What happens when brands fail to adapt? Journalist Bernadette Giacomazzo breaks it down, sharing why evolution is essential for survival in today’s retail landscape. From Blockbuster vs. Netflix to the rise of secondhand shopping and upcycling, this episode dives into the shifts shaping fashion and retail. 🌿📈
💡 Key Takeaways:
🔹 Adapt to Survive: Why evolving with consumer behavior is non-negotiable.
🔹 Quality Over Quantity: The shift from fast fashion to long-lasting value.
🔹 Retail Anthropology: How store layouts and shopping patterns drive sales.
Whether you're a designer or a retailer, this conversation offers game-changing strategies for staying relevant while staying authentic. Don’t miss it! 🎧
🎧 Tune in now! #HandbagDesigner101 #RetailEvolution #SustainableFashion #CircularEconomy #FashionStrategy
Our Guest: Bernadette Giacomazzo is a seasoned journalist and fashion expert who explores the intersection of consumer behavior, retail trends, and brand adaptability to help shape the future of fashion and retail.
Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.
Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com.
Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”
Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner
TikTok: / Handbagdesigner | Twitter: / Handbagdesigner
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you understand the logistics of retail
anthropology and you understandthe mindset of the consumer, you
can tailor your brand to thatconsumer, to that desired
consumer, without compromisingyour authenticity, so that all
is part of the larger ecosystemof fashion retail.
(00:21):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hi and welcome to handbag designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyblumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all and
(00:43):
culture that define the handbagworld.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, welcome, bernadetteGiacomazza to Handbag Designer
101, the podcast.
Bernadette, you are ajournalist for Retail Wire, dear
(01:07):
Media and a CEO of CEO.
Wait, wait, wait, it's GeForceMedia.
Huzzah, geforce Marketing andPublicity.
Yes, ma'am, geforce Marketingand Publicity.
I was so close.
We connected because I featuredone of your articles in my
entrepreneurship class and, likeall other famous relationships,
(01:28):
then we became friends onLinkedIn, because that's where
grownups are.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Allegedly, we're grown up.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Oh my God, I'm hoping to get there someday, girl, you
and me both, I would say I'mscrewed once I start looking my
age, so I got a lot to cover.
Someone I know was asking, likewhat are you going to do when
you retire?
I'm screwed once I startlooking my age, so I got a lot
to cover.
Someone I know was asking likewhat are you going to do when
you retire?
I'm like I have so much to getdone before I get there, so I'll
keep you posted.
Jesus Christ, oh my gosh.
(01:54):
So we were just chatting before.
You were talking about theevolution of media and nowadays,
like anybody else, in order tobe a quote unquote fame
journalist that people will wantto hire as a freelance, you
need to be a full 360 package.
You need to have brands withfans and people wanting to read
you, just like anything that, ifyour articles are going to take
(02:15):
real estate, the publicationswant to make sure people will
follow you.
But I would love to dive in interms of how all this fits into
the retail landscape, and youknow how what you write is is so
, so unique right now, becausethe market is so upside down.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
How does it tie into the real retail landscape?
I think you have to look at itjust really as evolution.
The very basis of evolution iswhether you believe in the
theory or not.
If you don't evolve, I'maccounting for everybody.
If you don't evolve, you willperish, because everything is in
a state of change.
There are so many differentbrands out there that Ikea
(02:57):
started out as a pencilmanufacturer and now it's known
for its functional Swedish stylefurniture.
Because I keep developed withthe guns.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
We call that in my class reframing like it's,
you're reframing your purpose.
So, instead of we use Netflixas the prime example that what
they started out as a mail andDVD service, trying to be ahead
of the times and then creating astreaming opportunity in almost
(03:35):
a very unique and forceful way,there's a backstory to how
Netflix was founded.
I recommend other people lookit up, because I shouldn't be
talking about it, because it'sdefinitely a story.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
That's yet another example the Netflix and how it
evolved with the times.
And to the point you madeearlier about Netflix,
blockbuster was given theopportunity.
Blockbuster Video if anybody'sold enough to remember which I'm
going to assume not everybodyis a Gen Xer was a place where
you used to go if you wanted towatch a movie.
You would go there on a Fridaynight or a Saturday night.
(04:08):
You would go to differentsections and you would pick the
movie you would watch.
You would then get about two orthree days.
You would have to return it ontime and you would have to
return it rewound, because it'sonly a CR, or you would get
charged an additional fee.
Black Booster was given theopportunity to move into
Netflix's space and become partof their at the time mail-order
(04:30):
DVD club, and Blockbuster saidno.
We see how well that worked out, which that goes back to the
theory of evolution that Italked about before.
If you don't evolve with thetimes, you will perish.
I started out as a journalist inprint media.
The real estate that you got inyour column was your key Long
form media, long form interviews.
(04:52):
If you were working with anewspaper, weekly, you got once
a week to get everybody'sattention.
And if you were working with amagazine, you got once a month.
When I was the editor of LatinTrends magazine, I had once a
month to tell everybodyeverything that was going on in
Latino and Hispanic culturespecifically in and around the
New York City area, and I hadtheir attention for a full month
(05:13):
.
You had a whole month to go getthe publication.
You had a whole month to digestit, to look at the photos, to
see what all was going on.
This was right at the cusp ofwhen the digital revolution
really first started.
This was right at the cusp ofwhen the digital revolution
really first started.
So I knew at that time thatwebsites were starting to start
to take up major real estate,that social media was on the
(05:34):
rise.
At that time the dominant don'tjump on this, this will perish.
And you have such a greatmagazine and it really was.
It was written in English andSpanish.
It featured celebrities likeRomeo Santos of Aventura Bad
(05:54):
Bunny before he was famous,ramon Rodriguez before he was up
in Will Trent.
I'm talking we were breakingsome of the biggest Latino stars
of the time who hadn't quitecrossed over the mainstream.
Yeah, I just sit here to thisday and I think about what, if
we would have evolved with thetimes, we could have been at the
forefront of something great,because there's Latino culture,
(06:19):
there's Latino American cultureand there's American culture.
We spoke to that sweet spot ofLatino American culture First
generation Latino kids, you know, their parents were immigrants
but they were born here.
They spoke Spanish at home butthey spoke english on the
streets.
They were familiar with delanovelas, but they also had one
finger on the pulse of americanculture hip-hop, bachata, that
(06:42):
sort of thing.
But the publisher wouldn't hearit.
He was part of that old brigadethat said digital media is for
yeah it's it's not us right,it's not us, it's too young,
it's a passing phase, do youknow?
Just to jump back a little bitin my career, when I was in
undergrad at Duquesne University, I wanted to intern at the
(07:04):
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette becausethat was the newspaper record,
and at the time all I had to myname in credits was a couple of
columns in the Duquesne Duke,which was our local college
newspaper.
I had a little radio show everySunday on WDSR while everybody
else was in church, because ofcourse, I also had a couple of
(07:29):
articles online on a websitecalled In Music, we Trust, oh my
God.
And I looked and I was like,listen, I just really want to
intern.
And my biggest pride, mybiggest source of pride, wasn't
the radio show or the newspaper,it was what I had done online.
And I remember the editor at thetime looked at me and said and
this is a direct quote to thisday, I am now 47 years old and I
(07:51):
am well out of Duquesne.
I remember what he said to thisday I am now 47 years old and I
am well out of duquesne.
I I remember what he said tothis day the internet is not a
serious place for journalism.
You're not a real journalist ifyou publish online.
Where is he now?
Good lord only knows?
But obviously not relevant.
But I say all this to say and toland the plane.
(08:13):
People from my generation andbefore could not have fathomed a
time when the internet would bethe dominant medium, when our
stuff would be broadcast allover the world with just a click
of a button.
But in order for the Gen Xersto have remained relevant in
today's market, they had toevolve with the times and if
(08:34):
they did not, they perished.
So many of my colleagues whowere super talented Gen Xers I
mean their stuff would make yousick with how good it was.
It makes me sick to this day.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
No, I mean I know, I know editor in chiefs of major
magazines that were bumpedbecause they did not have a
social presence, because theywere so focused, and it's so
unfortunate, but they were sofocused on the craft of putting
out good content in print thatthey lost the opportunity to
(09:07):
become a beacon, of being worthyof followed.
And it was so unfortunateseeing this seasoned person
who'd been all over, had been toParis, been to Italy, like,
done all these incredible things, been to Fashion Week hundreds
of times, but neglected theirown personal brand and, in doing
so, like obsoleted themselvesout.
(09:29):
Yes, it's just so unfortunatebecause you have to much like
any brand which I'd love this tobe a segue you have to have
your foot or your hand in everyplatform, unfortunately, if you
want to have any kind of realretail success.
So go ahead.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
And to segue into that retail success, you don't
have to compromise your brandauthenticity.
So go ahead as a brand.
Before, social media wascultivated as just one of the
many in the fast food landscape.
But with the advent of Twitter,which is now X and which,
unfortunately, is a dying brandbecause in its prime, you know,
(10:22):
twitter was great.
It developed its, you know,young voice, yes, that voice,
that young, snappy personality,with the, with the clapbacks, as
they say, and they opened upand they came into a whole new
space.
And why did they do that?
Because they had an intern.
They had the social mediaintern that had the ability to
(10:43):
speak to that generation, eventhough all the C-level execs
were boomers and Gen Xers and tosome extent, millennials.
But they had that foresight tosay well, we need an authentic
voice, because can you imagine aboomer meaning like people in
my mother's age range whoremember Woodstock, trying to
get on Twitter and talk aboutyou know those clapbacks?
(11:06):
To this day I can't explain tomy mother who the hell Felicia
is when she hears by Felicia.
So the point is they understoodthat they needed that authentic
voice so you can move intodifferent spaces authentically
as long as the keyword is I saythis again authentic, without
compromising the brand, but bykeeping a real voice.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
So I couldn't agree with you more, especially with
brands that are independent,that are desperate to try and
break through the noise.
And in my class the termadvertising is a dirty word
because I treat it and anytimeit's in any of their homeworks I
always say they get points offbecause I say for this entire
(11:51):
semester we will never speakabout the term advertising,
because that's budget, that'sguaranteed, that's eyeballs,
that's a return on investment.
When you're starting a brand,nine times out of 10, you don't
have said budget.
So it forces you to be cleverand think out of the box and to
be creative and to find your ownvoice and to really capitalize
(12:11):
on who your true customer is andhow to find them.
Where do they hang out,virtually, what do they watch,
what do they read, what do theylisten to?
So it really puts brands intointense research mode, to like
from ethnography all the way toyou know, even empathy for what
(12:32):
their customer is going through.
I want to, just because you'resaying about having a unique
voice, how do you think this hasimpacted retail, at least
fashion retail within that space?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Well, to speak to fashion retail.
I think that, again, certainbrands become known for certain
things and when they try todeviate too far from it, going
off of their authentic voice,they lose the impact you get.
A perfect example is Nike.
Okay, nike is in the athleticspace, it's forever going to be
in the athletic space.
(13:06):
It's known for its sneakers andyou know the Jordans have an
all but cult following and theystarted to expand a little bit
within the athletic space bystarting to bring on weight or
skims that collaborate.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
The partnership with skims yeah and that's.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
But see, even with their partnership with skins,
they remain within thatauthentic athletic place.
You know, if you're an athlete,if you're somebody who who's
like me, that goes to the gymfive days a week, you still want
, you know, your shapewear,because you still want to look
good in that cute little dress,but you're not going to go
looking for Kim Kardashian in afashion magazine.
You're not going to read Vogue,you're going to read Women's
(13:42):
Fitness.
So Nike understands that, andso does Skims.
So, to reach somebody like me,they're going to partner with
nike, who's going to be inwomen's fitness, who's going to
open it up and say, oh okay,this is great.
So they're still remainingauthentic within their voice.
Skims is not suddenly goinginto the athletic wear business
and nike certainly isn't goinginto the intimate wear business.
(14:04):
They're staying within theirauthentic brands, they're
collaborating in a way thatmakes sense and they're reaching
new consumers, and I think thatthat's an important distinction
.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Do you think Nike has lost their customer?
Because I know a lot of peoplewere saying recently that they
have lost their way and thatSkims was a like a Hail Mary to
try and keep to have moreeyeballs coming to them.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I don't believe that that's 100% accurate.
I do think that Nike isn't aspopular as it once was, but that
also can speak to the cyclicalnature of fashion.
There was a time that Adidaswas the brand of all brands.
There was a time that Reebokwas the brand of all brands oh
my God.
Yeah, I told you I'm a Gen Xer,so these are all things like.
(14:57):
That's the cyclical nature ofjust fashion itself that you
know.
Maybe Nike isn't you know thebrand that it used to be in
terms of popularity, but itstill has its devoted base
Anytime there's a new Jordandrop.
You should see some of thesesneaker blogs.
You should see some of thesesneaker social media sites.
There's literally almost a cultaround Nike sneakers and
(15:22):
specifically the Jordan brand.
There are things that they talkabout.
It literally is like they'retalking a different language.
Because I'm not a sneaker.
Bed Right.
How in the world do you knowall of these details about a
damn sneaker?
What is the difference?
You know what I see?
I see a black and white sneaker, I see a green sneaker and I
see a solid sneaker.
What in the hell is thedifference between all these
(15:43):
sneakers?
But you ask a sneaker head?
They're devoted, like they willpay top dollar for these
sneakers.
You know six, seven, eight, somaybe they don't have the volume
, but they have the dedicatedfan base fan base, right.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
So what do you think a brand could do to solidify
their voice in order for someonelike you to feel they're worthy
of being covered?
What do you look for?
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Well, for Retail Wire , I specifically cover the
business of fashion.
Okay, I don't cover fashion perse.
Quite frankly, I'm not afashionista.
I have never been a fashionista.
I don't follow, you know,fashion trends.
I don't apply fashion trends tomyself.
If I like it, I wear it.
If it looks good, great, and ifit lasts longer, even better.
(16:30):
But what I cover is thebusiness of fashion.
So, in other words, is there anincrease in numbers, an
increase in sales?
That's something I would cover.
Is there a new product thatthey've never done before?
That's something I would cover.
A colleague of mine at Retail Y, lucille Barilla, she was the
one who actually covered theNike and Skims collaboration for
(16:53):
the site, because that was anew collaboration that they'd
never had before.
Anything that really focuses onthe ins and outs and the
day-to-day business of fashion.
The boring part of fashion forthose that are a bit more
fashionistically inclined,fashionistically is how to work.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
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And I totally respect creatingnew words.
That's my jam, I do it all thetime.
But in terms of beingfashionistically covered, check
plus with you on that.
What are some of the latestretail trends that you see,
(18:59):
based on what you've coveredrecently?
Because, honestly, you seethings and, yes, it's numbers,
but that's what people reallyneed to be paying attention to,
because that's where the trendsgo, that's where the market's
going.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
What I've noticed most specifically in fashion and
speaking in general and notbrand specific in this case when
I first started in, you know,covering business fast fashion,
was it Timu Shein, all of thoseapps that had like what they
called fashion hauls online,like these influencers would
(19:32):
literally buy three, four, fivehundred dollar box worth of
fashion and they would pull itout and they would literally get
a season's worth of clothes outof there.
But the problem was was thatthis fashion was so shoddily
made because, you know, it wasabout volume that if it lasted
even one washing, you were lucky.
(19:53):
Because that is one thing thatI noticed, even though I'm not,
you know, fashionisticallyinclined check plus again.
I do notice things like quality.
I like good quality products.
I'm not, you know,fashionistically inclined.
Check plus again.
I do notice things like quality.
I like good quality products, Ilike products.
This sweater that's on my backright now is seven years old and
you know what?
It still looks good, it stillmakes me feel good, it is
indicative of my personality, soI will still wear it.
(20:15):
I don't care that it's not infashion, I don't care that it's
not on the cover of Vogue, but Ido notice the quality of things
.
And what I would notice is thatthis material was very, very
thin and I knew that if itwasn't hand washed and most
people don't take the time tohand wash everyday clothes,
because this is not 1921, theywould just throw it in the
(20:36):
washing machine saying, you know, it would be rags that you
would use to wipe the kitchencountertop Fantastic.
So what I've noticed is thatover time, a lot of that fashion
has fallen out of favor,between the environmental impact
that fast fashion has onlandfills and the oceans and
things like that and Gen Z isvery, very inclined and aware of
(20:56):
those sorts of things Betweenthe fact that the actual value
of the fast fashion wasn't there, you know, I mean, why would I
spend $500 on these clothes thataren't going to last me a
season when I could spend $25 ona good sweater that will still
look good seven years later, youknow, and that that again is a
numbers game.
And also, another thing Inoticed is that, because of
(21:18):
what's going on in the economytoday and you know the crazy
politicians are, you know,throwing tariffs here, there and
everywhere and when there's somuch volatility in the market,
all of a sudden maybe gettingstuff from China doesn't sound
like such a good idea, becausewho the hell knows?
A when it's getting over here.
B if there's not going to be atariff on top of it.
And C you may as well buysomeplace else.
(21:38):
That's what you're going to do.
So what I'm noticing is that alot of people are trending
towards again quality.
They may not be necessarilyseeking out high fashion.
They're not going to spend$1,000 on a sweater to work from
home.
That makes no sense and it alsodoesn't make financial sense if
you're not in a position wherea thousand dollar sweater is in
(22:01):
your budget.
But they are looking for thingsthat are, like I said, quality.
If I spend twenty five dollarson a sweater and it still looks
good 10 years later, I'll keepit.
That is also a very Europeanmentality.
As you might have guessed, I'mthe product of two immigrants.
I was born, you know, here, butmy parents were not, and they
very much passed down thatEuropean mentality to me.
(22:24):
What is wrong with that sweater?
If it has a hole, take a needleand thread and fix it, don't
fix it.
Right, exactly so.
There's a lot more value.
Like I said, the bottom line isplaced on quality and fashion
rather than quantity.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Have you noticed two things.
One quote unquote vegan leather, which is really PU, or
polyurethane or PVC, which isn'treally used.
Polyvinyl chloride versusleather.
Have you noticed people veeringtowards one versus the other,
at least in terms of what you'recovering and if not producing
(23:01):
in China?
Where have you seen otherpeople going as an alternative
to China?
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Well, one thing I will say is that vegan leather,
as it's known now, is certainlynot a new concept.
No, been wearing, you know,pleather as we show up back in
the day.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
It's all about packaging, isn't it?
Speaker 1 (23:20):
pleather as we used to have back in the day.
It's all about packaging, isn'tit?
It really is.
You know, I listen.
I remember in the earlynineties wearing a pair of
pleather pants because I was inmy peak rock and roll era and
you know I and actually in thelate nineties in college, I was
a full on goth.
Okay, so the pleather.
I got pictures but the pleatherand the black makeup and the
(23:47):
nine inch nails.
Music was just there.
But what I have noticed is thatthe quality of the pleather,
the vegan leather, the PVCwhatever the hell you want to
call the material has gotten alot better in recent production,
to the point that the untrainedeye cannot tell the difference
Back then.
You definitely could.
(24:07):
What I noticed, too, is thatwhich also will answer your
question about alternatives toChina is that if people aren't
seeking out leather whether it'sbecause of environmental
reasons, personal beliefs onanimal welfare or a question of
budget they will go tosecond-hand shops to find the
(24:30):
circular economy, and here it isyeah, I've noticed, even to to
further, you know, show theevolution and the reframing.
As you put it, goodwill used tobe a place where you used to
just dump your garbage clothes,but now I've been even seeing a
social media trend on TikTok,because I follow the older side
of TikTok, the Gen X side ofTikTok, and I've been seeing
(24:54):
that what's become a big trendis that a lot of people go into
what they call upcycle fashion.
So they'll see a leather coatfrom the 1990s.
They'll, you know, tailor it totheir specifications.
And these kids are so talented.
Let me tell you something it'snot just about sewing the hole.
They actually will sit there,they will measure it, they will
(25:15):
tack it in, they will specify itto their specific.
I'm telling you, these kids aretalented so, and they would
take it in and they would, theywould do it and they would
customize it and give it a moremodern feel for just really a
little more effort and a wholelot less money than if they were
to buy it new off the rack from, say, a designer brand.
(25:37):
So that is one thing that I havenoticed.
That is a viable alternativeand you know to answer, to
reiterate your term, circulareconomy.
I think that that can only begood, economically speaking, in
the long run for us.
As you know in the UnitedStates, because no matter who's
in office at the time, you know,dependence on too much of one
(25:58):
thing is never a good.
If all we're doing is importingbut not exporting, it's a
problem.
If all we're doing is exportingbut not importing, that's also
a problem.
So it needs to be that balanceand if, for now at least, we can
keep things circular and do alot of upcycling and that sort
of thing, at least it will keepus baseline in the long run.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
No, I couldn't agree more.
It's just so interesting interms of.
You know, I read this book inbusiness school.
It's by Paco Underhill.
I think he's since retired butI know his company is still
around.
I think it's called his termretail anthropology explaining
the science in which and how weshop and like the fundamentals.
(26:38):
Again, this was a long time agobut the book still stands.
When you walk into a store,people go counterclockwise.
So you should set your retailenvironment or any kind of
merchandising, making sureknowing people are going to
start on the right and worktheir way to the left and how
many items people can physicallydigest when they're looking at
(26:59):
it.
You know too many versus toofew.
Five is usually enough.
How much can we really take?
How much are we really lookingfor?
What can you put at thecheckout counter?
And I've had to.
You know, and I'm sure you knowthis, how real estate in any
kind of retail environment ispaid for.
Like you want a better spot atthe register that's paid for.
(27:23):
People aren't putting thisstuff by the register just
because they're trying to benice or they don't know where to
put it.
They know that that's the lastminute spot for a potential
spontaneous purchase.
That's where I'm going to putit.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Exactly that's where, in grocery stores, you get, you
know, all the packs of gum andall the candy and all the
tabloid magazines are right atthe checkout line because, like,
well, hey, you know I'm tiredfrom shopping, I think I'd like
a piece of candy, or I'd like apiece of gum, or you know, you
just feel you'll be reading thetabloid magazine while you're
waiting for the person in frontof you to check out, ok,
(27:55):
whatever, and then you just tossit on top so that it was
purchased.
And further to your point aboutgoing counterclockwise in a
store, that's also why grocerystores put their vegetables and
their fruits first thing inthere and they make it so
aesthetically pleasing All thepretty colors, and it's like, oh
, wow, you know, look at that.
And so it naturally draws youin.
(28:16):
And retail does that as well.
Retail shops do that too.
The new fashions, the thingsthat are higher priced you know
just off the runway, that sortof thing, the things that will
be a premium, those you'll seefirst, which will entice you to
go throughout the store, andthen the sales stuff is more in
the back, which is you knowwhere you'll go if.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yeah, you got to hunt for it.
Right, exactly no, I have thisconversation with my students
and because I teach this classover and over, I have to remind
myself that the semester beforedidn't hear the conversation
that I just had, you know.
Or the new semester doesn'tknow what I spoke about last
semester, but we have thisconversation.
You know why are bras on thetop floor and why are men's so
(29:03):
close to the ground floor andwhat's the why of all of that?
And again, going back to retailanthropology, people say, oh
for bras, people want privacy.
Yes, that's fair and well, butif you need a bra, you're going
to travel.
You will go to the tippity top.
You won't think twice aboutgoing up, up, up.
Men will not travel.
(29:24):
It needs to be on the groundfloor, it needs to be adjacent
to beauty and fragrance andmakeup, because either the woman
is shopping for the man or theman and the woman are shopping
together and he doesn't have thebandwidth to spend that much
time looking and shopping.
So when setting up and how youmerchandise, you have to take
all these things into accountand don't assume your customer
(29:45):
is going to want to find you orget on that wait list.
They don't care, they willforget about you and move on.
Everybody and everything isreplaceable, so I think brands
need to keep all that in mindwhen creating, growing and
building who they are,especially to their customers.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Correct, they absolutely do.
And I think too again, thisalso ties back to our earlier
conversation about authenticityIf you understand the logistics
of retail anthropology and youunderstand the mindset of the
consumer, you can tailor yourbrand to that consumer, to that
(30:23):
desired consumer, withoutcompromising your authenticity,
so that all is part of thelarger ecosystem of fashion
retail.
Absolutely, it's not as easy asI have a shirt line or I have a
fashion line or I have a shoeline.
Let's go to market.
And I think that you know, if Iwere to sum up, the one thing
(30:44):
that your students could takeaway from either this
conversation or just your classin general, it's this it's not
as easy.
The creative part is the easypart, even though they think
that's the most difficult part.
That's the easy part.
Your idea bringing it to marketis another thing entirely.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Can I ask you, before we wrap up, in order to be
worthy of someone like you, tocover or have it end up in an
article relating to the businessof fashion, what do you look
for in a brand and a companythat make it worthy of a story?
Because I think that that's aquestion we get a lot.
That's a question.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
We get a lot For me, in addition to looking for the
authenticity, because, as I tellpeople all the time and you'll
have to excuse my language inadvance, I know I'm being
bullshitted.
I've heard it all I've been inthis game 25 years.
(31:43):
I started out in entertainmentjournalism and print journalism.
Okay, if you think, I haven'theard every line of bullshit
ever invented by man, and stillsome that are being developed as
we speak.
I got a bridge to sell you.
So, in addition to looking forthat authenticity, I'm looking
also personally for the uniqueangle.
(32:04):
One of the things that enticedme to work with a now former
client on their fan conventionwas the fact of their authentic
story.
They had a real, when we thinkof all American, pull yourself
up by your bootstraps type ofthe story.
This was them.
(32:25):
It was three dudes from threedifferent parts of the country
that had never met each other inreal life, that all loved the
same thing, the same thing inpop culture, and decided to
create a fan convention.
Now, if that is not an?
And they were in everyday life.
They were total schlubs.
They were total working men.
But see, that's something thatI like.
(32:45):
I don't want to know about thetrust fund baby.
You know whose grandfatherinvented air?
I don't want to know about.
You know the rich heiress whogot bored after you know, the
husband divorced her and lefther for the 20 year old
secretary and got a nicesettlement, who then decided to
found a cookie company.
I don't care about that.
(33:06):
You know what I care about.
I care about the Latin kid thathis parents came here with
little more than the shirts ontheir backs and he created an
empire.
Everybody loves his stuff.
You know what I care about.
I care about a woman that lookslike me, that went against all
odds and went against all commonsense and was just crazy enough
to believe that her idea workedand was humble and just worked
(33:28):
hard along the way.
That's what I look for.
I look for stories that speakto the real American experience.
The trust fund babies don'tspeak to the American
experiences.
The rich heiresses don't speakto the American experiences.
People like you and me, peoplelike their first generation
immigrant that's the Americanexperience.
When you make something out ofnothing.
That's incredible to me.
(33:49):
That's what I look for in astory.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Man Bernadette, I am jazzed up.
I'm ready to submit my ownstory.
This has been absolutelyamazing.
How can we find you, follow youand get more of your amazing
journalistic, fashionisticcontent?
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Well, in addition to finding me on Retail Wire and on
Dear Media, you can follow meon Instagram.
I am bg.
Underscore takes underscorepicks P-I-C S, so BG takes picks
Right.
And I am a BernadetteGiacomozzo on Tik TOK.
(34:32):
You're going to assume you'regoing to spell it at the
beginning for the folks, so justmy name on a Tik TOK and on
blue sky, I am God.
I am.
Bg writes W R I T-I-T-E-S stuff, s-t-u-f-f, so BG writes stuff.
Bg takes pics.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Okay.
I really fold them hard forthese and for anybody who wants
to find Bernadette, it'sG-I-A-C-O-M-A-Z-Z-O, giacomozza,
there we go.
I'm not going to lie.
I'm reading it right here.
I'm going to leave a letter outwhen they need me.
I'm talking oh, my God, there'sno.
You, I just saw that.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Oh, there you go.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
This has been awesome.
Thank you for having melistening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
If you understand the logistics of retail
anthropology and you understandthe mindset of the consumer, you
can tailor your brand to thatconsumer, to that desired
consumer, without compromisingyour authenticity, so that all
is part of the larger ecosystemof fashion retail.
(00:21):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hi and welcome to handbag designer 101, the
podcast with your host, emilyblumenthal, handbag industry
expert and the handbag fairygodmother.
Each week, we uncover thestories behind the handbags we
love, from the iconic brands andtop designers to the creativity
, craftsmanship and culture thatdefine the handbag world.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all and
(00:43):
culture that define the handbagworld.
Whether you're a designer,collector or simply passionate
about handbags, this is yourfront row seat to it all.
Welcome, welcome, bernadetteGiacomazza to Handbag Designer
101, the podcast.
Bernadette, you are ajournalist for Retail Wire, dear
(01:07):
Media and a CEO of CEO.
Wait, wait, wait, it's GeForceMedia.
Huzzah, geforce Marketing andPublicity.
Yes, ma'am, geforce Marketingand Publicity.
I was so close.
We connected because I featuredone of your articles in my
entrepreneurship class and, likeall other famous relationships,
(01:28):
then we became friends onLinkedIn, because that's where
grownups are.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Allegedly, we're grown up.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Oh my God, I'm hoping to get there someday, girl, you
and me both, I would say I'mscrewed once I start looking my
age, so I got a lot to cover.
Someone I know was asking, likewhat are you going to do when
you retire?
I'm screwed once I startlooking my age, so I got a lot
to cover.
Someone I know was asking likewhat are you going to do when
you retire?
I'm like I have so much to getdone before I get there, so I'll
keep you posted.
Jesus Christ, oh my gosh.
(01:54):
So we were just chatting before.
You were talking about theevolution of media and nowadays,
like anybody else, in order tobe a quote unquote fame
journalist that people will wantto hire as a freelance, you
need to be a full 360 package.
You need to have brands withfans and people wanting to read
you, just like anything that, ifyour articles are going to take
(02:15):
real estate, the publicationswant to make sure people will
follow you.
But I would love to dive in interms of how all this fits into
the retail landscape, and youknow how what you write is is so
, so unique right now, becausethe market is so upside down.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
How does it tie into the real retail landscape?
I think you have to look at itjust really as evolution.
The very basis of evolution iswhether you believe in the
theory or not.
If you don't evolve, I'maccounting for everybody.
If you don't evolve, you willperish, because everything is in
a state of change.
There are so many differentbrands out there that Ikea
(02:57):
started out as a pencilmanufacturer and now it's known
for its functional Swedish stylefurniture.
Because I keep developed withthe guns.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
We call that in my class reframing like it's,
you're reframing your purpose.
So, instead of we use Netflixas the prime example that what
they started out as a mail andDVD service, trying to be ahead
of the times and then creating astreaming opportunity in almost
(03:35):
a very unique and forceful way,there's a backstory to how
Netflix was founded.
I recommend other people lookit up, because I shouldn't be
talking about it, because it'sdefinitely a story.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
That's yet another example the Netflix and how it
evolved with the times.
And to the point you madeearlier about Netflix,
blockbuster was given theopportunity.
Blockbuster Video if anybody'sold enough to remember which I'm
going to assume not everybodyis a Gen Xer was a place where
you used to go if you wanted towatch a movie.
You would go there on a Fridaynight or a Saturday night.
(04:08):
You would go to differentsections and you would pick the
movie you would watch.
You would then get about two orthree days.
You would have to return it ontime and you would have to
return it rewound, because it'sonly a CR, or you would get
charged an additional fee.
Black Booster was given theopportunity to move into
Netflix's space and become partof their at the time mail-order
(04:30):
DVD club, and Blockbuster saidno.
We see how well that worked out, which that goes back to the
theory of evolution that Italked about before.
If you don't evolve with thetimes, you will perish.
I started out as a journalist inprint media.
The real estate that you got inyour column was your key Long
form media, long form interviews.
(04:52):
If you were working with anewspaper, weekly, you got once
a week to get everybody'sattention.
And if you were working with amagazine, you got once a month.
When I was the editor of LatinTrends magazine, I had once a
month to tell everybodyeverything that was going on in
Latino and Hispanic culturespecifically in and around the
New York City area, and I hadtheir attention for a full month
(05:13):
.
You had a whole month to go getthe publication.
You had a whole month to digestit, to look at the photos, to
see what all was going on.
This was right at the cusp ofwhen the digital revolution
really first started.
This was right at the cusp ofwhen the digital revolution
really first started.
So I knew at that time thatwebsites were starting to start
to take up major real estate,that social media was on the
(05:34):
rise.
At that time the dominant don'tjump on this, this will perish.
And you have such a greatmagazine and it really was.
It was written in English andSpanish.
It featured celebrities likeRomeo Santos of Aventura Bad
(05:54):
Bunny before he was famous,ramon Rodriguez before he was up
in Will Trent.
I'm talking we were breakingsome of the biggest Latino stars
of the time who hadn't quitecrossed over the mainstream.
Yeah, I just sit here to thisday and I think about what, if
we would have evolved with thetimes, we could have been at the
forefront of something great,because there's Latino culture,
(06:19):
there's Latino American cultureand there's American culture.
We spoke to that sweet spot ofLatino American culture First
generation Latino kids, you know, their parents were immigrants
but they were born here.
They spoke Spanish at home butthey spoke english on the
streets.
They were familiar with delanovelas, but they also had one
finger on the pulse of americanculture hip-hop, bachata, that
(06:42):
sort of thing.
But the publisher wouldn't hearit.
He was part of that old brigadethat said digital media is for
yeah it's it's not us right,it's not us, it's too young,
it's a passing phase, do youknow?
Just to jump back a little bitin my career, when I was in
undergrad at Duquesne University, I wanted to intern at the
(07:04):
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette becausethat was the newspaper record,
and at the time all I had to myname in credits was a couple of
columns in the Duquesne Duke,which was our local college
newspaper.
I had a little radio show everySunday on WDSR while everybody
else was in church, because ofcourse, I also had a couple of
(07:29):
articles online on a websitecalled In Music, we Trust, oh my
God.
And I looked and I was like,listen, I just really want to
intern.
And my biggest pride, mybiggest source of pride, wasn't
the radio show or the newspaper,it was what I had done online.
And I remember the editor at thetime looked at me and said and
this is a direct quote to thisday, I am now 47 years old and I
(07:51):
am well out of Duquesne.
I remember what he said to thisday I am now 47 years old and I
am well out of duquesne.
I I remember what he said tothis day the internet is not a
serious place for journalism.
You're not a real journalist ifyou publish online.
Where is he now?
Good lord only knows?
But obviously not relevant.
But I say all this to say and toland the plane.
(08:13):
People from my generation andbefore could not have fathomed a
time when the internet would bethe dominant medium, when our
stuff would be broadcast allover the world with just a click
of a button.
But in order for the Gen Xersto have remained relevant in
today's market, they had toevolve with the times and if
(08:34):
they did not, they perished.
So many of my colleagues whowere super talented Gen Xers I
mean their stuff would make yousick with how good it was.
It makes me sick to this day.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
No, I mean I know, I know editor in chiefs of major
magazines that were bumpedbecause they did not have a
social presence, because theywere so focused, and it's so
unfortunate, but they were sofocused on the craft of putting
out good content in print thatthey lost the opportunity to
(09:07):
become a beacon, of being worthyof followed.
And it was so unfortunateseeing this seasoned person
who'd been all over, had been toParis, been to Italy, like,
done all these incredible things, been to Fashion Week hundreds
of times, but neglected theirown personal brand and, in doing
so, like obsoleted themselvesout.
(09:29):
Yes, it's just so unfortunatebecause you have to much like
any brand which I'd love this tobe a segue you have to have
your foot or your hand in everyplatform, unfortunately, if you
want to have any kind of realretail success.
So go ahead.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
And to segue into that retail success, you don't
have to compromise your brandauthenticity.
So go ahead as a brand.
Before, social media wascultivated as just one of the
many in the fast food landscape.
But with the advent of Twitter,which is now X and which,
unfortunately, is a dying brandbecause in its prime, you know,
(10:22):
twitter was great.
It developed its, you know,young voice, yes, that voice,
that young, snappy personality,with the, with the clapbacks, as
they say, and they opened upand they came into a whole new
space.
And why did they do that?
Because they had an intern.
They had the social mediaintern that had the ability to
(10:43):
speak to that generation, eventhough all the C-level execs
were boomers and Gen Xers and tosome extent, millennials.
But they had that foresight tosay well, we need an authentic
voice, because can you imagine aboomer meaning like people in
my mother's age range whoremember Woodstock, trying to
get on Twitter and talk aboutyou know those clapbacks?
(11:06):
To this day I can't explain tomy mother who the hell Felicia
is when she hears by Felicia.
So the point is they understoodthat they needed that authentic
voice so you can move intodifferent spaces authentically
as long as the keyword is I saythis again authentic, without
compromising the brand, but bykeeping a real voice.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
So I couldn't agree with you more, especially with
brands that are independent,that are desperate to try and
break through the noise.
And in my class the termadvertising is a dirty word
because I treat it and anytimeit's in any of their homeworks I
always say they get points offbecause I say for this entire
(11:51):
semester we will never speakabout the term advertising,
because that's budget, that'sguaranteed, that's eyeballs,
that's a return on investment.
When you're starting a brand,nine times out of 10, you don't
have said budget.
So it forces you to be cleverand think out of the box and to
be creative and to find your ownvoice and to really capitalize
(12:11):
on who your true customer is andhow to find them.
Where do they hang out,virtually, what do they watch,
what do they read, what do theylisten to?
So it really puts brands intointense research mode, to like
from ethnography all the way toyou know, even empathy for what
(12:32):
their customer is going through.
I want to, just because you'resaying about having a unique
voice, how do you think this hasimpacted retail, at least
fashion retail within that space?
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Well, to speak to fashion retail.
I think that, again, certainbrands become known for certain
things and when they try todeviate too far from it, going
off of their authentic voice,they lose the impact you get.
A perfect example is Nike.
Okay, nike is in the athleticspace, it's forever going to be
in the athletic space.
(13:06):
It's known for its sneakers andyou know the Jordans have an
all but cult following and theystarted to expand a little bit
within the athletic space bystarting to bring on weight or
skims that collaborate.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
The partnership with skims yeah and that's.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
But see, even with their partnership with skins,
they remain within thatauthentic athletic place.
You know, if you're an athlete,if you're somebody who who's
like me, that goes to the gymfive days a week, you still want
, you know, your shapewear,because you still want to look
good in that cute little dress,but you're not going to go
looking for Kim Kardashian in afashion magazine.
You're not going to read Vogue,you're going to read Women's
(13:42):
Fitness.
So Nike understands that, andso does Skims.
So, to reach somebody like me,they're going to partner with
nike, who's going to be inwomen's fitness, who's going to
open it up and say, oh okay,this is great.
So they're still remainingauthentic within their voice.
Skims is not suddenly goinginto the athletic wear business
and nike certainly isn't goinginto the intimate wear business.
(14:04):
They're staying within theirauthentic brands, they're
collaborating in a way thatmakes sense and they're reaching
new consumers, and I think thatthat's an important distinction
.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Do you think Nike has lost their customer?
Because I know a lot of peoplewere saying recently that they
have lost their way and thatSkims was a like a Hail Mary to
try and keep to have moreeyeballs coming to them.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I don't believe that that's 100% accurate.
I do think that Nike isn't aspopular as it once was, but that
also can speak to the cyclicalnature of fashion.
There was a time that Adidaswas the brand of all brands.
There was a time that Reebokwas the brand of all brands oh
my God.
Yeah, I told you I'm a Gen Xer,so these are all things like.
(14:57):
That's the cyclical nature ofjust fashion itself that you
know.
Maybe Nike isn't you know thebrand that it used to be in
terms of popularity, but itstill has its devoted base
Anytime there's a new Jordandrop.
You should see some of thesesneaker blogs.
You should see some of thesesneaker social media sites.
There's literally almost a cultaround Nike sneakers and
(15:22):
specifically the Jordan brand.
There are things that they talkabout.
It literally is like they'retalking a different language.
Because I'm not a sneaker.
Bed Right.
How in the world do you knowall of these details about a
damn sneaker?
What is the difference?
You know what I see?
I see a black and white sneaker, I see a green sneaker and I
see a solid sneaker.
What in the hell is thedifference between all these
(15:43):
sneakers?
But you ask a sneaker head?
They're devoted, like they willpay top dollar for these
sneakers.
You know six, seven, eight, somaybe they don't have the volume
, but they have the dedicatedfan base fan base, right.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
So what do you think a brand could do to solidify
their voice in order for someonelike you to feel they're worthy
of being covered?
What do you look for?
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Well, for Retail Wire , I specifically cover the
business of fashion.
Okay, I don't cover fashion perse.
Quite frankly, I'm not afashionista.
I have never been a fashionista.
I don't follow, you know,fashion trends.
I don't apply fashion trends tomyself.
If I like it, I wear it.
If it looks good, great, and ifit lasts longer, even better.
(16:30):
But what I cover is thebusiness of fashion.
So, in other words, is there anincrease in numbers, an
increase in sales?
That's something I would cover.
Is there a new product thatthey've never done before?
That's something I would cover.
A colleague of mine at Retail Y, lucille Barilla, she was the
one who actually covered theNike and Skims collaboration for
(16:53):
the site, because that was anew collaboration that they'd
never had before.
Anything that really focuses onthe ins and outs and the
day-to-day business of fashion.
The boring part of fashion forthose that are a bit more
fashionistically inclined,fashionistically is how to work.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
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And I totally respect creatingnew words.
That's my jam, I do it all thetime.
But in terms of beingfashionistically covered, check
plus with you on that.
What are some of the latestretail trends that you see,
(18:59):
based on what you've coveredrecently?
Because, honestly, you seethings and, yes, it's numbers,
but that's what people reallyneed to be paying attention to,
because that's where the trendsgo, that's where the market's
going.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
What I've noticed most specifically in fashion and
speaking in general and notbrand specific in this case when
I first started in, you know,covering business fast fashion,
was it Timu Shein, all of thoseapps that had like what they
called fashion hauls online,like these influencers would
(19:32):
literally buy three, four, fivehundred dollar box worth of
fashion and they would pull itout and they would literally get
a season's worth of clothes outof there.
But the problem was was thatthis fashion was so shoddily
made because, you know, it wasabout volume that if it lasted
even one washing, you were lucky.
(19:53):
Because that is one thing thatI noticed, even though I'm not,
you know, fashionisticallyinclined check plus again.
I do notice things like quality.
I like good quality products.
I'm not, you know,fashionistically inclined.
Check plus again.
I do notice things like quality.
I like good quality products, Ilike products.
This sweater that's on my backright now is seven years old and
you know what?
It still looks good, it stillmakes me feel good, it is
indicative of my personality, soI will still wear it.
(20:15):
I don't care that it's not infashion, I don't care that it's
not on the cover of Vogue, but Ido notice the quality of things
.
And what I would notice is thatthis material was very, very
thin and I knew that if itwasn't hand washed and most
people don't take the time tohand wash everyday clothes,
because this is not 1921, theywould just throw it in the
(20:36):
washing machine saying, you know, it would be rags that you
would use to wipe the kitchencountertop Fantastic.
So what I've noticed is thatover time, a lot of that fashion
has fallen out of favor,between the environmental impact
that fast fashion has onlandfills and the oceans and
things like that and Gen Z isvery, very inclined and aware of
(20:56):
those sorts of things Betweenthe fact that the actual value
of the fast fashion wasn't there, you know, I mean, why would I
spend $500 on these clothes thataren't going to last me a
season when I could spend $25 ona good sweater that will still
look good seven years later, youknow, and that that again is a
numbers game.
And also, another thing Inoticed is that, because of
(21:18):
what's going on in the economytoday and you know the crazy
politicians are, you know,throwing tariffs here, there and
everywhere and when there's somuch volatility in the market,
all of a sudden maybe gettingstuff from China doesn't sound
like such a good idea, becausewho the hell knows?
A when it's getting over here.
B if there's not going to be atariff on top of it.
And C you may as well buysomeplace else.
(21:38):
That's what you're going to do.
So what I'm noticing is that alot of people are trending
towards again quality.
They may not be necessarilyseeking out high fashion.
They're not going to spend$1,000 on a sweater to work from
home.
That makes no sense and it alsodoesn't make financial sense if
you're not in a position wherea thousand dollar sweater is in
(22:01):
your budget.
But they are looking for thingsthat are, like I said, quality.
If I spend twenty five dollarson a sweater and it still looks
good 10 years later, I'll keepit.
That is also a very Europeanmentality.
As you might have guessed, I'mthe product of two immigrants.
I was born, you know, here, butmy parents were not, and they
very much passed down thatEuropean mentality to me.
(22:24):
What is wrong with that sweater?
If it has a hole, take a needleand thread and fix it, don't
fix it.
Right, exactly so.
There's a lot more value.
Like I said, the bottom line isplaced on quality and fashion
rather than quantity.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Have you noticed two things.
One quote unquote vegan leather, which is really PU, or
polyurethane or PVC, which isn'treally used.
Polyvinyl chloride versusleather.
Have you noticed people veeringtowards one versus the other,
at least in terms of what you'recovering and if not producing
(23:01):
in China?
Where have you seen otherpeople going as an alternative
to China?
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Well, one thing I will say is that vegan leather,
as it's known now, is certainlynot a new concept.
No, been wearing, you know,pleather as we show up back in
the day.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
It's all about packaging, isn't it?
Speaker 1 (23:20):
pleather as we used to have back in the day.
It's all about packaging, isn'tit?
It really is.
You know, I listen.
I remember in the earlynineties wearing a pair of
pleather pants because I was inmy peak rock and roll era and
you know I and actually in thelate nineties in college, I was
a full on goth.
Okay, so the pleather.
I got pictures but the pleatherand the black makeup and the
(23:47):
nine inch nails.
Music was just there.
But what I have noticed is thatthe quality of the pleather,
the vegan leather, the PVCwhatever the hell you want to
call the material has gotten alot better in recent production,
to the point that the untrainedeye cannot tell the difference
Back then.
You definitely could.
(24:07):
What I noticed, too, is thatwhich also will answer your
question about alternatives toChina is that if people aren't
seeking out leather whether it'sbecause of environmental
reasons, personal beliefs onanimal welfare or a question of
budget they will go tosecond-hand shops to find the
(24:30):
circular economy, and here it isyeah, I've noticed, even to to
further, you know, show theevolution and the reframing.
As you put it, goodwill used tobe a place where you used to
just dump your garbage clothes,but now I've been even seeing a
social media trend on TikTok,because I follow the older side
of TikTok, the Gen X side ofTikTok, and I've been seeing
(24:54):
that what's become a big trendis that a lot of people go into
what they call upcycle fashion.
So they'll see a leather coatfrom the 1990s.
They'll, you know, tailor it totheir specifications.
And these kids are so talented.
Let me tell you something it'snot just about sewing the hole.
They actually will sit there,they will measure it, they will
(25:15):
tack it in, they will specify itto their specific.
I'm telling you, these kids aretalented so, and they would
take it in and they would, theywould do it and they would
customize it and give it a moremodern feel for just really a
little more effort and a wholelot less money than if they were
to buy it new off the rack from, say, a designer brand.
(25:37):
So that is one thing that I havenoticed.
That is a viable alternativeand you know to answer, to
reiterate your term, circulareconomy.
I think that that can only begood, economically speaking, in
the long run for us.
As you know in the UnitedStates, because no matter who's
in office at the time, you know,dependence on too much of one
(25:58):
thing is never a good.
If all we're doing is importingbut not exporting, it's a
problem.
If all we're doing is exportingbut not importing, that's also
a problem.
So it needs to be that balanceand if, for now at least, we can
keep things circular and do alot of upcycling and that sort
of thing, at least it will keepus baseline in the long run.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
No, I couldn't agree more.
It's just so interesting interms of.
You know, I read this book inbusiness school.
It's by Paco Underhill.
I think he's since retired butI know his company is still
around.
I think it's called his termretail anthropology explaining
the science in which and how weshop and like the fundamentals.
(26:38):
Again, this was a long time agobut the book still stands.
When you walk into a store,people go counterclockwise.
So you should set your retailenvironment or any kind of
merchandising, making sureknowing people are going to
start on the right and worktheir way to the left and how
many items people can physicallydigest when they're looking at
(26:59):
it.
You know too many versus toofew.
Five is usually enough.
How much can we really take?
How much are we really lookingfor?
What can you put at thecheckout counter?
And I've had to.
You know, and I'm sure you knowthis, how real estate in any
kind of retail environment ispaid for.
Like you want a better spot atthe register that's paid for.
(27:23):
People aren't putting thisstuff by the register just
because they're trying to benice or they don't know where to
put it.
They know that that's the lastminute spot for a potential
spontaneous purchase.
That's where I'm going to putit.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Exactly that's where, in grocery stores, you get, you
know, all the packs of gum andall the candy and all the
tabloid magazines are right atthe checkout line because, like,
well, hey, you know I'm tiredfrom shopping, I think I'd like
a piece of candy, or I'd like apiece of gum, or you know, you
just feel you'll be reading thetabloid magazine while you're
waiting for the person in frontof you to check out, ok,
(27:55):
whatever, and then you just tossit on top so that it was
purchased.
And further to your point aboutgoing counterclockwise in a
store, that's also why grocerystores put their vegetables and
their fruits first thing inthere and they make it so
aesthetically pleasing All thepretty colors, and it's like, oh
, wow, you know, look at that.
And so it naturally draws youin.
(28:16):
And retail does that as well.
Retail shops do that too.
The new fashions, the thingsthat are higher priced you know
just off the runway, that sortof thing, the things that will
be a premium, those you'll seefirst, which will entice you to
go throughout the store, andthen the sales stuff is more in
the back, which is you knowwhere you'll go if.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Yeah, you got to hunt for it.
Right, exactly no, I have thisconversation with my students
and because I teach this classover and over, I have to remind
myself that the semester beforedidn't hear the conversation
that I just had, you know.
Or the new semester doesn'tknow what I spoke about last
semester, but we have thisconversation.
You know why are bras on thetop floor and why are men's so
(29:03):
close to the ground floor andwhat's the why of all of that?
And again, going back to retailanthropology, people say, oh
for bras, people want privacy.
Yes, that's fair and well, butif you need a bra, you're going
to travel.
You will go to the tippity top.
You won't think twice aboutgoing up, up, up.
Men will not travel.
(29:24):
It needs to be on the groundfloor, it needs to be adjacent
to beauty and fragrance andmakeup, because either the woman
is shopping for the man or theman and the woman are shopping
together and he doesn't have thebandwidth to spend that much
time looking and shopping.
So when setting up and how youmerchandise, you have to take
all these things into accountand don't assume your customer
(29:45):
is going to want to find you orget on that wait list.
They don't care, they willforget about you and move on.
Everybody and everything isreplaceable, so I think brands
need to keep all that in mindwhen creating, growing and
building who they are,especially to their customers.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
Correct, they absolutely do.
And I think too again, thisalso ties back to our earlier
conversation about authenticityIf you understand the logistics
of retail anthropology and youunderstand the mindset of the
consumer, you can tailor yourbrand to that consumer, to that
(30:23):
desired consumer, withoutcompromising your authenticity,
so that all is part of thelarger ecosystem of fashion
retail.
Absolutely, it's not as easy asI have a shirt line or I have a
fashion line or I have a shoeline.
Let's go to market.
And I think that you know, if Iwere to sum up, the one thing
(30:44):
that your students could takeaway from either this
conversation or just your classin general, it's this it's not
as easy.
The creative part is the easypart, even though they think
that's the most difficult part.
That's the easy part.
Your idea bringing it to marketis another thing entirely.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Can I ask you, before we wrap up, in order to be
worthy of someone like you, tocover or have it end up in an
article relating to the businessof fashion, what do you look
for in a brand and a companythat make it worthy of a story?
Because I think that that's aquestion we get a lot.
That's a question.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
We get a lot For me, in addition to looking for the
authenticity, because, as I tellpeople all the time and you'll
have to excuse my language inadvance, I know I'm being
bullshitted.
I've heard it all I've been inthis game 25 years.
(31:43):
I started out in entertainmentjournalism and print journalism.
Okay, if you think, I haven'theard every line of bullshit
ever invented by man, and stillsome that are being developed as
we speak.
I got a bridge to sell you.
So, in addition to looking forthat authenticity, I'm looking
also personally for the uniqueangle.
(32:04):
One of the things that enticedme to work with a now former
client on their fan conventionwas the fact of their authentic
story.
They had a real, when we thinkof all American, pull yourself
up by your bootstraps type ofthe story.
This was them.
(32:25):
It was three dudes from threedifferent parts of the country
that had never met each other inreal life, that all loved the
same thing, the same thing inpop culture, and decided to
create a fan convention.
Now, if that is not an?
And they were in everyday life.
They were total schlubs.
They were total working men.
But see, that's something thatI like.
(32:45):
I don't want to know about thetrust fund baby.
You know whose grandfatherinvented air?
I don't want to know about.
You know the rich heiress whogot bored after you know, the
husband divorced her and lefther for the 20 year old
secretary and got a nicesettlement, who then decided to
found a cookie company.
I don't care about that.
(33:06):
You know what I care about.
I care about the Latin kid thathis parents came here with
little more than the shirts ontheir backs and he created an
empire.
Everybody loves his stuff.
You know what I care about.
I care about a woman that lookslike me, that went against all
odds and went against all commonsense and was just crazy enough
to believe that her idea workedand was humble and just worked
(33:28):
hard along the way.
That's what I look for.
I look for stories that speakto the real American experience.
The trust fund babies don'tspeak to the American
experiences.
The rich heiresses don't speakto the American experiences.
People like you and me, peoplelike their first generation
immigrant that's the Americanexperience.
When you make something out ofnothing.
That's incredible to me.
(33:49):
That's what I look for in astory.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Man Bernadette, I am jazzed up.
I'm ready to submit my ownstory.
This has been absolutelyamazing.
How can we find you, follow youand get more of your amazing
journalistic, fashionisticcontent?
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Well, in addition to finding me on Retail Wire and on
Dear Media, you can follow meon Instagram.
I am bg.
Underscore takes underscorepicks P-I-C S, so BG takes picks
Right.
And I am a BernadetteGiacomozzo on Tik TOK.
(34:32):
You're going to assume you'regoing to spell it at the
beginning for the folks, so justmy name on a Tik TOK and on
blue sky, I am God.
I am.
Bg writes W R I T-I-T-E-S stuff, s-t-u-f-f, so BG writes stuff.
Bg takes pics.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Okay.
I really fold them hard forthese and for anybody who wants
to find Bernadette, it'sG-I-A-C-O-M-A-Z-Z-O, giacomozza,
there we go.
I'm not going to lie.
I'm reading it right here.
I'm going to leave a letter outwhen they need me.
I'm talking oh, my God, there'sno.
You, I just saw that.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
Oh, there you go.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
This has been awesome.
Thank you for having melistening.
Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single
platform at Handbag Designer.
Thanks so much.
See you next time.
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