Ty Haney's return to Outdoor Voices marks a pivotal moment for the brand, focusing on community-driven loyalty and a return to its recreational roots. This episode offers valuable lessons from the DTC era, highlighting the integration of tech for brand loyalty and the strategic shift towards bolder design and product capsules like equestrian and hiking wear. Ecommerce operators can learn about effective brand reinvention and leveraging community for sustained growth.
On this week’s episode, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska unpack the week’s biggest fashion headlines. They start with the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Show, which returned to New York with a more inclusive casting lineup that featured WNBA star Angel Reese, plus-size and trans models, and a visibly pregnant Jasmine Tookes. With performances from Missy Elliott and Karol G, the show aimed to balance its signature spectacle with a renewed focus on diversity and empowerment. Danny and Zofia debate whether this marks a genuine evolution for the lingerie giant or a one-and-done activation to win back cultural relevance. The pair then discusses Gucci’s €119 million fine from E.U. regulators for restricting retailers’ ability to set prices, part of a larger €157 million antitrust ruling also affecting Chloé and Loewe. The case highlights how luxury brands’ tight control over distribution is clashing with European competition law, a precedent that could loosen pricing control across the sector. They also cover Armani’s leadership transition following Giorgio Armani’s passing last month, with longtime executive Giuseppe Marsocci stepping in as CEO and partner Pantaleo Dell’Orco taking over as chairman. The succession marks a historic moment for what was one of fashion’s last founder-led houses as it considers a partial sale to outside investors. In the second half of the episode (22:00), editor-in-chief Jill Manoff speaks with Ty Haney, founder of Outdoor Voices, about her much-anticipated return to the brand, which she calls its “chapter two.” Haney explains how her equestrian and hiking capsules reflect a return to OV’s joyful, recreation-first roots, and how her tech startup, TYB, is powering a new community-driven brand loyalty model. She shares brand lessons from the DTC era, the reasons she’s leaning into bolder design and color, and her plans to connect her three ventures — Outdoor Voices, TYB and the energy drink br