Beyond Hype: Syl Tang on Sustainability, Strategy, and the Future of Accessories | Emily Blumenthal & Syl Tang

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<v SPEAKER_02>And I remember I did this article probably about 10, 15 years ago where I took these sneakers and I I wish I'd left them there.

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<v SPEAKER_02>They're not there anymore.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But I buried these sneakers to sort of see if they would actually disintegrate.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Oh my God.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I wanted to see if I put them in.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And of course, that was a, as I like to say, anecdote is not data.

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<v SPEAKER_02>It's a sort of a fake experiment because it it doesn't have the correct composting situation.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And then the you know.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But I think we're now at this crossroads where people are really thinking about what are you making, you know, what materials are being made and how how much do we really need to have?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101 the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert, and the handbag fairy godmother.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers, the creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that define the handbag world.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Still as a futurist, the one who founded the first true reel, as we validated, online nightlife guide, online city guide, uh, first text booking system, and author, the hip guide, all of it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Welcome, welcome.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'm so very excited to have you.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Oh my God.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So why don't you share how we ended up finding each other?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Of clearly, we've been in the same room more than once, and now we know it's like going to high school with someone and not knowing and finding a hundred years later, like, oh my god, I was in that class too.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So I think that if you use social media the way people use social media now, sometimes you just see someone in the comments and you realize that you know them.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So we were were we talking about Patricia Field, and then we realized that we had been at the same event on Broadway for the big Fiorucci store opening.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And of course, Fioruci is an Italian brand that's been around for decades, but it was, you know, back in the I think, you know, starting probably in the late 90s and early 2000s, the events were very big, enormous.

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<v SPEAKER_02>They were enormous, and the Fiorucci store opening party on Broadway was a big event.

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<v SPEAKER_01>622 Broadway.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, that's where it was.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And Best Buy now, or I think it's urban.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Ah, okay.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And you know, fun fact, when they shut it down, everybody who had their product in there not only couldn't get their product out because it was deadbolted, but they also didn't get paid for it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So that was cute.

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<v SPEAKER_01>That's a story of retail.

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<v SPEAKER_01>That seems to happen.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Isn't it a plot?

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's happening.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Isn't it?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Oh my god.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But that's that is my origin story of my pretty much my entire life because Rebecca Weinberg was at that party.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And that's where my handbag got noticed.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And that is how literally, to use what the kids say, how I got it on Sex in the City all came down to that one night in that one moment of my red drink, blue drink, purple drink.

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<v SPEAKER_01>As we found out you had the blue drink in the photo.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I didn't even remember that those drinks were color themed.

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<v SPEAKER_02>There was so there was so much going on at that event.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yes.

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<v SPEAKER_02>You know, I think they call them this is before people called them activations, but they call them activations now.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But there was just a lot going on.

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<v SPEAKER_02>There was bubbles, there was temporary tattoos, there was like making stations.

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<v SPEAKER_02>It was I didn't know where to lock up.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It was a huge space.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I remember bobbity bopping from one space to another and seeing Rebecca.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And my one friend said it would be in poor taste to pitch your handbag to her, knowing who she is at the space.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I remembered specifically because they had two different colored drinks, there was a red drink and a blue drink.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I think by that point I was com-mingling the drinks, and I just balls to the wall started dancing by myself because when you have your own brand and no one's doing your own marketing, as they say, be your own best publicist.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I kind of threw myself in front of her and she noticed me, shockingly enough.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I don't know how she could have noticed me whilst I was probably dancing like a maniac with my limbs falling all over the place and was like, hey, cute back.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I think that the that is something that when people are nostalgic now for the 90s and 2000s, you know, when I started my company and we also had no marketing budget, that was literally how I would get clients.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I would figure out what events were going on and where people were going to be, and I would just show up, you know, I would wrangle an invitation or get myself, you know, added to the guest list and bring my little hip guide cards in 1999 and 2000.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And I would say, Hey, you know, I'm so and so, and I do such and such.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And here are all the clients I already have, and I would love to pitch you.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And here is, you know, and that is how we would get clients.

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<v SPEAKER_02>We would go to events from event to event, and I said, George, that was how we we ended up with 14 liquor clients, 14 beauty clients, referrals, referrals and meeting people in person.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Listen, with my handbag, all I kept thinking about is, and it's so funny that if you reflect retrospectively everything you're doing, and now it has a name.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Like I was looking for sponsorships.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Now it's called integrated marketing solutions.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You know, all these things have big things.

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<v SPEAKER_01>All these corporate names that exist.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, like I was looking for someone to give me money so we could work together at the end.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But I had really locked into the ethnography of who my customer was who was wearing my handbag, that she was a nightlife girl, she was carrying her phone, I was looking for a phone, I got a partnership with Motorola.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I was looking for that she would carry her lipstick.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I can't even remember which beauty brand I had some new beauty brand to start giving me products so we could commingle uh promos and editorial together.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I was like, okay, if she's a girl who is on the go and she's very secure with herself, she would carry condoms with her.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I got a condom partner.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You know, I'm like, screw that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>That's how it all went.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I think so much of that gets lost in the sauce of people feeling that number one, they need to outsource and hire.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Because if you don't do that heavy lifting of understanding, much like you were doing door to door, you wouldn't know that some places probably weren't the right fit for you until you went and pitched them.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And they were like, no, no, this isn't the right fit.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Or someone saying, you know what?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Absolutely, this sounds great.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And then they became a long-standing partner.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I think there was an element of we didn't really have a choice.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So there were definitely pitches where it it fell on deaf ears because they're it they simply weren't right.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But there's an element of throwing spaghetti against the wall or just trying to find the I mean, we called it co-branding, you know, co co-branding, co-sponsorships, just trying to align, just trying to share, share audiences, really.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Share audiences with people who are doing the exact same thing, being in the exact same places.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I think the, you know, the thing that came later on, and someone was pointing out to me just the other day that I'm partly responsible having put the screens, you know, because one of the things that I did was create this element of the screen before I came along.

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<v SPEAKER_02>You used to, the way you got a restaurant reservation was you called a restaurant, or you showed up in person, or you knew a person, or you walked in.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And so there's an element where I'm I'm partly responsible for creating that digital layer of the online city guide and the online reservations was the thing that I did that has now put the screens between people and the interactions.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And I don't really know how to explain that that you need both.

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<v SPEAKER_02>You can't be afraid to have the conversation uh to just go out and to it's it's a muscle.

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<v SPEAKER_02>If you don't use it, you lose it.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So you have to go out and have the conversation with people about what it is you're trying to do.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And there's only one person who can really sell the thing you're trying to sell.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, it's so true.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I mean, I with all the designers I work with, the first question I ask amongst others is okay, how many people have you outsourced and hired at the level that you're at?

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<v SPEAKER_01>So have you outsourced a sales rep?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Have you outsourced a publicist?

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<v SPEAKER_01>How many people before you've tried to do it yourself?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Because you don't know what you're getting, what your real ROI should be if you haven't done it yourself.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And when someone comes back to you with a list of things that they've secured and it's a crappy blah blah website and saying it has X amount of eyeballs and X amount of impressions, but those aren't even going to you or your potential customer while you're getting sold advertorials, sponsor this pop-up or come put your product in this fashion show.

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<v SPEAKER_01>None of that means anything to a smaller independent brand.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So I think also there's also an element of I do see independent entrepreneurs or creators who don't know the value of PR.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So they also, there's the flip side of that conversation where they don't understand how difficult it is to secure a Vogue.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Or, you know, I I worked for after I started HipGuide, amongst the things that we would do is I would provide columns, sometimes independent original editorial, but you know, I helped start Vogue China and I wrote for the Financial Times and did columns and and you know long-form pieces for them for a long time.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And I would frequently hear from entrepreneurs that they would expect to have this sort of placed piece and they would not understand the hard work that the publicists had done to shape what their story was or to get them into certain outlets.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So I think there's a there's a flip side to that as well where you don't appreciate what you are paying for because you don't understand how the sausage is made.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So it's not just understanding when someone has brought you something that is not good value, but it's also understanding, you know, I have a number of friends who work at the big agencies, and it's important as an independent to know how much work and how many contacts they're leveraging for you as well.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, it's so true, considering most of my people now are PR and marketing people, and I see this often where clients will say, I need to see your entire database essentially, who you're pitching.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I need their email addresses.

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<v SPEAKER_01>No, you don't.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Oh, no, no, no.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And then then they get an opportunity for an interview and they don't show up, or the piece gets written and they don't like how something was presented, or they didn't list one of the retailers, and they're like, fix it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So I totally agree that the onus they need to know what they're getting, but I just know that to speak to both sides that independent brands need to do these things themselves before they outsource in order to not only appreciate what they're getting, but also ensure that their time value of money is being spent correctly because there's so many, it's so easy to be taken advantage of as a smaller brand because I've been on both sides.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Like I had a publicist who was saying that she's doing this and she's doing that and she's doing this and she's doing that, and there are no bites.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I said, but how am I able to reach out to those people and they're open to it and they don't know who you are?

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<v SPEAKER_01>So it's like due diligence needs to be done on both sides in order to know with whom you're working.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I think due diligence needs to be done on both sides, but I think that the a lot of the publicists they have if they're showing you results from past clients, they didn't secure those from nowhere.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Uh, you know, one of my great challenges, I remember, is the publicist has two jobs, right?

00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:55.519
<v SPEAKER_02>They have to figure out what the editor and the journalist needs and match the outlet.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And then they also have to translate that for the client.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And an enormous amount of time is spent explaining to them that, for example, the journalist is not the one who writes the headline, the journalist is not the one who chooses the photo, the journalist is not the one who chooses what page you appear on, or if you're if something is misspelled, it wasn't the writer who did that.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So I think that there's an element of understanding that publicists who have been around for a really long time and have secured a lot of clips, there's a reason they have lasted.

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<v SPEAKER_02>There's a reason they're not flim flam fly-by-night situations.

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<v SPEAKER_01>If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you.

00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:47.120
<v SPEAKER_01>If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you.

00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:51.759
<v SPEAKER_01>If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you.

00:13:51.919 --> 00:14:00.399
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the handbag designer 101 masterclass.

00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:07.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture, and market a handbag brand.

00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:16.879
<v SPEAKER_01>Broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes.

00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:27.919
<v SPEAKER_01>For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the handbag designer Bible, founded the handbag awards, and created the only handbag designer podcast.

00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:34.559
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale.

00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:44.960
<v SPEAKER_01>Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start up again, or if you had a brand and need some strategic direction, the handbag designer 101 Masterclass is just for you.

00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:48.639
<v SPEAKER_01>So let's get started, and you'll be the creator of the next it bag.

00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:53.200
<v SPEAKER_01>Join me, Emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass.

00:14:53.440 --> 00:15:05.200
<v SPEAKER_01>So be sure to sign up at Emily Blumenthal.com slash masterclass and type in the code I'mCast to get 10% off your masterclass today.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And also to layer on top of that, it's also the brand's responsibility to present who this customer is that they're truly trying to reach.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And if you are not clear with having a genuine understanding that your girl, like as we were talking, you know, I knew my girl was the nightlife girl, I knew what she was carrying in her bag, I knew how she was wearing it, where she was wearing it, I knew the outfits she was going to wear it with, I knew when I was working with someone, I could share that information very clearly and know that, okay, here are the places where I know it's realistic that I would like to try to secure as a result of this is my client, and this is where she's looking, this is where she's shopping.

00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:11.360
<v SPEAKER_01>If you're not presenting that information to someone who you've hired and then you end up with nothing, you really can't put that burden on them if you just offer them a, you know, here's my bag.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's a day-to-night bag, which for anyone who's listened to this podcast, there there is no such thing.

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<v SPEAKER_01>There is no such thing as a day-to-night bag.

00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:20.399
<v SPEAKER_01>Period, the end, end of story.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Nobody wants that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Okay.

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<v SPEAKER_01>What you wear during the day, you do not want to see at night.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Every woman has something cute they want to change into, they want to change their hair, they want to change their shoes, one way or another, whether they're walking out or driving, nobody wants the same thing.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Their bags are the same.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So don't pitch someone it's a day-to-night bag when that's not a real story.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So I want to say there is an exception.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I think my Fendi baguette is a day-to-night bag.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Okay, well, we're we're talking Fendi girl.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Okay, Fendi, Fendi can ride the fence.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'm talking about an independent designer that makes a tote bag and thinking that the girl can wear it day-to-night.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Fendi is different.

00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:04.559
<v SPEAKER_01>Fendi translates back and forth.

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<v SPEAKER_01>There's no Fendi's for breakfast, you know.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Fendi doesn't go bad.

00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:11.839
<v SPEAKER_01>I would like a Fendi clutch, and then I will share the same thing.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You know, ironically, I own no labeled bags, which is really not a single one?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_01>How's that possible?

00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:20.559
<v SPEAKER_01>I don't know, man.

00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:24.880
<v SPEAKER_01>I think organically I kind of became this voice of the people to walk the walk.

00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.319
<v SPEAKER_01>So why would I?

00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:31.039
<v SPEAKER_01>You know, because we lived in the 2000s and you just end up with stuff.

00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:32.559
<v SPEAKER_01>Exactly.

00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:33.599
<v SPEAKER_01>Exactly.

00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:35.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:38.400
<v SPEAKER_01>It's crazy to be that person.

00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:41.759
<v SPEAKER_01>But you know, I've had access to it.

00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:46.559
<v SPEAKER_01>You know, I had access to the Dior bag, the Dior saddlebag, and it's so crazy.

00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:47.440
<v SPEAKER_01>I could have gotten one.

00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:51.839
<v SPEAKER_01>And now in hindsight, I'm like, maybe I should not if you don't love it.

00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:53.119
<v SPEAKER_02>Not if you don't love it.

00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:55.519
<v SPEAKER_02>If you never loved it, there's no reason to love it now.

00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:57.039
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:00.559
<v SPEAKER_01>But let's get into you as a futurist.

00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:02.559
<v SPEAKER_01>What is a futurist sell?

00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:11.359
<v SPEAKER_02>So the simple way of explaining futurists is it's a sort of a blend of an economist and a marketer.

00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:22.319
<v SPEAKER_02>But basically, what I do and what I've been doing for 30 years is every company or government tracks certain things that are in their orbit.

00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:28.960
<v SPEAKER_02>But we are, and there are futurists at every bank, there's futurists in every organization, we're all over the place.

00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:37.279
<v SPEAKER_02>We track the things that are going to affect your company or business from the outside that aren't part of your vertical.

00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:46.799
<v SPEAKER_02>So, for example, if you work at, you know, Bank of America, you may track everything that's happening in the financial industry, but you might not track what's happening in geopolitics.

00:18:47.039 --> 00:19:09.759
<v SPEAKER_02>So I'm the person that for my clients, some 50, some odd of them, companies, governments, I track the things that will affect them: climate change, geopolitics, elections, the you know, economic shifts, like where the stock market is, what is going to happen all around them that will affect their ability to function.

00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:12.240
<v SPEAKER_01>Okay, this is the coolest thing I've ever heard.

00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.480
<v SPEAKER_01>I want to talk about this for at least seven hours.

00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.559
<v SPEAKER_01>We're gonna, I mean, I know we don't have the time, but this is my jam.

00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.319
<v SPEAKER_01>I did not know this had a name.

00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.039
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm feeling kind of dumb that I didn't know.

00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:28.799
<v SPEAKER_01>This is so goddamn cool because this is all I talk about.

00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:31.519
<v SPEAKER_01>Residual effects of one thing to the other.

00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:34.720
<v SPEAKER_02>Like I'm it's an internal-facing job, I think.

00:19:34.799 --> 00:19:44.559
<v SPEAKER_02>So I think people do more and more people are hearing about it, but it's it's been a job for since then maybe the 1940s or 50s.

00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:46.000
<v SPEAKER_02>It's been sure it has been.

00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:47.440
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, it's been around a long time.

00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:54.079
<v SPEAKER_02>But I the funny thing that's happening now, because it's always been an internal-facing job, is two things are happening.

00:19:54.240 --> 00:20:09.920
<v SPEAKER_02>One is you have these random people who have no training whatsoever and no experience claiming they're futurists, which is interesting for me because occasionally I will tell someone what I do and they'll say, Oh, I'm one too, and they're not actually.

00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:12.480
<v SPEAKER_02>So this is not that.

00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:13.839
<v SPEAKER_02>This is not that.

00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:21.359
<v SPEAKER_02>So I have been one for, well, we won't discuss how long, but decades, decades for for companies and governments.

00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:28.000
<v SPEAKER_02>But it has for a long time, it's been an internal facing job because we're the ones who assess all these things are that are going to affect you.

00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:29.200
<v SPEAKER_02>And then I wrote a book.

00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:36.319
<v SPEAKER_02>I'd been doing it for a while, and then I ended up uh writing a book after I'd written quite a lot of articles.

00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:37.599
<v SPEAKER_02>I just I had more to say.

00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:40.640
<v SPEAKER_02>And your book title is Disrobed.

00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:45.359
<v SPEAKER_02>It's called Disro as into Take Off Clothes, but it's not about taking off clothes.

00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:49.279
<v SPEAKER_02>It is really a marriage of it's a double entendre.

00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:55.359
<v SPEAKER_02>It's a double entendre of where the world is going and vis-a-vis soft goods.

00:20:55.680 --> 00:21:07.680
<v SPEAKER_02>So actually, around things like uh the clash of civilizations between the East and the West, as seen through like the policing of women and how women are dressed, whether we're too covered up, whether not covered up enough.

00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:13.119
<v SPEAKER_02>Talking, you know, so before this whole mask controversy, I, you know, I wrote about that.

00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:22.160
<v SPEAKER_02>It's about the issues around climate change and uh you know, around everything from organic cotton to the source of our food and the South Seas.

00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:25.440
<v SPEAKER_02>I wrote about uh wearable technology.

00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:34.160
<v SPEAKER_02>So now you see uh my book came out quite some time ago, but I wrote essentially about wearable tech and how what's happening now with driverless cars.

00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:39.920
<v SPEAKER_02>So when I wrote the book, funny enough, none of that stuff was really as Waymo didn't exist.

00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:40.240
<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.640
<v SPEAKER_02>Oh, I was just yeah, why why would it?

00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:47.119
<v SPEAKER_02>No, it had not it did it didn't exist when I wrote my book, and now it does.

00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:48.079
<v SPEAKER_01>Wow.

00:21:48.559 --> 00:22:10.240
<v SPEAKER_01>A lot of that ties back to the advent of pockets for women's fashion, yes, and the advent of handbags for women as someone who Who has become kind of an accidental handbag historian within the 200 years I've been in handbags at this point to have to know the why of everything.

00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:28.079
<v SPEAKER_01>And like Ghost wrote a story about the history of women's handbags and how it tied back to technology, going back to 3800 BCE, from carrying things that men would go out and for hunt and kill, but where that left the women and how they had to carry.

00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:32.400
<v SPEAKER_01>And it's so wild how all of that ties back in.

00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:41.680
<v SPEAKER_01>And when people started carrying handbags, historically they would be perceived as lower class because otherwise, why would you have to carry your stuff?

00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:44.319
<v SPEAKER_01>Why would you have to carry somebody carrying it for you?

00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:46.400
<v SPEAKER_01>Or you would buy things on credit.

00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:50.160
<v SPEAKER_01>So none of that would be even a topic for discussion.

00:22:50.480 --> 00:22:51.200
<v SPEAKER_01>It's still true.

00:22:51.279 --> 00:23:02.559
<v SPEAKER_02>It's sort of you see how the, you know, a few years ago, I think probably five years ago, when Delvaux and everyone was coming out with teeny tiny little, you know, tiny little handbags that could carry a key and nothing else.

00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:03.279
<v SPEAKER_01>Yes.

00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.160
<v SPEAKER_01>Yes.

00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:18.480
<v SPEAKER_01>Is there something that you can share based on what's going on in the world that you think would go back to how this could potentially impact either the size, shape, or organization of handbags?

00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:22.880
<v SPEAKER_01>Because I speak a lot about, you know, based on where the market is going.

00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:28.880
<v SPEAKER_01>If the market is going south, obviously color is out the window because lab dips are too expensive.

00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:41.119
<v SPEAKER_01>You know, to have color in a palette is really pricey because obviously without economies of scale, your bags are going to cost more, at least on the production side, to add color to it.

00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:45.680
<v SPEAKER_01>And you have to eat that in order to have everything priced the same.

00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:49.200
<v SPEAKER_01>But when the market isn't going well, there's more structure.

00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:53.440
<v SPEAKER_01>Backpacks aren't doing as well because people don't want to have to look back.

00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:54.559
<v SPEAKER_01>They want to look forward.

00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:56.160
<v SPEAKER_01>There's all these wild things.

00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:59.839
<v SPEAKER_01>So, do you have any nuggets that you can impart?

00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:01.519
<v SPEAKER_01>Because I'm all ears.

00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:07.680
<v SPEAKER_02>I think the moment that we're facing right now is a few things are happening, right?

00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:20.480
<v SPEAKER_02>One is at this exact moment, we're talking about war and the price of gas and the economy and people, shrinkflation has been something we've been talking about for years now.

00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:22.720
<v SPEAKER_02>And people are quite concerned around that.

00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:31.599
<v SPEAKER_02>At the same time, as we're really thinking about the impact that clothing and fashion has on the planet.

00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:38.799
<v SPEAKER_02>And, you know, when my book came out, it was the very beginning of the conversation around the circular economy.

00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:44.480
<v SPEAKER_02>And now you see that Gen Z is quite interested in thrifting.

00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:53.119
<v SPEAKER_02>It's no longer something thrifting has become almost impossible because you know, everything you can't get anything on a deal anymore.

00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:56.079
<v SPEAKER_02>Everything is like sold to professional thrifters.

00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:56.799
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:06.319
<v SPEAKER_02>But where I think the shift is really happening is this conversation around plastic, around the materials that we're using.

00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:17.680
<v SPEAKER_02>So for the first time, there is this concern that things are falling apart because we've now had fast fashion long enough that it's actually starting to disintegrate.

00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:25.920
<v SPEAKER_02>And I remember I did this article probably about 10, 15 years ago, where I took these sneakers and I wish I'd left them there.

00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.880
<v SPEAKER_02>They're not there anymore.

00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:31.599
<v SPEAKER_02>But I buried these sneakers to sort of see if they would actually disintegrate.

00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:33.039
<v SPEAKER_02>Oh my god.

00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:39.200
<v SPEAKER_02>I wanted to see if I put them in, and of course, that was a, as I like to say, anecdote is not data.

00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:44.640
<v SPEAKER_02>It's a sort of a fake experiment because it it doesn't have the correct composting situation.

00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:59.279
<v SPEAKER_02>And then they you know, but I think we're now at this crossroads where people are really thinking about what are you making, you know, what materials are being made and how how much do we really need to have?

00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:12.960
<v SPEAKER_02>So when someone is coming into the market, if you're a new designer, you really need to think above and beyond there, there was a moment, and I think that moment lasted for 10, 20 years where people only cared about style.

00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:15.759
<v SPEAKER_02>And I don't think that's the conversation anymore.

00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:24.400
<v SPEAKER_02>So if you are making something now, and I s I you will never get me to co-sign on the Google Glass situation.

00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:26.799
<v SPEAKER_02>I'm sorry, Google, I'm never cosigning that.

00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:28.319
<v SPEAKER_02>I think it's a bad idea, it's ugly.

00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:30.720
<v SPEAKER_02>They've been trying to, they're trying to still make fetch happen.

00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:32.319
<v SPEAKER_01>I was just gonna say that, yes.

00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:34.079
<v SPEAKER_02>They're still trying to make fetch happen.

00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:43.519
<v SPEAKER_02>And I and but I think that if you're thinking about making and becoming an accessory company now, you have to have a bigger conversation beyond style.

00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:48.640
<v SPEAKER_02>You cannot be living in a bubble of I don't care what people's morals and values are.

00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.440
<v SPEAKER_02>You you need to care about everything.

00:26:51.599 --> 00:27:04.079
<v SPEAKER_02>You need to care about where the materials come from, you need to care about what the actual function is, how are you going to get it to market, be above and beyond what your customer looks like, you know, what you're talking about, about what the girl looks like.

00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:07.200
<v SPEAKER_02>Where is that piece going 10, 15 years from now?

00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:10.000
<v SPEAKER_02>You need to care about how are you going to get it out there?

00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:18.319
<v SPEAKER_02>Because with several of the major retailers imploding, so there's it used to be that you could just design pretty things.

00:27:18.480 --> 00:27:22.640
<v SPEAKER_02>And I think that conversation now should be more responsible.

00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:29.599
<v SPEAKER_01>It needs to be your why, what's your what's your why needs to be a 360 conversation.

00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:30.160
<v SPEAKER_02>Correct.

00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:33.279
<v SPEAKER_02>Not just what am I carrying, but what is it made of?

00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:34.400
<v SPEAKER_02>Who is making it?

00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:36.079
<v SPEAKER_02>Where's it coming from?

00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:44.720
<v SPEAKER_02>And we also need to, you know, for a very long time, it was very difficult to have the conversation around where things were being made.

00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:57.279
<v SPEAKER_02>Because whenever I would tell people that a lot of the things they thought were made in Europe were not made in Europe, yeah, I would be called a propagandist, I would be called, you know, every racist name in the book.

00:27:57.440 --> 00:28:06.160
<v SPEAKER_02>But the fact of the matter is that if you are making something for$2 and it is being made, it is not being made in France.

00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:07.279
<v SPEAKER_02>I'm sorry, it's not.

00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:15.839
<v SPEAKER_02>And and the all of the designers making their luxury goods are making them in Asia.

00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:27.920
<v SPEAKER_02>And when I first said that in the early 2000s, I was told, you know, that I was wrong, that you know, I was called every name in the book, but now we know that that is true.

00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:28.400
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:37.279
<v SPEAKER_02>So I think to, you know, that means that you have to be a responsible partner to the people who are making your things and think about the whole journey.

00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:39.359
<v SPEAKER_02>Is it being made out of leather?

00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:47.200
<v SPEAKER_02>Is it being made out of, are you, you know, I see companies that are using meat industry leather, which is very smart.

00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:55.680
<v SPEAKER_02>So there's there's a early on I wrote about shoes that were made out of onion skins, bags that were made out of fish peel.

00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:00.480
<v SPEAKER_02>There's a conversation that's bigger that you need to have around your product.

00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:11.680
<v SPEAKER_01>And that also speaks to, and I love to talk about this, but you know, this construct of saying something is vegan leather when it's that's polyurethane.

00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:13.200
<v SPEAKER_02>It's plastic.

00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:15.759
<v SPEAKER_02>Something is vegan leather, it's plastic.

00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.200
<v SPEAKER_02>It's I have no problem.

00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:24.480
<v SPEAKER_02>So I have no problem with if so I have leather items that I have owned forever.

00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:28.640
<v SPEAKER_02>Meaning I bought them probably in the 90s, yeah.

00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:31.200
<v SPEAKER_02>They still exist and I'm gonna keep them forever.

00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:34.240
<v SPEAKER_02>I've kept them really so that's the other aspect of it.

00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:43.680
<v SPEAKER_02>It's how long are you the issue with fast fashion isn't just the cost to make it, it's the cost to own it, to get rid of it, to upkeep it.

00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:56.559
<v SPEAKER_02>So if you are going to keep a pleather item forever and you're and you're going to keep it in good condition, that's a very different conversation than, but I there's no need to call it vegan leather.

00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:57.279
<v SPEAKER_02>It's pleather.

00:29:57.440 --> 00:29:59.599
<v SPEAKER_02>I grew up calling a pleather, it's pleather.

00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:01.119
<v SPEAKER_01>I know, I know.

00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:09.440
<v SPEAKER_01>How can we find you, follow you to get more of your exciting nuggets and also amazing flashbacks that I swear am in the background?

00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:10.400
<v SPEAKER_01>I can't wait.

00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:11.839
<v SPEAKER_01>I am on Instagram.

00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.880
<v SPEAKER_02>I'm at hip guide, which is the name of the company.

00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:20.160
<v SPEAKER_02>At some point, eventually, I started building a new website, amazingly enough.

00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:22.960
<v SPEAKER_02>And at some point I will actually finish it.

00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:25.039
<v SPEAKER_01>I know the feeling.

00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:27.359
<v SPEAKER_02>So at some point we'll finish it.

00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:29.359
<v SPEAKER_02>And let's see what else.

00:30:29.599 --> 00:30:30.319
<v SPEAKER_02>There's my book.

00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:31.759
<v SPEAKER_02>It's called Disrobed.

00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:35.200
<v SPEAKER_02>It is available, as people love to say, everywhere books are available.

00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:37.839
<v SPEAKER_02>But I think if you join Audible, you can get it for free.

00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:41.599
<v SPEAKER_02>It's at every library, it's at a thousand libraries in the world.

00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.400
<v SPEAKER_02>So you can get it pretty much at any library.

00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:46.799
<v SPEAKER_02>And then all the majors, Barnes and Noble.

00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:49.759
<v SPEAKER_02>It's an ebook, it's an audiobook, it's everything.

00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:53.839
<v SPEAKER_01>And on Instagram, you are I'm at HipGuide.

00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:54.880
<v SPEAKER_01>At HipGuide.

00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:55.680
<v SPEAKER_01>Thank you, Ms.

00:30:55.839 --> 00:30:56.720
<v SPEAKER_01>Siltang.

00:30:56.799 --> 00:30:59.279
<v SPEAKER_01>It has been a wonderful time reconnect.

00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:00.240
<v SPEAKER_01>Oh, wait.

00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:05.599
<v SPEAKER_02>Also, I started a matchbook account, and that's at HipGuide Matches.

00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:18.079
<v SPEAKER_02>And the reason that might be interesting is because even if you're not a matchbook collector, I started telling some of the old stories of the 2000s, of nightlife in the 2000s, and vis-a-vis the matchbooks.

00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:19.759
<v SPEAKER_01>Okay, that's clever AF.

00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:20.720
<v SPEAKER_01>We have to keep talking.

00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:21.200
<v SPEAKER_01>Okay.

00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:23.279
<v SPEAKER_01>All right, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:24.559
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks for having me.

00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:25.839
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks for listening.

00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:31.359
<v SPEAKER_01>Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at Handbike Designer.

00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:32.000
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks so much.

00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:33.440
<v SPEAKER_01>See you next time.