Conversation with Nichole Simms, CEO, Creative Visual Solutions
Nichole Simms shares her insight on retail store management, with a focus on employee team building, leadership and customer engagement. She stresses the importance of clear communication around strategy, goals and expected outcomes.
Conversation with Seph Skerritt, Founder, Proper Cloth
Seph Skerritt discusses the entrepreneurial and creative process of building a tech fashion company that provides custom men’s shirts. He shares advice on how to scale a new business by creating tools that automate and refine the user experience over time.
Conversation with Joshua Kapelman, EVP, Hilldun Corporation
Joshua Kapelman discusses the intersection of fashion and finance and the shifting landscape of fashion wholesale and retail. He provides tips for young designers and brands seeking to break into the market, with a focus on Direct-to-Consumer and Specialty retail.
Conversation with Luisa Herrera-Garcia, SVP of Production, John Varvatos
Luisa Herrera-Garcia shares the importance of developing fashion collections that are creative, “on brand” and commercially viable and profitable. She discusses the need for a more transparent and ethical supply chain, especially with women’s rights in mind.
Conversation with Andrew Jassin, Founder/Manager, Jassin Consulting Group
Andrew Jassin provides an expansive view of the apparel industry over the past 40 years with a focus on brand development and M&A. He then focuses on current issues, and provides insight on how brands can engage new consumers.
Conversation with Keanan Duffty, Designer & Director, MPS-FM
Keanan Duffty explores the intersection between creativity and commerce, and his own connection to punk music and the DYI movement. He shares insights on the fashion industry, and the need for more independent retailers. He also discusses the MPS-Fashion Management graduate program he founded.
Bonus: Reflection on the Past & Future
In this bonus episode, host Christopher Lacy, speaks with producer Joshua Williams, about the past two seasons of the Retail Revolution podcast. They reflect on the common themes of authenticity, values alignment and the role of technology in retail. They also provide a sneak peek into plans for season three.
Reflecting on Past & Present (Transcript)
A full transcript of a special bonus episode for Retail Revolution. Host, Christopher Lacy discusses fashion retail with Joshua Williams and key insights gained from the second season of the podcast.
Conversation with Lauren McGuire, President, Man Made Music
Lauren McGuire discusses sonic branding and the use of sound overall in retail environments, online and onsite. She focuses on how sound impacts the shopping experience, and shares her insight on how sound might be used after we reach the end of the pandemic.
Conversation with Claire Mitchell, Design & Innovation Consultant
Claire Mitchell discusses the evolving role of technology in fashion retailing, sharing her predictions for their term. She also discusses the implications of technology in fashion, everything from how customer's shop to issues of sustainability
Conversation with Dr. Niz Safrudin, Design Engagement Lead, SAP
Dr. Niz Safrudin shares her insight regarding the intersection of physical and digital space and the real challenges of “omni-channel” retailing. She also discusses the potential opportunities brands may have to reset after the pandemic.
Conversation with Stacy Graiko, Managing Director, Qualitative Research, Kantar
Stacy Graiko shares her perspective on customer shifts and expectations for retailers, from a psychological perspective with a focus on Millenials and GenX, as well as short term considerations related to Covid-19. She also discusses the need for more gender parity and representation of woman in the fashion and retail industries.
Bonus Episode: Communities of Scale
In this bonus episode, we share our perspectives on the Covid-19 pandemic and how it’s effected our personal and work lives. We discuss the opportunities that may emerge from this crisis, with a hope that businesses will think more humanistically and instead of rushing to build economies of scale, consider creating communities of scale.
Conversation with Yasmine Sayed, Senior Consultant, Newmine
Yasmine Sayed discusses the shift in retail towards a more coordinated effort across all channels. She focuses on how e-commerce is driving change, especially as it relates to inventory management and returns.
Conversation with Ron Thurston, VP Stores, Intermix
Ron Thurston shares his unique perspective on developing a luxury retail business in the US market, with a focus on analytics, sales planning and empathetic and curious leadership.
Trailer: An Introduction to Retail Revolution
Host, Christopher Lacy, and producer, Joshua Williams, discuss how the idea for Retail Revolution was born to create an opportunity for students participating in the course “Retailing and Service Design” to engage digitially with retail experts, as well as create a space for conversation about the challenges of retail in this extraordinary time.