Spirit Of 608: Fashion, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability + Tech

Welcome to the new normal (okay, everything these days could arguably fall under that umbrella, but moving on): it's a place where a multi-faceted creative leaves a well-known brand that anyone seeking a role in sustainable fashion would covet to partner up with a favorite colleague and take the leap into the realms of new brand-building in order to create what they wanted to see in the world. Why the new normal? Because it's all starting to happen: entrepreneurs aiming to reach mainstream shoppers with busy lives and lots of demands for their clothing are not only serving their customers with style and function combined, but also making their bottom line one that prioritizes not only fashion but sustainable choices, ethical manufacturing and fair labor standards. She'll walk you through how a career path like that comes together, as well as what she wishes she and her co-founder had done differently from the start. But that's the beauty of learning from someone else: they're paying it forward with their act

On today's show, we're bringing back a conversation that's so good for right now with a guest who's not only inspiring, but entertaining to the extreme. Her infectious spirit could easily be something that bubbled up in the aftermath of a frightening medical emergency that landed her in the hospital close to death. But there's just something about her approach to life and business that makes me suspect she had it all along. Either way, you only have to listen to this female entrepreneur for a few minutes to get that she's a true original, just like the unique belts she devised using recycled materials and a patented design made to hold pants up without creating any extra bulge under slim-fitting shirts. In the interview, you'll hear her explain how - with no apparel or accessories industry experience whatsoever - she came to be running a belt company from Bozeman, MT. Along with that, she shares takeaways and advice from her experience patenting her design and working to create a product using recycled tex

Have you considered creating a signature talk? What about pitching yourself for an upcoming virtual conference? How about joining a webinar series featuring industry experts just like you? Have you wanted to do these things, but hesitated? Our virtual worlds are literally teeming with digital events right now. But speaking with style from a screen is a little different than pulling off a fabulous in-person presentation. Okay, it's a lot different, and that can be uber daunting. Luckily, there are a number of things I like to think of as low-hanging fruit to fortify your next visibility opportunity. From simple set-up steps to take before your next talk or presentation to public speaking best practices adapted for the virtual world, this episode walks you through practical strategies you can use anytime you're called to share your message on a screen.   If you're like many FEST founders right now, you are looking for ways to experiment, do things differently and keep your business growing in the face of cha

Sometimes real life experiences are the best sources of inspiration. That's more than the case for this week's guest, a FEST founder you're going to love equally for her innovative, sustainable beauty product and her positive, glass-half-full attitude toward entrepreneurship. On this week's episode, she'll walk us through her journey, from the late night she spent exhausted and packing before an international trip that sparked the idea for her signature product line to the unexpected tragedy that still fuels this mother of four's embrace of joy, optimism and connection to this day. Plus, she shares her reasons for putting intellectual property and a patent at the top of her early business to-do list (speaking of which, she also loves lists), as well as her dedication to pursuing more sustainable materials and an eco-positive production even when industry experts and insiders told her it was crazy. We also talk about the tools, tips and female founders she wants you to know so you can get inspired to do somet

Want to turn heads in the media? With in-person events changed forever and competition for attention on social media at an all-time high, it's an excellent time to try reaching new audiences through positive PR and press. If you're like many FEST founders right now, you are looking for ways to experiment, do things differently and keep your business growing in the face of changes and new challenges. Scoring mentions in the media not only adds to your credibility as a brand, but it's  got a ton of added benefits: Instant social proof -- you appear relevant and trustworthy to new people SEO value -- the more sites that link to you means you're easier to find through searches A chance to tell your story -- press can give you the opportunity to talk about more than just a single product or service and share a more nuanced, well-rounded portrait of your business with the world Lasting impact -- unlike social media posts, press and media mentions have a longer shelf life and are often read by new people months and

Do you dream about getting more done -- how about on nights and weekends? One of my all-time favorite business creatives is back for her third episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast on this week's show. A designer and maker by trade, this Black female founder has built a business, podcast and -- most recently -- a brand new shop all on the side of her main gig, where she holds a senior level role in the design industry. So what I'm saying here is that she knows a thing or two about how to get stuff done, stay organized, batch tasks, set goals and keep up with the content creation monster that almost everyone in online business faces today. On this week's episode, she'll walk us through her journey from in-debt young professional to successful creative entrepreneur who uses systems, processes and beautiful graphic design to increase her productivity so she can live on her terms. Learn how she did it on the show. Plus, she shares her weekly goal planning worksheets with Spirit of 608 listeners -- you can get the

I recently received a DM from a FEST founder name Allyna with a big question: how to start a sustainable fashion brand off right? Well, yes, of course there was more to it than that. Like many people who listen to the Spirit of 608 podcast, she wondered about finding suppliers, getting samples, setting herself up to seek future investment and sourcing deadstock fabric for the line. To be honest with you, when I first saw her question, I thought, I'm a media expert, not a fashion brand founder. Do I even have a right to give advice on this? Not sure if you've noticed, but I typically stick to advice on media and mindset and bring fashion business advice into the show by asking a lot of other people a lot of questions. But as I thought about it, it dawned on me: I may not be a fashion designer or a founder of a fashion brand, but I have talked to thousands of entrepreneurs about building businesses, fashion brand strategy, sustainability, entrepreneurial ups and downs and so much more. And I've been doing it f

  Taking huge leaps in your business can be all about the baby steps. For proof of that, dive into this week's episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast featuring a FEST-ive female founder who started out small and now counts a decade+ as a San Francisco retailer, her line of hand-assembled jewelry in hundreds of locations around the country and a thriving private label business. Listen for a jewelry industry insider's journey from the early days of the maker movement to tackling 17 trade shows a year, finding success by streamlining, writing a book and snagging speaking spots at top conferences such as Alt. Learn how she did it on the show. Meet this week's guest, Adrienne Wiley, Founder of Covet.  Use the code SPIRIT for 20% off your purchase at COVET.

Look ahead, how will the state of the world change fashion -- and the business of fashion -- forever? If you're like me, thinking about what's next can be inspiring and motivating. For businesses, the changes up ahead in consumer behavior, spending preferences and what's considered valuable in the first place are inevitable. But what will they be?  This week's guest, who went from high fashion modeling to studying fashion's ties to culture in some of the best fashion-driven academic institutions there are, has spent years studying the ways people relate to luxury. When the economic crisis of 2008 changed lives around the world, a cultural shift towards internalized luxury soon followed, she argues. Green smoothies and juice cleanses anyone? How about super popular celeb-backed online brands tied to clean living strategies? You get the point. As we emerge from the global pandemic, luxury will shift again. Hear where she's convinced it's going and how that related to sustainability on this week's episode of the

Welcome to the second show in the Spirit of 608 sharing + support series. For this episode, we asked FEST brands and businesses to submit messages, news, promos and deals so we could help share and support what they're working on at a time when, more than ever, small businesses need support and those of us seeking to stay visible and market during the mayhem need inspiration. Listen to the podcast for proof it's possible to keep moving forward as a small business right now. Let the ideas and messages from other FEST founders inspire you to take action, connect with your customers and stay motivated. We hope that hearing how are others are dealing right now will help you pick up a few fresh ideas -- and at the same time find a business you want to support or a deal you want to take advantage of (I know I found several). There are surprisingly creative approaches, as well as tried-and-true marketing tactics. You'll learn that not everything costs as much as you thought it might thanks to some recently-announced

Mindset and meditation: again and again, guests of the Spirit of 608 podcast say these two things have made huge differences in their lives and ability to persist as entrepreneurs even through the ultra challenging times we all face.  Inspired by guests who told me how meditation benefitted their minds and bodies, helped them recover from anxiety and stay focused on their goals, I began to experiment with my own meditation practice. More recently, during work towards 300-hour yoga teacher training, I've begun creating my own guided meditations. This week's episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast features a guided meditation created especially for female entrepreneurs. The goal: using the mediation to reconnect with and bring to the surface the positive feelings and inner strength inside you and take them with you. Listen to the episode to surface the calm confidence, joy and resilience that exists inside you and bring it with you as you move through what's ahead in your day.  Sign up for the PressDope weekly em

I love bringing smart, cool and accomplished media people on the Spirit of 608 podcast every once in a while to let us into their world and bring insight into what the people creating coverage and content think about the FEST space (if you've listened to the show for a while, you know this). For this week's episode, I was *so thrilled* to bring a conversation with a longtime journalist and expert in the West Coast's style scene to your ears.  But wait, there's more! The woman you'll hear from today not only lets us into her perspective on independent and ethical fashion right now and, of course, how to pitch someone like her in order to land yourself in publications like Forbes, but she also walks us through why she's moved away from editing well-known sites like Eat, Sleep, Denim to launch her own publication and podcast. And it's not just any media outlet, but one that there is a dire need for: one for women facing 50 without a hint of an interest in doing what society kinda-sorta tells women of a certain a

For inspiration and real talk on how to retail in uncertain times, plus inspiring and uplifting yet totally practical and accessible tips for not only hanging in there, but also upping your marketing and outreach game in the midst of a global pandemic, please look no further than this week's conversation with ethical fashion pioneer and longtime supporter of independent brands Marcia Patmos.  From her first brand Lutz + Patmos (whose cashmere pieces were a serious thing in their day) to her namesake business of today, Marcia has woven slow fashion values, care for workers and ethical sensibilities into her own collection, but also into the relationships she builds -- something that's apparent when you scope the brands sold in her online shop and in her Brooklyn store.  Listen to the episode for the techie things this FEST founder has added into the mix since COVID-19 changed her business, as well as her brand's rapid pivot into making face masks for the general population. Lots of fashion brands are doing it,

This week, we're bringing back one of our most popular episodes of all time with one of the ethical fashion movement's best-loved pioneers. Her thoughts on working from and her frankness about building a business during life's challenges are especially relevant right now, as is her participation in face mask-making efforts in her home state of New York. Originally shared in the fall of 2018, this conversation reveals how she made comfortable women's apparel not only stylish and sought after, but also mainstream - you'll find her multi-million dollar company's clothing in department stores around the country and in some 56 shops in the U.S., Canada and the UK. That's quite a journey from her start in the 1980's, when she invested a few hundred bucks to present her first collection and immediately won attention with her clean-lined, easy-to-wear designs. Today, this pioneering female founder heads up a company that's not only become a certified B Corp, used non-traditional models in its ads and incorporated org

We asked FEST brands and businesses to send messages, news, promos and deals our way so we could help share and support what they're working on as, well, everything around us all shifts and changes. For listeners, the gems in this week's episode are twofold. First, you're likely to find a business you want to support or a deal you want to take advantage of (I know I found several). Second, the show is an excellent overview of how ethical and sustainable brands are responding to the need for continued marketing and connection with their audiences amid COVID-19. There are surprisingly creative approaches, as well as tried-and-true marketing tactics. You'll learn that not everything costs as much as you thought it might thanks to some recently-announced promotions from brands that sell FEST products and services. At at the same time, you'll also discover that it's not always necessary to offer a discount or a deal. There are other ways to generate interest and connection and other ways to inspire people to purch

What happens when you interview a top model-turned-fashion technologist who's lived through the COVID-19 outbreak from her outpost in Beijing? Well, this conversation is what happens. If I have a hunch, and I do, you're going to be both entertained and inspired by what this week's guest has to say about the world right now -- as well as her journey into a career turning technology into fashionable wearables and her current love for virtual events. Hailing from a computer-savvy family that prized playing with technology from a young age, this week's guest has worked with Nokia, Samsung, Intel, IBM and many more to apply the latest technologies to the fashion industry. As executive producer of some of the largest fashion tech event organizers in China -- including the China National Garment Association -- this female founder lives to combine fashion, industry, startups and the connected future of fashion with results that are eye-catching and conversation-worthy.  Adding to the conversation is this: last year,

Behind every collection is designer Belinda Kazanci, who started BEL KAZAN after a life-changing journey to Bali, Indonesia. From the delicate flower offerings that lined the streets to their vibrant textiles and joyful spirits, she felt an unparalleled sense of inspiration among the Balinese people. It was then that Belinda decided to uproot her life in Los Angeles, determined to make her vision of a socially- and environmentally-responsible apparel line real. Bel Kazan believes "lean production" is the way to go. They don't want to just creating more stuff in the world without thinking of its impact. They know we don't need more "stuff", there's plenty of it! They see sustainability a part of the main stream conversation, and that there is definitely a shift overall showing that greater change is coming. Meet this week's guest, Belinda Kazanci, founder of Bel Kazan.     Sign up for the PressDope weekly email to get DIY PR tips and The Dope List of media opps, calls for pitches, FEST events and more way

It's an podAMA! This week's episode is an Ask Me Anything featuring questions for listeners, Instagram followers and members of the Spirit of 608 Facebook group. What's this all about? The episode is all about what's on your mind. I'm weighing in with thoughts on everything from social media etiquette for maintaining privacy at a time when it seems like we're supposed to share everything online to launching a new brand. Listen to the episode to hear what other FEST founders are up against right now. Chances are, you'll related to more than a few of the queries from other women building businesses at the intersection of fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech (a space I call FEST). Also hear the latest News from the FESTfront segment featuring news and updates from founders and brands on a mission just like you. We're so glad they've chosen the Spirit of 608 podcast as a way to get their message out into the world. Sign up for the PressDope weekly email to get DIY PR tips and The Dope List of med

When it comes to conscious consumerism, advocates for minimalism and intentional shopping, both seemingly gentler ways to enjoy fashion, often run up against the harsh reality of U.S. consumers' baked in urge to, well, consume. In the face of that, swapping style online stands out as an alternative that, these days, is starting to hold more than ample appeal -- even outside the thrifters and vintage fans behind so many low-tech equivalents. On this week's episode, we meet a former beauty industry veteran and bioplastics executive who is building an online direct-to-consumer site for swapping women's and children's clothing. Listen to the show for her story and how she's making it easier than ever for fans of more sustainable fashion to swap and get the right value in points for their clothes, all while indulging their urge for the new. Along with her fashion startup journey, we dive into the Los Angeles-based company's Instagram swap challenge and how it's helped to grow their audience and build community. Us