The Business of Fashion Podcast

• Edward Enninful on Moving From Editor to Entrepreneur

  This week, former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, unveiled EE72, a media platform and consultancy which blends a print magazine, a “slow digital” publishing platform and creative agency which aims to tell stories across fashion and lifestyle through the lens of culture.“EE72 for me is a combination of everything I've done in my career. It's really where I want to be now. I want to be free and be able to do whatever I want,” says Enninful. “I could have created something that was very avant-garde but I wanted something that anyone could pick up and feel welcomed. That was very important to me.”Imran Amed, founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion, sat down with Enninful to discuss why he launched EE72, what it means to build a fashion media company at a time when both industries face existential challenges and how his newfound freedom informs his business strategy and creative decisions, from choosing a quarterly publishing cadence to selecting his first cover starJulia Roberts.Key Insights: EE72 is an opportunity for Enninftul to move away from the confines of Condé Nast. “I wanted it to be free and sort of be able to do whatever,” he says. That freedom extends to how he will publish: “I’ve not really listened to what was commercially viable. I always went with my instincts and somehow they paid off. … When we have something to say, we will say it. I call it ‘slow digital'. We’re going to learn, we’re not going to build something ginormous waiting for people to come.”On his choice of Julia Roberts as the cover star of his first issue, Enninful says “Julia represents something that society really needs. She is one of the biggest movie stars in the world. She is outspoken, she's a real woman. For me, inclusivity was never just about race; for me it was [also] about age.Julia for me represents the invisible woman, women in their 50s who are being told day in and day out it's about youth. The first message that I wanted to put out there was that everybody's welcome regardless of age.”Enninful is deliberately resisting an ad-driven kick-off for EE72. “I didn’t go around to any houses to ask for ads, because in my head it was clear what we needed to do, how we needed it to start. And of course, we’re going to grow and things are going to change,” he shares. “We’re going to be sitting here in a year’s time and you’re going to be saying, ‘why are there so many ads?’, but it’s the whole idea of growing organically.”His advice for the next generation of editors is simple but pragmatic. “It’s easy for me to say follow your dreams, but practically, surround yourself with like-minded people. Surround yourself with people who can really help you when you’re down, because it’s going to be a tough journey,” he says. “It’s not easy. You don’t just get up and end up being a superstar. Learn from your mistakes. Try new things, because that’s the only way you’re going to learn. If you’re playing it safe your whole career, that’s a problem.”Additional Resources:Edward Enninful | BoF 500Edward Enninful Launches Media and Entertainment CompanyEdward and Akua Enninful’s 72 Magazine To Star Julia Roberts on Debut Cover Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The Great Fashion Reset: Can Designer Debuts Revive Luxury?

  This fashion month arrives after years of post-pandemic boom giving way to a sharp slowdown in luxury demand. Weaker consumer confidence in China, pressure on aspirational shoppers and a wave of price hikes have left many brands struggling to keep momentum. To win back customers and justify higher prices, luxury houses are turning to new creative leadership. Runway debuts won’t provide complete solutions, but they will offer early signals of strategy, with some brands leaning into craftsmanship and heritage while others chase louder fashion moments.Alongside executive editor Brian Baskin and senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young, luxury editor Robert Williams details why the real test will come in the weeks after the shows, when follow-through determines whether excitement lasts.Key Insights: Creative resets are a response to macro pressure and price inflation, not just consumer fatigue. “This isn't just about people being tired of the way fashion looks or the kind of designs a designer was showing us but maybe more about the wider context in which those designs exist,” says Williams. As prices climb, luxury houses need to add tangible value: “the prices for luxury brands have been hiked up so dramatically over the past few years, either the quality or technical craftsmanship … needs to be improved, or the creative.”The role of the creative director is more constrained than ever before. As Williams explains, brands must excite new customers without alienating existing ones. “You can't necessarily count on the fact that if you lose an old client from the previous vision, you're going to be able to get two more because you've got something fresh and new.” Unlike in earlier eras, “brands that have tried to scrap their old business and just count on a new one coming in — they've been burned in recent years.”Williams warns not to expect complete strategy blueprints on day one. “I don't think we're gonna get a fully realised vision for how any company plans to totally turn itself around. But there's certainly gonna be some hints,” he says. Some houses may skew to visible craftsmanship and codes, as Bottega Veneta has done under the new hand of Louise Trotter. Others must take a different route. “It will be quite interesting to see what Gucci and Dior do,” says Williams. “Celebrating heritage is not what anyone is looking for them to do in the current market.”Some brands have had “one really hot day” but then consumers quickly lost interest, while others managed to “milk the content cycle for days and days and really make a big arrival,” says Williams. What matters next is sustaining attention: “Are they able to keep the excitement alive in the days and weeks following the runway show?”Additional Resources:The Great Fashion Reset | Can Designer Revamps Save Fashion?Ready for Relaunch? Jonathan Anderson’s Dior ChallengeWhy Gucci Picked DemnaWhy Chanel Chose Matthieu Blazy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Special Episode: The Great Fashion Reset

  After a post-pandemic high, the fashion industry is facing a hard crisis. Growth has cooled, prices have surged, quality is under scrutiny and aspirational shoppers feel shut out, all while macro uncertainty dents confidence.The industry is focused on a slew of shows where new designers are set to debut their visions, but this will not be enough to break out its malaise. Over the summer, the BoF editorial team has been working hard on a series of articles breaking down the various challenges that are facing fashion, from macroeconomic challenges, to trust issues and yes, a creative slump.This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed switches roles, inviting executive editor Brian Baskin to lead the conversation. Amed shares his views on one of the most consequential fashion seasons in years, with the luxury industry in a phase of deep reflection and potential transformation.Key Insights: Amed traces the industry’s current struggles to a mix of forces that have built up over several years. “You had external and internal factors in the industry that conspired to create what is now a perfect storm – where customers feel like they've been completely duped. The industry is operating in a way that seems stuck in a different era,” he says , describing the post-pandemic state of luxury with declining quality and rising prices. At the same time, he cautions against silver bullets: “I wouldn’t position this fashion week season as the season that's going to solve and change everything, because it's not. There's a lot more at work here.”Brands must deliver top-tier quality while rebuilding accessible entry points, as relentless price hikes have made it nearly impossible for aspirational customers to buy in. “In a way, I think some brands have kind of poo-pooed the idea of that middle market customer,” says Amed. “There was a time when you could go into Bottega or Chanel and buy small leather goods at a price that was high, but not out of control. Now everyone's completely priced out.To grow and still feel luxurious, brands must hard-wire quality and sustain a clear creative pulse. Using Vuitton as an example, Amed notes “even though they’re producing in huge volumes, the quality of what they execute is still impeccable. ... That is a requirement for any brand operating at that scale, at those price points.” But product alone isn’t enough: “What you can scale is a point of view. And it's the point of view at the very top that these designers are really responsible for. It's like you're creating an overall spirit and direction and energy.”September’s slate of debuts could be an turning point for luxury fashion: “What I’m looking for is the energy. … You have three of the most creative designers in our industry – Matthieu Blazy, Demna and Jonathan Anderson – taking over three of the biggest, most important luxury houses in the world,” says Amed. “If that energy reflects the same kind of commitment, thoughtfulness, creativity, and taste that we've seen in those designers at their previous roles, then I think there is going to be a really meaningful inflection point this autumn.”Additional Resources:The Great Fashion Reset | Editor’s Letterhe Great Fashion Reset | How to Fix Luxury’s Trust Issues Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• What Went Wrong at Ssense

  Ssense’s bankruptcy filing makes it the latest in a long line of online luxury retailers to find itself on the brink. In an internal memo, Ssense co-founder and CEO Rami Atallah blamed US tariffs for creating an “immediate liquidity crisis.” But as BoF correspondent Malique Morris details, the real damage pre-dated the latest trade shock: years of training a young audience to wait for markdowns, overexposure to the US market, and leadership inertia as luxury slowed industry-wide.With hosts Brian Baskin and Sheena Butler-Young, Morris unpacks how Ssense won indie labels and cultural clout but dulled its edge as discounts became the default. They also explore whether Ssense can keep its cool factor while courting full-price shoppers, and which outcomes will best protect the fragile ecosystem of small brands that rely on the platform.Key Insights: Ssense’s strategy of serving younger, aspirational shoppers worked until markdowns became the main event, teaching customers to avoid full price and dulling the platform’s authority with brands. As Morris puts it, “Ssense has been really smart about targeting this younger, aspirational luxury consumer … but over time it turned into this cornerstone for luxury discounting online.” He continues: “It just became associated with being the sale place, which then curbs credibility with designers.” The business model that once drove growth ultimately undercut it.Relying on a Canada-based warehouse feeding a majority-US customer base left Ssense acutely exposed to cross-border friction. Compounding the risk is the fact that it targets young, aspirational shoppers. “Those shoppers’ pockets aren’t bulletproof in an economic downturn,” explains Morris, so demand proved more fragile just as costs rose. Tariffs were the catalyst, not the cause, of pre-existing vulnerabilities.Even as conditions worsened, decision-making lagged. “I think internally what’s happening is that they’re not acting fast enough to respond,” Morris says, adding that industry-wide pressures “have fallen onto them in a particular way.” Slow moves on initiatives like personal shopping and incubation left Ssense leaning further into discounts, accelerating the slide towards creditor protection. According to Morris, a reset doesn’t require abandoning the brand’s cultural core; it requires focusing it. “What’s working well in e-commerce is having a niche and being clear in how you’re going to serve the best customers within that cohort,” Morris argues. “In my mind, Ssense needs to refine its niche and make sure that it's attracting the consumers who will purchase without the need for always-on sales. … There are shoppers in that Gen Z group, many of whom are almost 30, who have the pockets and the temperament to be seduced by curation and not by the fact the next Essence sale is going to ‘hit different’.” Additional Resources:Ssense to File for Bankruptcy Protection After Creditors Push for Sale | BoF Ssense: What Went Wrong | BoF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The Best of The BoF Podcast: Clare Waight Keller on Finding Opportunity in Discomfort

  Clare Waight Keller’s career in fashion has been defined by her versatility as a designer and desire to step outside her comfort zone. She started out specialising in knitwear at the Royal College of Art before taking on a role in knitwear at Calvin Klein, before moving on to Ralph Lauren. She returned to Europe to work at Gucci under Tom Ford, and then stepped into creative director roles at Pringle, Chloé and Givenchy. Last week, it was announced that she was becoming the creative director of Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, which is targeted at the masses, not the classes. Seeing new challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow, has led Clare to make many unexpected decisions from the start of her career. “Those moments when you are pushed to your boundaries and don't quite know how to navigate… bring a great sense of drive for me. I love the idea of being uncomfortable with what I'm working on because it makes me learn quickly,” she said. “I enjoy the process of change, and I guess that's why I've worked in so many different places.”This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF founder Imran Amed sits down with Clare to discuss her varied career path and her experience working in American, Italian, British, French and now Japanese fashion companies and how this has shaped her outlook on the industry.Key InsightsGrowing up in Birmingham, England, Waight Keller was captivated by the vibrant subcultures she encountered. That influence led her towards art school, and eventually, fashion. “I distinctly remember standing at a bus stop, going to college, with punks, skinheads or goths — people who really expressed themselves through fashion and took it to a real sense of identity,” she said. “They just seemed like the most interesting people. I wanted to be part of that.”After working for predominantly male creative directors, Clare felt it was time to express her own perspective, leading her to the creative director position at Chloé in 2011. “There's such a sensibility that women have in fashion because you try it on yourself, you wear it, you feel it,” she said. “I'm putting together what I believe to be my point of view of fashion."Waight Keller’s move to Uniqlo marked a shift from working in the world of luxury to mass fashion, which has required some adjustment. “Understanding the scale was just extraordinary. In luxury fashion, you work on a much smaller scale, even at big brands,” she said. However, with this came new opportunities. “With that scale comes incredible access to innovation, amazing fabric mills, and quality.” Even as her career flourished, Waight Keller came to discover the inherent gender bias women face in the industry. “It's still fairly male-dominated in management and across the business side of fashion ... I had to make my family work around my career because even a season out in fashion can put you back a year, and people look at you differently.” With that, her advice to fellow female designers is not to “be afraid of a challenge and having to learn on the ground."Additional ResourcesDo Mass Brands Need Creative Directors? | BoF The Logic Behind Givenchy's New Designer Appointment | BoFUniqlo Appoints Clare Waight Keller as Creative Director | BoF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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