Fashion & Founders The Podcast

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Ashley Moubayed, founder of Don’t Let Disco and a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist. They discuss her journey from building the brand as a side hustle to becoming a full-time founder, and the realities of growing a fashion business. Ashley shares what it’s really like to go through the CFDA Fashion Fund, from the application process to the impact it has on credibility and growth. They also break down the cost of New York Fashion Week, navigating press, and why relationships and long-term partnerships are key in the industry. The conversation explores storytelling in fashion, misconceptions around jewelry, and why visibility doesn’t always equal value.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 MyFollow Don’t Let Disco:IG: @dontletdiscoShopGlamsquad:Code: FASHIONANDFOUNDERS for $20 offRent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with the team behind OOTD, one of the fastest-growing fashion media platforms capturing street style around the world. What began as candid outfit videos filmed on the streets of New York has quickly evolved into an international fashion community covering major cultural moments from Coachella to Fashion Week. They discuss the strategy behind creating viral fashion content, scaling, and monetization. No longer just online they have built a network of creators across cities like New York, Paris, and London hosting dinners and events with their community. Since they’ve scaled so quickly they discuss fashion tech and building internal technology needed for their business. Plus they’re hiring and share their vision for how OOTD could become one of the most recognizable fashion brands in the world.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyFollow OOTD:IG: @ootdTikTok: @ootdootd.comFollow Cory and Nic:IG: @corymuroffIG: @wantthisnicGlamsquad:Code: FASHIONANDFOUNDERS for $20 offRent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 60% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Matilda Djerf, the founder of Djerf Avenue, to discuss how she built one of the most recognizable aesthetics in modern fashion. They talk about launching a brand with strong values, building community both online and offline, and navigating the realities of running a global business in your early twenties. Matilda also shares lessons on leadership, vulnerability on social media, and why taking care of yourself is essential when building a company.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 MyFollow Matilda:IG: @matildadjerfFollow Djerf Avenue:IG: @djerfavenueShopGlamsquad:Code: FASHIONANDFOUNDERS for $20 offThanks for listening! 

New York Fashion Week isn’t dead, but it is changing. In this solo NYFW recap, Victoria breaks down what felt different this season and how Fashion Week is getting too expensive. From major brands like Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs showing off-schedule, Thom Browne showing in San Francisco, brands giving away show tickets leading to how NYFW could be evolving into an “Art Basel”-style citywide experience. She also shares the fashion tech + retail innovation that caught her eye, the behind-the-scenes realities of how outfits (and glam) actually happen during Fashion Week, and the pop-ups + community events that proved NYFW is increasingly about access, culture, and connection not just runway invites.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 My⁠Glamsquad:Code: ⁠FASHIONANDFOUNDERS ⁠for $20 offRent the Runway:Code: ⁠RTRXVSMITH50⁠and get 50% off your first month!Rebecca Minkoff episode on fashion week being to expensive⁠HERE⁠Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Ganni’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Lauren Bartley. They discuss how the brand approaches sustainability and design, as they set trends rather than following them. Lauren unpacks Ganni's transparent approach to sustainability reporting, its investment in next-generation material innovation, partnerships in resale and repair, and how the brand balances trend-setting design with long-term environmental strategy. They also explore Scandinavian sustainability culture, the importance of consistency over perfection, and why innovation is key to moving fashion forward.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 MyFollow Ganni:IG: @ganniShop HEREThe Ganni PlaybookFollow Boii Studios:IG: @boiistudiosShop HERERent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria recaps her experience attending Copenhagen Fashion Week from street style and behind-the-scenes access to the sustainability frameworks shaping the future of fashion. She breaks down what makes Copenhagen different from other fashion capitals, why transparency and public access matter, and how brands are rethinking design through the lens of weather, function, and real life. Victoria also shares insights from industry panels, a Substack hosted dinner, standout designers, and why she believes climate-adapted fashion and functional pieces are the next major shift in the industry. Plus a back stage interview with designers Marie and Julie Skall of Skall Studio. 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 MyFind the Brands mentioned on:Substack and ShopMyRent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Kate March, founder and designer of Undone by Kate. She shares how a pandemic project became a made-in-New-York bespoke, bridal, and special occasion brand. Kate shares her path from celebrity styling to teaching herself how to sew on YouTube, creating her first upcycled tees that sparked demand, and the influencer moment that drove $10K in Shopify sales in one day. They talk bootstrapping on unemployment checks, learning pricing the hard way, building a local contractor network, and why made-to-measure is both the new luxury and true size inclusivity. Plus: a last-minute Selena Gomez VMAs dress pivot, bridal trends, and Kate’s best advice for breaking into fashion.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: @victoriasFollow Undone by Kate:IG: @undonebykateShop Custom Looks HEREFashion Career Playbook HEREBrand Spotlight: Aven Atelier Rent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Marina Larroude, founder of Larroudé, to unpack how she built one of fashion’s fastest-growing footwear brands by rewriting the rules. Marina shares her journey from interning at Condé Nast to leading fashion at Barneys, and how those experiences revealed the white space that inspired Larroudé. They dive into why footwear is one of the hardest categories in fashion, how vertical integration and pre-orders became a growth engine, and why the brand chose profitability over “growth at all costs.” Marina also offers sharp career advice for early builders, the truth behind “good taste,” what fashion school doesn’t teach, and why progress done daily compounds over time.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: @victoriasFollow Larroude:IG: @marinalarroudeIG: @larroudeWebsiteFashion Job Board HERERent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with designer and founder Rebecca Minkoff to break down what it really takes to build a fashion brand and keep it alive through industry curveballs. Rebecca shares how an  internship led to her first break, the celebrity moment that helped launch her label, and why success is a slow build of momentum over time. They dive into the business realities fashion school doesn’t teach like costing, pricing, profitability, and why she believes founders should bootstrap before raising money. Rebecca also pulls back the curtain on the true cost of Fashion Week, navigating fast fashion copycats, using AI to pitch and work smarter, and the resilience required to play the long game.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: @victoriasFollow Rebecca Minkoff:IG: @rebeccaminkoffIG: @beckyminkoffFemale Founder CollectiveSuperwoman PodcastHer book FearlessFashion Career Playbook HERERent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening! 

In this episode, Victoria sits down with Cynthia Rowley, CFDA award winning designer, to talk about building a fashion career the scrappy way. Cynthia shares how she got started making clothes, her accidental path to New York, and what it really takes to sustain a long-term career in fashion. She breaks down the realities behind runway shows, navigating changes in the global fashion industry, and why small wins, consistency, and risk-taking matter more than chasing instant success. Cynthia also offers advice for breaking into the fashion industry without a traditional background, moving to New York, and balancing creativity with the business side of fashion.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: @victoriasFollow Cynthia Rowley:IG: @cynthiarowleyWebsite HEREFashion Career Playbook HERERent the Runway:Use code: RTRXVSMITH50 and get 50% off your first month!Thanks for listening!