Pia Mance Founder of Heaven Mayhem on Building a $10 Million Dollar Brand
Season 5 of Fashion Founders the Podcast, opens with Pia Mance, founder of Heaven Mayhem. Pia started with $900 dollars hand making jewelry on her bedroom floor and in just three years built a $10 million dollar business, recently featured on Vogue Business. Pia is creating a go-to accessories business with elevated pieces at an affordable price point. She shares lessons and advice from her entrepreneurial journey and with her background as an influencer, she really has an intuitive eye for what works. We also cover how to go about a partnership, whether you're a brand that wants to collaborate with Heaven Mayhem or someone looking to network or find a job. Pia talks about what actually gets her attention in an email and the dos and don'ts of reaching out to founders.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Pia Mance:IG: @piamanceTikTok: @piamanceFollow Heaven Mayhem:IG: @heavenmayhem_TikTok: @heavenmayhemShop HEREFollow Bed SleepwearIG: @maisonbedsleepwearTikTok: @maisonbedsleepwearWebsiteThanks for listening!Â
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Influencer Marketing Masterclass: Partnerships, Events, & Strategy with Nicole Reisman of Dolce Vita
On this episode of Fashion Founders, Victoria Smith interviews Nicole Reisman, Director of Influencer Marketing & Events at Dolce Vita, for a deep dive into the world of influencer marketing and brand partnerships. Nicole shares practical advice for aspiring influencers on how to work with fashion brands, what brands really look for in collaborations, and why engagement matters more than follower count. She also explains how Dolce Vita approaches budgets, campaign strategy, and events, plus how niche creators from florists to bakerscan land brand collaborations. Finally, Nicole opens up about her career journey in fashion marketing, what it takes to build a long-term career at a leading brand, and where she sees influencer marketing heading next.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Nicole Reisman:IG: @nicolereismanFollow Dolce Vita:IG: @dolcevitaAmbassador ProgramFollow Ellie G’s Ice CreamIG: @elliegsicecreamWebsiteThanks for listening!Â
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The Clueless Closet App with 10 Million Users: Whering with Founder Bianca Rangecroft
Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined with Bianca Rangecroft the founder of Whering. Whering is a UK based but globally used digital wardrobe app that is making it easier than ever for you to finally get that clueless closet. Unlike other wardrobe and digital styling apps, you don't have to take a picture of every piece of clothing in your closet to be able to use this. For example, you can upload a link. Or use their database of millions of products already available. They have 10 million users worldwide and instead of using AI for style combinations, other users and sometimes professional stylists can be the ones helping you come up with new outfits, using items that you already own. We cover a lot of different topics in this episode, like career advice, navigating entrepreneurship, user acquisition and retention, as well as the role of tech in fashion. Bianca is also currently in the middle of fundraising, and she was on Dragons Den, which is the UK version of Shark Tank. I really loved this conversation and I hope you do too. So let's get into the episode.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Whering:IG: @whering__Download the app HERETikTok: @wheringBianca IG: @biancarangecroftFollow Jorde Ski:IG: @shopjorde Website HEREThanks for listening!Â
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How to Build Partnerships in Fashion Tech: Optimizing your Digital Wardrobe with Tote and Future Reference Founders
Hello and welcome back to Fashion Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith, and this week I'm joined with Kathleen Sheppard, the founder of Tote, and Claire Ilmer, the founder of Future Reference. In this episode, we explore their recent partnership announcement and for some background, Tote is a social shopping app and Future Reference digitizes your wardrobe for one click, resale and closet insights.After EDGE New York Fashion Week, a must attend event for fashion tech in February, they began working on a strategic partnership. We talk about what makes a partnership valuable for both parties, steps to take if you want to partner with a company, whether you're a founder, creator, or in another area of the industry. We also explore the question of, as a brand, do you add in multiple features that isn't your core MVP, or do you collaborate with someone who already offers that feature and is the expert in that thing? Learn more about how collaboration like this works in fashion tech, and really just in general I’ll let Kathleen and Claire. Take it from here. So let's get into the episode.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Tote:IG: @toteapp.ai IG: @trytoteappDownload the app HERETikTok: @toteappKathleen’s TikTok: @katsheppard1Follow Future Reference:IG: @futurereference.xyzDownload the app HERESubstack HERETikTok: @futurereference.xyzFollow Any Lifetime:IG: @shopanylifetime Website HERETikTok: @anylifetimeThanks for listening!Â
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How to Leverage Social Media to Build your Business with Nik Pollina
Hello and welcome back to Fashion and Founders The Podcast, my name is Victoria Smith and this week I'm joined by Nik Pollina. Nik used to work at Google and transitioned from tech into fashion after getting laid off. She talks about her journey starting working for herself, and she is now the owner of Seven Moods, the co-owner of Thx its Thrifted, and a content creator. She has so much advice to share on managing these businesses, growing the businesses, and how to build your mindset around the potential you have as an entrepreneur. Although fashion focused, I think the advice she shares could be applied to whatever you are doing. She talks about the two books and beliefs that helped take her from making $10,000 a month to $50,000 a month in the matter of three months, and that she now believes that she can make this a million dollar business. I really wanted to have more conversations about money this season, especially around working for yourself and working in fashion. I just made a TikTok about this, but there's really this belief and narrative that you can't make money in fashion. And I think Nik is an amazing example of proving that wrong. She is so successful, and I'm so excited to share this episode. I felt really inspired after this conversation, and I hope you do too. I'll let Nik take it from here, so let's get into the episode.Follow Fashion & Founders:Podcast IG: @fashionandfoundersPodcast Substack: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Website: fashionandfounders.comPodcast TikTok: @fashionandfoundersPodcast LinkedIn: Fashion and FoundersPodcast YouTube: Fashion and FoundersPodcast Links: Shop MyVictoria Pickle Closet: @victoriasLocker Links: LockerFollow Nik Pollina:IG: @nikpollina_TikTok: @nikpollinaFollow Thx its Thrifted:IG: @thxitsthrifted.nycFollow Seven MoodsIG: @sevenmoodsnycWebsite: https://sevenmoods.nyc/Â Follow Marmalade Gardens:IG: @marmaladegardens Website: https://www.marmaladegardens.com/Thanks for listening!Â
Fashion and Founders The Podcast: Circularity, Tech, & Innovation. Conversations with founders and innovators working in different sectors of the fashion industry, offering an opportunity to get involved in this growing space. Hear directly from the people building the future of fashion about entrepreneurship, job opportunities, fashion tech, circularity, biomaterials, and more.Learn from incredible guests across the industry, from rental, resale, nonprofit, PR, policy, start ups, including Gab Waller, Pickle, Locker, Erika Veurink, Fashion Revolution, Eco-Age, Colorifix, and more.
South Africa