The Business of Fashion Podcast

For more than  30 years, photographer Willy Vanderperre has been fascinated with youth. Vanderperre has carved a niche for himself in the fashion industry, capturing the youthful essence of models like Julia Nobis and Clément Chabernaud for fashion houses including Dior, Prada and Givenchy. “It would be bordering on pretentious to say that I understand youth. I am 53 years old and I am fully aware of that. It's impossible to understand youth nowadays. I can just have an interpretation of what I think youth is through my eyes and through the experiences I have with those kids,” says Vanderperre. Ahead of the opening of his  exhibition “Willy Vanderperre Prints, Films, a Rave and More…” at MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp, Vanderperre sits down with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks to discuss this approach to image-making his creative collaborations with Raf Simons and Olivier Rizzo, and more. Key Insights * Whilst studying photography at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Vanderperre first encountered the friends who would become his closest collaborators: Raf Simons, Olivier Rizzo and Peter Philips. “We all grew up in different parts of Belgium, we all have very different backgrounds, we also come from different subcultures, so I think it's also that that linked us together at one point.” * A rave and hedonistic subculture is an essential component of his body of work. “Of course we had to include the rave. My main focus has always been youth, and it will always be. I am from that generation of Belgian kids that when the rave scene was big, I was young and I indulged in that lifestyle,” he shared. * Vanderperre views challenge, both for himself and his audience, as a defining characteristic of his work. “What is a beautiful picture? Does it always have to be beautifully lit or perfectly lit? … Technique is important, but it's a means and I think we should play with that,” he explains.  * As for his work philosophy, Vanderperre keeps it simple: “I like the idea of observing, creating and bringing that character to life and being genuinely interested in that person in front of the camera” he says. “I think the last three decades we’ve just been trying to translate youth through our eyes.” Additional Resources: * Willy Vanderperre: ‘Youth Is an Emotion. Youth Is the Breaking Point’ [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/willy-vanderperre-on-antwerp-agents-and-the-allure-of-youth/]  * Willy Vanderperre Has a New Instagram Project [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/willy-vanderperre-has-a-new-instagram-project/]  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Prosper and Martine Assouline’s business began with a passion project: A book dedicated to their love for La Colombe d’Or, a boutique hotel in the South of France; Martine produced the images and Prosper was responsible for the text. But since publishing that first title 30 years ago, Assouline Publishing has gone on to capture the history and visual memory of places like Ibiza and Jaipur, industry icons such as Estée Lauder and Valentino Garavani, as well as fashion houses like Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton.  “The idea was to make a book about the spirit of a place, … to mix the past, the present, the people, and all the DNA,” says Martine.  “I always say to my team in the art department that when a book is finished, we need to start it. … You think it's finished but it’s just beginning,” says Prosper. This week on The BoF Podcast, founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with the Assoulines to learn how this fixture of fashion publishing was born and how they intend to maintain that original creative spark while growing it into a global lifestyle business.  Key Insights:  * While Assouline may be a leading luxury publishing house today, Martine and Prosper were outsiders without prior experience or contacts in this world. They had to learn along the way. “We learned that it was a real job. A real industry, a club where everyone knew each other,” said Prosper Assouline. “We learned while doing - everything,” added Martine.  * Prosper Assouline says the process of creating a new book is architectural and the magic lies in the details. “We didn’t just want to do books because Amazon is full of proposals and other publishers are full of proposals.”  * For Martine, the continual consumption of culture and arts is a key ingredient in Assouline’s formula. “You have to eat culture. You have to go to a museum. You have to see films of today, of yesterday. You have to look at magazines, hear music, all kinds of different books. It's very important.” * In the Assoulines’ view, what they’re doing is much bigger than simply publishing books. “The idea was not just to make books, it was to create a luxury brand on culture,” said Prosper Assouline. * Looking towards the future, the luxury publishing house is narrowing its focus on lifestyle. “Lifestyle is the project. It’s our way to live and work, it has always been our direction,” said Martine Assouline.  Additional Resources * In Age of Online Inspiration, Fashion Creatives Still Love Beautiful Books [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/fashion-creatives-still-love-beautiful-books-giles-deacon-claire-de-rouen-arthur-fournier/] * The Business of Fashion Books [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/the-business-of-fashion-books/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Starting in 1999, Larry Miller worked alongside Michael Jordan to build Nike’s Jordan brand, which today generates more than $5 billion in revenue for Nike. But his journey to the C-suite was a unique one. Growing up in West Philadelphia, Miller joined a gang, which led him to serve multiple prison sentences for a series of crimes, including second-degree murder. Through a rehabilitation programme, he was able to begin his college education while in prison, and upon release, he was able to start his career with an accounting job at the Campbell Soup Company. In 1997, Miller started working for Nike under founder Phil Knight, and became the first Black vice president of apparel at the company before going on to become president of the Jordan brand in 1999. But it wasn’t until years later that he went public about his backstory with the publication of his book, “Jump: My Secret Journey From the Streets to the Boardroom.” At BoF VOICES 2022, Miller sat down with UTA executive Darnell Strom to share his story, talk about the power of second chances and explain how he found redemption. “I’ve come to the realisation that a lot of times we are afraid to talk about the obstacles that we overcome. But in reality there’s no shame in overcoming obstacles,” said Miller. Key Insights: * “When I was 16, I shot a kid and he died and I was charged as an adult at 16 years old… pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced to four and a half to 20 years,” Miller revealed at BoF VOICES 2022. * Once he had revealed his story, Miller says Michael Jordan and Phil Knight were supportive and encouraged him to share his story. “It’s been amazing to me the response that I’ve gotten from people who I’ve known and worked with and who have just encouraged me and embraced the fact that I’ve got this past.” * Following the release of his book, Miller apologised to the family of Edward David White, the man he killed. In White’s honour Miller created a foundation for his descendents to attend university or trade school. * “I think I’m a perfect example of the fact that a person can change if given the right opportunities… the right chance. But it starts inside of you. You have to believe that you can change,” said Miller. Additional Resources: * A Nike Executive Seeks a Family’s Forgiveness for a 1965 Murder [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/sports/larry-miller-nike-book.html]: The New York Times the story of the impact of Larry Miller, chairman of the Jordan Brand Advisory Board, and his actions as a 16-year-old. * Jump: My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom [https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Streets-Suites-Larry-Miller/dp/0062999818]: “Jump” written by Larry Miller and his daughter, Laila Lacy, shares the story of Miller’s life from the streets of West Philadelphia to the Nike boardroom. * How Larry Miller Went from Prison Valedictorian to Nike Executive [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/pima-how-larry-miller-went-from-prison-valedictorian-to-nike-executive/]: Freakonomics interviews Larry Miller on his journey from his childhood in West Philadelphia, to serving time in prison and finally to running the Jordan brand. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

As a performance coach to England’s national football team, the Royal Ballet and more, Eastwood taps into his Māori heritage to help groups foster a sense of togetherness and drive performance.  For Allbirds co-founder and chief innovation officer Tim Brown, co-founder and chief innovation officer at Allbirds, a company that has gone on a rollercoaster of ups and downs since it IPO in 2021, his former  life as a professional football player for New Zealand has taught him lessons he’s brought from the pitch to the boardroom.  “When we want to create a high performing environment, we make an undertaking to each other that we will do nothing to diminish the dignity of every person, and when we all leave this experience or whatever it is together, our dignity will be enhanced,” Eastwood told Brown stage at BoF VOICES 2023. “For me, therefore, you need to understand the story of the people you work with.” This week on The BoF Podcast, Brown and Eastwood unpack how companies can drive high performance while maintaining a supportive culture. Key Insights: * While working with the British Olympic team, Eastwood encouraged the athletes to find a level of investment in their own story by creating a film which showcased various Olympians all the way back from 1896. “The Olympians themselves just took selfies the whole time with these images of those ancestors who they in particular could relate to, maybe something that shared their own identity story. I think it opened their eyes.” * Allbirds was founded in 2024 with a mission to make sustainable footwear, but 10 years on, Brown said that he’s learned how important it is to stay true to that internal story, both in communicating with employees and consumers.  “As a creative person, as a storyteller, are we doing enough within our organisations to tell stories internally in the same way that we're telling them outside of the organisation?” he asked.  * Eastwood said those sorts of strong, dynamic, internal stories are key for everyone on a team. “You've got to create rituals and traditions where it's reiterated because actually it's not just for the benefit of new joiners, it's for the benefit of us who have been here a long time.”  Additional resources  * The BoF Podcast | Allbirds’ Tim Brown on Learning to Lead With Resilience [https://www.businessoffashion.com/podcasts/direct-to-consumer/the-bof-podcast-allbirds-tim-brown-on-learning-to-lead-with-resilience/] * Allbirds Co-CEO On Why DTC Brands Are Going Multichannel [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/direct-to-consumer/the-state-of-fashion-2023-report-dtc-online-stores-multi-channel/] * Are DTC Brands Pulling Off Brick-and-Mortar? [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/direct-to-consumer/warby-parker-allbirds-store-expansion/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Amir Fayo, the founder of 69 Group, marries brand architecture and art direction to create retail and hospitality concepts rooted in culture and connection. Best known for operating Egyptian stores Maison69 and Villa Baboushka, Fayo breaks with conventions to create immersive store experiences that resonate with consumers on an emotional level. Everything starts by not thinking of himself as a retailer. “I don't know how to do retail. Retail is structured. Retail is data. Retail is numbers. … I connect to people, to how they feel, what makes them tick, what makes them be interested,” he says.  This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sits down with Fayo to discuss his innovative attitude toward retail. Key Insights: * Fayo, who was born in Wales and raised in Egypt, says his architectural style is heavily influenced by his multicultural upbringing. “Egypt gave me a heart, the UK gave me my creativity and the US gave me my thinking process.” * There are three pillars to how Fayo approaches a project. The first is building an environment in which people can form an emotional memory. The second is creating a sense of social intimacy. Finally, he remains focussed on the idea of elevating the everyday. ‘I want to elevate [mundane moments] to be something that people remember, that people want to come back to,” Fayo explains. * When designing retail spaces, the idea of home is kept at the forefront. “When we started to define that code, I said, where is that space where there is no right and there is no wrong? It should be home,” says Fayo. “We're going to design homes because homes should be welcoming. Homes should create belonging. Homes should create easy connections.” Additional resources * Vogue Arabia's Editor-in-Chief on the Diversity of Urban Markets in the Middle East [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/deena-aljuhani-abdulaziz-key-cities-will-drive-middle-eastern-market/] * All Eyes on Egypt [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/global-markets/eyes-egypt/] * BoF Insights | Fashion in the Middle East: Optimism and Transformation [https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/global-markets/fashion-in-the-middle-east-optimism-transformation-report/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.