Fashion & Founders The Podcast

Behind buzziest influencer brands like the Bar and Phe Phe. What really goes into building a successful fashion brand? 
Ashley Leo is the woman behind some of fashion's buzziest brands, including The Bar and Phe Phe, founded by Bridget and Danielle Pheloung (Acquired Style). After spending over 20 years in the fashion industry building brands like ALC, Rag & Bone, Theory, and Fleur du Mal, Ashley saw an opportunity to rethink how fashion brands are built. She went on to co-found The Bar and launch The Leo Group (TLG), where she partners with creators to turn their audiences and ideas into successful businesses. In this episode of Fashion & Founders, Ashley takes us behind the scenes of the influencer brand business model, from product development and manufacturing to marketing, inventory, and financing. We get into some of the biggest questions and misconceptions surrounding influencer brands: Are sellouts intentional? How involved are influencers in actually designing their collections? Does follower count determine whether a brand will succeed? And can an influencer-founded brand eventually stand on its own? Ashley also shares her career journey, why she left traditional fashion retail, what she looks for in business partners, and her advice for anyone hoping to break into the fashion industry or launch a brand of their own.

This episode is brought to you by Roller Rabbit.
Use code VICTORIA20 for 20% off your order!
Shop the ⁠Merry in Print Collection⁠

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: ⁠@fashionandfounders⁠
Podcast Substack: ⁠Fashion and Founders⁠
Podcast Website: ⁠fashionandfounders.com⁠
Podcast TikTok: ⁠@⁠⁠fashionandfounders⁠
Podcast YouTube: ⁠Fashion and Founders⁠
Podcast Links: ⁠Shop My⁠

⁠Job Board ⁠opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow Ashley Leo:
IG: @⁠ashley__leo⁠

Follow The Leo Group:
IG: @⁠theleogroup_⁠
Shop ⁠HERE⁠

PremiumBeat Monetization ID: KFDNIZV8PLN5ZJZB
Thanks for listening!

How do you build a career where opportunities come to you instead of constantly applying for jobs? And how did Quince become a $10.1 billion company selling $50 cashmere sweaters?
This week on Fashion and Founders, I'm joined by Dakota Kate Isaacs, Head of Brand Strategy and Narrative at Quince, to talk about building a career in fashion, taking risks, and the technology changing the fashion industry. Dakota has never applied for a job she's held. After completing 12 internships in college, she took a chance on a little-known beauty startup called Deciem, the parent company of The Ordinary, where she helped build the brand in the US. Today, she's shaping the narrative behind Quince, one of fashion's most talked-about companies. We get into the career moves that helped her get here, from building relationships and making yourself invaluable at work. Get an inside look at Quince's business model. Dakota breaks down how the company uses technology to rethink traditional retail, why luxury products cost what they do, how Quince approaches quality and manufacturing, and the debate around dupes, sustainability, and fast fashion. Whether you're looking to break into fashion, take the next step in your career, or build a breakthrough business, this episode is packed with lessons from someone who has helped shape two of the industry's most disruptive brands.
This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.
Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community HERE. 

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow Dakota:
IG: @dakotakisaacs
Substack HERE

Follow Quince:
IG: @onequince
Shop HERE

PremiumBeat Monetization ID: KFDNIZV8PLN5ZJZB
Thanks for listening!

How to start a jewelry business. Engagement ring trends. Lab-grown vs. natural diamonds. Acquired Style Wedding.
Ring Concierge founder Nicole Wegman joins Fashion and Founders to talk about scaling to a $100 Million Business. Nicole shares advice for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur, leave corporate and work for themselves, or eventually start their own brand. She explains why she believes you should gain work experience before starting a company, what aspiring founders should learn while working for someone else, how she built Ring Concierge without an industry network, and what it takes to grow from founder to CEO. We talk engagement ring trends, the bridal economy, and how social media is changing the market. Plus, we talk hiring, leadership, outside investment, natural vs. lab-grown diamonds, the biggest misconceptions in the jewelry industry, and what today’s brides are actually looking for.
This episode is brought to you by Roller Rabbit.
Take 20% off your order of $150 with code VICTORIA20 at rollerrabbit.com 

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow Ring Concierge:
IG: @ringconcierge
Shop HERE

Follow Nicole Wegman:
IG: @itsnicolewegman

PremiumBeat Monetization ID: KFDNIZV8PLN5ZJZB
Thanks for listening!

How to work with luxury fashion brands. How to get invited to fashion week. Top 1% of fashion creators. 
Kate Bartlett has built one of the most recognizable careers in fashion content going from an FIT student posting day-in-the-life videos to working with some of the biggest luxury brands in the world. In this episode of Fashion and Founders, Kate breaks down how she turned content creation into a real business, what it actually takes to build relationships with fashion brands, and the behind-the-scenes realities of being a full-time creator. We talk about the TikTok that changed her career, gaining 100,000 followers overnight, getting signed by management, making money as a creator, and why reaching one million followers changed the way luxury brands viewed her. Kate also shares the unspoken rules of working with luxury fashion houses, how creators actually get invited to Fashion Week, and what brands are really looking for beyond follower count. We also get into the business side of influencing brand deal negotiations, exclusivity, whitelisting, production costs, working with photographers and glam teams, and why a 15-second sponsored video can take weeks of work behind the scenes. Plus, Kate talks about going back to school for her MBA at NYU, how she thinks about the future of her career beyond influencing, and her advice for anyone trying to build a career in fashion today. If you want to work in fashion, grow as a creator, work with luxury brands, or understand the business behind the influencer industry, this episode is for you.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.
Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community HERE. 

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow Kate Bartlett:
IG: @katebartlett
TikTok: @katebartlett

Thanks for listening!

September Reset Guide. Fall Reset. How to become a founder. Why Aureum stopped selling jewelry. 
Cass Dimicco joins Victoria Smith, host Fashion and Founders to break down how she went from fashion buyer to creator to founder of Aureum. Cass gives listeners a “founder playbook,” even if you’re not about to start a company this is a great September reset guide. We go into changing your habits, building confidence, and betting on yourself. Her company recently went through a big pivot too. Cass shares why the brand ultimately stopped selling the jewelry it became known for. We talk about knowing when to pivot, finding and building relationships with manufacturers, pricing luxury products, why your brand doesn't need to be for everyone, and how Aureum is intentionally separating itself from the traditional “influencer brand” model. Cass also shares how she thinks about creator gifting, what actually gets her attention when hiring, why women should have more audacity when charging for their work, and how she turned her relationship with ShopMy into an opportunity to become an investor. If you're building a fashion brand, growing as a creator, or figuring out when it's time to bet on yourself, this episode is full of tangible advice you can actually use.

This episode is brought to you by Swap Commerce.
Learn more about Swap and join their private fashion community ⁠⁠HERE.⁠⁠

Follow Fashion & Founders:
Podcast IG: @fashionandfounders
Podcast Substack: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.com
Podcast TikTok: @fashionandfounders
Podcast YouTube: Fashion and Founders
Podcast Links: Shop My

Job Board opportunities in fashion, tech, and more.

Follow Cass Dimicco:
IG: @cassdimicco
Substack HERE

Follow Aureum:
IG: @aureum.collective
Shop HERE

Thanks for listening!