BOLD BRANDS: Technology and Innovation in Apparel eCommerce

The Mississippi-based custom denim jean company, founded by Josh West and Nick Weaver, makes all their jeans in the USA, leveraging local seamstresses' skills and expertise to create their signature five-pocket denim in the finest raw materials. Blue Delta Jeans also introduced an online fitting tool that allows customers to be fit from anywhere in the world. In this episode of BOLD Brands, we speak with CEO Josh West and Blake Cocanougher, VP of Sales & Director of Wholesale Operations, to find out how they are building a scalable DTC model for custom jeans using cutting edge fit and sizing technology.

Stephanie Benedetto, the CEO and Co-Founder of Queen of Raw—an online marketplace to buy and sell unused textiles—shares her motivation to turn pollution into profit and keep textile waste out of landfills by leveraging data analytics and technology. Featured on NPR, Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Vogue, Stephanie is a 2020 Inc. Female Founders 100. Find out how she grew Queen of Raw during COVID-19 and her forecast on the technology that will change the future of apparel retail and fashion eCommerce.

Californian brand Olivers is all about premium athletic staples reimagined for the 21st century. In this episode, we speak with its CEO, David Wolfe, to find out how this direct-to-consumer menswear label's focus on high-quality innovative fabrics, sourced from as far afield as Australia and Peru, has led to higher conversions and helped expand their online business.

Selling luxury sleepwear and lingerie online might have seemed like a long shot when Julianna Rae launched in 2005 but a quality product range combined with excellent customer service and care meant that the brand built up a loyal fan base quickly and has continued to grow. Now in its 16th year, this digitally-native company owes its success to paying close attention to what its customers want, while also focusing on creating a seamless online shopping experience. We speak with co-founder, Juli Lee, to discover how the brand has pioneered luxury lingerie eCommerce.

In this episode, we speak with Kelly Watters of Western Rise—a line of premium, menswear classics that focused on performance and versatility to cater to an adventurous modern lifestyle. Celebrating innovative technical fabrics and designs that could go from a boardroom meeting to hitting the trail, find out how its founders expanded their DTC business during 2020 while stepping up on the brand’s sustainability and social responsibilities.

Vancouver-based Gentle Fawn has established itself as a leading purveyor of chic, feminine, and yet effortless, clothing for women. As the brand celebrates its 18th successful year in the competitive world of apparel retail and fashion. We speak with co-founder Carla Hogg to discover the power of listening, why sustainability is a core part of the company culture, and how they work with retailers and customers to get back on track in a post-COVID world.

Imagine a pair of overalls made from sweatpants material. Sound great? Well, Kyle Bergman thought so too. The founder of The Great Fantastic has the enviable title of Chief Swoveralls Officer and has created the world's most comfortable pair of overalls. Find out how he built up a successful brand while balancing a commitment to producing quality apparel that champions sustainability. From collaborations with influencers to artists, hear how Bergman is turning Swoveralls (Sweatpants + Overalls, geddit?) into The Next Big Thing.

In this episode, Jeff Mergy speaks with Charlie Burgwyn, the chief design and creative officer, as well as the founder of Stitch Golf. Founded in 2012 as a headcover company, Stitch became known for designing and creating products with precise attention to detail, all the way down to the last stitch. With exacting attention to detail, Burgwyn has created an enviable brand in one of the fastest-growing sports categories while remaining true to the sport of golf. Discover how authenticity and consistency have played a role in the brand’s fast-growing success.

In this episode, Marc C. Close of Six Atomic explains how their cutting-edge technology enables brands and designers to get their designs to market in minutes, as opposed to months. Discover how automating the patternmaking process, technical design and grading enable Six Atomic to create an on-demand supply chain for companies while improving sustainability by producing less waste and using fewer resources.

Using computer vision and graphics technology, Forma builds photorealistic avatars that are a dynamic and personalized extension of a person’s online identity. From just a single image, users can create a flexible visual identity instantly, and photo-realistically, allowing individuals to try on any outfit virtually. BOLD Brands speak with co-founder and Forma CEO, Ben Chiang, to find out how, and why, the next fashion moment will take place in VR.

Apparel retailers face incredible challenges in a post-COVID world. In this episode we speak with the founder of Luxor and Finch, Jessica Couch, to discover how brands can build a better business using technology, and how fixing fit and sizing issues isn't just about reducing returns but also helps tackle the important issue of inclusivity and diversity.

In this episode, Bold Metrics’ co-founder Morgan Linton speaks with Desiree Buchanan, Founder of DTC womenswear label PopLinen, to find out why brands need to embrace diversity and empower sustainability, as well as the smart PR moves to help them through this pandemic.

Great content engages customers and increases conversions. In this episode, Bold Metrics’ co-founder Morgan Linton speaks with Eph Apparel’s co-founder, Andrew Parkes, on the importance of captivating content, how to best engage with customers online, and why casual wear could save the day.

In this episode, Bold Metrics’ co-founder Morgan Linton speaks with Diana Ganz, co-founder of online suiting company, The Groomsman Suit, on using technology to boost customer confidence, the impact of Covid-19 on formalwear sales, and her tips for starting up your own online apparel company.