

Fashion & Founders The Podcast
Victoria Smith
Fashion & Founders is a media platform exploring how fashion is actually built. Hosted by Victoria Smith, the show sits at the intersection of fashion, technology, and capital spotlighting the founders, investors, and operators shaping the industry’s next era.Through long-form conversations, we go beyond trends to unpack fundraising, manufacturing, resale, AI, sustainability, career, and the evolving business of fashion. This is where fashion’s builders speak, share, and connect.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 8, 2025 • 37min
How DMing Alex Cooper Began Her Styling Career from Celebrity Stylist Zoe Gofman
Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with celebrity stylist Zoe Gofman. Zoe does not have your typical story of entering into the industry, and a little sneak peek she cold DMd Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy, landed a big client, quit her job, and has been hustling and growing her business ever since. Zoe has styled many celebrities and influencers like Hannah Berner, Serena Kerrigan, Shaina Shake, Kit Keenan, and many more.If you're the friend that has an eye for style and are always kind of helping out your friend's style wise, but think, it could never be your career or something you can make money from - think again and listen to this episode.Zoe also styled me for this episode as well as the ones with Erika Veurink, Lexi of Shop Nou, Ariel LaFond, and Nik Pollina. It was an insanely fun experience to work with Zoe, and learn about what goes on behind the scenes. 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 Zoe:IG: @zoegofmanTikTok: @zoegofmanWebsite: https://www.zoegofman.com/ Follow Marby:IG: @marbyclub Website: https://marbyclub.com/ Thanks for listening!

May 21, 2025 • 1h
Breaking Into Fashion Tech: Reinventing Resale and the New Era of Beni with Mary Korlin-Downs and Kate Sanner
Talking fashion tech with Mary Korlin-Downs founder of All Things Fashion Tech and Kate Sanner CEO and Co-Founder of Beni. From Beni’s relaunch that’s redefining how and why we shop and Mary joining the team, Kate shares leading industry insights. As well as what’s next in fashion tech and other founders innovating. Want to break in? Hear from these thought leaders on how: how to write a cold email that will actually get a response, who to email, building a portfolio, where to find job opportunities, and so much more.Kate’s solo episode HEREMary’s solo episode HEREDownload Beni HEREAll Things Fashion Tech HERE Fashion & Founders Job Board HEREFollow Mary Korlin-DownsIG HERE Substack HEREMagazine HEREFollow BeniIG HEREWebsite HEREFollow 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: Locker Thanks for listening!

May 15, 2025 • 33min
Is the Vintage Market at its Cap? and Creating a Future Vintage Brand with Lexi of Shop Nou
Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Lexi, The founder of Shop Nou and now Nou Shoes. She is a vintage sourcer and seller, and now a shoe designer with her very first shoe launching this Tuesday, May 20th. In this episode, she talks about not only her experience sourcing vintage and being one of the first in this space, selling on Instagram. But also the changing landscape like has the vintage market reached its peak? Will tariffs bring prices even higher? Is it too saturated? How can you differentiate, and more. As well as the founding story of her brand, all the nos and challenges that she faced, and how she really used this as motivation to launch her future vintage shoe brand. I had so much fun recording with Lexi. I'll let her take it from here, so let's get into the episode.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 Lexi and Shop Nou:Lexi IG: @bohochickenShop Nou IG: @shopnou_Nou Shoes: https://noushoes.com/ Follow Fashion Routes:Fashion Routes IG: @thefashionroutes Fashion Routes Info: https://fashionroutes.com/ Thanks for listening!

May 11, 2025 • 46min
Manifesting Money, Finances for Founders, and Getting Dumb Rich with Ariel LaFond
Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Ariel LaFond. She is an CPA, a fractional CFO for small businesses, and the writer of Dumb Rich on Substack. She is the coolest accountant I think I will ever talk to or meet, she offers a concierge financial service especially those who are self-employed influencers, founders. Ariel here has really tangible tips and starts from the foundations that you need on being smart and knowledgeable about your money. We also talk about we a money mindset, abundance, and manifesting money. If you are self employed this is full of answers to some most frequently asked questions on business expenses, retirement funds, taxes, budgeting, credit cards - we cover so many topics. I loved talking to her because she had such an approachable, judgment-free way of answering all these questions. And she has so much knowledge, but really speaks the average person's language because sometimes financial stuff can get way over complicated and then people get really intimidated by it. I'm gonna let Ariel take it from here. So let's get into the episode!*Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Please consult with your financial advisor or tax professional before making any financial decisions.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 Ariel:Ariel IG: @ArielLaFondSubstack: Dumb RichWebsite: https://www.ariellafond.com/ Follow Rêves Jewelry:Rêves IG: @revesjewelry Website: https://www.revesjewels.com/ Thanks for listening!

May 4, 2025 • 40min
$1500 a Year to Six Figures a Quarter: How You Can Make Freelancing into A Career with Erika Veurink
Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Erica Veurink, she writes Long Live on Substack and is the founder of We Met at EV Salon. Erika was one of the perfect people to kick off this season and theme because she writes a lot on her Substack Long Live about making money from a portfolio career and how she went from making $1,500 a year freelance writing to doing her first six figure quarter. She literally shares her playbook of how you can do this too and other great advice. This is the first episode of season four of Fashion Founders and I think it is so fitting because the theme I tried to craft for this season is hearing from people who have a career in fashion working for themselves, making a lot of money, and who are also pretty open to talking about money and teaching people some of their tips and tricks. I’m very excited for this season and also worked with a New York stylist, Zoe Gofman to put together outfits like this Aligne look. 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 Erika:Erika IG: @erikaveurinkSubstack: Long LiveEV Salon IG: @wemetatevsalonWebsite: https://www.erikaveurink.com/ Follow Ophelia:Ophelia IG: @opheliajewelryco Serena IG: @sydneyserena Website: https://www.opheliajewelryco.com/ Thanks for listening!

May 2, 2025 • 14min
Fashion Tech Talk: Trends, Press & Product Launches, and Who’s Hiring
Themes I’ve been seeing in fashion tech recently, new companies to try, and who’s hiring! From Search, personalization, and curation. Job Board: Fashion and FoundersFollow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Podcast Website: fashionandfounders.comVictoria TikTok: @vfsmith11Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: Locker

Apr 27, 2025 • 30min
The Alix Earle Effect Hits Fashion Tech and What It’s Really Like to Go Viral with Founder of Second Sense Chris Lucas
Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders of the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Chris Lucas, the founder of Second Sense. After Alix Earle visited Harvard Business School last week and posted a TikTok about Second Sense. It crashed the website it went so viral, and the search bar under her video with over 3 million views was second sense. The “Alix Earle” Effect is very real and Chris talks about what the madness has really been like. This is the first interview Chris has done since all of this has happened, and I'm so thankful for his honesty about what this all has been like and his overall vulnerability about sharing his founder journey. Second Sense is hiring so you can join the team and this fast growing startup! Lots of excitement and eyes on fashion tech with this, go follow Chris on TikTok to stay updated!Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comVictoria TikTok: @vfsmith11Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Second Sense:IG: @secondsensecoTikTok: @chrisxlucasWebsiteFollow PJs by PJ:IG: @shoppjsbypjWebsiteThank you for listening!

Apr 20, 2025 • 47min
The Future of AI in Fashion
Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Kotryna, the co-founder of Arete. Arete is an AI powered marketplace for emerging designers built to create connection between shoppers and designers and allow you to play and discover with the clothing. They are quickly growing as they recently opened their store in soho this April and launched a partnership with Pickle. The Arete app is super fun to use and navigate - with videos from designers, moldboard feature, and social sharing. Let’s here from Kotryna!Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comVictoria TikTok: @vfsmith11Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Arête:IG: @aretestudios_____Download the AppWebsiteVisit Arete at 147 Grand St, New York, NY 10013!Follow Cherry Knots:IG: @cherryknotsnycWebsiteUse code FASHIONFOUNDERS10 for 10% off through May 1st!Thank you for listening!

Apr 6, 2025 • 58min
StylewithSoco: From Bloomingdales to Full Time Content Creator and Tips on Working in Fashion in NYC
Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I’m joined with Sophie Cohen aka Style with Soco! If you don’t already know, Sophie, you might recognize some of her iconic pink or vintage looks she wears around New York City. She’s already had a incredible career in the fashion industry and shares really great advice whether you’re a college student, post grad, or looking to make a pivot in your career. She used to work corporate at Bloomingdale’s and we talk about that time as well as her transition into working for herself full time. Something I love about this episode is that her advice spans from tips on landing your dream job to tips on starting a business and growing it too. Hear the behind the scenes from amazing moments to scrappy stories hustling in NYC. Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comVictoria TikTok: @vfsmith11Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Style with Soco:Ig: stylewithsocoTikTok: @stylewithsocoSeries: @meetyouinfive Follow Sara Nicole Vintage:IG: @saranicolevintageThank you for listening!

Mar 30, 2025 • 49min
PR Masterclass: How to Be Your Own PR Agent and Write a Standout Pitch with Emily Blair Media
Learn how to win the PR game from Emily Blair Marcus the founder of Emily Blair Media. Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders, the podcast. My name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Emily Blair Marcus, the founder of Emily Blair Media, a PR firm with offices in LA, New York and London. She is the PR powerhouse behind this new era of celebrities. She's worked with Morgan Riddle, Harry Jowsey, Sabrina the Tube girl, Ekin Su from Love Island, Pookie and Jett, Boys Lie, Sofia Franklin and so many more. Learn about her strategy, growing a business internationally, and amazing tips on how to write a winning pitch, how to actually get a journalist attention, and how to be your own PR agent.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comVictoria TikTok: @vfsmith11Podcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Emily Blair Media:IG: @emilyblairmarcusIG: @emilyblairmediaWebsiteFollow Koster Kulture!:IG: @kosterkultureWebsiteThank you for listening!


