STYLE AS IDENTITY

Melissa Watson Ellis wants women to stop making headlines simply because they wore a suit. Through Watson Ellis, her custom and bespoke suiting atelier, Melissa is changing who gets access to tailored clothing, and what tradition looks like when it expands instead of excludes.

In this episode of Style as Identity, host Lola Catero speaks with Melissa about making custom suiting more accessible, design...

Who are we? Some of us look to our past as well as our present to answer that question. We spoke to four brands (UnoEth, Nazzal Studios, House of Aama, and Dendezeiro) who are adding to the public archives with creations rooted in history, heritage, identity, and most of all, power. If fashion is a language (and we believe it is), their output is expanding our lexicon of self-expression and our collective understanding of the exper...

Brazilian born-and-blessed brand Dendezeiro represents the lesser acknowledged narratives of Bahia. Through the lens of Hisan Silva and Pedro Batalha exploring their family roots, they use fashion to redefine the narrative of sertão  the dry backlands of Brazil. 

Where some say local fashion is corny or ‘brega’, Hisan and Pedro say it’s chic. Meet Hisan, Hypebeast’s next 100 and Forbes the 30 under...

Akua Shabaka, along with her mother, Rebecca Henry, established House of Aama in 2015. Akua and her mother are world builders and weavers of visual stories. They create stunning, often ethereal collections like Salt Water, that introduced a fictional Black resort called Camp Aama, and like Sun Records, inspired by Akua’s father’s life. House of Aama is the output of Akua digging into her past (culture, identity, heritag...

Although Sylwia Nazzal dreamt of one day launching her own brand, her first goal after graduating from Parsons Paris in 2023 was to gain in-house experience. However, no one would hire the Palestinian Jordanian, Arab designer, citing her as talented but too political. 

When they said no, she said yes. Sylwia moved home to Jordan and started Nazzal Studio, debuting her first hit-collection ‘What Should Have Been Home&...

If you’ve ever had a truckload of product catch fire just before it reaches its destination…then you can relate to UnoEth. If you haven’t experienced this feeling, tune into this episode to hear how Xiomara Rosa-Tedla and her dad Dagne Tedla made it through, with help from the strength of their partnerships and vendors.

Their father-daughter business UnoEth (one Ethiopia) offers signature, handcrafted leat...

Innovative products can change our lives. We spoke to four brands (Evelyn & Bobbie, Crave, For Them and CuteCircuit) whose patented products grant us permission to choose ourselves - and not settle for products that don’t. But applying for a patent takes time and money - precious resources for emerging brands. In this Reflections episode, we take what we learned from these guests and form our own opinion. Are patents wort...

CuteCircuit was the first fashion company to create smart textile-based garments that create an emotional experience for their wearer. Like their Hug Shirt™ that can send people a hug, or The SoundShirt™ that allows deaf and hearing audiences to experience music and sports more intimately through transmitting sound into touch. Meet Francesca Rosella and learn how she brought these inventions to life and hear why she thinks it&rsquo...

Queer people have been using DIY techniques to present more fully as themselves since the first baby gay was born. Recently brands have started to build products safely, stylishly serving this need. For Them is *the most* innovative name in the game, offering two binding options with their Binder All Day and the Binder Max. They also debuted the first-ever Jockless Strap, a pouchless jockstrap, Trad Boxers that offer a pouch for pa...

In 2008 Ti Chang went searching for an enjoyable pleasure product. All she saw were lazily made, anatomical parts. As an industrial designer, she set out to create the products she wanted. What happens when you create something no one asked for? For Ti, this was a vibrator on a chain. Find out how she brought it to life and created a net-new category: pleasure jewelry. What’s her POV on patents? Mixed reviews. 

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In the US, only 12% of patents are granted to women. Evelyn & Bobbie founder, Bree McKeen, has six of them. With their biomimicking bras, Evelyn & Bobbie offers the world the first true underwire replacement. In exploring this theme of patents we’re focused on fashion innovations that give us permission to be our unequivocal selves. Let’s meet Bree and find out how she went from idea to patented inv...

Made in Portugal. Designed in NY. How do we define where a brand is ‘from’? Its origin? Is the answer straightforward, or nuanced, like our very own origin stories? We met with four brands whose genesis is heavily intertwined with their own origin story to dig deeper. Sit with us, Lola and Frankie, as we unlock how the origin stories of The Øther, Sheila Rashid, Savant Studio and Bhavya Ramesh are also what makes them n...

Bhavya Ramesh and her namesake brand are expanding the audience for Indian jewelry both globally (outside of India) and locally (beyond Indian weddings). Bhavya creates time-transcendent pieces rooted in culture: sunglasses, rings,… you name it, Bhavya is designing it, and pushing the boundaries to give us experimental self-expression. Bhavya says she always goes a step too far when imagining her designs. The result is a bra...

Michael Graham is the curious, romantic magic behind Savant Studios. The brand that produced the Brooklyn *it* trucker hat and 700 original pieces for Olympic athletes. The brand that puts on Sunday Vibes, the weekly place to catch that creative spark only caught when sharing space. The brand that travels every other month to Mexico to hand select leather. How does Savant Studios create throughlines and narratives that create cohes...

Chicago is the third largest city in the US but had its first ever fashion week this year. Brands like Sheila Rashid are putting it on the map by representing Chicago style with collections referential to blue-collar work through their own local fashion dialect (hello monochrome fits). Being so representative of a place while appealing to a global audience AND landing on the highest of profiled celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the ...

Through her brand The Øther, Nyla Hasan is connecting craft to identity. Using artisan-made, small batch garments she explores her experience and the tension of feeling like an “other”, hoping to use clothes as a way to build connection and belonging. Hear how she builds The Øther within the vision and values that push back on fashion industry norms and conventions.

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Let's unpack what we learned from the previous four collaboration-focused episodes Dinner Service NY, KSENIASCHNAIDER, Zipeng Zhu and Tala Barbotin Khalidy. Ranging from collabs with Adidas Originals, Allbirds, rappers and artists we reflect and marinate on the difference between a dream collab and the right collab to drive success for your brand. Listen to get the tips you don’t want to miss. 

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Tala Barbotin Khalidy pieces aren’t just fashion - they change the lens through which we view Lebanon and Syria. They change our relationship with clothes. For her, collaborations are a way to practice self care through community, honor craft and preserve culture. Hear how she defines collaboration and the ways it manifests into partnerships with jewelry makers, illustrators, animators, and rappers.

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The best way for a brand to know how to create a successful collaboration is by listening to the people we collaborate with. Today we sit with Zipeng Zhu and get his perspective on how to bring a collaboration to life so everyone benefits - especially the consumer.

Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders building fashion brands within their values and vision.
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