With 25 years of experience at luxury brands like Burberry and Céline, Ulrik Garde Due’s reputation for revitalizing companies led him to his current position as president and CEO of Mark Cross, America’s oldest luxury accessories brand.  “I saw a real opportunity in creating a lifestyle positioning," he said on this week’s episode of the Glossy Podcast. “[Not only with] women's accessories, but also [by] relaunching men's, which we [did] last year ... [and] creating more of a gifting destination for top-class quality and American luxury." When the pandemic hit, however, “We went from this survival to contingency planning to then, as I like to call it, ‘thrival’ mode,” said Garde Due. “It was our job to start thinking of the opportunities that this pandemic created for the industry and for the luxury consumer, and look at the post-pandemic era and what was needed to get executed during the pandemic to be ready for that.” That meant focusing on developing Mark Cross’ wholesale and directly operated channels and catering to consumers in the U.S. and in mainland China, which Due sees as ”an ever-growing market share” opportunity.  Mark Cross first began to cater to the preferences of the millennials and Gen-Z consumer demographics in the fall of 2019 by launching an “in-house vintage website.” Even more recently, the brand has reacted to the changes accelerated by Covid-19 by “investing heavily into the digital sphere.” That's included partnering with companies like Hero and a personalized delivery service.  “Getting back to the [20]19 [sales] volumes, as well as enlarging our community, are the two main goals this year," said Garde Due.

As the power of social media has grown, public opinion has become paramount in determining the next ‘"it" girl. Style and reliability are key components, but what the public often fails to consider is the impact of the motor behind the superstar machine, specifically as it pertains to a stylist. Law Roach, the fashion stylist to Zendaya and Celine Dion among his extensive résumé of A-listers, has proven the impact that refining one’s style can have on catapulting them to style icon status. Roach’s success in styling celebrities from TikTok to the silver screen -- see Addison Rae for the MTV Movie Awards and Anya Taylor Joy for both the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards -- is less formulaic and more “organic,” he said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “I don't necessarily have a wish list,” said Roach, of who he’d like to dress. “I work with people when it feels good or [when] I feel there's something that I can help them achieve, or vice versa.” Logistically, the process behind styling his star clients also varies based on each individual. While some clients are “heavily collaborative,” others “just want to be dressed,” said Roach. The “pop” and “finesse” that Roach brings to the table stem from his often unorthodox approach to fashion. For example, rather than pulling looks straight off of the runway, Roach deliberately utilizes vintage pieces from eBay, which he partnered with in June to “tell a story” through the looks that he curates. “I live in this world that’s very fantastical and whimsical and dreamy,” said Roach. “I'm always trying to use those clothes to help say something or make people feel something.”