#65. Rep the Squad lets passionate sports fans rent any jersey they want, giving them access to an infinitely-expanding collection. We talk with co-founder and CEO Brian Watkins about how Rep the Squad is joining the rental economy in a path pioneered by Rent the Runway, democratizing the pride and notoriety that comes from sporting your favorite teams’ colors. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Mar 28, 2018•49 min
#64. Bonobos was a healthy product-driven company, built on a strong vision and a small, but loyal audience. But since 2016, and Bonobos' Walmart acquisition, co-president Micky Onvural has helped steer the company into a resonating brand. We had a great talk with Micky about what it's like to take the reins at someone else's company, go through an acquisition and turn a company's core DNA into a long-lasting brand. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the ...
Mar 21, 2018•51 min
#63. Rowing Blazers brings all the quirks of a blazer to life, quickly growing into a Supreme-meets-Brooks Brothers lifestyle brand. We talk with Founder Jack Carlson, about how the company sprung out of his rowing career and his years-long quest to understand the origins of the blazer, and how Rowing Blazers is evolving the meaning and purpose of heritage for the modern world. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Mar 14, 2018•50 min
#62. Taste Beauty is a manufacturing company working at the forefront of the quickly evolving beauty industry. We talk with Co-Founder Alex Fogelson about how his company is bringing trend-driven products to more than 50,000 beauty retailers worldwide, including Walmart and Sephora, in addition to powering the product licenses for major food and entertainment companies. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Mar 07, 2018•41 min
#61. BuzzFeed Commerce, the media company’s commerce and product arm, has proved in only a short span of time that it might be the most agile and prolific team in consumer products. We talk with its director, Ben Kaufman, who joined the company with his team in the fall of 2016 after realizing that BuzzFeed thinks about social content in the same way he thought about social products—in the last year and a half, Ben and his team have produce a litany of products that span audiences, categories an...
Feb 28, 2018•45 min
#60. Heyday unbundles the facial from the spa, opening it up to a whole new audience. We talk with Co-Founder Michael Pollak, about the company’s origins, the excitement of being a retail-first business, and how highly-trained and qualified employees take the experience to the next level, both online and offline. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Feb 21, 2018•51 min
#59. Resonance is a venture-operating company that is helping designers scale their brands at record speeds. We talk with its co-founder, Joe Ferrara, who started the company with Lawrence Lenihan after spending close to a decade investing in consumer brands and realizing the importance of flexible supply chains and modest capital raising. Resonance is the pair’s most ambitious project yet, as they seek to redefine the skillset, infrastructure and capital needed to succeed today while Amazon and...
Feb 14, 2018•50 min
#58. Saint James is the French heritage brand known for its sweaters and stripes—and, the oldest brand we've had on the podcast. We talk with President Luc Lesénécal about the power of heritage brands, the opportunities and challenges of evolving them to compete in modern times, and the benefits of domestic production and retaining this expertise in house. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Feb 07, 2018•40 min
#57. Eloquii is turning into the destination for on-trend plus-size fashion. We talk with CEO Mariah Chase, who has led Eloquii along with members of its original team since The Limited shut it down. Together, they have revitalized the company as it pushes the boundaries of true fashion for plus-size women, who have often been the last to receive attention—if they did at all. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Jan 31, 2018•42 min
#56. GREATS is the first digitally-native footwear brand that is hyper-focused on bringing extreme value to the sneaker market. We talk with founder Ryan Babenzien about how GREATS has prioritized quality and simplicity and flourished into a booming online and now offline sneaker business that he is now seeking to extend to new categories and branch out internationally. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Jan 24, 2018•41 min
#55. Oui Shave is a direct-to-consumer shaving brand for women. We talk with Founder Karen Young who started the company after she grew tired of using products built for men. Notably, Karen started with the product, working to bring the best possible razor to market and engineering the shaving experience for women from the ground up. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Jan 17, 2018•47 min
#54. Racked covers shopping with a unique lens, taking a consumer perspective on the industry rather than solely focusing on the business side. We talk with Eliza Brooke, a senior writer at Racked, about her career, her favorite and most interesting stories, and where the industry is headed as complexity lingers from every angle. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Jan 09, 2018•53 min
#53. Mott and Bow injects much-needed value into the denim market. We talk with founder Alejandro Chahin about how he built a direct-to-consumer brand that undercuts traditional wholesale brands on price while delivering better quality. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Jan 02, 2018•35 min
#52. Peter Manning is a menswear brand for not-so-tall guys. We talk with co-founder Jeff Hansen about building a brand for a specific demographic and long-ignored market. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Dec 27, 2017•36 min
#51. Strike Gently Co. started with pins and patches and expanded into a growing assortment of soft and hard goods. We talk with founder Charlie Ambler, our very first Loose Threads Podcast guest, about how his company has evolved since 2016. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Dec 20, 2017•38 min
#50. For the 50th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, Richie Siegel talks with Charlie Giannetti, his former partner at their menswear line, Gioventu, which led to the creation of Loose Threads. Charlie and Richie talk about Gioventu's beginnings, the lessons learned in building the brand, how the original incarnation of Loose Threads sprung out of their work, and what Charlie is working now. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consu...
Dec 13, 2017•59 min
#49. Shoes of Prey sends women their custom designed shoes in two weeks. We talk with co-founder Jodie Fox about how she built a supply chain that customizes shoes at scale—in a world where people don't always know what they want. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Dec 05, 2017•43 min
#48. MeUndies injects direct-to-consumer fun into a traditional boring category. We talk with founder Jonathan Shokrian about building a subscription company for underwear. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Nov 29, 2017•39 min
#47. Vrai & Oro pioneers the use of sustainably grown diamonds. We talk with founder Vanessa Stofenmacher about growing a direct-to-consumer brand after seeking out more affordable and ethically transparent fine jewelry. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Nov 22, 2017•40 min
#46. Parachute brings a new lifestyle to the home. We talk with founder Ariel Kaye about her quest to forge a brand that owns bedding products and the home more broadly. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Nov 15, 2017•43 min
#45. David Kind focuses on high-quality specs at an honest price. We talk with founder David Barton about narrowing in on a hole in the market for high-end, but still affordable direct-to-consumer glasses, and the limitations of an online-only brand. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Nov 08, 2017•36 min
#44. Bolt Threads engineers spider silk and other fully-sustainable materials. We talk with co-founder Dan Widmaier about building a biotech company and its potential impact on the apparel industry. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Oct 31, 2017•45 min
#43. Affirm redefines consumer lending. We talk with co-founder Max Levchin about bringing much-needed transparency to a space that is usually riddled with predatory lenders. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Oct 24, 2017•43 min
#42. Chubbies brought back short shorts and is now trying to own the weekend. We talk with co-founder Kyle Hency about spiraling a well-known brand from a single product to a newsletter and ever-expanding product assortment built for guys who want to have fun. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Oct 18, 2017•45 min
#41. Snowe reinvents home essentials at a more affordable price. We talk with co-founder Andres Modak about bringing more simplicity to setting up a home from scratch. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Oct 11, 2017•37 min
#40. Swimsuits for All is the first company to focus on swimwear for women of all different sizes. We talk with founder Moshe Laniado about entering a market most companies have ignored, how the internet has affected seasonal businesses and what it’s like to go through an acquisition. The Loose Threads Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders across the rapidly changing consumer economy.
Oct 04, 2017•40 min
On the 39th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of consumer, retail and commerce, I talk with Jeff Johnson, a co-founder of The Arrivals, an outerwear-focused brand inspired by the form and function of architecture. Jeff founded the brand along with Kal Vepuri, who was an early investor in a range of direct to consumer brands. The Arrivals aesthetic takes strong cues from Jeff’s architecture background, which comes to fruition in the brand’s product, overall aesth...
Sep 28, 2017•35 min
On the 38th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of consumer, retail and commerce, I talk with Eric Varady, the founder of Topology Eyewear. Eric founded the company after struggling to find a pair of glasses that worked for him, realizing that stock eyewear no longer cut it. He set out to reinvent the entire manufacturing process in order to make entirely custom eyewear a reality. I was lucky enough to visit their office and factory when I was out in San Francisco...
Sep 21, 2017•45 min
On the 37th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of consumer, retail and commerce, I talk with Melissa Duren Conner, a partner at JBC, a PR and communications firm helping modern brands tell their stories. Melissa started the firm along with Jennifer Bett, after realizing that a new generation of brands needed a new type of communications approach. JBC works with a diverse slate of companies, some of which have been on the podcast previously, as they figure out how...
Sep 14, 2017•36 min
On the 36th episode of the Loose Threads Podcast, a show about the intersection of consumer, retail and commerce, I talk with Alexa Buckley, a co-founder of Margaux, a brand making modern shoes for modern women. Margaux is home to a really interesting made to measure business, as Alexa and her team found that many people were wearing the wrong size shoe. But with made to measure, Margaux is helping women find their right size and then ensuring they can stick with it across all of their styles. A...
Sep 07, 2017•36 min
