This product is how our makeup lasts for 24 hours

Summary

Style-ish Podcast - Episode Summary

Episode: This product is how our makeup lasts for 24 hours
Date: April 21, 2026
Hosts: Madison Sullivan Thorpe, Joanna Fleming, Rhiannon Joyce
Special Guests: Annika (remote segment), Julia McCarthy (Friends with Frank)

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Overview

This episode of Style-ish dives deep into three major topics:

• The longevity secrets behind festival makeup (with emotional dispatches from Coachella)
• The “creatine craze” and how the supplement is increasingly being marketed to women (with a sharp discussion of the “pink tax” in wellness products)
• Meghan Markle’s Australian tour wardrobes and the immense ripple effect on local designers, with unique inside insight from the founder of Friends with Frank

The tone: relaxed, insightful, witty, and fashion-forward, making it accessible for beauty, fashion, and wellness gurus and curious newcomers alike.

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Coachella Recap & Trend Spotting

[00:34 – 04:14]

• Joanna’s Coachella Highlights:

  • Justin Bieber’s performance is described as “incredible,” blending old hits and new experimental genres. Joanna gets “an immense amount of pride watching him on that stage.” (00:48)
  • Honorable mention: Somber, whose viral “childlike” billboards and carefree social presence captivated the audience.
    • “Somber adding an E is for excited. And it’s like a selfie of him. It looked like it being done on paint and I was like, this guy, not even Canva, full throwback.” – Joanna Fleming (02:00)
  • Joanna predicts Somber will front a Saint Laurent campaign:
    • “I just think, like, the black, the leather, always in, like, a really, like, Wayfarer frame. Saint Laurent have done a lot of those.” (02:29)

• Fashion & Celebrity Notes

  • Somber’s Coachella look (leather fit and lace bodysuit) made a splash; the panel discusses his likelihood as a fashion campaign star.
  • Insight into Coachella culture: Week one said to be “industry heavy,” week two is for “relaxed” artists (03:00).
  • A nod to the experience: “Look at little Miss positive in the corner here. I'm so proud of you guys.” – Madison (03:26)

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Product & Lifestyle Swaps

[04:14 – 11:42]

Each host shares their current obsessions, from lifestyle hacks to beauty picks.

• Madison’s Picks:

  • Book: Emma Grede’s Start with Yourself—praised for its “pearls of wisdom,” career advice, resilience theme, and practical examples.
    • “I’m not joking when I said I highlighted… over 50 pages in this book.” (04:51)
  • Account to Follow: Megan Latto on TikTok (“outfits inspired by doors”—whimsical and creative).
    • “Guys, the next level, creativity…” (06:11)

• Rhiannon’s Picks:

  • Lifestyle: Portable, rechargeable lamps for cozy, customizable bathroom lighting; recommends Target Anko Aspen (“mushroom, brushed brass” with adjustable light) and Blossom Ori (“micro lamp” in Calcutta viola).
    • “You don’t have to rely on a socket.” (08:05)

• Joanna’s Picks:

  • Beauty: Sephora’s One Size setting spray — essential for long-wear desert makeup.
    • “That makeup did not move… I should not have looked the way that I did leaving Justin Bieber at 1:30am and the makeup held in place.” (09:01)
  • Media: Recommends watching the “looks maxing” TV segment—illuminates online male grooming and aesthetic subcultures, often involving extreme and risky beauty interventions.

• Annika’s Swap (Remote):

  • Adenola Wide Leg Yoga Pant—high-waisted, lounge-friendly for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Lauded for comfort and matching slinky tops.
    • “I wore these when I was pregnant, before I was pregnant, and I’m still living in them postpartum…” (10:45)

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The Creatine Craze & The Pink Tax

[13:07 – 27:26]

Creatine & Gendered Wellness Marketing

• Rise of Creatine:

  • Creatine is transitioning from a male-centric gym supplement to a women’s wellness staple, spurred by influencer trends and rebranding.
    • “Creatine’s just everywhere, all over my TikTok…” – Rhiannon Joyce (13:13)
  • Beyond muscle support, now lauded for mental clarity, focus, and brain function.

• The Pink Tax:

  • The podcast quotes Jessica Fursith (The Independent) on “pink tax” in supplement marketing:
    • “If the contents are the same, why is the pretty creatine so much more expensive? This feels like a creatine pink tax.” (14:15)
  • The hosts discuss how female-targeted packaging and flavors drive up costs for essentially identical products.

• Marketing Tactics and Consumer Psychology:

  • “Fruity, fun flavors… are lighter colored objects. There’s a reason the brands like Lemme are pale, violet and… fun iconography—it’s extended… into ingestibles.” – Joanna Fleming (18:13)
  • Women often pay more for razors, personal care, and supplements—a fact backed by cited Australian research: “Women were paying up to 29% more for razors…” (17:53)

• Why Women Buy ‘Female’ Supplements:

  • “Often there is this feeling… that you aren’t seen or you aren’t heard. So when you see that in the packaging, the messaging, all of that feels like it’s speaking to me.”
  • “Women feel safer with women, by female brands, female products, because you feel heard and seen.” – Joanna Fleming (20:39)

Expert Guidance & Supplement Smarts

• Dr. Yasmina Dedic Hagan:

  • “Creatine monohydrate is the gold standard. It works, it’s safe, and it’s backed by decades of research… it has meaningful effects on both body and brain for women.” (24:11)
  • Women’s creatine stores are lower than men’s, so benefits may be more noticeable.
  • Cognitive and mood benefits now marketed specifically to women.

• Nutritionist Tip (Millie Pedula):

  • Avoid products with fillers, excessive sweeteners; gummies often provide low creatine content and lots of filler (25:09).

• Broader Context:

  • Link drawn between the modern “optimization” trend and both cultural expectations and late-diagnosed women’s conditions (e.g. ADHD).
    • “Creatine’s… key thing that it’s… appealing to you is that it’s mental clarity and function.” – Joanna Fleming (26:09)

• Changing Supplement Attitudes:

  • Madison:
    • “I used to take a lot of supplements religiously… I don’t take anything now. …I feel like I’ve had almost information overload.” (22:17)
  • Rhiannon: “I take supplements out of convenience… if I happen to take it three times a week, cool. Great.” (23:09)

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Meghan Markle’s Australian Tour Fits: Fashion Diplomacy & Local Impact

[28:29 – 41:43]

• Meghan’s Wardrobe Strategy:

  • Wore predominantly Australian designer pieces: St. Agne, P. Johnson, Friends with Frank, Camilla and Marc, among others.
  • This aligns with “diplomatic dressing”—a tradition of honoring host countries during royal or public figure tours.
    • “This is very much something straight out of the royal playbook… it’s called diplomatic dressing.” – Madison (29:27)

• Psychology & Intention:

  • Panel notes Meghan’s more “relaxed”, approachable vibe compared to her prior royal style.
    • “It was very different to what we’ve seen before… she was trying to position herself as more of a relatable, everyday mum.”
    • Madison references Meghan’s own docuseries:
      • “Most of the time that I was in the UK, I rarely wore color… So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was all so I could just blend in… not trying to stand out here.” (34:58)

• Australian Designer Boost:

  • Friends with Frank (Julia McCarthy, founder) recounts:
    • “Just over two weeks ago, we received a DM from Megan’s official Instagram… she wanted to highlight Australian designers… [We] sent pieces to LA… included [our] camel Lou coat and a handwritten note…” – Julia (31:11)
  • “We sold out of both styles that Megan wore within 48 hours of her wearing them and have now put them on pre order due to demand.” (38:27)

• PR & Economic Impact:

  • “Google searches for Meghan Markle Australian fashion… are up 2,800%.” (38:26)
  • Brands have updated product page SEO: “...now updated their SEO product descriptions to say that that page was worn by Meghan Markle.” (39:08)
  • “Money can’t buy exposure and conversion.” – Joanna Fleming (39:29)

• Australia’s Global Fashion Moment:

  • Discussion of Australian brands' popularity abroad, government-supported popups, and unique positioning in the “elevated but relaxed” fashion segment.
    • “We have never been cooler than we are right now overseas… I think there’s a real affinity for what we’re doing.” – Joanna Fleming (40:46)
  • Middle-market brands dominating internationally: “I would really struggle to name a number of brands [like]… Cookeye, Decuber… in that mid tier… [in the US].” – Rhiannon (41:24)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

“That makeup did not move… I should not have looked the way that I did leaving Justin Bieber at 1:30am and the makeup held in place.”
— Joanna, on One Size setting spray ([09:01])

“If the contents are the same, why is the pretty creatine so much more expensive? …This feels like a creatine pink tax.”
— Jessica Fursith quoted by Rhiannon ([14:15])

“Women feel safer with women, by female brands, female products, because you feel heard and seen.”
— Joanna ([20:39])

“Google searches for Meghan Markle Australian fashion in Australia are up 2,800%.”
— Madison ([38:26])

“We sold out of both styles that Megan wore within 48 hours… and have now put them on pre order due to demand.”
— Julia McCarthy, Friends with Frank ([38:27])

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Key Timestamps

• 00:34 – Coachella Recap & Celebrity Style Moments
• 04:14 – Product & Lifestyle Swaps
• 13:07 – Creatine Craze & Gendered Marketing
• 17:53 – The Pink Tax in Everyday Products
• 24:11 – Expert (Dr. Yasmina Dedic Hagan) on Creatine’s brain benefits for women
• 25:09 – Nutritionist Tips: What to Look For in Creatine Supplements
• 28:29 – Meghan Markle’s Australian Designer Looks
• 31:11 – Friends with Frank: How Meghan Markle Chose the Brand
• 38:26 – The “Meghan Effect” on Brand Searches and Sales
• 40:16 – Australian Brands’ Success Internationally

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Final Thoughts

• The hosts bring both wit and rigor to discussions around beauty trends, wellness fads, the realities of gendered marketing, and the power of celebrity in fashion.
• Notable for behind-the-scenes insights (product recs, insider interviews), thoughtful consumer advice, and rich, candid conversations about how culture shapes what we buy and wear.
• A must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of fashion, wellness, and social issues.

Transcript

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Foreign.

[Joanna Fleming]

This episode of Stylish is brought to you by QV's face range for sensitive skin. QV face, powerfully sensitive skin. Care for life. This is Stylish, the podcast for all things fashion, lifestyle, brand and beauty. My name is Madison Sullivan Thorpe. My co hosts today are Joanna Fleming and Rhiannon Joyce.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

She's back.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Welcome back. I'm shocked that have a voice. Given that you only got home a

[Joanna Fleming]

few days ago and given you've seen me in a karaoke, you know how quickly that voice descends.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

You did have a few days to recover post Coachella in LA though. But we have to hear all about it. I want to know highlight, who was your favorite?

[Joanna Fleming]

It's just so hard to go past Justin Bieber. I felt like an immense amount of pride watching him on that stage. Like, I just think everything he's been through, not to deepen it, but I'm going to. I was like, this is incredible. This like. And remembering all the hits, like when he was playing the YouTube songs, Beauty and a Beat will go down probably as one of the best songs of this lifetime. For me hearing that play but then also hearing, like, new music in such a different genre, like Daisy's, like, he was incredible. But honorable mention to Somber. That outdoor stage might as well have been the main stage. It was jam packed in every single section. He is a star in every sense of the word.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

He is giving celebrity. Like, he's celebritying is. That's not even a word. But like, he is like celebritying right at the moment.

[Joanna Fleming]

And I loved like, a lot of the artists will have billboards as you're driving down and it. It kind of took over social media for me the days before in the lead up to Coachella. And I felt like a lot of, you know, accounts that I follow, like because of marketing and things were all sort of speaking to them. Sombers looked like it had been done by an 11 year old. Like, it was amazing. It was like Somber adding an E is for excited. And it's like a selfie of him. It looked like it being done on paint and I was like, this guy,

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

not even Canva,

[Joanna Fleming]

full throwback. I'm like, this guy has been let loose by the record company and I love every second of it. And he was just like Coachella. He just kept saying it so funny. And he's now like a viral meme about it and I'm obsessed.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I loved his outfit. I gave him a little shout out last week. He had a real fashion moment. That leather fit with the lace Bodysuit. He looked cool.

[Joanna Fleming]

Can I give a bold prediction? Sure. I think he's going to end up fronting a Saint Laurent campaign.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I did think Saint Laurent. Yeah.

[Joanna Fleming]

I just think, like, the black, the leather, always in, like, a really, like, Wayfarer frame. Saint Laurent have done a lot of those. Style name is SL462 for those who want the exact bear.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

And what do you think of all the chatter online that week one was not as good as week two?

[Joanna Fleming]

Respectfully, had to be there.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I was not at either, but they both looked amazing. I mean, what.

[Joanna Fleming]

I just don't think there's a bad weekend. Like, traditionally, more guest artists are there. On the first weekend, we were with a couple of people who worked in the industry, and they sort of said the first week is very industry heavy. Second week, the artists generally look more relaxed because they're not nervous. They, like, kind of know what the crowd's going to respond to. They've got their set list. But, I mean, I watched all of it at home for weekend too, as well. And, like, was I shattered that Madonna wasn't there the first week? Hell, yeah. But, like, did I still see Sabrina Carpenter and have the time of my life? No point doing the shoulda, woulda, coulda. Absolutely. I mean, ideal scenario. You're able to go to both weekends, but it's bloody expensive, so it's just the one for me.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Look at little Miss positive in the corner here. I'm so proud of you guys.

[Joanna Fleming]

Amazing. What a vacationer.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Do a vacation. Do great things.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

She's refreshed.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

She's back.

[Joanna Fleming]

Not a. Not a. Like, working vacay like a real vacation.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

And you haven't had one of those for a while, so I'm glad you let loose and enjoyed yourself. Go, girl.

[Joanna Fleming]

And kept my voice.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I have a woman.

[Joanna Fleming]

I know. You lost it, and I found it. All right, today we are discussing creatine and why it's having a major moment right now. And then we're turning Meghan Markle's Australian tour outfits and why there's more than meets the eye. But first, we're doing our swaps. Ray, Ray, you're in Annika's seat.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I was naughty. Well, actually, I'm looking at our notes. I thought I was naughty, but both of you are also naughty because you have two swaps as well.

[Joanna Fleming]

I just think one fundamental rule of this podcast is we don't like rules.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah, yeah, I'm with you bringing two swaps to the table. I also wanted to try tackling two different ends of the spectrum. So I've got a book and I don't think anyone's going to be surprised by this, but I am recommending Emma Grade's book, Start with yourself. Our episode with Emma Greed on Stylish officially went live. We're recording on a Monday, so we went live this morning.

[Joanna Fleming]

You were in my ears from 6.30am I was strung on every word. It was absolutely amazing. Ray. I'd already listened to it because we obviously recorded our intro for the app, but I just. I loved it so much. I wanted to listen again.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Thank you. That's.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah, we are biased, but I really, really enjoyed hearing from her.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

She's amazing. She had so many pearls of wisdom in the interview, but I highly, highly recommend reading the book. I'm not joking when I said I highlighted. Honestly, guys, over 50 pages in this book. Particularly if you are someone who is looking for a career advice or just wanting to level up. One thing I really love about Emigrate. If you listen to her podcast Aspire by Emigrate, you know this. She has such an appetite for learning. She never wants to stop learning. She really wants to encourage other people to have the same mindset and willingness to learn. And it really comes through. In her book, she also shares some really tangible examples of of moments in her life that she's been faced with adversity and how she's bounced back. There's an overarching theme of resilience that I think is really strong throughout the book. Joe, you and I were just bouncing about the interview and how much you really love that as well. Yeah, it's just all around a very good book. So I highly, highly recommend. I also want to recommend an account to follow. So I'll keep this one quick because I did slot in two. Her name is Megan Latto and she's on TikTok. She randomly popped up in my for you page. And what I love about her account is she posts outfits inspired by random things. And the one that popped up in my feed was outfits inspired by doors. And it was. I was like, what? And then stopped me in my tracks naturally. And then all of these amazing doors from around the world and then she's got these outfits that are inspired by them. Guys, the next level, creativity, it's feeling

[Joanna Fleming]

a little like Loewe, you know, like when they, you know, they.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Random objects.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, yeah, I'm into this. Okay.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Really cool. So Megan Latta is her name.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I'm going to look that up.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Check it out. Did not know what you thought, guys. It's it's honestly one of those things where when you see it, you'll be like, oh, okay, that's. That makes sense. I get it. But really cool account. Who's going next?

[Joanna Fleming]

Jo, you go.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Okay. As someone who doesn't like the big light at home, hate the big light. Always like the small light, AKA lamp. Hate a white light. I love a warm light. I love a soft light. So I'm all about a bathroom lamp, and one of my friends and I were talking about this the other day. Is a portable lamp that you can bring into the bathroom that you can recharge. Just a small one.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

And.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

And I have two in my house.

[Joanna Fleming]

Great.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Because I also don't have a electrical plug in our hallway, and so I also have a rechargeable lamp there. So I've got one more affordable one for the bathroom, which is just from Target. It's the Anko brand. It's the Aspen table lamp, which is like a mushroom kind of brushed brass, gold color. And you can adjust the light on it as well. So you have like three intensities of light. But I just like to have that on evenings where I just need to decompress when I'm having a shower or a bath and just not have the big overhead light on. So I love that feature that I can, you know, optimize my lighting in my bathroom. And the other one that I have is from a brand called Blossom. It's the Ori lamp in Calcutta. Viola. So this one obviously is a bit more expensive if you have me a Calcutta.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Ray, I actually think that you would really vibe with this brand, but this lamp was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. So it arrived and I was like, oh, okay. It's kind of like a micro lamp.

[Joanna Fleming]

Sort of had the tape measure.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. And it was pretty expensive. I'm not gonna lie. They often run sales, though. I get emails from them all the time. So definitely wait for a sale to pop up before you invest in this if it's something that you're gonna buy. But it just allows you to adjust where you put your lighting. I think it just makes it a lot more versatile.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I love that.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

To have a lamp that you can put anywhere. You don't have to rely on a socket. Okay.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

You can show me the account after because, yeah, the Calcutta's really got. And we'll.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We'll throw a link into the episode notes, I'm sure. Definitely. Mads.

[Joanna Fleming]

Well, look, it'll be the last Coachella thing, I say, but obviously, long Days in the desert, people aren't joking when they say the temperature drops and it is really hot during the day. So a setting mist, very important. I went to Sephora the day before. I flew out. Classic gone by all the mini things like the mini dry shampoos. The lovely lady at Sephora, Chadstone was like, you need this setting mist. She's like, I'm not here to upsell you. I'm just here to make sure your makeup stays one size. It's in that like pale pink packaging with the red label. I'd seen it on like socials a lot, but I didn't really know much about the brand. I, as we know, a little bit of a slick brick. So I do need something mattifying. That makeup did not move. I should not have looked the way that I did leaving Justin Bieber at 1:30am and the makeup held in place. It's amazing.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I have heard good things about that setting spray.

[Joanna Fleming]

It smells a little bit like a hairspray.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I don't hate that. I kind of like

[Joanna Fleming]

l' Oreal Setting mist is right up your alley. I am like a hardcore urban decay all nighter setting. I love that. I will always have one of those. But this was just so compact, really light. It's amazing.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I mean, if it's desert approved and

[Joanna Fleming]

let me tell you, I slept in that heat. And then my other One is the 60 minute segment of looks maxing, which is kind of an amazing segue into the creatine conversation we're going to have. I had seen so much conversation around that segment online that I actually watched this from my hotel room at 7am while I was in L. A because I was like, I just hadn't seen, I guess, commercial television, a segment from commercial TV with that much popularity and conversation.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

So if you're a listener who doesn't know what looks maxing is, because I didn't know what it was until last week. Can you explain quickly what that is?

[Joanna Fleming]

I'm not on the side of the Internet that is looks maxing. So I'm going to give you a definition of looks maxing from the Internet. So I don't get this wrong. It's an online subculture, primarily among young men, that is focused on maximizing aesthetic potential through. I mean, what this segment really highlighted is rather extreme grooming, fitness, and in many cases dangerous cosmetic hacks or surgeries to achieving a certain look. So the key figure that is in this segment but also in this kind of subculture of online is clavicular.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

That's his name.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yes.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I need to watch it in full. I've only seen a few clips online, but it's definitely caught my attention.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Now, I know that we've all given two swaps technically today, but Arnika has one for us too, so we'll throw that in here as well.

[Annika]

Being freshly postpartum, I have just wanted to live in comfortable clothing. And something I lived in, which I'm continuing to wear now are my Adenola leggings. And what I love the most about them is that they've got a high waistband, so they're really loose and relaxed on. So they're called the wide Leg yoga pant. I wore these when I was pregnant, before I was pregnant, and I'm still living in them postpartum. And they are the best. And if you want to do like a full, easy fit, you can get the little matching tops, which actually have like an inbuilt bra. So as I'm currently breastfeeding, these have been amazing because I just kind of chuck on a slinky top, can breastfeed on the go, breastfeed at home, and then just chuck on the really chic outerwear piece really complete the look and I feel somewhat put together.

[Joanna Fleming]

Thanks. Hanukkah Adenola at David Jones if you want to buy it in Australia, otherwise you got to buy it. Yeah, really chic brand. By the way, I. They're on my like next to be the next aloe kind of thing.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

You have called that before.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, thanks, Ray. Backing me up there. Okay, next we're discussing all things creatine, but that will be right after a word from today's sponsor. I'm going to hold your hand as I say this. If you've got sensitive skin, you probably need to strip your skincare routine right back. Of course, we love nothing more than locking ourselves in the bathroom and applying layers of creams and lotions. But if you're a little sensitive, this can lead to unbalanced, irritated skin, depending on the products. Our friends at QV are the experts in sensitive skin, and their advice is to switch to a simple routine that gently cares for your skin without compromising on results. The QV Face range is a great place to start. The products are formulated especially for sensitive skin with gentle but effective ingredients like ceramides, niacinamide, vitamin B3 and avamide 15 and safflower oil. While being free of fragrance, soap and other common irritants, everyone needs a good cleanser, and my pick is the QV Face Gentle Cleanser, which helps to hydrate the skin as it cleanses. And the QV Face Nurturing Night Cream is perfect for before bed as it helps to replenish moisture, minimize the appearance of fine lines, and visibly improve skin elasticity while you sleep. Try the QV Face Range, available at your local pharmacy or supermarket. And a huge thank you to QV for making this episode of Stylish possible.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I actually brought this topic of creatine to our chat last week.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

You did?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

While we were sniffing around for things to talk about on this week's episode because it has been dominating my feed lately. Creatine is just everywhere, all over my TikTok and I also just can't get away from it because Adrian was also trying to talk to me about it at home and and as a result I started taking it a couple of months ago. So we thought we'd do a little explainer on the creatine craze and how it's been targeted more at women lately. Creatine's a natural compound that's found in the body and it's in protein rich foods like seafood and red meat too, according to WebMD. But creatine supplements are mainly used to enhance exercise performance and improve muscle recovery, but research suggests that they can also reduce mental fatigue and improve cognitive function. Previously it was a product marketed mainly to men. Actually, I would almost say exclusively to men previously, but we've seen the pendulum swing. In an article for the Independent, writer Jessica Fursith describes the pink tax that's been applied to these products, writing the problem is that marketers have caught on that there's a new group of consumers who might like the product to feel more wellness than bodybuilder. And the price for these rebranded products has been significantly hyped. You, she continues. If the contents are the same, why is the pretty creatine so much more expensive? All I want is 100% creatine monohydrate, which is what the research tells us works. But this feels like a creatine pink tax. Women are nudged to pay more for essentially the same product that men get for far less. Have you two been seeing creatine as much as me?

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Not as much, but it is prevalent in my life. My husband Louis has been taking it honestly, I think for like two years now. So it's in the cupboard. I know what it is. I've never taken it myself, but ever since you brought it up in the feed by design, TikTok started serving me what what I needed.

[Joanna Fleming]

This podcast disrupts my algorithm regularly. Let me Tell you that I hadn't seen much of it, but truth be told, I do make a really conscious effort to hold down the not interested button for a lot of these. You know, we research peptides. When we were doing that episode, I got so much after that, even things like a colostrum I saw so much of when I was in the US at Air1, there were billboards for it. There's a brand called Cowgirl and it is everywhere. It's sold on Revolve, it's got entire bays, but I hadn't seen much of it. But I also have kind of trained my algorithm to get me out of this optimization culture.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I think it's one of a few products that I've seen trending in the wellness category. We know that wellness is surging. We know that a lot of brands are really tapping into this space, even in food, beyond creatine, you know, the trend of protein and fibre, we're seeing that pop up a lot on labels. So it feels like to me, it's just one of many things that sit under this wellness umbrella that's getting pushed more and more to us.

[Joanna Fleming]

It was so interesting. I had this conversation recently with someone that we were talking about in the 90s, how, like, fat free was such a massive thing and then in the early noughties it was sugar free. And then now it feels like we're in this protein surge. I do wonder what will be the next frontier and if you know this creatine, like, will it be things that are for, like, you know, your mental clarity or optimization, like where it goes after protein?

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah. When I spoke with Emma Grade in our episode, I asked her specifically what the next category she's most interested in and would she ever consider investing in other categories outside fashion. And she spoke a lot about wellness and also touched on quite a bit on women's supplements. And I know it's not creatine specifically, but I would say that it does fall under that category.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

So, you know, if the emigrates of the world are looking at this category going, there's huge opportunity here. Definitely feels like it's just going to get more and more.

[Joanna Fleming]

I know that she mentioned the brand array, which was, you know, in quite a few stores that I was going into. I was getting served ads like the minute the plane landed. Another one that I have noticed a lot of is Symbiotica. And so there's a lot of things like vitamin C, vitamin B12, glutathione is kind of everywhere. Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner have actually also invested in that brand. So I think it's safe to say this, like, female wellness centric conversation isn't going anywhere. But I think it's the first time that conversations around protein and supplements have kind of happened outside these, like macho men bodybuilding gyms where, you know, suddenly it's not just someone who's got a PT or a nutritionist telling them to track macros.

[Julia McCarthy]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Let's talk about the pink tax here because I do think it's an important part to bring this term up. When was the first time you guys heard this term? Oh, do you remember?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

10 years ago? Probably.

[Joanna Fleming]

I would say. Yeah, probably. I'm like, how old am I? Yeah, maybe like 12, 14 years ago. Probably in a business management class. I remember it got brought up about raises.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yes.

[Joanna Fleming]

Female razors being more expensive than men's razors.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I kind of set you up there because.

[Joanna Fleming]

Perfect segue for you.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah, perfect segue because in 2019 there was actually research that cited in Australian reporting, they found that women were paying up to 29% more for razors compared to similar men's razors. And there were three categories that overall women were paying more for. Fashion, personal hygiene and hair care.

[Joanna Fleming]

So just those three essential items that we all need to operate in the day to day.

[Annika]

Perfect.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

The razor piece is one that I think is the most blatant. The packaging is pink. Yeah. And it costs 2 to $3 more on average. It feels very targeted to women. What do you guys make of that direction?

[Joanna Fleming]

Yes, I think when, in terms of when a brand is trying to target a woman, it feels very obvious to someone who works in brand. You know, the way that it speaks, the copy, the naming conventions. It doesn't look like a plain mass market product. It's generally in individual sachets because they're designed for handbags or for travel, which women have and they take to work. And gummies because, you know, they're easier to transport and those sorts of things. Men traditionally are leaving them in their pantry. And I think you see that you also see it a lot in flavor profiles. So it will be in fruity, fun flavors. You will see berry, you will see watermelon. These aren't feelings, they're facts. Those flavors appeal to women. They are lighter colored objects. There's a reason that the brands that we're seeing like Lemme are pale, violet and you know, fun iconography. Like it very much is targeted to look like the beauty brands that we shop or fashion brands. It's extended outside of the categories we're traditionally shopping for, you know, sunscreen and moisturizers into ingestibles.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

And we're seeing more female centered brands now playing in this creatine space. Like the beauty chef have recently released a product that has creatine in it. Eve as well, who traditionally have done female focused products too, also playing in this space. It's really interesting to see these brands see an opportunity and be like, oh, okay, that's now appealing to women. So we're going to start exploring that.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, I found that a lot when I like was told to start taking a protein powder. And I remember going into, I think I went into chemist warehouse and I was like looking at the panels like an absolute ingredient nerd being like, why is this one priced like this and this one's priced like this. A lot of it is down to the branding and I'm like, I ended up with the ugliest protein in the aisle, but I'm like, I just wanted an unflavored protein and I didn't need one that looked pretty in my cupboard.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Do you think there's an element of us as women though, wanting to shop for things that seem like they're made for women because we don't trust that things are always designed for us in mind?

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I think particularly in the health category. Yes. Often there is this feeling as a woman and again, I'm speaking from a personal place of feelings that you aren't seen or you aren't heard. So when you see that in the packaging, the messaging, all of that feels like it's speaking to me. Of course.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

What do you think, Mance?

[Joanna Fleming]

I completely agree. It's not an uncommon conversation for women to be mistrusting of men in the health space. There's a lot of instances, you know, when we talk about things like endometriosis or pcos where women feel that they are not heard by male physicians. And generally speaking, of course I'm not typecasting here, but there is a real mistrust in the healthcare space and you want to be seen and you want to be heard. And I think naturally women feel safer with women by female brands, female products, because you feel heard and seen in

[Rhiannon Joyce]

that and also in like the research space as well. Women aren't considered as much as men are.

[Joanna Fleming]

No. Majority of the time things that are done in clinical studies for things are not with women involved.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

One thing that I will say about creatine in particular though is that often when things like this are being marketed to us, it's for an aesthetic purpose. I actually didn't mind that this was being marketed to me and that I was learning more about it because it was more to do with my cognitive function and being able to operate better. It wasn't that it was gonna make me muscly or, you know, ripped Jim Gaines, bro. I wasn't even thinking about it from that perspective. I was like, oh, okay. It could improve my mental clarity. Okay. I'm interested to hear more about this. It's going to make me able to do my job better. That's why I kind of wasn't opposed to exploring it and taking it.

[Joanna Fleming]

Can I ask a question about, I guess, your own relationships with supplements and ingestibles? When you compare it now to, say, five years ago, what is your relationship like? Do you think that it's changed because of that aging process or because of the media that you're consuming and the ads that you're being targeted?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Interestingly, I actually think I've flipped. I used to take a lot of supplements religiously. Like, I had a JS Health subscription. I had a beauty chef subscription. I was very, very.

[Joanna Fleming]

You were a marketer's dream.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Literally, a marketer's dream. I don't take anything now. The only thing I consume as an ingestible is AG1. And even then, I've actually started paring back what I actually take. I feel like I've had almost information overload. And also, I've just started to just, like, wean off supplements and really focus on diet and finding actual nutrition in my food. Now, that's not always possible. I've almost gone the other way, where I'm like, I'm spending so much money on these products. A lot of the time, I do think it is placebo, and I will die on the hill for placebo because it still works. So I'm down to sit here and, like, neg on that. But, yeah, I feel like I've actually gone the opposite way. So I'm a bit of a problem child here for you when answering that question.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I take supplements out of convenience. If it's on the bench and I'm making a smoothie, I'll throw it in there. But I'm not like, oh, my God, I missed all my supplements today. Oh, what am I going to do? Like, I don't really think twice about it if I happen to take it three times a week. Cool. Great.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Interestingly, when I think about when I was obsessed with it, it was Covid. And I wonder if that routine and that habitual behavior of every morning waking up and feeling like I had to do something. And also it was there. I was, like, only at home. So I'm like, yeah, I'm going to do that. I'm not going to miss out on it.

[Joanna Fleming]

I don't know. And maybe an underlying health fear of just like, I want to be the healthiest I can be. And that kind of felt like a signal or gateway into being the healthiest version of you.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah, definitely. Let's bring the conversation around the pink tax and the category of creatine together, because when you're a consumer, it can be really confusing and I honestly wouldn't know what to look for.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. We actually reached out to a specialist GP and functional medicine doctor, Dr. Yasmina Dedic Hagan, to help us understand more about how creatine actually works and why it's being pushed to women so much lately. Because I am not an expert. I might be taking it, but I don't know everything about it. So Dr. Yasmina told us this creatine monohydrate is the gold standard. It works, it's safe, and it's backed by decades of research. She also told us that creatine isn't just for the gym, saying it has meaningful effects on both body and brain for women. This is important because we naturally have lower creatine stores than men, so the response can be noticeable. Creatine plays a role in brain energy metabolism, which can show up as better focus and mental clarity, improved cognitive performance under stress, and potential support for mood and resilience. Think of it as helping your brain keep up when life feels full, which is so interesting given that it's been largely a men's product today.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah. But then bringing it back to your point earlier, Jo, when we were talking about what's been marketed to us as women, they are really pushing that brain cognitive messaging. So they're obviously leaning into the facts and being like, that's the messaging that's gonna resonate with women. We need to go hard on that.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. And, Ri, I know that you've got some notes around what to avoid as well.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yes. So we also spoke to a nutritionist and dietitian, Millie Pedula, and she gave us some tips on what to look out for when you're choosing a creatine supplement. So if you're in this category and you're wanting to buy something, you don't want to be influenced by the pink tax. You want to know, okay, what do I need to consider? She said, try your best to avoid products that have large quantities of filler ingredients. So that's artificial sweeteners, added sugars. There's nothing inherently bad about these. However, more concentrated forms of creatine warrant greater results. So they're to just going pretty much getting in the way. Lower quality creatine products may cause digestive discomfort or bloating in some individuals, particularly when they contain unnecessary fillers or lower grade ingredients. This is where the little gummy bears get in trouble. Because a few of the tiktoks that I saw online giving feedback about different products, most of the gummies were criticized as being really low concentrate of creatine and heaps of filler ingredients.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, they have to put it in there. So little gummy stays in. Stays in his shape.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah, they're cutie, though.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah. Look, and I can't help but I feel like as this conversation's happening that, you know, maybe the reason that all of a sudden we're looking for, you know, supplements and things that are helping us with mental clarity, that perhaps there is a relationship with these, you know, underlying conditions like ADHD that are being diagnosed in women much later in life than, you know, previously. Creatine's kind of key thing that it's, you know, appealing to you is that it's mental clarity and function.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We're also busier than ever and expected to be doing more than ever and doing it better. And it's like, well, how do we find ways to be able to do that? Because we're all exhausted.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah. Our attention is so diverted.

[Joanna Fleming]

So diverted. I actually was watching an emigrate interview where she was talking about motherhood and she said that motherhood has not gotten harder. The expectations of mothers has gotten more intense. And I think that maybe the same could be said for what we need to be dealing with.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. I want to go as far to say that creatine has had one of the most successful rebrands of 2025. 2026.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Agreed.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, I think protein's had a pretty good one too. I don't think people have loved chick much in ever.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Well, they just whack the word protein on everything now and everyone's like going nuts about it. I do want to wrap up with a bit of a caveat, a reminder that you should always read a product's label and follow its direction for use and see a health practitioner to see if supplements like creatine are right for you. Now that we've got the formalities out of the way, we can have a little break and then we'll be back talking about Meghan Markle and her Australian fits. Australian fits and her recent tool.

[Joanna Fleming]

You might already love Gem for their viral scented deodorant that blurs the lines between antiperspirant and perfume. And now they've expanded their deliciously decadent fragrances into body and hair care. We say it's about time. Upgrade your shower routine with milky body washes and sugar based body scrubs in gorge scents like coconut vanilla, vanilla macadamia, vanilla sugar and watermelon Fresh or or find your forever hair care with their repair and smooth range or hydrate and nourish range. This is not your usual hair wash day. This is an immersive experience with blissful ingredients like shea butter, vitamin B5, macadamia oil and vitamin E. Discover Gem's body and hair care range in store and online at Kohl's and a huge thank you to Gem for making this episode as stylish possible.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Alright, so Meghan Markle, Prince Harry embarked on a whirlwind four day tour of Australia. And I would say the most talked about thing on this tour has been Meghan Markle's outfits and rightfully so. Yeah, she's looked fabulous.

[Joanna Fleming]

She absolutely has.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

So this actually was their first non royal tour since they stepped down as working members of the Royal family back in 2020. Megan's outfits and choice of designers have garnered a lot of headlines. It's been in the mainstream media, it's been all over TikTok, it's been all over our feed which is why we wanted to talk about it today. She's pretty much worn exclus Australian designers and I'm going to list off a couple that I know off the top of my head including St. Agne P. Johnson, Femme Camilla and Mark. Friends with Frank. She's wearing designers local to the country. This is not a new thing. This is very much something straight out of the royal playbook and they frequently do it and it's called diplomatic dressing. It's actually a way that they show respect and honor to local cultures. Have you guys heard of this?

[Joanna Fleming]

Absolutely, I have and I think we see it a lot on rural press tours because traditionally a royal press tour will be happening in a Commonwealth country and so it is very customary that you will see the likes of, generally speaking, the female royals. You know, we can only dress up a suit so many ways, Prince William and Harry, but you know, you're seeing dressing from the likes. In this case of Australian designers. If they were to travel to South Africa, it is very likely that they're wearing a piece of jewellery or that they've got a handbag or a pair of jeans from a local designer there as well.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

It's interesting though, because I would say this time, and obviously they're not official royals, but Meghan has looked really relaxed compared to other times that she's dressed and I feel like that's very intentional

[Rhiannon Joyce]

and strategic for sure. The psychology behind how we perceive clothing, like there's so much to it.

[Joanna Fleming]

And I think we have seen a very deliberate change in her dress from royal life to this non royal life now. So I'm glad you brought up the relaxed element because I think it is very intentional.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

She actually wore several pieces from one of our favourite brands, Friends with Frank. I was so proud to see them.

[Joanna Fleming]

I have been friends with Frank Stan all the way back to when they were stocked in this tiny little boutique in New York, Albert park called Paloma Blue for anyone playing at home. But they are like a very small family run business like Melbourne based, Melbourne based. Jules has two young children. Her husband was previously involved in the business. Like this isn't like a big brand like Camila and Markle age that we've seen her in.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I think that's really important to shout out, Mads. You know, it's very rare that a local brand has this opportunity to dress someone of this stature and celebrity like Meghan Markle. We actually spoke to their founder Julia McCarthy about how that whole process came about. So I'm just going to play that clip now.

[Julia McCarthy]

Just over two weeks ago, we received a DM from Megan's official Instagram account which pretty much said that she was coming on this Australian tour. She would like to highlight Australian designers and they would like to include us as a brand. So over the next couple of days we went back and forth. We sent them our lookbook, they came back with a document of select selects and then gave us an address to send the pieces to la. She actually hadn't included in her selects a jacket or a coat. So I felt because we're a brand that is known for our outerwear, I wanted to include our camel Lou coat in the mix as well. I also included a handwritten note for myself, pretty much just saying thank you for the support and for thinking of us. And yeah, then we just waited to see if she was going to wear the pieces.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

I would have loved to have seen the fist pumping going on in that office.

[Joanna Fleming]

When they saw those photos, how many times do you think they were in the DMs just going is this real? Is this real?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Is this real?

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

It's also, there's no guarantee that they will actually wear it. I've heard this time and time again from PR teams and different stylists who have pulled looks from brands for all types of celebrities. And I mean, it's so exciting.

[Joanna Fleming]

It's so exciting. And it is a gamble for a small business to send a whole bunch of products. You know, Jules hasn't mentioned how many selects Megan had, but it could have been seven, it could have been 12. And you know, that's still a cost to a business to be sending that, but you would just be holding your breath and crossing your fingers and your toes and everything in between, hoping that one of these pieces is going to be seen. The effect is real.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

And isn't it lucky that she ended up sending the coat?

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Oh, seriously cold last week?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah, she ended up wearing that and

[Joanna Fleming]

I would say that was the most. I mean, I don't know, she looked pretty good in that mini dress. I thought that was probably her best look on the tour, but. But I do think that coat was. That was probably the visual I saw the most. I think the fashion girl in me loved the dress, but I saw the visual of her in the trench the most.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Jo, I want to ask you a question. You raise up top the psychology around dressing. What do you think was so intentional about the way that Meghan dressed on this tour?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Well, she chose to opt for that more smart casual and laid back vibe than she has previously. Before that, you saw the very like, royal. You know, there's the. A structured dress or it's a suit and they're always in a heel. And she was wearing sneakers and jeans and, you know, a casual T shirt underneath a trench. It was very different to what we've seen her wear before. And it felt like she was trying to position herself more as like a relatable everyday mum than a former royal and someone that is worth a lot of money and is a celebrity.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

So my build on this around the intention and it being very calculated. And I don't mean that in a negative way. I just think there is so much power in dressing and we see that not just with the royal royal family, but with celebrities as a whole. It's also very common with politicians. What you wear symbolizes something to who you're trying to convey that message to. In episode three of Prince Harry and Meghan's docu series, she actually said, most of the time that I was in the uk, I rarely wore color. There was thought in that to my understanding, you can't ever wear the same color as Her Majesty if there's a group event, but then you also shouldn't be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family. She went on to say, so I was like, well, what's a color that they'll probably never wear? Camel, beige, white. So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was all so I could just blend in. I'm not trying to stand out here. So there has been a long standing mindset from Megan that what she is wearing is very intentional. And I love what you said, Joe, about really wanting to transition to being relaxed or having this perception of being really relatable. It's definitely. It's almost like cutting through this friction that people expect her to be a certain way, but she's presenting as another.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah, yeah. On that psychology side of things as well. May's shirt on Medium wrote, fashion has always been more than just a way to cover up. It's a visual language that speaks volumes about who we are, what we believe in and how we see the world. From extravagant gowns of the French monarchy to casual wear of modern day influences. How fashion reflects society is an ongoing narrative that plays out in every corner of the globe. Which I just think it's like sums that up.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah. And I don't think it's too bold of me to say that of the last decades, she is probably the most scrutinized for her fashion choices. And I recall so vividly her time as a royal, the amount of articles depicting the value of her outfits. And I am by no means saying that the designers that she wore are cheap designers or that they're affordable. But it was very deliberate. Like even down to her jewelry choices. Like she worked with an Australian who has a jewelry brand, Real Fine Studio. She had like a gold little love heart earring from them. Now they're a fine jeweler. They have diamonds, lab grown diamonds, stones. I don't think that that's a mistake that she's picked their entry level price point as her piece. There has been so many articles going, you know, Meghan steps out in a 42,000 pound outfit when Princess Kate has also stepped out in outfits worth that, if not more.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I'm rolling my eyes. The prejudice towards Meghan Markle, let's just call it what it is, from the British media but also Australian media as well, is diabolical.

[Annika]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

And always has been. And even at the moment, whilst they're touring, some of the headlines that I'VE seen. I don't want to even give them airtime because it pisses me off.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, completely agree. I think what she's been subjected to, and I imagine her and her team's thought process and level of scrutiny that they would have for themselves, like pressure testing. How much is this outfit worth if she wears that watch, what earrings does she have to wear? If the coat's worth a thousand dollars, the T shirt has to be 85. I imagine it's like a mental gymnastics of math.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Also, to your point, Mads, the double standard and this idea that it's like everyone's like, oh, she's so calculated. She's trying to, you know, convince us and she's relatable and all these things. Like, at the end of the day, everyone is doing that. Celebrities of all sorts, even everyday people. When you were dressing, you were trying to signal something, you were trying to project a certain image onto other people. And that is just a fact. Right. So for her to be also ridiculed and criticized for so long about something that everyone does, including the Royal Family, but because it doesn't fit their mold, it comes under scrutiny. It annoys me.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

It would be exhausting. It's exhausting her. I think another really good example of rebranding via fashion is Victoria Beckham.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yes.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

You know, the early 2000s, Victoria Beckham is very different to the one we see today. And, yes, obviously that does come with her being of an older age now and maybe just having a very different. Different style. But to be taken seriously, she needed to rebrand herself. And now she wears a lot of suiting, a lot of tailoring. She's very structured, always in black. Like, yes, she was, you know, Posh Spice and always wore black. But she was pretty experimental with her hair and her outfits and having the boobs out and all of that stuff that she referenced in her documentary as well, how she had to kind of be taken more seriously and rebrand herself.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah. Common denominator here, the British press.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Let's talk about the actual positive impact that Meghan Markle has had on these brands, because it's really important that we do this, is having financial impact on our economy and also helping these brands build their profile internationally. Apparently, Google searches for Meghan Markle Australian fashion in Australia are up 2,800%.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Wow.

[Joanna Fleming]

And I think we just need to contextualise in this sea of what is often. To your point, Ray, hate and ridicule is someone who converts commercially very, very well. And we had another quote from Julia from friends with Frank, you know, on what is often dubbed the Megan effect. And she said we sold out of both styles that Megan wore within 48 hours of her wearing them and have now put them on pre order due to demand. We've also seen a clear uptick in website traffic with significantly higher international interest than usual alongside strong engagement and buzz on social media. The Instagram post featuring Megan in our pieces quickly became our highest performing social

[Rhiannon Joyce]

post to D. Meghan also wore St. Agne P. Johnson. Camilla Remark, Karen G. An interesting tidbit from that is that a lot of the brands that she wore have now updated their SEO product descriptions to say that that page was worn by Meghan Markle. So when you're searching for it, it comes up in the short product overview that you see before you.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

I love that. Go team, go.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah, this isn't even just accounts dedicated to her wardrobe and what she wears. Brands being tagged and getting that kind of social exposure like money can't buy exposure and conversion.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Also, there is something about Australian brands having such a strong presence and a huge moment on this global stage at the moment. Jo, you and I were having a conversation with Andy Towner the other night, the founder of the Bridal Journey. What was she telling us?

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah, so she was in New York for New York Bridal Fashion Week and she was lent some outfits by a Scanlan for the week while she was there. And she had people asking her constantly where her outfits were from. And she was like, there's such an appetite for Australian brands. And then she was saying that she was browsing at a store that stocks these Australian labels. I think it's called We Wear Australian.

[Julia McCarthy]

It's.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

We Wear Australian. It's actually a pop up, I believe it's government funded where they basically offer Australian brands an opportunity to activate in Soho. So it's a concept store essentially. And I don't know how you actually go about getting involved, but I've seen a few brands locally have this and they were talking about it a lot. I think they launched it during Bridal Fashion Week, but apparently the store has been popping off.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Well, Andy said that she was doing a lot of shopping while she was over there and the best thing that she saw was a jacket from Tacuba. Yes.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

In that store.

[Joanna Fleming]

Yeah. We have never been cooler than we are right now overseas. Like every US based beauty brand founder or, you know, someone who is working in fashion over there could not stop talking about it. And I know Arnica has spoken about it at length on this podcast, but it Kind of feels like internationally we're perceived as hitting the perfect intersection of, like, that, you know, elevated but relaxed. Like, we do cool without trying too hard. Like, I think there's a real affinity for what we're doing.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

We've spoken about this at length as well. It's nailing that middle market.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

It's just dominated by Australian brands in the US And I'm so excited by that. And I. I just feel so proud.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah. I would really struggle to name a number of brands. Like, we've got our Witcheries, our Cookeyes, our Decubers, all of these brands that I could just so easily name off the top of my head. That in that mid tier and are accessible for a majority of people, I just can't name the same amount of brands.

[Joanna Fleming]

Kind of like they've got Zara Ritz.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Yeah.

[Joanna Fleming]

And then I kind of stop.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Yeah. All right, guys, that's it for today's episode of Stylish. Thank you so much for joining us. It's good to have you back, Mads.

[Joanna Fleming]

Thanks, guys. Glad to be back.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

We missed you.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

We missed you. Thank you, Mads. Thank you, Joe. And remember, you can drop us an email anytime at style-ishameless media.com or you can sign into our DMS @Stylish podcast. Can't forget to thank our wonderful, shameless media team, head of podcast Lucy Hunt and senior podcast producer Kate Emma Burke. Priya and I will be in your ears this Friday, and then us three will be back here next Wednesday. See you guys.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Bye.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Bye. This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land.

[Rhiannon Joyce]

Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

[Madison Sullivan Thorpe]

Exciting news, guys. Australian Fashion Week is back this May, and for the first time ever, Stylish is on board as an official media partner for 2026. From the 11th to the 15th of May, Sydney's MCA will come to life as the central hub, and it's shaping up to be a very, very special event. Led by the Australian Fashion Council, this new chapter is all about bringing industry and audiences together while spotlighting the incredible creativity coming out of Australia right now. From emerging talent to the designers we already love, we have a lot to be proud of. It's more than just shows. It's access, energy and a front row seat to where fashion is heading next. Trust me, guys, you are going to want to be in the room. Hit the link in our show notes to find out more and you can grab a ticket for a show or register for our very own Stylish panel event. We can't wait to see you there.