As luxury fashion brand Adeam celebrates its 10th anniversary, CEO and creative director Hanako Maeda reflected on the brand's growth. The Tokyo-born, NYC-raised designer, who is also vp of Tokyo-based fashion brand Foxey, said one of the most vital factors to Adeam's success has been being OK with growing slowly but steadily. 'The key is to really know your customer and not to expand the brand in a way that feels too fast or too quick," Maeda said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. For example, though Adeam has been around for a decade, it only recently branched out into releasing collaborations with ambassadors. Its first was in February 2020, with tennis star Naomi Osaka — marking her first fashion collaboration, as well. Adeam launched its latest collaboration with model Carolyn Murphy, in June, using the best practices gained from the partnership with Osaka. "[Our] collaboration [with Carolyn Murphy] was unique because the collection was 100% sustainable. We used fabrics made from organic cotton or fabrics that are biodegradable and go back into the soil after the clothing has met its cycle and lifetime," Maeda said. "I'd love to continue to have these collaborations [because] they inspire me to create different things for our main collection, as well." In terms of the next steps for Adeam, Maeda has set her eyes on global expansion. The designer plans to build a flagship store from scratch in New York City and grow the brand in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

According to co-founders and co-CEOs Jenna Kerner and Jane Fisher, Harper Wilde, the intimates brand they launched in 2017, would not be nearly as successful as it is if it weren’t for the community they built early on. Kerner and Fisher launched the DTC bra brand after previously working together on a completely different brand following business school. Though the two had very little experience in the retail space, they knew there was an opportunity for a millennial intimates brand to launch and disrupt the industry. Fast forward to 2022, and Harper Wilde has not only managed to foster a thriving community, but it has also differentiated itself in a crowded market — a feat not many brands are able to tout. To date, it’s leveraged through crowdsourcing and has created a high-quality product made of well-researched raw materials — and Harper Wilde has bigger milestones ahead. For example, the company is hoping to expand into new categories later this year. Currently, Harper Wilde’s online site is its primary shopping channel, but it also sells at Nordstrom in a few stores and online. “Our North Star has always been to be the next market leader in intimates. There’s so much opportunity for us to continue to provide more silhouettes, more products and more sizes,” Kerner said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “[Our customer] is asking us for more than just bras and underwear. … Now that we have her size for the most difficult garments to make, there are a lot of opportunities for us to understand how we can make other garments that fit her incredibly well and are super soft.”