened dozens of new stores across the U.S., with its 87th store opening in Washington, D.C. at the end of last month. Nico Cessot, head of marketing in North America for Uniqlo, joined the Glossy Podcast to talk about some of the expansion strategies Uniqlo has adopted to grow its American audience. According to Cessot, despite operating in the U.S. since 2005, Uniqlo still has plenty of room to grow its customer base and build awareness. "Our biggest priority is to continue to drive our brand awareness," he said. "Ultimately, we're still new in this market. This year is our 20th anniversary. So we're still pretty new. We want to continue to appeal to the U.S. customers. And how do we do this? Obviously, the store expansion is one thing, but the brand awareness and the discovery of who we are, what we stand for, what products we promote, I think that is also key for the success of Uniqlo moving forward." Ultimately, Uniqlo's goal is to reach approximately $19 billion in U.S. sales with nearly 200 stores in the next few years. Part of that strategy is to expand its store fleet beyond the coasts and into the middle of the country. "For many, many years, Uniqlo has been expanding in both the East Coast and West Coast," Cessot said. "New York is obviously a big market for us, but we also have California and L.A. locations. We recently opened in Texas — Dallas and Houston — Seattle in Washington state, Boston, D.C. and Chicago, where we recently also opened another local flagship store. But I think many, many customers still don't have acce
September 4, 202627 min
The 3 reasons Shein is trading at a quarter of its previous valuation
After several years of ups and downs, the Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein finally went public this week. But the IPO wasn't what Shein hoped for. For one, it came four years late. The company first started attempting to go public in 2022, but a series of political hurdles in New York and then London led to long delays. Finally, Shein went public in Hong Kong this week at a valuation of around $25 billion, down from $100 billion in 2022. On this week's Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglisnka break down the three big reasons Shein has struggled to maintain the valuation it held in recent years.
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