A two-part conversation with Natasha Mead, a New Zealand-based Art Director and Founder of 1of1 Studio. She is the mastermind behind some of today’s most referenced visual identities across independent fashion, lifestyle, skincare, interior and hospitality companies. Her collaborators and projects include: Lesse, Binu Binu, F. Miller, Reome, Baina, Jess Hannah, Anyone Girl and Leigh Patterson's Moon Lists. In Part 1 of this conversation, we’ll learn about: The role of naivety and isolation on the development of Natasha’s studio Utilitarian and archival references inspiring her work Natasha’s approach to craft as a commitment to expressing care The 1of1 Studio client filter

Preview of Radical Refinement: a paid workshop on how to define a brand philosophy to see you through a turbulent market reality and beyond. To enjoy the full workshop and accompanying presentation, purchase here. DESIGNED FOR: * Brand-owners & aspiring brand-owners * Decision-makers in fashion & creative industries * Branding, marketing and copywriting experts TOPICS: 1. Why it’s important to set a strong philosophy now 2. Are your brand values genuine? 3. Establishing what makes your work unique 4. Translating your philosophy to sales, communication and visual strategies

A preview of an uncut workshop with the Los Angeles-based designer, Jess Hannah. Recorded in London in May 2024 and joined online by 10 diverse business owners, we discussed Jess's decade of learnings with her brand, J.Hannah, and reflected on mindful growth, de-growth, and “honest capitalism.” Topics - How Jess’s social media following grew - What lays beneath the social media numbers - Non-linear financial reality - Off-line marketing - Wholesale post-covid - Prioritising profitability over growth - "Honest capitalism"

To mark 2024 Melbourne Design Week and the release of Advance Copy’s book, Growing Independent Fashion Brands, the iconic Australian fashion designer Lee Mathews and publisher and creative director Beth Wilkinson, gathered a small group of fashion industry insiders and admirers of the brand for an intimate conversation. In this characteristically frank reflection, Lee delved into her founding principles, offshore production, the pricing conundrum and so much more. Take a moment to sit down and tune in to this much-needed personal account of an iconic independent brand owner. Enjoy!

Carmen de Baets reflects on how she met her husband and business partner Joris ter Meulen Swijtink, establishing their guest house, shop and kitchen Carmen Amsterdam and the much respected visual signature of their company.

Casa Shop's Emi Moore and Jacqueline Davis, reflect on how their paths crossed, the company's trajectory since its establishment in 2016 and the origin of their distinct Instagram aesthetic. With a little help of a marine biologist, we’ll also talk about how the definition of “development” has been misunderstood and why “less is better” best symbolises Casa Shop’s idea of growth.

ArtEZ University teachers, Hanka van der Voet and Chet Bugter, discuss their recent open source paper: A Fruiting Body Of Collective Labour: Working Towards A De-Hierarchised System For Fashion Education. The document looks to the collaborative world of fungi and mycelium networks to find inspiration for de-hierarchised models of fashion education. We’ll learn how lichen networks influenced their approach to the management of the Critical Fashion Practices Master’s course and discuss how fashion designers, entrepreneurs and practitioners can encourage more collaborative ways of working.

Palo Studios is a multi-division company comprising of a wholesale agency, a brand, and a creative production agency all under one ethically minded umbrella of its founder, Cassie Rose Ebner. Every collaborator of Palo Studios is driven by positivity and well-being thus creating a new template for working in fashion. We talk to Cassie about the critical moment when the grasp of the classic wholesale model begun to loosen inspiring her to bridge the gap between conscious brands, retailers, and customers.

Family-run womenswear brand Muse demonstrates how ambition, conscious values and a personal touch can draw unexpected paths to building a fashion company. Founder, Christine Kourim is a natural self-starter and a life-long creator of fashion. When she attempted to sell her high-quality garments at a Melbourne market stall the success was immediate prompting Christine to enlist the help of her daughter, fashion designer, Sarah Kourim. Together they translated the label to a permanent home online and created a touchpoint for their growing community. In this episode, we're joined by Sarah to learn about her and her mother’s independent journeys, nurturing a market stall into a growing e-commerce business, and the under-representation of modest voices in fashion.

Baserange founders Marie-Louise Mogensen and Blandine Legait set out to provide women with underwear which didn’t dictate or restrict their bodies. Since 2012, this intention has set Baserange on an unprecedented trajectory, constantly pushing the fashion industry’s preconceptions to build one of the most authentic and courageous ready-to-wear brands. In this two-part conversation Marie explains how Baserange aims to work in a way that resembles a healthy organism. As such it felt natural to also include the thoughts of one of the brand’s long-term collaborators, Tugba Mert Taskan, the Garment Facility Executive of the pioneering Turkish factory Mert Ipek. By intertwining these two conversations in one we hope to represent a more realistic picture of the many talented and caring individuals contributing to the development of Baserange.

St Rose founder, Belinda Smith, saw a space in the fragrance market for a conscious, luxurious and long-wearing fragrance brand rooted in the art of nature, and set out to steer the industry towards a transparent and gentler future. We speak to Belinda about the realities of crafting your own brand and why giving back and looking at things holistically is key to the sustainability conversation.

Amrit Kumar and Mriga Kapadiya, co-founders of Delhi-based NorBlack NorWhite, discuss how India's rich textile heritage instantly caught their attention, why the trade show format didn’t work for their brand, and how they grew NorBlack NorWhite to being a cultural platform and creative studio. 

Strategic brand management consultant Thalia Tserevegou established TT Collective to share her holistic vision with a multitude of value-aligned fashion brands. She takes us through her learnings on how to build modern, conscious fashion companies in an ever-more turbulent market and shares with us the moment she decided to step back and pursue more balance and purpose.

Babaà is a family-owned knitwear brand. From organic cotton farmers in the south of Spain, the shepherds and yarn spinners in the north, and the multi-generational factory in Barcelona to the brand’s hub in Madrid; babaà’s founder Marta Bahillo is a champion of the Spanish knitwear industry. We speak with Marta about her unique value system, decision to focus on direct-to-consumer and supporting ecological innovation.

Desert Vintage stands out with its graceful nomadic style and a contemporary point of view. Co-owners Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan discuss their introduction to the world of vintage and the twist of fate that led them to inherit a much-cherished local business. Speaking from the store’s hometown Tucson, Arizona and New York, they reflect on the multitude of skills it takes to reinvent a business and the significance of supportive retail communities.

With precisely engineered handbags made using state-of-the-art Italian craftsmanship, Advene has grown steadily since launch thanks to close relationships with its customers and mentors. We speak to the brand's founders, Yijia Wang and Zi Xuan.

Artisanal soap brand ORRIS is rooted in holistic plant-based practices and artistic collaborations. Questioning their careers in fashion the founders, Lani Le Berre and Kenneth Koo, acted on an instinct and created a series of cold-pressed soaps that truly serve our skin. We look at how independent brands can pave the way for sustainable business models, tackle issues of waste and resist the pressure to perpetually bring out new products.

South Africa native Lukhanyo Mdingi started his namesake fashion label in 2015, growing a creative universe dedicated to human relationships ever since. We discuss the importance of love and patience in establishing a purposeful fashion brand.

Boutique skincare brand ROWSE deconstructs complicated lotions and unrealistic advertising to bring customers natural ingredients in their purest form. Speaking from Spain, CEO Gabriela Salord and Creative Director Nuria Val share their approach to building a dynamic beauty company and explain how entrepreneurial ambition can benefit nature, people and creativity.

Dutch womenswear label CAES is Helen de Kluiver's exploration of slow fashion. The brand was realised from Helen's reflection on personal values and professional experiences in fast fashion. We look back on the moment when Helen took a leap of faith to pursue her vision and how CAES strives to represent ethical standards above archaic expectations of the fashion industry.