The Cutting Room Floor: Recent Episodes
OMONDI
Lauren was the host of a show called Behind The Velvet Ropes, interviewing some of the most iconic designers. The episode digresses at point where we talk about my internal crisis (not really anymore though) about having kids, which I also discussed on TikTok. (@TCRFFF)
I know this seems unrelated to fashion but I'm so curious to hear from those of you who want kids, have kids, don't want kids and why not? This is not just a question for the women, either! Do you have any regrets?
Enjoy,
RO
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
How do you make a product?!!!! This episode highlights my FAVORITE part about fashion: DEVELOPING CLOTHES. I love being in factories. I love working with patternmakers. I love seeing designs come to life.
Shilo Byrd is a patternmaker by trade & training. It sounds like we recorded this in a factory, but really, its Downtown Los Angeles on a sunny day in February with the windows wide open, while everyone around us is working at their desk.
We talk fast so take notes.
PERFECT episode Anyone who wants to understand the "kitchen" of the restaurant we call the fashion industry.
Follow me on TikTok: @TCRFFF
Follow me on IG: @OMNDI
What is a "colors and materials" designer? I didn't know exactly either.
Sarah works at Puma and started her career at Reebok and New Balance.
I hate writing copy because I feel like the episode explains it all!
Also, I joined TikTok :) Follow me @TCRFFF
IG: @sarahbarnwell
Full Episode:
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Enjoy!
To understand her work, follow Nicole on Instagram before you even press play! There is no music in this episode because I'm in a weird mood. I really like this girl, she's humble and hardworking and one of the few guests to ever ask me a question back, lol.
Nicole started upcycling while working as a graphic designer at Reebok. Her creations are ironic, witty, and clever. Each upcycled product she makes is for visual consumption, yet none of it is for sale. I sit down with Nicole nearly 5 years into her journey. Since starting, she's now done design collaborations with Reebok, Arc'teryx, Patagonia and Hermés and does workshops and consulting work for brands looking to implement sustainable practices. Today, we discuss her evolution into home design and furniture, what creative burn-out feels like, how she became fluent in sign language, and her upcoming wedding.
Full Episode:
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
IG:@nicolemclaughlin
Enjoy!
Tom got his start when Emily Weiss hired him to be the photographer for Into The Gloss. Today we talk about his influences, the best agencies for photographers and and photographers budgets & salaries.
IG: @tomtakesphotoss
Mina White has been a model agent for 20 years. For the last decade, she's fought tooth and nail for the chubby girls while working at IMG Models; the top modeling agency in the world.
She tells the story of her early days working at Supreme Models, what it means to be a fighter on behalf of others, and the day she burst into tears when her client, Ashely Graham landed the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Here's a story of two women who are best friends, creative partners, business partners and kindred spirits. They built the jewelry brand, Eliou, from their hometown of Miami. It's more proof that these days, you can build the life you want out of any city. I'm biased but I love this interview. Full Episode on Patreon.
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
@eliou__
Melissa has over 20 years of experience in apparel design. Episodes like this are the reason I love this podcast. It's often the people who are not consumer facing, who know the most about the business.
A self-proclaimed knitwear expert, Melissa started her career in the "urban" category, moved into sportswear & contemporary and even designed Rihanna's first ever Fenty collection for Puma. Today she is the creative director of Diesel Sport working alongside Glenn Martens.
We talk about her extensive expertise in knitwear, the day she was poached to work for Sean "Puffy" Combs, why Wolford has such high-quality knits and the soft skills needed to work with celebrities.
Listen to the full Episode on Patreon
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Five years ago, at the age of 29, Taylor Dorry decided to enroll in fashion classes to learn how sew. She started making clothes out of her home in South Florida. I discovered her on Instagram about a year ago and was immediately drawn to her silhouettes, sense of humor and unique narrative. Listen to see how it's going. This is a story of entrepreneurship and self discovery.
IG: @TaylorDorry
Full Episode: www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Steven Alan has been in business for 30 years. A New York City native, he launched his first retail space in 1994 and built a retail business, wholesale business, showroom business and collaborated with several fashion brands like Nike, Levi's, Wrangler, Dockers, Uniqlo, Vans, West Elm & More.
For Full Episode Visit:
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Juliana Salazar is a stylist and brand consultant from Miami. Born to Columbian parents, she studied at George Washington University majoring in Business & French before deciding to pursue the fashion industry. After finding her footing with brief stints at YSL and Intermix, she officially began her fashion career at iconic retailer Hirshleifers.
Today we discuss her non-traditional path to becoming a stylist, the biggest misconceptions about the job and how to maintain a good reputation, in an industry where relationships are everything. Enjoy.
IG: @julianasalazar
Six years ago, Andrew Wyatt founded a fashion tech company called Cala.
Cala is a SAAS company that manages all of the backend logistics for designers. Essentially, you upload your design to the website and Cala will not only help you design it but will also produce it and ship it to your customers, for you.
It's technology that sounds too good to be true. Today, I ask Andrew a million questions about how the software works and we leaving no stone unturned, and he was able to answer every single one.
Full 90minute episode on Pateron.com/thecuttingroomfloor
IG: @thisiscala
IG: @awhyit
Website: Ca.la
Quil Lemons is a young, NYC based photographer.
FULL EPISODE:
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Shawn Pean is Brooklyn native who built his career as a wholesale merchant; starting at retailers like JC Penny & Saks Fifth Avenue and making his way to becoming a Vice President at Valentino and President at Balmain. Today we talk the journey.
Full Episode:
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
IG: @OMNDI
Antidote is a new luxury retailer located in Atlanta, Georgia and founded by Lauren Amos & Eugene Rabkin
To listen to the full episode:
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Telsha Anderson is the boutique owner of T.A New York, located in the Meatpacking District of New York City.
Eugene Rabkin is a writer and the founder of Style Zeitgeist.
patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Marcelo Gaia is the designer behind the "instagram brand", Mirror Palais. After working as a stylist or 10 years; (which included working for Lady Gaga's Stylist) he launched his own label. I sit down with Marcelo at his Lower East Side apartment in Manhattan to discuss how her did it.
Also! All full episodes are now available on Patreon, only! www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Brian Phillips founded the Fashion PR Company Black Frame which operated from 2004 until 2020. We discuss his POV on a what makes a talented publicist, what he's learned along the way and his ideas for the future.
patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Leandra Medine was the founder of Man Repeller. A blog turned media company that operated from 2010 - 2020. In 2020 she stepped down from her company after she and the company were criticized for their performative solidarity with black lives. Leandra reflects on her time running a company and what she's learned about racism in America.
Patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
Leandra Medine: @leandramcohen
Crystal Anderson: @beerbottles_chainsaws
Mecca James Williams: @meccajw
Sebastian Baptiste: @sebastianbaptiste
Chrissy Rutherford: @chrissyford
Today's episode is playful and relaxed. I talk so my friend Christopher John Rogers about his name sake brand and love for color.
www.patreon.com/thecuttingroomfloor
@christopherjohnrogers
Mickey Drexler, the man behind The Gap, JCrew, Old Navy, Madewell has been in the fashion industry otherwise known as "The Rag Trade" for over 40 years. He's now working alongside his son Alex Drexler who founded Alex Mill, Mickey has a unique approach to leadership, shopkeeping, and selling goods at great value.
INSTAGRAM: @OMNDI
TWITTER: @OMONDIPRESENTS
PATREON: PATREON.COM/THECUTTINGROOMFLOOR
The season isn't over! New episodes early June 2021.
Just stopping by to say Hi & Thank You.
Ibrahem Hasan describes his role as a Senior Creative Director at Nike. Today, we dig into the structure of Nike as a huge, global organization or as Ibrahim calls it, "The Matrix." How many categories are there? What are their functions? Who are the appointed creative directors? How big are the teams and who's in charge of what? Born with raw talent on the south side of Chicago, Ibrahem learned on the job what it means to be a creative for a corporation. Today he describes the unspoken transition from being a "maker" to a "manager."
This a great episode for a young designers. I speak to Shira Carmi who is the former president of Mansur Gavriel and has since been named the CEO of Altuzarra. Shira is a business person; the kind that every design talent needs to know. She sits pole position between business and creativity with an understanding of how to service both sides. There's a lot a great business advice here. We talk about the challenge of over-distribution among e-commerce partners, why the CFDA/VOGUE/BARNEYS recipe doesn't guarantee a brand success and how true scarcity can help or hinder a brand depending on its authenticity.
IG: @shirasuecarmi
Peter Do is greater than the sum of its parts. While his name is on the door, Peter makes clear that this is not a one man show. This is a company built on friendship and craftsmanship. I sit with the founders of Peter Do, LLC at their Brooklyn Studio.
James Scully is a prominent casting director starting his career in PR & production over 25 years ago. This episode covers a lot. James walks us through Vogue Magazine before Anna Wintour, his time as a buyer at the avant garde NYC retailer Chari Vari and his experience producing Tom Ford's first show at Gucci. He describes the evolved role of the stylist & casting directors; some of which abused their power, revealing the dark side of the modeling industry.
In 2020 Mara Hoffman celebrated her 20th year in business, no small feat for any independently owned NYC brand. Today we speak on the many reincarnations of Mara Hoffman, finding sustainability in your existence, and the importance of never being 'too cool'.
Today we talk about fashion licensing. Allison Zamora is a licensing executive who started her career at Calvin Klein and later went to LVMH. She walks us through the mechanism of licensing and how it's changed over the years.
Teri Agins covered fashion at The Wall Street Journal for 20 years. In 1999, she published her first book, The End of Fashion; How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever. A friend lent me the book and it collected dust on my desk for months before I decided to pick it up; at which point I couldn’t put it down. This book is fashion reporting unlike I’ve ever seen of the industry. As Vanity Fair declared, “The End of Fashion rips into the underbelly of a world where marketing is king and often the emperor has no clothes.”
Amy Smilovic, the founder of Tibi, took a lifelong passion and created a burgeoning fashion label. Listen in as she relates why she took the leap into creating fashion, why she later made a major pivot in her brand, and what it has taken to keep everything moving and evolving in the ever-changing world of fashion. Amy is completely transparent about what it took to create Tibi as well all the twists and turns she’s navigated throughout the past 20 years since its creation. You won’t want to miss this in-depth look at a paragon of the fashion industry.
TIME STAMPS
- (00:19) Welcome back to the last show of 2019 with the founder of Tibi, Amy Smilovic.
- (02:06) Learn about the competitors of Tibi before the rebrand.
- (03:00) Amy shares the meaning behind the name and her early inspiration.
- (04:45) The birth of Tibi, the first collection, and the gap the brand filled.
- (08:02) Why did Amy’s designs turn in to a labor of hate?
- (10:30) When did Amy decide to make a change?
- (13:33) How did she get her staff on board with the new direction?
- (15:47) Amy chats about the birth of 4.collective and how it funded the new Tibi.
- (18:39) How was the original Tibi initially funded, built, and promoted?>
- (24:16) Hear how Amy’s husband’s opinion of Tibi has changed over the years.
- (27:43) Learn how Amy’s marketing background helped propel Tibi into American stores.
- (31:14) After four years Amy and her husband relocated to the U.S.
- (33:21) Amy reminisces over the terrors of shipping guidelines and having her mom ship products.
- (35:49) Sustainability was important from the beginning as was keeping the local feel.
- (38:52) Amy’s dad’s advice led to the true establishment of Tibi in Soho.
- (43:54) Hear how that same advice helped her to let go of her need to be recognized by the establishment in fashion.
- (45:17) Learn how the lack of coverage on the Tibi brand in U.S. fashion publications speaks to the country’s opinion of women as designers.
- (52:18) When should the leaders in the establishment pass the baton to the next generation?
- (53:53) Amy shares two of her proudest accomplishments with her business.
- (57:53) How social media has helped keep Tibi and Amy relevant in today’s world.
- (1:01:30) Amy chats about the imposter syndrome she’s dealt with for 20 years.
- (1:04:18) Connect with Amy.
Links & Resources:
OMONDI on Instagram
OMONDI on Twitter
OMONDI Newsletter
Tibi
Tibi on Instagram
Tibi on Facebook
Tibi on Pinterest
Tibi on Twitter
Amy on Instagram
What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark McCormack
Acquired Podcast
Jack Ma
Song: Hell N Back by Bakar
What happens to our clothes once we get rid of them? Sustainability encourages that we ask how our clothes are made but few ask where they go at the end of their life cycle. Recorded at the University of Cincinnati, we sit down with former DAAP educator Elizabeth Ricketts about the clothing waste crisis, the invisible world of the second-hand clothing economy as seen in Accra, Ghana.
TIME STAMPS
- (00:24) Learn more about The Indx
- (00:57) Intro: Liz’s Back Ground
- (02:02) Today’s Topic: The Afterlife of Clothing
- (02:51) What is sustainability and what it's not
- (05:08) We are past the point of conferences
- (05:37) Extracting finite resources
- (06:57) Start with Waste
- (07:47) Dissonance: Clothing as Waste
- (08:33) Waste: Assumed Part of the Business
- (09:19) Abundance vs Excess (Grocery Store)
- (11:42) Recycling New Savior
- (13:15) Deficit Myth
- (14:20) Not “Goodwill” Deficit Statistics
- (16:30) Research in Ghana: Landfill or Donate?
- (19:35) Went to Ghana with 3 Questions
- (21:17) Kantamanto and Ghana’s independence
- (24:40) The Value of Clothing Bails
- (26:04) The Importers and the Retailers
- (27:24) What are Selections?
- (29:00) Waste-Streams in Ghana
- (30:29) Asana’s story
- (34:29) Why Katamanto represents the future of fashion.
- (36:03) How do we get people to care?
- (38:32) The future is local
- (41:52) Knowledge is Experience - and how this applies to fashion
- (45:03) Age and dissonance
- (46:23) What you can do today to understand the waste crisis.
- (50:12) Why single-use t-shirts are killing the industry.
- (52:54) Connect with Liz: @theorispresent, @SFI_cincinnati, Dead White Man’s Clothes
Links & Resources:
The Indx
The University of Cincinnati - DAAP School of Design
Burberry Clothing Fire
Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough
Live at the Brooklyn design studio A/D/O we listen in as Nesli Danisman, founder of Angora Group, shares how she became an expert in sourcing materials around the world. Starting in as an assistant to Ralph Lauren and sourcing for nearly a decade for Marc Jacobs, Nesli describes her mission with Angora Group to help companies develop the best products with the best factories around the world. We close it out with some heavy-hitting questions from the audience that you won’t want to miss.
TIME STAMPS
(00:15) Welcome back! We are live from Greenpoint Brooklyn at A/D/O
(01:12) Live introduction to the group at A/D/O.
(03:44) Special shout out to our sponsor, Indx.
(06:44) Intro: Nesli Danisman found of Angora Group.
(08:25) What does Angora Group do?
(10:11) … and what they don’t do.
(11:57) Is it true that more designers come to Angora Group versus just people with money?
(13:38) Nesli breaks down the 30/30/30 model.
(15:27) The vision behind Kanye’s pieces… that never came to
fruition.
(16:40) Nesli shares some of the brands Angora Group has worked with.
(17:36) Learn about the movement that was Charivari?
(20:58) What it was like to work in Ralph Lauren’s home and then in his company.
(22:16) Lab dips: what are they?
(23:33) FIT and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
(25:57) Why did Nesli leave MBMJ and how did she know she was ready to go out on her own?
(27:39) MBMJ was Nesli’s first client and the Apple collaboration.
(29:02) How does Nesli know so many people around the world?
(30:11) What is a factory rat and why Nesli identifies with them?
(31:15) Why is going to the factories so important and what do you learn?
(33:59) Discovering new factories for the best products and materials.
(36:31) Why teaching the client to fish is more economical and ethical than catching the fish.
(39:11) The difference between development and production.
(41:03) How PLMs help create efficiency in business and reduce waste.
(42:43) Trends: what’s reoccurring?
(44:24) Audience Q&A: superpower and where does Africa stand in the future of business.
(46:51) Characteristics that successful people tend to have? Blindspots?
(49:38) Does skillset and traditional schooling still matter?
(52:08) Is it possible to teach the big players how to be more responsible and sustainable?
(53:45) When did Nesli realize what she wanted to do?
(54:56) Final thank you’s and acknowledgments.
(57:57) Learn more about A/D/O.
(58:52) Shout out to Mr. Omondi
Links & Resources: A/D/O
Indx
Angora Group
Nesli Danisman
Liz Claiborne
Christopher Bailey
Burberry
Marc Jacobs
Rebecca Minkoff
UNTUCKit
Outdoor Voices
Charivari
Tom Ford
Bergdorf Goodman
Armani
Yohji
Comme
The Antwerp Six
Ralph Lauren
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
LVMH
Hermes
Vuitton
Yunique PLM
Flex
Backbone
Hill House Home
Live at Notre Chicago, Ava Niuri (@avanope) is head of special projects at Marc Jacobs. We discuss her Australian upbringing, her time at Helmut Lang and what she describes as "catfishing" of the creative brain.
TIME STAMPS
-
(0:39) @avanope
-
(1:12) Ava’s Background
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(2:22) Fashion in Australia
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(4:00) Fashion Writing
-
(5:00) Opening Ceremony
-
(6:37) Bootlegs
-
(12:33) “Entering the Fashion Industry”
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(13:45) Instagram & Hiring
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(14:27) Helmut Lang
-
(16:42) Marc Jacobs
-
(19:19) Collabs
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(20:00) Marc Jacobs Sweatshirt
-
(21:42) Women in Streetwear
-
(23:36) Keanu Reeves Project
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(29:33) Ken Park Project
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(32:50) Fashion before the internet
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(34:45) Vetements
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(35:51) DIY Culture
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(36:56) Questions
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(40:00) Magazines (Dazed and Confused)
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(42:00) Sustainability/ ethical brands
-
(43:00) Regionalism
A denim specialist with over twenty years of experience tells us why the best studied at the house of Levi's.
TIME STAMPS
- (1:14) Adriano Goldschmeid
- (2:42) Levi Strauss
- (3:39) Tiia at Levi’s
- (4:10) Levi’s tabs
- (5:05) Tiia’s Work History
- (6:40) Denim History
- (8:27) Tommy Hilfiger x Hip Hop
- (11:04) Marc Jacobs Denim
- (12:10) Designer Jeanswear
- (13:00) Genuine Denim
- (14:30) Stretch Denim
- (19:46) Calvin Klein
- (21:52) Denim Pollution
- (22:18) Laundries (Denim process)
- (24:24) Role of a Denim Specialist
- (25:09) Denim Finishes
- (26:32) Stone washing
- (27:30) Indigo
- (28:39) 7 for All Mankind
- (29:30) Premium Market
- (30:56) Raw “Japanese” Denim
- (33:11) Selvedge Denim
- (33:11) Selvedge Denim
- (35:55) Not a Purest
- (37:00) Denim is a canvas
- (38:56) Angora Group
- (42:30) Black - Non Indigo Denim
- (46:00) Partnering & Outsourcing
- (48:00) Overseas & Local Manufacturing
Live in London at The Hoxton Hotel Martine shares her thoughts on “hype”; working for Demna Gvasalia of Balenciaga and the influences of her youth.
Founder, Lana Johnson tells us about writing her own playbook. She used influencer marketing to her own advantage; starting with a few small SKUS and growing into a full collection in under 4 years.
Jacquelyn talks finding the white space in the market & reinventing the category of showercaps.
Andrea Pagliai describes why the culture of immediacy is compromising true talent development, how the influencer market will eventually implode and the growing need for quality over quantity.
Former Editor-in-Chief for 17 years, Cindi Leive speaks about print before the internet age. The conversation covers on feminism, womanhood, and the future of print media.
Recorded at SSENSE HQ in Montréal, author, Durga Chew Bose explains her role as the Deputy Editor of SSENSE.com.
Previously at FarFetch & Shopbop, Stephanie Horton explains the fundamentals that go into a fashion business, why there are no shortcuts when it comes to e-commerce and the things she looks for in an employee.
Heron Preston tells the story of how he and Virgil went from Myspace friends to joining New Guards Group, the company that launched his namesake brand Heron Preston.
Starting her career at Maria Cornejo and then eventually landing at OUTLIER, Willie tells us about her life hack to entering the industry and why textiles are so important to her current employer.
A very candid look at the business of fashion photography. Working in-house for commercial clients like Pharell, Beyonce & Kanye West, Driely Carter explains why magazine editorials make no money, the scam of sponsored content and how the fashion industry has survived on free work.
Maureen explains the role of a Technical Designer. She describes her role as the “engineer” to the designers; the importance of the Tech Pak and why ready-to-wear brands cannot compete with the fast fashion calendar.
The first live podcast at the Hoxton Hotel in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Recho Omondi sits down with young designers Christopher John Rogers and his partner David Rivera, Suzzan Atala of Tuza Jewelry and Josh Allen of Richard & Grace.
Omondi sits down with Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, the duo behind the infamous instagram account @diet_prada
Today we are talking with Matthew Henson about what it means to be a stylist to his clients being A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd. We discuss how Henson’s time directing Mens’ Editorial for Complex Magazine led him to develop a specific skill-set and a unique eye that are key to curating the perfect image.
In our first episode, we speak with The Fashion Law’s Julie Zerbo and New York Mag; The Cut’s Emilia Petrarca about what it means to be critical of fashion in a world where everyone’s opinion has a platform. This episode takes a real look at the shortcomings of modern fashion journalism and why it is important to remain knowledgeable and critical of the fashion industry today.