How to Start and Scale a Fashion Brand with ALIGNE CEO Ginny Seymour
In this episode of Fashion & Founders Victoria Smith sits down with Ginny Seymour, CEO and re-founder of Aligne. Founded in East London and freshly expanded to New York, Ginny rebuilt ALIGNE as a design-led, DTC-first womenswear brand. Just in two years created a viral hero piece, the Daphne blazer, and has driven $1M in US revenue without paid ads. Ginny shares how ShopMy, smart gifting, and obsessing over customer signals shaped the product line and why she intentionally said “no” to wholesale to protect speed and point of view, until Nordstrom literally slid into her DMs. We cover ALIGNE’s US growth playboo, plus the brand’s values-driven partnerships with female athletes, including a yearlong co-designed collection with Lucy Bronze. Ginny shares fantastic and valuable advice for founders.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Ginny:IG: @ginny_h_seymourFollow Aligne:IG: @aligneShop HEREFollow Arame:IG: @aramecareShop HEREFounder: @brittany.arnettThanks for listening!
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Daydreaming Fashion’s Future: Why Fashion Needs Tech with Founder Lisa Green
This week on Fashion and Founders the Podcast, host Victoria Smith is joined with Lisa Green, co-founder Chief Brands Officer of Daydream. Daydream is the AI-powered fashion tech platform fixing broken search and personalization in shopping. We dig into how Daydream translates real-life “shopper language” into smart recommendations. Lisa traces her path from Google to The Yes (acquired by Pinterest) where she met co-founder Julie Bornstein. We discuss investor appetite for fashion tech, why fashion tech is buzz worthy, and what the future holds for the industry. Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Lisa Green:IG: @lisa_verdeFollow Daydream:IG: @daydreamBeta HEREFollow Rent the Runway:IG: @renttherunwayLinksThanks for listening!
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The RealReal: Innovation, Fashion, and Career Insights from Rachel Glicksberg
In this episode of Fashion and Founders, Victoria Smith sits down with Rachel Glicksberg, Women’s Fashion & New Initiatives Lead at The RealReal. Rachel shares The RealReal’s designer collaborations and upcycling initiatives, the rise of vintage and archive revivals, and how emerging designers are breaking through. Rachel also shares practical career advice on mentorship, cold outreach, her nonlinear career path, and building roles around your strengths. Rachel is also an advisor for fashion tech startup Isle of Monday and a mentor at Monday Girl.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Rachel Glicksberg:IG: @rachelglicksbergFollow The Real Real:IG: @therealrealFollow Mercer Street:IG: @mercer_street_shopShop HEREThanks for listening!
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Pia Mance Founder of Heaven Mayhem on Building a $10 Million Dollar Brand
Season 5 of Fashion Founders the Podcast, opens with Pia Mance, founder of Heaven Mayhem. Pia started with $900 dollars hand making jewelry on her bedroom floor and in just three years built a $10 million dollar business, recently featured on Vogue Business. Pia is creating a go-to accessories business with elevated pieces at an affordable price point. She shares lessons and advice from her entrepreneurial journey and with her background as an influencer, she really has an intuitive eye for what works. We also cover how to go about a partnership, whether you're a brand that wants to collaborate with Heaven Mayhem or someone looking to network or find a job. Pia talks about what actually gets her attention in an email and the dos and don'ts of reaching out to founders.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Pia Mance:IG: @piamanceTikTok: @piamanceFollow Heaven Mayhem:IG: @heavenmayhem_TikTok: @heavenmayhemShop HEREFollow Bed SleepwearIG: @maisonbedsleepwearTikTok: @maisonbedsleepwearWebsiteThanks for listening!
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Influencer Marketing Masterclass: Partnerships, Events, & Strategy with Nicole Reisman of Dolce Vita
On this episode of Fashion Founders, Victoria Smith interviews Nicole Reisman, Director of Influencer Marketing & Events at Dolce Vita, for a deep dive into the world of influencer marketing and brand partnerships. Nicole shares practical advice for aspiring influencers on how to work with fashion brands, what brands really look for in collaborations, and why engagement matters more than follower count. She also explains how Dolce Vita approaches budgets, campaign strategy, and events, plus how niche creators from florists to bakerscan land brand collaborations. Finally, Nicole opens up about her career journey in fashion marketing, what it takes to build a long-term career at a leading brand, and where she sees influencer marketing heading next.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Nicole Reisman:IG: @nicolereismanFollow Dolce Vita:IG: @dolcevitaAmbassador ProgramFollow Ellie G’s Ice CreamIG: @elliegsicecreamWebsiteThanks for listening!
Fashion and Founders The Podcast: Circularity, Tech, & Innovation. Conversations with founders and innovators working in different sectors of the fashion industry, offering an opportunity to get involved in this growing space. Hear directly from the people building the future of fashion about entrepreneurship, job opportunities, fashion tech, circularity, biomaterials, and more.Learn from incredible guests across the industry, from rental, resale, nonprofit, PR, policy, start ups, including Gab Waller, Pickle, Locker, Erika Veurink, Fashion Revolution, Eco-Age, Colorifix, and more.
Brasil