Style-ish Podcast: "The Most Style-ish Brands of 2025"
Date: December 18, 2025
Hosts: Madison Sullivan Thorpe & Rhiannon Joyce
Overview
In the final episode of Style-ish for 2025, hosts Madison and Rhiannon break tradition with a special awards-style show, analyzing and celebrating the most notable fashion brands, campaigns, and founders of the year. The duo presents "The Most Style-ish Brands of 2025," handing out light-hearted but insightful awards for standouts and flops alike, with real-time reactions to winners as envelopes are opened. Engaging listeners in the results, the hosts add commentary, pop culture references, and behind-the-scenes context, making this a must-listen for anyone invested in brand strategy, fashion, and the evolving aesthetics of 2025.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Kicking Off: Word of the Week & Accessories Trends [00:49-03:11]
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Word of the week: "Accessories"
- Discussion about the ongoing accessories boom, with a nod to Gen Z using bold accessories to personalize minimalist fashion.
- Reference to Diana Pell's Debrief podcast dissecting this trend.
"The minimalist trend isn't going anywhere. But they're turning to accessories as a way to, you know, create a unique personal style." — Rhiannon [01:18]
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Accessories as entry to trends, even for minimalists.
- Shoutout to the enduring relevance of bag charms and playful microaccessories.
- Sunglasses (and even chains) are recast as style-defining.
"I feel like accessories as a whole has really leveled up... It's just little, like micro accessories, which I feel like I can play in." — Madison [01:58]
Introduction to the Style-ish Fashion Awards [03:11-04:30]
- Madison and Rhiannon set the scene for their "awards" episode, with categories for best campaign, biggest brand flop, founder of the year, and brand of the year. Winners were chosen via audience vote on Instagram, except for their own "one to watch" pick.
- The pair banter about industry favorites, audience involvement, and their desire for predictions — referencing industry commentator Girl Boss Town [04:43-05:00].
Best Campaign of the Year [05:21-11:40]
Nominees:
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Burberry Fish and Chip Shop [05:42]
- Celebrates British heritage, featuring Olivia Colman and Lucky Blue Smith
- Seen as a clever, humorous reclaiming of Britishness
"Quintessentially British, and I think Burberry kind of lost its way for a little while, and it has come back so hard and so strong for its British roots." — Madison [05:42]
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Jacquemus 'Valerie' Handbag Tribute [06:44]
- Homage to founder’s mother; striking balance between emotional storytelling and playful marketing
- Features Charlotte Le Bon in campaign
"Their formula is like 15% silly and fun. Very playful." — Rhiannon [07:14]
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Reformation 'Official Boyfriend' Feat. Pete Davidson [08:12]
- Leveraged Pete Davidson’s zeitgeist status for an attention-grabbing, conversation-generating campaign
"I'm looking beyond the headlines... and looking at what is the actual conversation that is playing out on socials." — Rhiannon [08:12]
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Duolingo 'Killing Off Its Owl' [09:19]
- Viral, low-budget, meme-led campaign, went viral with the fictional demise of the brand mascot
- Struck a chord with mainstream media and audiences, aided by clever in-house creativity
"I was so obsessed with it. Also the fact that they killed Duo the owl by the Tesla Cyber truck. That little detail just... It was such a great meme, obviously. He's such a social media phenomenon." — Rhiannon [09:43]
Winner:
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Duolingo 'Killing Off Its Owl'
(Unanimous enthusiasm from hosts and audience)"I think it was the most creative. I also think it did have the biggest cultural moment throughout the year." — Rhiannon [10:55]
Biggest Brand Flop of the Year [11:40-20:24]
Discussion & Nominees:
- The hosts explain their rationale: this isn't a burn book, but a reality check that even top brands can miss.
- Flop picks analyzed include:
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Kylie Cosmetics ‘King Kylie’ Revamp [12:33]
- A nostalgia play seen as potentially premature and out of step with brand evolution
"It felt like it was reaching to be celebrating a 10 year anniversary with such a throwback." — Madison [13:04]
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Skims x Nike Collaboration [13:57]
- Described as lacking excitement and innovative edge, with unremarkable market buzz
"I haven't seen it in store. I haven't really seen it online. I haven't seen people unboxing it, wearing it." — Madison [14:16]
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Rinny (Children’s Skincare by Shay Mitchell) [15:16]
- Critiqued as unnecessary and even unethical; skepticism towards targeting young children for skincare
"Those children at that age should not have a relationship with skincare, period." — Rhiannon [16:24]
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H&M's 'AI Digital Twins' Models [16:51]
- Innovative use of AI generated controversy around image rights and industry ethics
"I felt like it was people selling the soul to the devil and models in particular... you are losing the right to your image." — Madison [17:29]
Winner:
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Rinny (Children's Skincare by Shay Mitchell)
- Cited by audience as "tone-deaf," "unnecessary," and "a cash grab" [19:29-20:15]
- Won 72% of votes
"A brand that wasn't needed and unethical. If they did any market research, they would have known the backlash Sephora and other brands had on tween craze, let alone targeting even younger consumers." — Listener survey response [19:46]
Founder of the Year [21:16-29:14]
Nominees:
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Emma Grede (Skims, Good American, Off Season, Aspire podcast)
- Celebrated for being authentic, prolific, and finally front-and-center
- Lauded for honesty—
"Show me a woman who can do everything and I'll show you a liar." — Emma Grede, quoted by Madison [24:18]
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Amy Smilovic (Odd Muse)
- Bootstrapped brand to £20–30 million revenue with no VC funding
- Transparent, humble, and community-connected founder
"She has done an incredible job at bringing us along in a way that has shown us her success in a way that has never felt arrogant or boastful." — Madison [25:41]
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Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy, Unwell Network)
- Media and business juggernaut with high-profile deals
- Hosts note her polarizing persona is part of the business model
"There was no way we couldn't put her on that list." — Madison [27:40]
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Maggie Sellers Room (Hot Smart Rich)
- Fast-rising star; signed a deal with Stephen Bartlett
- Exemplifies the content creator-to-founder pipeline
Winner:
- Alex Cooper
- Noted for outsized influence, audience engagement, and business savvy
- Hosts acknowledged the popularity of their Cooper-focused content “[29:14] Numbers don’t lie. It’s definitely one of our most downloaded episodes to date.” — Rhiannon
Brand of the Year [29:40-33:12]
Nominees:
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Pop Mart / Labubu
- Culturally dominant accessories brand with extraordinary financial impact
- Hosts note Labubu as a meme, but impactful
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Jacquemus
- Stunning campaigns, creative innovation; poised for further success (esp. fragrance line)
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Chanel
- Notable comeback in 2025 under Matthew Blazey; the New York Subway show, Nicole Kidman’s viral looks; hosts call it a “resurgence”
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Rhode Beauty (Hailey Bieber)
- Standout year: sold to ELF for up to $1B, Bieber as CCO; high anticipation for Australia launch
Winner:
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Rhode Beauty
- 59% of votes, significant landslide
- Hosts excited for its anticipated launch in Australia in early 2026
"Road Beauty by an absolute landslide. 59 voted for Road. Oh my God. 28 voted for Popmart. Lobo." — Rhiannon [32:48]
One to Watch: Brand Hot Take for 2026 [33:20-35:44]
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With Harper Lou (Melbourne, Australia)
- Chosen by hosts, not audience
- Mother-daughter-run, growing eventwear/resort line; buzz among influencers and “it girls”
- Noted for affordable price point, rapid growth since founding in late 2020, and entrance into bridal
"It has been a domino effect of it girls both locally and internationally wearing pieces ever since then." — Madison [34:12] "Their primary focus is resort and event wear... dresses ranging between $250 to $450." — Rhiannon [35:22]
Memorable Quotes & Moments
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"Quintessentially British... Burberry kind of lost its way for a little while, and it has come back so hard and so strong for its British roots." — Madison [05:42]
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"Those children at that age should not have a relationship with skincare, period." — Rhiannon [16:24]
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"Show me a woman who can do everything and I'll show you a liar." — Emma Grede, via Madison [24:18]
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"Anytime anyone mentions Alex O and Alex Cooper in the same sentence, everyone's back, gets up. They're like, oh, oh, gossip." — Madison [27:34]
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"Popmart's brand founder Wang Ning's net worth is now 27 billion thanks to these little creatures." — Madison [29:57]
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"Labubu... billions of dollars from a furry little gremlin." — Rhiannon [30:14]
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"There is no world that Road will not be launching in Australia in some capacity at that time." — Madison [32:01]
Timeline of Key Segments
- 00:49–03:11: Accessories trend analysis & word of the week
- 03:11–04:30: Introduction of the awards format
- 05:21–11:40: Best Campaign of the Year (Nominees, breakdowns, winner: Duolingo ‘Killing Off Its Owl’)
- 11:40–20:24: Biggest Flop of the Year (Nominees, analysis, winner: Rinny children’s skincare)
- 21:16–29:14: Founder of the Year (Nominees, deliberation, winner: Alex Cooper)
- 29:40–33:12: Brand of the Year (Nominees, winner: Rhode Beauty)
- 33:20–35:44: One to Watch for 2026 (With Harper Lou)
Tone and Style
The episode is energetic, collaborative, and industry-savvy, blending personal opinion with analytic rigor. Madison and Rhiannon maintain a mix of irreverence, warmth, and expertise — with running in-jokes, candid disagreements, and engagement of their community’s insights via real-time responses. The episode's light “awards show” theme provides structure while allowing for deep dives into marketing, cultural impact, and the hype (or lack thereof) around brands.
For anyone wanting a sharp 2025-in-review snapshot of fashion’s brand winners, losers, and rising stars—with solid banter and industry tea—this episode is essential listening.