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 →
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Spotify
On this week’s Glossy Podcast, international fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska joined editor-in-chief Jill Manoff to discuss three major stories shaping fashion this week.
First, we discuss American Eagle Outfitters’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign and the criticism around its wordplay on “genes,” drawing accusations of eugenics undertones while simultaneously driving the company’s stock up by as much as 10%. At the same time, Vogue debuted an AI-generated Guess ad, created entirely by an external agency. And in the world of direct-to-consumer brands, Quince raised $200 million, doubling its valuation to $4.5 billion, prompting debate over whether a “dupe-first” model can evolve into long-term brand equity.
Later in the episode, Manoff spoke with senior reporter Sara Spruch Feiner about Ty Haney’s surprise return to Outdoor Voices, the DTC athleisure brand she founded in 2013. Below are three standout moments from their conversation:
On Outdoor Voices’s time capsule and new design direction
Spruch-Feiner: “OV has sort of been stuck in a time capsule for the past five years. If you really wore out your cloud knit sweatpants and wanted a new pair, you could get them, but there was nothing new to return to the brand for. I have a gift card that’s just been sitting in a drawer for five years, and I’m really hoping I can use it on some of the new stuff. One of the things that really excited me was that they brought in a designer who had worked at real design houses rather than someone with a technical activewear background. Ty said this time around she feels she has permission to play into lifestyle elements, like layering pieces and fashion-forward takes on recreation wear, which she didn’t have the first time.”
On Ty Haney reflecting on her founder experience
Spruch-Feiner: “She said that she’s really grateful for it, for what she learned. She said 90% of building OV was really amazing, and 10% was really hard. When she was ultimately pushed out, I don’t think we ever really knew what went on behind the scenes, but it was attributed at the time to generational differences with Mickey Drexler. The world has not been kind to female founders, and reporting has often held them to a different standard. But she came across as very zen, like she had done a lot of reflecting on that time, and she’s able to call the good and the bad from it now.”
On Outdoor Voices’s relaunch strategy
Spruch-Feiner: “I was impressed, and — I guess this sounds a little dramatic, but — inspired, too, by the decision to hire from fashion houses, because I think that will bring a unique perspective. They also brought back some of the original team. So it’s going to be a blend of nostalgia and modernization, with an update to the logo and a new approach to design that feels different from the millennial DTC aesthetic we’ve seen before. I think it’s going to be really interesting to watch this space.”
