This is an episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the fashion industry. More from the series →
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On the Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we’re talking about the British Advertising Standards Agency banning two Zara ads that it deemed showed “unhealthily thin” models, a labor dispute at Gucci that could lead to over 1,000 employees going on strike, and updates from Capri Holdings and Ralph Lauren.
Later in the episode, we speak with Anu Narayanan, the president of women’s and home at Antrhopologie, about the company’s decision to spin off one of its private labels, Maeve, into its own standalone brand. Narayanan also gave insight into her leadership style, the right time to invest in business expansion and the importance of bringing in new perspectives.
Below are some highlights from the conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.
On when to lean in
Narayanan: “The timing might never be right, like with so many things in life. But I think that we take calculated risks and we really think about the right time to invest in something. So we’ve thought about it. We listened to our customers. And the time being now for us really had a lot to do with where the business was. We’ve had 10 straight quarters of double-digit growth. So we have the strength in our total brand and the strength in the Maeve label to be able to expand now.”
On clear leadership goals
Narayanan: “You would think with the size of the company that it could slow things down, but there’s a shared understanding of common goals and objectives, which really helps. If everyone knows exactly where we need to row in what direction and where our end destination is, it makes life so much easier rather than having people be really confused.
Communication is key. We really pride ourselves on making sure people are in the loop. Everybody understands what we’re trying to achieve and that makes things a lot easier.”
On expanding the team
Narayanan: “Personally, for me as a leader, I love being able to find talent within the organization who have the ability to stretch and take on more, and who are ready for a new challenge or new learning experience. And then when you’re growing businesses and growing teams, it gives the ability for people to expand their scope and role and to grow in their career, and gives us the opportunity to bring in new talent. And I think it’s an important mix in the business to have people who have institutional knowledge of how we work and are customer-based, but then also bring in a fresh perspective with new team members.”
