This week, we bring you a bonus, New York Fashion Week Edition of the Glossy Podcast, featuring Christine Currence, the president and owner of Badgley Mischka. Glossy Podcast host Jill Manoff sits down with Currence to discuss working with Rent the Runway, collaborating with a game app and making big adjustments this season, as Oscar Sunday overlapped with fashion week.
Here are a few highlights from the conversation that have been lightly edited for clarity.
Gen Z is a big target
“Gen Z is about to inherit something like hundreds of billions of dollars — more than any other generation has ever inherited. So I don’t think they can be ignored. In our shoe collection, we have Jewel Badgley Mischka, and it’s a lower-priced shoe collection, which is aimed at that market of prom-goers, those young in college, that age group.”
Inclusivity via rental
“We were one of the first brands to sign up with Rent the Runway and have had this amazing partnership with them. Over these past several years, as they’ve continued to grow, we’ve grown with them, and we’re one of the most rented brands on their site. It’s exciting, because for us, it’s all about inclusivity, not exclusivity. We offer sizes all the way from 0 to size 26. Also, being able to have somebody rent your dress for just a fraction of the retail price gives you the ability to offer so much more experiences to customers.”
‘Trendy’ isn’t the holy grail
“We’re not a trendy brand. You can see trends come and go, and that’s the unique thing about Badgley Mischka: It’s very much about timeless glamour. When you make an investment in our shoes or clothing or anything else that we do, you know it’s built to last and you know you’ll be passing it down, giving it to friends. It’s not dispensable like fast fashion. It is the anti-fast fashion.”
