March 4, 2024 • 28 mins
In this captivating episode of Inspired, hosts Stacey Fleece and Samantha Tradelius are joined by multifaceted entrepreneur, Franne Golde. Transitioning from a highly successful career in the music business to becoming a staple in the fashion industry, Franne's journey is a testament to the power of passion, persistence, and positive transformation.
Franne, beyond offering a refreshing take on designer wear, also provides an articulate narrative on the challenges she faced during her husband's battle with early-onset Alzheimer's and how venturing into the world of fashion became her lifeline and healing path. She goes on to discuss her perspectives on the evolving landscape of the music industry, especially for women, and proceeds to tease her forthcoming memoir, which is anticipated to deliver an in-depth insight into her exceptional journey and metamorphosis.
Tune in to this riveting episode and be prepared to be moved, inspired, and amazed by Franne Golde's compelling story and her passion for making women look and feel great, effortlessly, starting with the perfect pair of black pants. IG: @frannegolde @frannegoldeofficial
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello and welcome to Inspired, your grown-up girl talk.
I'm Stacey Fleece with co-host Samantha Tredelius today. Not that that's different than any other day.
It's not. It is different today.
Different guests, different stuff. This is going to be good.
Are you ready? Buckle up.
I am. Here we go. This one is our first Wikipedia holding interview.
(00:25):
I mean, what an accomplished bush woman. I can't wait. She's all in black, just like us. Let's go.
She blends, she blends. So let me, let me start a little bit my morning this morning.
I, like many women have body issues of all kinds, like body issues times a million.
So getting dressed in the morning for me is not always a real pleasant task
(00:48):
because I've got, you know, three closets worth of clothes and I've got got
about four items I wear, right? That's typical.
So, and it's, you know, what am I not feeling too fat to wear today?
And this, this whole trauma. And what I love about our guest today,
Frannie Goldie is that, well, she's got such a cool background,
but her company that we're going to talk about,
(01:08):
she really started it to make getting dressed the easiest part of the day.
And Frannie, I have to tell you, I don't think getting dressed has ever been
the easiest part part of my day ever, ever, ever, ever.
So if you could make that happen with your amazing designs, I would be forever
grateful. How are you, Frannie?
(01:29):
Good. Great. I love being here with you guys. Thank you so much for having me.
We'll get ready because here we go. Uh-oh, buckle up. Then it'd be a bumpy ride.
All right. I want to first, you've got multiple layers.
So if you're listening to this one, stay tuned to the end because there's all
kinds of places we're going with it.
I want to first talk about your clothing company, Franny Goldie,
(01:53):
and how it started with your, and there's so many people start companies because
they can't find what they need. And they're like, fuck it, I'll do it myself. self.
And that's sort of where you started with zero understanding,
experience, knowledge of the fashion industry.
So I don't know how you just go, fuck it, I'll just do it.
(02:14):
Like, that's amazing, first of all. But talk about that whole process of what
you couldn't find and how you were like, I, I'm just gonna fix it.
Well, I mean, it started a little bit before that.
I, you know, know, the school would have their fundraisers, you know,
when I, when I had a child in school and they were always asking the parents
(02:36):
to get involved and help raise money for the school.
And because I had been in the music business, I knew people and I would ask
like, oh, can I get a signed guitar?
Can I get, you know, which I got to say, Sheryl Crow twice.
Wow. Okay. Champion. We love that. We like her. We love her.
(02:58):
And my husband at the time got some drumsticks from Ringo, things like that.
And we were like, oh my God, can you get something else?
And who else do you know? And I ran out of faith.
I mean, how many times can you go to somebody and say, can you do me a solid?
So organically, I just started, I, a lot of the moms would say,
(03:25):
oh, where'd you get that? Where'd you get that?
And I, I don't know, maybe because I was a musician and songwriter,
I always kind of dressed a little bit different and funky and I wanted to create my own style.
And so I thought, oh, maybe I'll just do like a boutique in the school gym,
which I asked, can I do that?
I did it. I was sold out the first day.
(03:47):
Or the day. It's sold out by the end of the day. And then I started getting
phone calls from the moms.
My mother-in-law saw this. My sister saw that. My cousin saw that.
Can you get more? What's the deal? Can we come to your house?
So it sort of morphed organically into me having people come come over to my
(04:10):
house and I would go to like sample sales and kind of gather things.
I made a lot of things like crafty things like candles and little makeup bags and all kinds of things.
Anyway, at one of these sample sales I went to, I found this pant and I loved
(04:33):
that it was like like stretchy.
It was kind of high-waisted. It was sort of a pant that I'd always been looking
for, but it wasn't exactly right.
And of course, I knew nothing except I would a lot of times,
because I never felt that anything looked right on me growing up,
I always had my scissor and my needle and thread ready.
(04:56):
And I wore a lot of clothes that were custom cut and sewn own and of my own doing.
That's a good skill right there. That is a talent.
I know. That piece of my clothing. Yeah. I don't know how good they look, but I did my best.
Talent. Anyway, I got a couple pairs of these pants and I just started playing around.
(05:19):
And I went to the fabric store. I got some extra fabric. I kind of attached
things, safety pins, pins, sewing.
And then I just said, you know, I have never been able to find a pair of pants
that is like the perfect pant for me.
Big hips, big booty, small waist.
(05:40):
You know, my legs are not perfection.
I want something that raises my body, that I can pull on, that's stretchy, that's is comfortable.
And like you were saying, I mean, I knew nothing, but I just set out to do it.
I found putters, sewers, pattern makers, developed, you know,
(06:04):
fabric, figured out how to reach out to fabric manufacturers.
I mean, all kinds of things I had never done in my life. And I love a challenge.
It was super creative and fun. And...
Here we are. Here's what I love about, because the background,
(06:27):
which we'll talk about your background was something so different,
but you know, people connecting and being able to kind of go,
okay, let's try this or let's go and source this.
I mean, you, you did take those skills to go out into this, you know, product making.
I mean, I, I'm like finance head.
I could never, like, I'm like, I'm just blown away with the fact that you're
(06:48):
like, I just went out, got fabrics, got sewers, got these things.
And here we go. I mean, it's very cool.
It's not as easy as it sounds. It's a lot of, you know, walking and looking and calling people.
And do you know this? And do you know someone? And, you know.
(07:09):
And all the things you don't know. I mean, there's so many things that we as
consumers don't realize the end result of a product, you know,
from the stitching to the leg to the fabric.
I mean, all those little things are, it's, I mean, we don't even know the beginning of it. Yeah, exactly.
I mean, I, it's like, learn as you go, learn as you go.
(07:29):
And, and, you know, people say like, well, how did you do this?
I mean, how did you start your business? It's like, you just move forward and you get things done.
You know, getting things done is to get it, to do it, get it done.
So you made the, this path because you could not find the perfect path.
So you're like, fine. For me. And that was really the foundation of your line,
(07:54):
which is now a full expanded line of products.
Yes. But this pair got dubbed the magic pants by Oprah and her people.
So how did that, how did her, I can't remember the guy's name.
Again, Adam Glassman. That was so crazy.
I remember watching the show and her talking about the magic pants. Yes.
(08:17):
Well, it was kind of crazy because I was ready to give up, which I never do,
but I was in that head space. You know, you have to pull yourself out.
And I called a friend of mine who had been making t-shirts.
And I said, I've gotten to this point,
(08:38):
I need somebody to make a small run of these pants that I finally have a really
solid sample to go forward. Right.
And I, you know, she's one of those people, I love her, but she's kind of like,
(08:59):
she doesn't want to give her secrets away and her people and share and,
you know, and I was like, I, I just was crying.
I said, I don't know how to get to the next step. I know you've got a manufacturer.
Would you be willing to just share? She says, well, she's super busy.
I know she's not going to take you on, but I'll give you her number.
(09:24):
And that was it. I called her the next day.
She said, I'm really busy. I don't think I can take you on, but come down and
I'd like to see what you're doing.
So maybe I can set you on the right path. So I went to meet her and I came in in with,
you know, an arm load of samples and a pattern and I don't know,
(09:50):
all kinds of stuff and a bolt of fabric.
And I just laid it on her table.
And I just, I told her kind of what I told you and my little mission of getting to this place.
By the end of an hour, she said, okay, I'm in love with you. I want to do this.
I believe in what you're doing. Let's give it a shot.
(10:12):
Nice. It's eight years later. Yeah. And I am still with her. Wow. I love her.
And my friend said, if she's going to go through, I want the first sample.
I want the first pair. First pair. She made the intro. Okay.
Sent her a pair.
(10:33):
Her friend saw them and said, oh my God, I need those. Where did you get them? I sent her a pair.
And unbeknownst to me, she was very good friends with Adam Glassman,
who was the, I don't know what, he was her like stylist and fashion guru kind of person. Yeah.
(10:54):
And he was like, what is this selfie?
Like, why are you sending me this? And she said, because these are my new favorite
pants. So I got an email from him on the website, which I couldn't even believe
I'd been open on the website for maybe a month.
(11:14):
And that was it. He asked me, could you send me some pants at every size? I sent them all.
Never heard another word.
I was like, okay, well, that was like, I was high for like, you know,
a week, you know, nothing, you know, September, October, November, December, January.
(11:39):
I get a call from my girlfriend screaming. screaming.
Are you sitting down? Oh my God. I'm a Tarche.
I'm standing in line. I'm checking out. Have you read O Manatee?
I'm like, no. What? What? You're in O and they've dubbed you the magic hand. Oh my God.
Don't you feel like they could have at least given you a little heads up?
(12:00):
A little heads up. Oh, bruh. Come on.
So when that happens, I mean, how quickly were you getting orders after?
I would assume rapidly, right? I mean, something like that is like a water faucet.
Yeah, it was pretty amazing.
And, you know, it's kind of like, you know, those are like good problems to have.
And you learn as you go, like, oh my God, what if we sell out?
(12:23):
You know, can we, can we put a pre-order on this site? Can we do this?
Can we do that? So you kind of learn as you go. go.
From there, we were in People Magazine and the same thing happened.
My girlfriend was going to New York. I knew her from the music business.
She was a PR person and she was meeting with some of the music editors for one
(12:47):
of her bands that she was promoting.
And I had given her a pair of pants and she wore them to the meeting.
And the girl said, oh, I love your pants. And
she was was like oh she picked up the phone send
a pair of pants to the editor of the
music something and people i'm like what so you
(13:09):
know i said a few pair different sizes i figure oh okay same thing had no clue
there was no anything heads up no like yes because this is going in next month Yeah.
And they said something like, it's become a cult or something like these pants are like,
(13:36):
you know, get in on it kind of thing. That was crazy.
Crazy. I mean, it was like twice, three times the open. But how do you scale for that?
I mean, being that you had no idea that it was happening. I mean,
Mike, I mean, I'm assuming you didn't have the kind of inventory to supply this.
(13:57):
I mean, what was that hurdle like?
Kind of like I called my friend, the, you know, manufacturer.
I'm like, okay, you know, ready, girl, get ready.
We need, I don't know how many, you know, and I did, I learned about pre-orders
and we just kept, you know, she kept making them and they kept selling and they kept selling.
(14:21):
I mean, this is expanded now, obviously to a full line on your website,
but the cool cool thing first of all there's
multiple versions of the magic camp which i'm super excited about
but the cool thing is that that you are making
clothes that you know people can look great in pulled
together without shapewear i like who does everything he has stretch you know
(14:44):
so it will accommodate you know i want it to be good for everybody no it's not
shapewear although it it enhances your shape.
That's what we all need. Yeah. I mean, it holds you in in the right places. It comes high enough.
I mean, I know for me, I have a little bit of a spare tire.
(15:06):
I don't want something under it. I want something over it.
So they're a little higher in the back. So when you sit down,
you don't feel like your pants are falling down.
It's got a really generous rise so that, you know, it comes up to your waist
and you feel, you know, secure. You're not.
(15:30):
Feeling like you're kind of, your spare tire is folding over your pants.
You're not showing things that you don't want to show. So I had the great pleasure
of sitting on a panel with you and I heard you speak and you stood up and you
had your pants on and a great look and your idea and the message that you were
trying to share was just kind of like what Stacey was saying,
how we all have just those four or five items that we rotate in our capsule, so to to speak.
(15:54):
So the line is really about having those four or five, six pieces that you can
mix and match and throw in a bag and travel and, you know, wear and go.
Because let's be honest here, people, unless we've got an event or something,
I mean, the most normal gals, I mean, we don't have time to dick around with
what are we wearing today?
It's like, we want to look good. We want to put our best foot forward,
(16:16):
but you know, we want something that's, you know, fashionable and can can be
easy to get on and out of, right?
Right. Right. And what I try to do is make your basics foundation,
the backbone of your wardrobe, if you will.
So, you know, a great t-shirt, you know, but we go to really great pains to
(16:38):
make, to perfect everything.
Like I like a really sharp V and I don't like something that's got a super wide neckline.
I want the V to be like, you know, a sharp V that it just elevates it.
And, you know, and your pants and, and a great long sleeve t-shirt and a great
(16:58):
blouse and a great top that you can throw on.
That's a little bit, I don't want to say dressy, but just elevated so that you look put together.
If you want that for, I think we all want that.
I mean, we all want to look as good as we possibly can.
Although although some days are more complex than others.
(17:21):
But I mean, the price points are great. I think the look is phenomenal.
And it really is those timeless pieces that are, you know, they're not bad wear.
I mean, they're things that are going to be going the distance and mix and match
well with other key things that maybe you want to incorporate into them,
which I think is also because a lot of times you'll find lines that only work
with, you know, a certain season or a certain, you know, vibe that you're going for.
(17:43):
So yours is kind of all across the board, which I think can speak to many of
us gals out there and the breathability.
Would be i mean come on who doesn't want stuff as
we get a little older ladies you know the tight uncomfortable is
the thing of the we're not doing that anymore we can't i
don't know what you're talking about like nobody wants to sit there uncomfortable in
a meeting like barely being able to breathe because your friggin spanks
(18:06):
are too tight sometimes breathing is overrated that's
all i'm gonna say like here's here's
what i want to i want to go ahead just a little bit because
this is where I want to take it back a little further because
your previous life before
you decided you were going to make this perfect black pant
because you couldn't find it you are a grammy nominated singer songwriter you've
(18:30):
been on participated in countless albums so many singles listed on your wikipedia
page I can't even I can't even name them all you are you were nominated for
for the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Like you had this whole other hugely successful life. You're big time.
You're a badass. And like, did you ever think when you were like,
(18:51):
I gotta make a better black pant, that it was gonna turn into this whole Franny
Goldie beautiful clothing line that women are falling all over themselves about? Never, never.
I mean, it sort of happened again, organically.
I mean, I guess it was 2011 when I started doing the, you know,
(19:16):
school boutique kind of thing.
And, you know, fast forward to 2016 where I actually started the website and
pushed the button August 1st of 2016. Can you imagine if Adam Glassman hadn't
found you on the web? Like, what if you didn't have the website?
I mean, who, you know, who knows? I mean, that would be interesting.
(19:37):
Timing was great. Not to interrupt. go back. No, that would have been,
I mean, interesting to, you know, you never know what can happen.
I tell people all the time, you never know. You just never know.
In 2013, my husband was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and I,
(20:00):
the music business was kind of changing and people were downloading, streaming,
you know, they had LimeWire, Spotify, this, Pandora, blah, blah, blah.
And I don't know, things were just not the same.
The people that used to record like the Whitney's and Diana Ross and this one and that one,
(20:21):
They weren't even making records that often. I mean, maybe Whitney,
but it was just a complete change.
Producers were taking over and becoming the whole pie with songwriting,
working with the artists as a producer, writer.
And I was a little concerned. I didn't know what it was going to cost to take
(20:44):
care of my husband because I read a lot about... I didn't even know exactly what Alzheimer's was.
I had heard of it. I knew, you know, the word dementia.
But as I delved into it, I was kind of like, whoa, this could get real bad.
(21:04):
It did. And my husband passed away in December of 22.
And but anyway, yeah, I get emotional when I talk about it. I'm kind of losing
track of where I was. That's still pretty recent, pretty fresh.
Yeah, pretty. You are allowed for that.
And then grow a company, you know, and doing what you were doing and having to deal.
(21:28):
I mean, nobody knows what happens behind closed doors, right?
To be able to have a whole nother focus.
It really saved my life.
I, you know, sold my music catalog.
I kept my writer's portion. So it's like 50-50.
You know, my bit of royalties and, and when I sold it, I sort of,
(21:52):
I always said, if I lose that,
that feeling when I sit at the piano, if it's not there anymore,
I'm not going to write because you have to have that.
Desire to want to write music.
So I just poured myself into this clothing thing. And it was new. It was something fresh.
(22:15):
It was something that could take
my mind off of my heartbreak and what was happening in my private life.
And it saved my life. I love it.
I mean, it's amazing what what, you know, a random, you know,
pair of pants can do for you.
You know, it's, they're so magical in so many ways.
(22:37):
Now I am a huge music person. Like my life, I, I love music and I have to ask
you, you know, let's, I'm always very interested is the music industry.
And because you have been in it for so long and it's probably seen so many cycles,
is it really, I mean, has it come a long way for women or, you know,
so many industries have not always been so good to women.
(23:00):
And you see a lot of artists, you watch their movies and the things that women
are just treated like shit.
And I'm sure you've probably seen your fair share of that.
Have you felt that it's evolved or do you feel like it's still very suppressive to women?
I mean, I think it's evolved in some ways.
I mean, I'm not as close to it as I used to be. I would say that in,
(23:24):
well, I mean, I know a few people that are executives like actually on the business side.
I do think it's opened up.
I don't know. I know for artists, it's always, you know, I mean,
women are all over the place, you know, Taylor Swift, right.
You know, and all the female artists that are out there, but I,
(23:48):
executive wise probably could do a
little better but women are definitely
on the executive side more so now
than than ever i feel like an artist like taylor swift i'm not only extremely
talented just god-given talent coming out of every pore of her body but she's
also a very smart and savvy businesswoman eric i don't feel like a lot of artists
(24:13):
necessarily have that smart and savvy savvy business person side?
And how hard is it to surround yourself with the right people to fill that gap
that aren't going to take advantage of you in an industry like that?
I think it's difficult. I really do.
Artists tend to be solitary. They get into their little cocoon.
(24:34):
They like to write their songs. A lot of performers are quite shy and quite insulated.
And so, you know, getting the right people,
it's, boy, I mean, if you're lucky enough to find those people who really take
(24:56):
care of you and are supportive of you and honest.
I mean, Taylor Swift was in a weird situation as a guest manager,
which is why she redid her albums.
Problems so you know it hopefully if
you are in one of those situations you find your way
(25:16):
out a lot of people don't how was
it when you started your career as far as even just the way you were treated
being a woman and in the space i mean was it oh like arms are welcoming or did
you have to work you felt twice as hard because you are i think i felt pretty
accepted i were that Not good, because you were good.
(25:40):
And I had so many people that helped me along the way.
I did get into a bad management situation. I ended up.
Getting sued by these managers. You know, it was early on.
I was in my 20s. I was learning the ropes. We don't know what we don't know.
(26:01):
Exactly. Exactly. But once I knew and, you know, I really was lucky.
I had a fantastic manager eventually.
And yeah, kind of like a Taylor situation where where you get into a bad situation
and then you learn and you grow and you find, you know, you surround yourself
(26:22):
with people that are really great and honest, helpful.
I love that you've had such enormous success in two very distinct worlds,
albeit both very creative.
And so still using your creativity, but what a journey with a fun,
you know, Alzheimer's, more than you ever wanted to know, adventure in the middle.
(26:44):
So I know you are in the process of writing your memoir.
Oh, my God. If I ever can fit it.
You will, girl. I was going to say, in all your spare time, it's going to be an incredible read.
Any ETA on that? Or is it still a big process?
Yeah, that is still a process. Yeah.
(27:06):
Yeah. I mean, I've been working on it for so long, and I have chapters here
and there. I don't know how it will end up or in what form.
A lot of the time I feel like it's going to be essays about different times in my life.
I wrote a lot about Alzheimer's and my husband and my experience in that world,
(27:29):
mostly because I wanted to share and help other people. It's valuable stuff.
Because people don't, a lot of times people don't talk about a lot of things
that, you know, really, I think when you open up the box and say,
okay, here's, here's what happened to me, you're going to have so many things come at you.
People are going to connect because you yourself are just such a,
(27:51):
like we're on a zoom call and I could tell, like, I feel, I mean,
I've actually been in your presence, so I can speak to this,
but you are a very connective person by nature. You've got good juju around you.
And I think anything that you do, girl, is going to be amazing.
And I just can't say thank you enough for sharing 30 minutes with you.
I feel that the world is now a better place in the inspired world.
(28:14):
We will post all of your links. We will post how to get those magic pants that
every single one of us better run out and go buy this week.
We don't want to give your audience a code. I wish I had one available. the ball.
I'm going to get you guys a coat so everybody can try whichever pair they like.
(28:36):
And there's so many other good things on there too. Yes. We'll be running around
the women of inspired with magic pants.
Thanks to Franny. Thank you so much. We hope that everybody gets out there this week and is inspired.
Hello and welcome to Inspired, your grown-up girl talk.
I'm Stacey Fleece with co-host Samantha Tredelius today. Not that that's different than any other day.
It's not. It is different today.
Different guests, different stuff. This is going to be good.
Are you ready? Buckle up.
I am. Here we go. This one is our first Wikipedia holding interview.
(00:25):
I mean, what an accomplished bush woman. I can't wait. She's all in black, just like us. Let's go.
She blends, she blends. So let me, let me start a little bit my morning this morning.
I, like many women have body issues of all kinds, like body issues times a million.
So getting dressed in the morning for me is not always a real pleasant task
(00:48):
because I've got, you know, three closets worth of clothes and I've got got
about four items I wear, right? That's typical.
So, and it's, you know, what am I not feeling too fat to wear today?
And this, this whole trauma. And what I love about our guest today,
Frannie Goldie is that, well, she's got such a cool background,
but her company that we're going to talk about,
(01:08):
she really started it to make getting dressed the easiest part of the day.
And Frannie, I have to tell you, I don't think getting dressed has ever been
the easiest part part of my day ever, ever, ever, ever.
So if you could make that happen with your amazing designs, I would be forever
grateful. How are you, Frannie?
(01:29):
Good. Great. I love being here with you guys. Thank you so much for having me.
We'll get ready because here we go. Uh-oh, buckle up. Then it'd be a bumpy ride.
All right. I want to first, you've got multiple layers.
So if you're listening to this one, stay tuned to the end because there's all
kinds of places we're going with it.
I want to first talk about your clothing company, Franny Goldie,
(01:53):
and how it started with your, and there's so many people start companies because
they can't find what they need. And they're like, fuck it, I'll do it myself. self.
And that's sort of where you started with zero understanding,
experience, knowledge of the fashion industry.
So I don't know how you just go, fuck it, I'll just do it.
(02:14):
Like, that's amazing, first of all. But talk about that whole process of what
you couldn't find and how you were like, I, I'm just gonna fix it.
Well, I mean, it started a little bit before that.
I, you know, know, the school would have their fundraisers, you know,
when I, when I had a child in school and they were always asking the parents
(02:36):
to get involved and help raise money for the school.
And because I had been in the music business, I knew people and I would ask
like, oh, can I get a signed guitar?
Can I get, you know, which I got to say, Sheryl Crow twice.
Wow. Okay. Champion. We love that. We like her. We love her.
(02:58):
And my husband at the time got some drumsticks from Ringo, things like that.
And we were like, oh my God, can you get something else?
And who else do you know? And I ran out of faith.
I mean, how many times can you go to somebody and say, can you do me a solid?
So organically, I just started, I, a lot of the moms would say,
(03:25):
oh, where'd you get that? Where'd you get that?
And I, I don't know, maybe because I was a musician and songwriter,
I always kind of dressed a little bit different and funky and I wanted to create my own style.
And so I thought, oh, maybe I'll just do like a boutique in the school gym,
which I asked, can I do that?
I did it. I was sold out the first day.
(03:47):
Or the day. It's sold out by the end of the day. And then I started getting
phone calls from the moms.
My mother-in-law saw this. My sister saw that. My cousin saw that.
Can you get more? What's the deal? Can we come to your house?
So it sort of morphed organically into me having people come come over to my
(04:10):
house and I would go to like sample sales and kind of gather things.
I made a lot of things like crafty things like candles and little makeup bags and all kinds of things.
Anyway, at one of these sample sales I went to, I found this pant and I loved
(04:33):
that it was like like stretchy.
It was kind of high-waisted. It was sort of a pant that I'd always been looking
for, but it wasn't exactly right.
And of course, I knew nothing except I would a lot of times,
because I never felt that anything looked right on me growing up,
I always had my scissor and my needle and thread ready.
(04:56):
And I wore a lot of clothes that were custom cut and sewn own and of my own doing.
That's a good skill right there. That is a talent.
I know. That piece of my clothing. Yeah. I don't know how good they look, but I did my best.
Talent. Anyway, I got a couple pairs of these pants and I just started playing around.
(05:19):
And I went to the fabric store. I got some extra fabric. I kind of attached
things, safety pins, pins, sewing.
And then I just said, you know, I have never been able to find a pair of pants
that is like the perfect pant for me.
Big hips, big booty, small waist.
(05:40):
You know, my legs are not perfection.
I want something that raises my body, that I can pull on, that's stretchy, that's is comfortable.
And like you were saying, I mean, I knew nothing, but I just set out to do it.
I found putters, sewers, pattern makers, developed, you know,
(06:04):
fabric, figured out how to reach out to fabric manufacturers.
I mean, all kinds of things I had never done in my life. And I love a challenge.
It was super creative and fun. And...
Here we are. Here's what I love about, because the background,
(06:27):
which we'll talk about your background was something so different,
but you know, people connecting and being able to kind of go,
okay, let's try this or let's go and source this.
I mean, you, you did take those skills to go out into this, you know, product making.
I mean, I, I'm like finance head.
I could never, like, I'm like, I'm just blown away with the fact that you're
(06:48):
like, I just went out, got fabrics, got sewers, got these things.
And here we go. I mean, it's very cool.
It's not as easy as it sounds. It's a lot of, you know, walking and looking and calling people.
And do you know this? And do you know someone? And, you know.
(07:09):
And all the things you don't know. I mean, there's so many things that we as
consumers don't realize the end result of a product, you know,
from the stitching to the leg to the fabric.
I mean, all those little things are, it's, I mean, we don't even know the beginning of it. Yeah, exactly.
I mean, I, it's like, learn as you go, learn as you go.
(07:29):
And, and, you know, people say like, well, how did you do this?
I mean, how did you start your business? It's like, you just move forward and you get things done.
You know, getting things done is to get it, to do it, get it done.
So you made the, this path because you could not find the perfect path.
So you're like, fine. For me. And that was really the foundation of your line,
(07:54):
which is now a full expanded line of products.
Yes. But this pair got dubbed the magic pants by Oprah and her people.
So how did that, how did her, I can't remember the guy's name.
Again, Adam Glassman. That was so crazy.
I remember watching the show and her talking about the magic pants. Yes.
(08:17):
Well, it was kind of crazy because I was ready to give up, which I never do,
but I was in that head space. You know, you have to pull yourself out.
And I called a friend of mine who had been making t-shirts.
And I said, I've gotten to this point,
(08:38):
I need somebody to make a small run of these pants that I finally have a really
solid sample to go forward. Right.
And I, you know, she's one of those people, I love her, but she's kind of like,
(08:59):
she doesn't want to give her secrets away and her people and share and,
you know, and I was like, I, I just was crying.
I said, I don't know how to get to the next step. I know you've got a manufacturer.
Would you be willing to just share? She says, well, she's super busy.
I know she's not going to take you on, but I'll give you her number.
(09:24):
And that was it. I called her the next day.
She said, I'm really busy. I don't think I can take you on, but come down and
I'd like to see what you're doing.
So maybe I can set you on the right path. So I went to meet her and I came in in with,
you know, an arm load of samples and a pattern and I don't know,
(09:50):
all kinds of stuff and a bolt of fabric.
And I just laid it on her table.
And I just, I told her kind of what I told you and my little mission of getting to this place.
By the end of an hour, she said, okay, I'm in love with you. I want to do this.
I believe in what you're doing. Let's give it a shot.
(10:12):
Nice. It's eight years later. Yeah. And I am still with her. Wow. I love her.
And my friend said, if she's going to go through, I want the first sample.
I want the first pair. First pair. She made the intro. Okay.
Sent her a pair.
(10:33):
Her friend saw them and said, oh my God, I need those. Where did you get them? I sent her a pair.
And unbeknownst to me, she was very good friends with Adam Glassman,
who was the, I don't know what, he was her like stylist and fashion guru kind of person. Yeah.
(10:54):
And he was like, what is this selfie?
Like, why are you sending me this? And she said, because these are my new favorite
pants. So I got an email from him on the website, which I couldn't even believe
I'd been open on the website for maybe a month.
(11:14):
And that was it. He asked me, could you send me some pants at every size? I sent them all.
Never heard another word.
I was like, okay, well, that was like, I was high for like, you know,
a week, you know, nothing, you know, September, October, November, December, January.
(11:39):
I get a call from my girlfriend screaming. screaming.
Are you sitting down? Oh my God. I'm a Tarche.
I'm standing in line. I'm checking out. Have you read O Manatee?
I'm like, no. What? What? You're in O and they've dubbed you the magic hand. Oh my God.
Don't you feel like they could have at least given you a little heads up?
(12:00):
A little heads up. Oh, bruh. Come on.
So when that happens, I mean, how quickly were you getting orders after?
I would assume rapidly, right? I mean, something like that is like a water faucet.
Yeah, it was pretty amazing.
And, you know, it's kind of like, you know, those are like good problems to have.
And you learn as you go, like, oh my God, what if we sell out?
(12:23):
You know, can we, can we put a pre-order on this site? Can we do this?
Can we do that? So you kind of learn as you go. go.
From there, we were in People Magazine and the same thing happened.
My girlfriend was going to New York. I knew her from the music business.
She was a PR person and she was meeting with some of the music editors for one
(12:47):
of her bands that she was promoting.
And I had given her a pair of pants and she wore them to the meeting.
And the girl said, oh, I love your pants. And
she was was like oh she picked up the phone send
a pair of pants to the editor of the
music something and people i'm like what so you
(13:09):
know i said a few pair different sizes i figure oh okay same thing had no clue
there was no anything heads up no like yes because this is going in next month Yeah.
And they said something like, it's become a cult or something like these pants are like,
(13:36):
you know, get in on it kind of thing. That was crazy.
Crazy. I mean, it was like twice, three times the open. But how do you scale for that?
I mean, being that you had no idea that it was happening. I mean,
Mike, I mean, I'm assuming you didn't have the kind of inventory to supply this.
(13:57):
I mean, what was that hurdle like?
Kind of like I called my friend, the, you know, manufacturer.
I'm like, okay, you know, ready, girl, get ready.
We need, I don't know how many, you know, and I did, I learned about pre-orders
and we just kept, you know, she kept making them and they kept selling and they kept selling.
(14:21):
I mean, this is expanded now, obviously to a full line on your website,
but the cool cool thing first of all there's
multiple versions of the magic camp which i'm super excited about
but the cool thing is that that you are making
clothes that you know people can look great in pulled
together without shapewear i like who does everything he has stretch you know
(14:44):
so it will accommodate you know i want it to be good for everybody no it's not
shapewear although it it enhances your shape.
That's what we all need. Yeah. I mean, it holds you in in the right places. It comes high enough.
I mean, I know for me, I have a little bit of a spare tire.
(15:06):
I don't want something under it. I want something over it.
So they're a little higher in the back. So when you sit down,
you don't feel like your pants are falling down.
It's got a really generous rise so that, you know, it comes up to your waist
and you feel, you know, secure. You're not.
(15:30):
Feeling like you're kind of, your spare tire is folding over your pants.
You're not showing things that you don't want to show. So I had the great pleasure
of sitting on a panel with you and I heard you speak and you stood up and you
had your pants on and a great look and your idea and the message that you were
trying to share was just kind of like what Stacey was saying,
how we all have just those four or five items that we rotate in our capsule, so to to speak.
(15:54):
So the line is really about having those four or five, six pieces that you can
mix and match and throw in a bag and travel and, you know, wear and go.
Because let's be honest here, people, unless we've got an event or something,
I mean, the most normal gals, I mean, we don't have time to dick around with
what are we wearing today?
It's like, we want to look good. We want to put our best foot forward,
(16:16):
but you know, we want something that's, you know, fashionable and can can be
easy to get on and out of, right?
Right. Right. And what I try to do is make your basics foundation,
the backbone of your wardrobe, if you will.
So, you know, a great t-shirt, you know, but we go to really great pains to
(16:38):
make, to perfect everything.
Like I like a really sharp V and I don't like something that's got a super wide neckline.
I want the V to be like, you know, a sharp V that it just elevates it.
And, you know, and your pants and, and a great long sleeve t-shirt and a great
(16:58):
blouse and a great top that you can throw on.
That's a little bit, I don't want to say dressy, but just elevated so that you look put together.
If you want that for, I think we all want that.
I mean, we all want to look as good as we possibly can.
Although although some days are more complex than others.
(17:21):
But I mean, the price points are great. I think the look is phenomenal.
And it really is those timeless pieces that are, you know, they're not bad wear.
I mean, they're things that are going to be going the distance and mix and match
well with other key things that maybe you want to incorporate into them,
which I think is also because a lot of times you'll find lines that only work
with, you know, a certain season or a certain, you know, vibe that you're going for.
(17:43):
So yours is kind of all across the board, which I think can speak to many of
us gals out there and the breathability.
Would be i mean come on who doesn't want stuff as
we get a little older ladies you know the tight uncomfortable is
the thing of the we're not doing that anymore we can't i
don't know what you're talking about like nobody wants to sit there uncomfortable in
a meeting like barely being able to breathe because your friggin spanks
(18:06):
are too tight sometimes breathing is overrated that's
all i'm gonna say like here's here's
what i want to i want to go ahead just a little bit because
this is where I want to take it back a little further because
your previous life before
you decided you were going to make this perfect black pant
because you couldn't find it you are a grammy nominated singer songwriter you've
(18:30):
been on participated in countless albums so many singles listed on your wikipedia
page I can't even I can't even name them all you are you were nominated for
for the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Like you had this whole other hugely successful life. You're big time.
You're a badass. And like, did you ever think when you were like,
(18:51):
I gotta make a better black pant, that it was gonna turn into this whole Franny
Goldie beautiful clothing line that women are falling all over themselves about? Never, never.
I mean, it sort of happened again, organically.
I mean, I guess it was 2011 when I started doing the, you know,
(19:16):
school boutique kind of thing.
And, you know, fast forward to 2016 where I actually started the website and
pushed the button August 1st of 2016. Can you imagine if Adam Glassman hadn't
found you on the web? Like, what if you didn't have the website?
I mean, who, you know, who knows? I mean, that would be interesting.
(19:37):
Timing was great. Not to interrupt. go back. No, that would have been,
I mean, interesting to, you know, you never know what can happen.
I tell people all the time, you never know. You just never know.
In 2013, my husband was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and I,
(20:00):
the music business was kind of changing and people were downloading, streaming,
you know, they had LimeWire, Spotify, this, Pandora, blah, blah, blah.
And I don't know, things were just not the same.
The people that used to record like the Whitney's and Diana Ross and this one and that one,
(20:21):
They weren't even making records that often. I mean, maybe Whitney,
but it was just a complete change.
Producers were taking over and becoming the whole pie with songwriting,
working with the artists as a producer, writer.
And I was a little concerned. I didn't know what it was going to cost to take
(20:44):
care of my husband because I read a lot about... I didn't even know exactly what Alzheimer's was.
I had heard of it. I knew, you know, the word dementia.
But as I delved into it, I was kind of like, whoa, this could get real bad.
(21:04):
It did. And my husband passed away in December of 22.
And but anyway, yeah, I get emotional when I talk about it. I'm kind of losing
track of where I was. That's still pretty recent, pretty fresh.
Yeah, pretty. You are allowed for that.
And then grow a company, you know, and doing what you were doing and having to deal.
(21:28):
I mean, nobody knows what happens behind closed doors, right?
To be able to have a whole nother focus.
It really saved my life.
I, you know, sold my music catalog.
I kept my writer's portion. So it's like 50-50.
You know, my bit of royalties and, and when I sold it, I sort of,
(21:52):
I always said, if I lose that,
that feeling when I sit at the piano, if it's not there anymore,
I'm not going to write because you have to have that.
Desire to want to write music.
So I just poured myself into this clothing thing. And it was new. It was something fresh.
(22:15):
It was something that could take
my mind off of my heartbreak and what was happening in my private life.
And it saved my life. I love it.
I mean, it's amazing what what, you know, a random, you know,
pair of pants can do for you.
You know, it's, they're so magical in so many ways.
(22:37):
Now I am a huge music person. Like my life, I, I love music and I have to ask
you, you know, let's, I'm always very interested is the music industry.
And because you have been in it for so long and it's probably seen so many cycles,
is it really, I mean, has it come a long way for women or, you know,
so many industries have not always been so good to women.
(23:00):
And you see a lot of artists, you watch their movies and the things that women
are just treated like shit.
And I'm sure you've probably seen your fair share of that.
Have you felt that it's evolved or do you feel like it's still very suppressive to women?
I mean, I think it's evolved in some ways.
I mean, I'm not as close to it as I used to be. I would say that in,
(23:24):
well, I mean, I know a few people that are executives like actually on the business side.
I do think it's opened up.
I don't know. I know for artists, it's always, you know, I mean,
women are all over the place, you know, Taylor Swift, right.
You know, and all the female artists that are out there, but I,
(23:48):
executive wise probably could do a
little better but women are definitely
on the executive side more so now
than than ever i feel like an artist like taylor swift i'm not only extremely
talented just god-given talent coming out of every pore of her body but she's
also a very smart and savvy businesswoman eric i don't feel like a lot of artists
(24:13):
necessarily have that smart and savvy savvy business person side?
And how hard is it to surround yourself with the right people to fill that gap
that aren't going to take advantage of you in an industry like that?
I think it's difficult. I really do.
Artists tend to be solitary. They get into their little cocoon.
(24:34):
They like to write their songs. A lot of performers are quite shy and quite insulated.
And so, you know, getting the right people,
it's, boy, I mean, if you're lucky enough to find those people who really take
(24:56):
care of you and are supportive of you and honest.
I mean, Taylor Swift was in a weird situation as a guest manager,
which is why she redid her albums.
Problems so you know it hopefully if
you are in one of those situations you find your way
(25:16):
out a lot of people don't how was
it when you started your career as far as even just the way you were treated
being a woman and in the space i mean was it oh like arms are welcoming or did
you have to work you felt twice as hard because you are i think i felt pretty
accepted i were that Not good, because you were good.
(25:40):
And I had so many people that helped me along the way.
I did get into a bad management situation. I ended up.
Getting sued by these managers. You know, it was early on.
I was in my 20s. I was learning the ropes. We don't know what we don't know.
(26:01):
Exactly. Exactly. But once I knew and, you know, I really was lucky.
I had a fantastic manager eventually.
And yeah, kind of like a Taylor situation where where you get into a bad situation
and then you learn and you grow and you find, you know, you surround yourself
(26:22):
with people that are really great and honest, helpful.
I love that you've had such enormous success in two very distinct worlds,
albeit both very creative.
And so still using your creativity, but what a journey with a fun,
you know, Alzheimer's, more than you ever wanted to know, adventure in the middle.
(26:44):
So I know you are in the process of writing your memoir.
Oh, my God. If I ever can fit it.
You will, girl. I was going to say, in all your spare time, it's going to be an incredible read.
Any ETA on that? Or is it still a big process?
Yeah, that is still a process. Yeah.
(27:06):
Yeah. I mean, I've been working on it for so long, and I have chapters here
and there. I don't know how it will end up or in what form.
A lot of the time I feel like it's going to be essays about different times in my life.
I wrote a lot about Alzheimer's and my husband and my experience in that world,
(27:29):
mostly because I wanted to share and help other people. It's valuable stuff.
Because people don't, a lot of times people don't talk about a lot of things
that, you know, really, I think when you open up the box and say,
okay, here's, here's what happened to me, you're going to have so many things come at you.
People are going to connect because you yourself are just such a,
(27:51):
like we're on a zoom call and I could tell, like, I feel, I mean,
I've actually been in your presence, so I can speak to this,
but you are a very connective person by nature. You've got good juju around you.
And I think anything that you do, girl, is going to be amazing.
And I just can't say thank you enough for sharing 30 minutes with you.
I feel that the world is now a better place in the inspired world.
(28:14):
We will post all of your links. We will post how to get those magic pants that
every single one of us better run out and go buy this week.
We don't want to give your audience a code. I wish I had one available. the ball.
I'm going to get you guys a coat so everybody can try whichever pair they like.
(28:36):
And there's so many other good things on there too. Yes. We'll be running around
the women of inspired with magic pants.
Thanks to Franny. Thank you so much. We hope that everybody gets out there this week and is inspired.
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