"This thing doesn't exist yet, but I already know it matters."That's what the custom clientele of Studio Maçon are saying when they commission Hannah Woodard to create one of her brass totems. Each object is shaped by both Hannah and the customer's desire for it to come into being, giving it a story before it ever has a form.In this episode of Style as Identity, Hannah Woodard and Lola Catero discuss emotional functionality, the role of custom work in her business, and what clients seek when commissioning a deeply personal object. We explore how Studio Maçon creates pieces that serve an emotional purpose today while already standing as future heirlooms.We also discuss the customer insight that helped Studio Maçon achieve 3x returns on paid media, and why understanding what customers are truly buying can transform both product development and marketing.Like and subscribe to Style as Identity for conversations with the founders evolving the style-status-quo and building fashion businesses within their vision, values, and vibe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, designing a process around the client without compromising the craft, and creating garments that help people feel more fully themselves. Like and subscribe to Style as Identity for conversations with the founders evolving the style-status-quo and building fashion businesses within their vision, values, and vibe. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroup.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 experiences that ripple across generations and make us who we are. Join us to see how stories are spun into style. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroup.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 30, to hear how they are flipping the script, and their secret to using social to drive sales, hype and authenticity.  Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, heritage) and sitting in her present. The brand and the pieces become a form of spiritual expression that add to the public archive. Hear how Akua and her mother quickly grew their personal project into an in-demand business. You’ll be as in awe as we were.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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’, a dozen-piece ode to ancestors, honoring of resistance, and urge to reflect on the future. From hijab hoodies to camel shaped shoes, hear how Sylwia creates these heirlooms at first stitch and produces profound pieces placed in closets and museums alike.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 leather bags, totes, backpacks and accessories by reaching back to their roots and partnering with Muzeyen Siraj and his team of artisans in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Find out how they started their brand by accident (read: friends and strangers alike were clamouring for these bags), what lessons Xiomara has learned through working with her Dad, and why building a business alongside trusted community like artisan-partner like Muzeyen Siraj will help you get through flames.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 worth it? Is there a better way for brands to protect their IP? Join us.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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’s as important to trademark as it is to patent.  Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 packing, and underwear with a tucking channel. If that wasn’t enough, they also own queer-canon media company Autostraddle. Find out why its mission critical for them to be both product and media company, and how their membership community fuels - and - flourishes because of it.  Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroup  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.