Podcast Summary: Fashion People
Episode: American Fashion Story
Host: Lauren Sherman
Guest: Steven Kolb (CEO, CFDA – Council of Fashion Designers of America)
Date: October 31, 2025
Overview
This episode offers an in-depth conversation between Lauren Sherman and Steven Kolb, marking Kolb’s nearly 20 years as CEO of the CFDA. Together, they examine the transformation of American fashion over two decades, discuss the culture, challenges, and realities behind the glamor, and offer a backstage look at the upcoming 2025 CFDA Awards. The tone is candid and thoughtful, filled with stories, industry insights, and humor about the actual business and community that shapes American fashion.
Episode Highlights & Key Discussion Points
1. Steven Kolb’s Tenure and the Evolution of the CFDA
- Kolb’s Role: Nearly 20 years at CFDA, becoming its longest-serving director ([11:34]).
- Not-for-Profit Background: Kolb’s experience in philanthropy (American Cancer Society, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS) set him apart from predecessors ([16:12]).
- Organizational Growth: Under Kolb, CFDA became more professional, focused, and service-oriented, leveraging his nonprofit expertise ([18:50]).
“We were a small little kind of okay, funded organization. But then over the course of many years, we were able to build that up just through a not-for-profit business lens versus a fashion director or buyer or fashion PR person taking that position.” — Steven Kolb [18:50]
2. Inside the CFDA Awards: Honoring Resilience, Managing Expectations
- Seating Complexities: Kolb details the convoluted politics and logistics of the awards’ seating—balancing personalities, sponsors, celebs, and members ([08:39]).
- Generational Representation: Emphasis on recognizing both new talent and established designers, e.g., honoring Cynthia Rowley for her “unsung” resilience ([10:17]).
“She’s a really good example of how we tried to create generational representation on stage. She’s somebody that’s been around for a while. An unsung, recognized talent designer.” — Steven Kolb [10:17]
- Pot Pie Tradition: From Anna Wintour to Tom Brown, the continued tradition of serving pot pie at the awards—valued for quick service and as an industry in-joke ([14:21]).
3. Shifting Objectives and Value of CFDA Membership
- Evolving Mission: Started as an arts-and-culture trade body, now much more business- and service-oriented, emphasizing tangible support for designers ([19:48]).
- Challenges: As services and programs grew, some members felt excluded or under-supported, leading to the recent “Membership 2.0” recalibration, focused on mutual participation and pride in membership ([24:37]).
“If you can believe that and own that, then you should be part of the organization. But if you have expectation for something more, then you have to really think, is CFDA right for you?” — Steven Kolb [24:24]
- Storytelling & Visibility: Significant CFDA social reach and online platform enables American designers of all sizes to tell their stories and gain exposure ([25:59]).
4. The Business and Logistics of Fashion Week
- CFDA’s Role: Manages New York Fashion Week, a complex task with less government support than European peers. Juggles interests of brands, sponsors, venues, and the city itself ([27:21]).
- Calendar Control: Acquisition of Ruth Finley’s Fashion Calendar allowed for a more curated schedule ([29:19]).
- From Commercial to Creative: Shift under different chairs (Diane von Furstenberg, Tom Ford, Tom Brown) from commercialism to fostering creativity ([31:12]).
- Sponsorship Evolution: Fewer gift bags, less sponsor integration; now focused on creative partnerships and public engagement, like streaming shows at Rockefeller Center ([33:23]).
- Accessibility Initiatives: Partnerships (e.g., with Google) aim to fund accessible design for broader audiences ([35:59]).
“Our P and L, if you look at a P and L for Fashion Week, is the success that the individual designers have or the story that is defining New York. We’re not looking at a, at a bottom line number.” — Steven Kolb [33:23]
5. Transformation of American Fashion
- 2000s Landscape: Post-9/11, nurturing of young designers through programs like the Fashion Fund; American fashion as a feeder for European luxury ([38:36]).
- New Era: Brands accept their unique market position; shift from trying to emulate European heritage houses to embracing American style and realities ([43:22]).
“What we still represent is opportunity. I don’t think there’s another city in the world where a young designer can stake their claim.” — Steven Kolb [41:09]
- American Influence Abroad: U.S.-grown talent now leads European houses—evidence of American strength and global influence ([45:02]).
- Tariffs and Manufacturing: The threat of tariffs and the difficulties of local manufacturing. Introduction of the Local Production Fund to build designer-factory relationships and support the local ecosystem ([47:50]).
6. Personal Reflections and Industry Realities
- Kolb’s Unique Role: It’s a high-pressure, service-heavy job that blends fashion acumen with nonprofit leadership ([50:09]).
“We are basically 1-800-customer service for fashion… So much of it is the phone call, the lunch, the one on one, the meeting by chance.” — Steven Kolb [50:48]
- Lauren’s Acknowledgement: Lauren Sherman credits Kolb for shepherding the industry through turbulent times and giving guidance ([49:24]).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Resilience:
“The idea of resilience in this industry is so important and figuring out how to make it through in your own way.”
— Lauren Sherman [11:05] -
On Changing the Narrative:
“There’s no designer elsewhere that has the kind of voice, politically or socially, that an American designer has.”
— Steven Kolb [42:05] -
On the Practicality of American Fashion:
“Once they gave up on that and just tried to be true to who they were, it all sort of started to work out.”
— Lauren Sherman [45:03] -
On the Unseen Work:
“We are basically 1-800-customer service for fashion.”
— Steven Kolb [50:48] -
On What’s Next for CFDA:
“My team knows this… So much of it is the phone call, the lunch, the one on one… and that’s where we’re really doing a lot of impact.”
— Steven Kolb [50:48]
Key Timestamps
- 07:53 – Steven Kolb joins: breakfast, daily routine, CFDA Awards seating drama
- 10:17 – Generational representation at the Awards; honoring Cynthia Rowley
- 11:26 – 19:48 – Kolb’s career path, CFDA’s not-for-profit roots, early days
- 19:48 – 26:17 – CFDA’s mission: from arts and culture to robust member services
- 26:49 – 33:20 – The logistics and evolution of Fashion Week: calendar, sponsorship, commercial aspects, public engagement
- 37:21 – 46:18 – How American fashion has evolved post-9/11, new generation of talent, U.S. designers and brands’ changing ambitions
- 47:50 – Manufacturing, tariffs, and the new Local Production Fund
- 49:24 – 53:19 – Reflection on Kolb's legacy, gratitude from Sherman, and lighthearted discussion of what to wear to the Awards
Final Thoughts
This episode pulls back the curtain on both the glamour and the grind of American fashion. Kolb provides a rare, unguarded perspective on the organizational, cultural, and political forces shaping the industry. Lauren Sherman’s honest, insider tone makes the conversation accessible and insightful, serving up a rich survey of how fashion leadership, creativity, and pragmatism collide behind the scenes.