Burberry cuts, Cannes dress restrictions, and how festivals became fashion’s marketing stage — with Raissa Gerona and designer Asher Levine

Summary

The Glossy Podcast: Burberry Cuts, Cannes Dress Restrictions, and How Festivals Became Fashion’s Marketing Stage

Release Date: May 16, 2025

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1. Burberry’s Significant Workforce Reduction and Business Struggles

In the early part of the episode, host Danny Parisi and international reporter Christina Ko delve into Burberry's recent announcement of laying off 1,700 employees, which accounts for approximately 20% of its global workforce. This move highlights broader challenges within the luxury sector.

• Impact on Burberry’s Operations:
  Christina Ko explains, “Burberry in general has grown over time, both in terms of people, but also kind of wider offices, storefronts, factories over the years... It hasn't reflected the economic climate and its own financial position” (04:16).

• Financial Performance:
  Burberry reported a £66 million loss last year, with full-year sales dropping by 12% in stores and a staggering 35% in wholesale. Ko notes, “They’re backing away from the more experimental fashion shifts... focusing more on what makes Burberry great” (08:48).

• Leadership and Strategy:
  CEO Joshua Shulman is committed to retaining creative director Daniel Lee, a strategy that contrasts with other luxury brands quick to replace creatives amid downturns. Parisi remarks, “I think it’s refreshing that they’re not doing that... allowing that partnership time to grow” (08:52).

2. Shifts in the Luxury Retail Landscape: Saks and Neiman Marcus

The discussion transitions to the broader luxury retail environment, particularly focusing on Saks Global and its parent company.

• Saks Cutting Vendor List:
  Christina Ko mentions, “Saks announced they are cutting 500 brands from their vendor list, about 25% of all the brands they sell” (12:04). This move aligns with a general tightening in the luxury market.

• Financial Struggles:
  Saks has faced longstanding liquidity issues, leading to a downgraded credit rating by Standard & Poor’s. Additionally, the recent merger with Neiman Marcus adds complexity to their financial recovery efforts.

• Strategic Partnerships:
  Ko highlights, “Department stores are moving towards more controlled brand partnerships... a smarter way of doing things” (13:15), emphasizing a shift toward selective collaborations to enhance brand alignment and performance.

3. Cannes Film Festival’s New Dress Code: Balancing Glamour and Practicality

The episode then shifts focus to the Cannes Film Festival, discussing the newly implemented dress code restrictions aimed at moderating red carpet fashions.

• New Dress Code Implementation:
  Danny Parisi outlines the changes: banning full nudity, extremely revealing outfits, and excessively voluminous attire that disrupts festival logistics (15:50).

• Celebrity Reactions and Style Adjustments:
  Christina Ko observes, “Bella Hadid wore a no-bra style, still kind of revealing, backless outfit with a little mini train” (16:50), anticipating that celebrities will continue to push boundaries within the new guidelines.

• Cultural Implications:
  Ko discusses the potential cultural shifts, noting the balance between maintaining Cannes’ prestige and accommodating the modern influencer-driven spectacle. She states, “It’s about retaining prestige... more of a cultural event” (20:30).

4. Music Festivals as Fashion and Marketing Powerhouses

The latter half of the episode, featuring Glossy’s managing editor Tatiana Pyle, explores how music festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach have evolved into major platforms for brand activations and fashion showcases.

a. Evolution of Festival Fashion

• Diverse Styles Across Festivals:
  Pyle explains the distinct fashion vibes of different festivals, such as Coachella’s bohemian aesthetic versus Stagecoach’s Western-inspired looks (31:35).

• Iconic Festival Looks:
  The conversation highlights memorable fashion moments, including Lisa from Blackpink’s futuristic bodysuit at Coachella, designed by Asha Levine. Levine emphasizes the importance of “transformation” and creating unforgettable moments through design (59:10).

b. Brand Activations and Influencer Marketing

• Strategic Brand Presence:
  Brands like Revolve have become synonymous with festivals, integrating seamlessly through activations that enhance the attendee experience. Pyle notes, “Revolve has staked its claim with Coachella” (36:55).

• Influencer Collaboration:
  Raisa Gerona from Revolve discusses the meticulous process of selecting influencers who align with the brand’s ethos, ensuring authentic and aspirational content (51:19).

• Shift in Festival Attendee Behavior:
  There’s a noticeable trend where attendees prioritize brand activations over the actual music events, driven by the allure of exclusive experiences and product giveaways.

c. Challenges and Opportunities for Brands

• Balancing Visibility and Authenticity:
  Pyle points out the logistical challenges brands face in activating within festival grounds versus off-site, impacting the authenticity of engagement (44:00).

• Cost vs. ROI Considerations:
  High costs associated with major festival partnerships necessitate precise targeting to ensure effective return on investment, especially for brands like Bass choosing Stagecoach over Coachella to reach specific demographics (40:29).

5. Designer Insights: Crafting Memorable Festival Looks

The episode features insights from designer Asha Levine, who crafted Lisa’s standout look for Coachella.

• Design Process and Innovation:
  Levine describes the intensive process of designing futuristic outfits within tight timeframes, integrating advanced materials and hardware to create seamless, impactful looks (61:03).

• Artist-Designer Collaboration:
  The synergy between Levine and Lisa underscores the importance of communication and adaptability in bringing avant-garde visions to life, ensuring the final appearance resonates with both the artist and the audience (63:24).

Conclusion

The episode of The Glossy Podcast offers a comprehensive look into the intersecting worlds of luxury fashion, corporate strategy, and the vibrant marketing landscapes of film and music festivals. From Burberry's strategic layoffs to the evolving dress codes at Cannes and the dynamic role of music festivals in fashion marketing, the discussions provide valuable insights into how technology and cultural shifts are reshaping these industries.

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Notable Quotes:

• Christina Ko on Burberry’s layoffs:
  “Burberry in general has grown over time... It hasn't reflected the economic climate and its own financial position.”
  04:16

• Danny Parisi on Burberry's strategy:
  “I think it’s refreshing that they’re not doing that... allowing that partnership time to grow.”
  08:52

• Christina Ko on Saks’ vendor cuts:
  “Saks announced they are cutting 500 brands from their vendor list, about 25% of all the brands they sell.”
  12:04

• Asha Levine on designing for transformation:
  “That’s the space I love to live in with my designs. That eerie, unknown place that no one expects.”
  59:10

• Raisa Gerona on influencer selection:
  “Who’s gonna embody the spirit of Festival and Revolve and be able to communicate in their own way through their channels...”
  51:19

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This summary is crafted to provide a detailed overview of the episode's key discussions, ensuring clarity and engagement for those who haven't listened to it.

Transcript

[Glossy Podcast Host]

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[Christina Ko]

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[Tatiana Pyle]

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[Christina Ko]

Of the Glossy Podcast. Later in the show, custom talks with Jamie about how beauty brands are using.

[Tatiana Pyle]

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[Christina Ko]

Creative formats on the horizon.

[Danny Parisi]

Hello and welcome back to the Glossy Podcast. I'm your host, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi, and I'm here with our international reporter Zofia Zviglinska. Hello Zofia, how are you today?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, good, thank you. Thank you for having me on again.

[Danny Parisi]

Thank you for being here. This week we are discussing layoffs at Burberry, which I think we will also kind of go into some of the larger movements happening in luxury because I feel like this is emblematic of sort of one of two ways a lot of luxury brands are going, which is either like doing surprisingly well or doing unsurprisingly, not well and Burberry's in the latter. But we will talk a bit about that and we'll also talk about changes to the Cannes Film Festival red carpet dress code, which I thought were very interesting and kind of bring up some interesting topics around red carpets in general later in the episode. Zofia, you and Glossy's managing editor Tatiana Pyle had a great discussion about the business of music festivals, how brands are showing up there, all that kind of stuff. I'm really looking forward to that conversation. Can you give us a quick preview of what you guys talked about?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, absolutely. If you've ever wondered what celebrity dressing goes into preparing the looks on stage, or if you've read about all of the influencer drama and thought, how has fashion evolved beyond, I guess, the traditional hippie look that's popular at festivals, then definitely tune in. It's going to be a great episode, and we do a great deep dive across brand activations, but also the fashion that goes into making a great music festival.

[Danny Parisi]

I think that sounds fascinating. That will be in the second half of this episode. But first, let's talk a little bit about Burberry, which I feel like has been in a tough spot for a while now. This week, they announced they were laying off 1700 people, which is like 20% of their global workforce. First off, before we get into kind of like the impersonal business side of it, got to say that that just sucks for all those people. Layoffs are never good, and for the industry, it's not good to lose so many experienced people. Secondly, not a good look at all for Burberry from a business perspective. I think the brand has really been struggling even more than luxury in general has kind of been struggling. I don't know. What's your perspective? I know you've done some reporting on Burberry in the past. Was this surprising to you or no?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like it's been a long time coming. Burberry in general has grown over time, both in terms of people, but also kind of wider offices, storefronts, factories over the years. And I think as a result, it's become quite a big organization that hasn't reflected maybe the kind of economic climate and its own financial position. So I think that this was something that was kind of an essential thing to do, even if definitely not the most pleasant.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah, absolutely. And I did some very loose math, but if 1700 people is 20% of their workforce, then they probably had like 8500 employees, which is kind of huge even for a big internationally known brand. I was kind of shocked by. I mean, maybe I'm being naive, but that feels like an insane amount of people. So maybe they just kind of spread themselves a little too thin. It seems like the layoffs are not specifically concentrated in any one sector or region that seems like it's kind of spread out, but definitely a good number of jobs in the uk, where I believe Burberry does a good amount of manufacturing as well.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, I Think that's the thing. Part of these job cuts are also affecting the factories. And this is one. It's a big problem because of the fact that the political system under labor has prioritized bringing workforces back and factory production back to the uk. Similarly, I guess, to what's happening in the us. And this is obviously cutting the workforce for one of the biggest brands in the uk. I think alongside Burberry, the only ones who are kind of really producing in the UK is still more in the car industry. So if you're thinking about like Range Rover, for example, like some of that's happening in the UK still. So I think most of the cuts are affecting a factory in Castleford in the uk. And it's also a potential issue because most of those workers come under the GMB union, which represents the factory workers as well. So they're trying to work out a deal where basically the redundancies are only there if they're compulsory and that there's support packages in place for the affected workers. Because when you're looking at factory workers, those are typically people who are very reliant on those jobs, especially in a tougher economic climate.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. And Joshua Shulman, who was their CEO, who I think took over somewhat recently. Correct. Like last year, I think, from Jonathan Aykroyd. He has said, I mean, I saw a quote from him where they were cutting overnight shifts at their factories in the UK and are basically just reducing volume of manufacturing. I don't think they're closing any facilities or anything, but it's certainly the volumes are going down, which I think matches. Their sales have been going down. I think this was last year they reported a 66 million pound loss, which is not great. Then also it's lucky for them that Riccardo Tisci is not there because also recently, not this week, but a couple of weeks ago, he was accused of sexual assault. I think if he was still there, that would just compound their challenges.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. I think the sales this time around because obviously they reported earnings this week and this is kind of part of the bigger moves. I think their full year sales dropped 12% in stores and 35% in wholesale. The wholesale thing is kind of a general luxury shift. Most luxury brands are pulling out of wholesale or focusing on very select partners. And it's the same for Burberry. They've had to adjust their retail strategy in a big way. So that's also contributing. So again, slowly kind of moving forward. I wouldn't say that all of the moves are negative. There were some brighter spots in the earnings, as well as what's been working for them. They're still not great with China. I think there's still no dividend for those people who are getting those back from Burberry, but they're backing away from the more experimental fashion shifts that they've been doing under Tisci and other creative directors, and they're kind of focusing more on what makes makes Burberry great. So focusing on the trenches, adding in more of that Burberry check trim, and as well, like, focusing a little bit more on accessories. I think that they've said that the terrace sneaker and the B clip bag, which apparently nearly sold out, have both been kind of early hits. And obviously, with Shalman coming from Coach, it's, I think, a good record from him that these accessories are working for sales.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. And I also saw that it seems like Joshua Shulman and Burberry in general are pretty firmly committed to sticking with Daniel Lee. I don't think there's any indications that he's out or that there's any risk to kind of his job, which we've talked about a lot. I think there's a tendency in luxury in the last couple years to, at the first sign of trouble, ditch your creative director and hire somebody new. I think it's refreshing that they're not doing that, because I think Daniel Lee is a talented designer, and he's been there how long? A handful of years. I feel like I think it makes sense to stick with him and allow that partnership time to kind of grow and establish itself and breathe. I could see another company very quickly getting rid of him and getting somebody else in because they're spooked and trying to do that. So, anyway, I thought that was refreshing.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah. And it's interesting as well, because obviously with. With Daniel Lee, like, his designs were a bit more kind of interesting, artistic, fashiony. So what will that mean, I guess, going forward? If you're thinking about, you know, Burberry focusing on, like, the timeless trenches, does that mean that that's also going to correlate to some of the catwalk stuff we'll be seeing later this year? Like, I'm wondering if his design, maybe not identity, but at least design aesthetic for burtbriary will also change a little bit as a result?

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. We should also kind of look at how Burberry is sitting among kind of the rest of luxury, because I've been tracking, like, a number of luxury companies, and you see some, like Hermes and Prada, both had earnings somewhat recently that were very good. And there were all these headlines that were like, they're bucking the luxury trend. And Burberry is much more the trend, along with Kering, which has been suffering pretty badly. I think Gucci has seen its sales declining a lot, which, you know, we've talked about. Gucci is a huge part of Kering. And so when Gucci's doing bad, Kering is doing bad. Burberry feels like it's more in line with kind of like a general luxury downturn. And we're just seeing, like, a few outliers. Like. Like Prada.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's obviously, it's one of the only companies, I'd say, that's still relatively independent. It's not under some bigger luxury group. So obviously, these hits are probably much harder felt because you know, that that kind of. That can't be redistributed or absorbed through that kind of larger group. But at the same time, it offers, you know, a little bit more flexibility. And I guess, like, this is exactly the kind of changes that. That would be happening with. With an independent brand like. Like Burberry. You know, you can end up cutting your workforce or shifting some of the production around just so that, you know, it. It kind of makes sense in the kind of current climate.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. One more thing we should talk about on this, which you sent me this just before we started recording. Saks Global, parent company of Saks. And also now Neiman Marcus is not doing layoffs. Exactly. But they said that they were cutting like, 500 brands from their vendor list, which I think is about 25% of all the brands that they sell. They had, like, 2,600 brands in the store, and now they're cutting that back. Which was announced at World Retail Congress, which you were at this week, right?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, I was at the Congress this week. And you had some great speakers from Harrods, from Saks, you had Todd Snyder, Brett Olson from On. So a really good kind of mix. And, yeah, this was part of the announcement they made yesterday morning.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. And I think it's in line with kind of general tightening across the board in luxury. I mean, Sachs is also a unique case because we have reported and talked about at length about how they for years were having liquidity problems and were just straight up not paying their vendors. And I actually think their sort of credit rating was downgraded this week by Standard and Poor because they just never have cash on hand. And they also obviously just completed this huge merger or acquisition of Neiman Marcus. So I feel Like, Saks has been in a weird spot for a while, and they can barely pay the brands that they have. So it's maybe not a bad idea too cut down on the number of brands that they're selling. But an interesting contrast, though, to a lot of other department stores, which I think are expanding their catalogs and bringing in all sorts of newer, interesting independent brands. And Saks is like we're narrowing.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I think that this points, again, to a wider trend with brands kind of focusing on a more controlled relationship with their wholesalers. With department stores, the thing that Baker mentioned during the panel is that they're going to be working more increasingly with these kind of controlled brand partnerships, similar to what it has with authentic luxury groups. So kind of 50, 50 joint venture, rather than just for kind of focusing on wholesale partners in general, which I think is a more kind of smart way of doing things. And I think, again, like Saks, as you mentioned, has been in trouble for a while and is trying to do some very big moves to kind of turn it around. Most importantly, the Amazon kind of storefront partnership that it launched. This, I think it was this week as well, and its focus on kind of a more global online presence through a better, you know, more accessible customer through Amazon as well.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah, I would. I think there's a lot more we could talk about with luxury, but in the interest of time, let's talk a little bit about can. But I'm certain that we will like future episodes. We'll come back to this conversation, particularly with Sax. I think there's a lot more to say, but I want to talk about the Cannes Film Festival, which is happening now. I'm a big cinephile, and I love whenever the Cannes Film Festival is happening every year, even though I can't actually watch any of these movies for like one to two years after they show at Cannes. But the film festival had a. They announced just before the festival started a new dress code, kind of last minute, which basically bans either full nudity or extremely revealing outfits, and then also excessively voluminous outfits that either kind of disrupt the flow of traffic into the festival or make seating difficult in a crowded theater. The festival organizers said that these have long been sort of unofficial rules, but clearly nobody ever follows them. The Hollywood Reporter had a great story this week that was just showing some of the outfits throughout the history of the festival that absolutely break all of these rules. There was a night in 1988, the Italian actress Ilona Stahler literally showed up almost completely nude. But I feel like it's very. It's not uncommon at all for people to show up in a dress with a train that's like 15ft long or something, or something very impractical. Coming right after the Met Gala, which is, like, famous for super impractical, very avant garde outfits, I thought it was interesting that they were like, kind of explicitly know, like, wear something normal. I don't know. What do you think?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, I mean, I think it's a very weird take to be talking about more kind of conservative dress codes right now since Cannes. A lot of its visibility and I guess, like, for the fashion side, like, a lot of that visibility has come from the fact that these dress codes are relatively light, that you can go a little bit wilder with some of the looks. And granted, it's not the same as the Met Gala, which is specifically focused on fashion. But out of all of the film festivals, Cannes is definitely the most fashionable. And the red carpet there is very famous. You know, you're already seeing some celebrities slash stylists toeing the line. I don't know if you saw Bella Hadid's look, but, like, she. She wore that, like, no bra style, still kind of revealing, backless outfit with a little mini train. And I'm wondering if we're going to see more of that where it's basically just playing with the rules to see what's acceptable and which celebrity is going to get dragged off.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. And I wonder if they would actually turn somebody away if they broke those rules or what would happen. But, yeah, you raise a good point about the Met Gala. I was thinking about the juxtaposition between sort of the red carpet of an event and then what the event actually is. The Met Gala is like raising money for the Costume Institute. Fashion is part of it, and it's very much encouraged. And, you know, it's like, very much on theme for the attendees to show up in very avant garde outfits. That's totally, you know, totally makes sense. The Cannes Film Festival is ostensibly a film festival. Like, I mean, the. And by ostensibly, I mean, like, there is a purpose to it that's not just for publicity. It's for people in the industry to see movies and decide if they're going to buy it and distribute it and that kind of thing. And it's like, there is a practical purpose to the festival. It's not just like, you know, to get a bunch of famous people together and take pictures of them. That's part of it, but it's not the only thing. And I Think maybe the organizers were. It seems like they're purposely trying to steer the festival away from kind of a Met gala, like, spectacle. Like, they want it to be a little bit. Like, that's not the focus. Maybe they found it distracting or something. Again, like you said, I think it's like an undeniable part of the festival now is that the red carpet is very prestigious and people pay a lot of attention to it. And I'm sure that many attendees will continue to, like Bella Hadid, like, sort of toe the line. But it's just interesting to me that they're like, intentionally, like, let's tone it down. It's like it's too much, you know?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely.

[Danny Parisi]

There is also a practical element of the fact that people need to go inside and sit in the theater and watch a movie. That's what the festival is about. And if you have a hoop skirt that's like 10ft wide, I don't know how you're gonna do that.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah. And it's not the only rule as well at the red carpet, Cairns. It's one of a whole host of different things that you can't do. You can't take selfies, which, again, that's something that's been broken literally yesterday by Tom Cruise and his team. Like all of these things, I guess, like, try and retain some of that old fashioned, you know, glamour and exclusivity that you'd associate with red carpet with. But forget almost that. You know, we're living in a social media age and every single aspect of these publicity moments is really valuable. You know, I guess that virality can also help promote some films. I don't know how much, obviously, but I think that there's definitely more to Cannes than the Cannes administration board thinks. I think it should be something they should consider.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. One other thing I wanted to say about it is I've seen some takes floating around that the specific rule about super revealing outfits or nudity reflects this broader shift toward a more sort of conservative outlook. And especially since so much of popular culture has sort of been trending the opposite way for a long time, I think that that's a very American take. Like, I think Americans are like reading their own politics onto the rest of the world. Yeah, I don't know if I. I mean, certainly, like the US is not the only country that's like shifting to the right. I mean, France literally had that as well as has the UK and Italy. And like, so it's. It's not like that's not happening. But I Feel like the cultural side of it. Like, I feel like Europe already has far less of a stigma around, like, nudity and things like that compared to the American mindset. So I think some Americans might be reading a little too much into that, in my view. I don't know. Does that sound right to you as a non American?

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, I mean, obviously, like, I think, again, it's just about retaining prestige. I think it's a very tough line for them to toe just because you don't just have film stars and directors coming to these things. You do have celebrities or kind of social media stars who are also attending red carpets nowadays, even in Cairns. And I think that that's the difference is that you can't make it an event purely for the industry if it's not just the industry who are taking part. And there's a million or so little side events, kind of similar to the Met Gala, side events by brands happening at Cairns. It's like a whole kind of cultural event. I don't think there's a way to limit that. And I think the kind of American view that it's just about everything is kind of conservative. I think it's a little bit overblown. I think there's more to it. And, yeah, hopefully they kind of tone down some of these rules because there's definitely no good can come from being too conservative here.

[Danny Parisi]

Yeah. My view as an American is I think there has been like a long. I'm talking about the US now, not specifically Cannes or France, but I feel like there is this tension where it's like, yes, sex sells. That's true. People know that. But at the same time, American companies can be extremely skittish about brand safety and not wanting to be associated with anything that's even remotely controversial. So, setting aside can, I do think there's an interesting conversation there about how brands and advertisers toe that line between wanting to go into that classic strategy of doing something risque because it's appealing, and then also not wanting to displease or displease, like, their shareholders or do anything that's, like, too risky. So I think, again, like you said, maybe not applicable here to Cannes, but it is an interesting conversation for advertisers in general. So I think that's all the time we have for the discussion portion of this episode. But like we said at the top, I mean, it's music festival season. Coachella happened already. Stagecoach happened already. There's a couple more planned for the rest of the year. Like we said, you and Tatiana had this great conversation about the business of music festivals, how brands are showing up there. I think there is a really interesting broader discussion to be had. So for those of you listening, stick around after a short break and listen in on that.

[Glossy Podcast Host]

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[Christina Ko]

I'm Christina Ko, senior editor at Custom Digiday Media's and Glossy's in House agency.

[Tatiana Pyle]

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[Christina Ko]

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As delivering unique personalized experiences becomes what consumers expect, beauty brands now have access to new technology to develop highly impactful mobile experiences that showcase their exceptional creatives.

[Jamie Elden]

In beauty and fashion. Brands really focus their creative prowess around print, digital, outdoor. They spend a lot of money on those creatives to make them look beautiful and to really appeal to consumers. That creative discipline around those is now being transformed into email, creative, SMS creative, MMS Creative. Listrack is the first company in the United States to send an RCS message, which is rich creative. And that is going to be a game changer for the beauty industry and the fashion industry in 2025. Moving forward, RCS messaging through mobile phones allows a brand to pull in their TikTok shop content, their reels, their influencer content all into a video environment on somebody's cell phone. So what that means is it allows to create this unique, unique, rich, creative experience with functionalities of they can shop, they can browse through catalogs, they can request something through this. It's a whole new way of a brand to communicate with a consumer through a cell phone. And it's going to be incredibly fascinating to see how that evolves over the next one to three years.

[Christina Ko]

You've been listening to Jamie Eldon, Chief revenue officer at Listrac, our sponsor on this episode.

[Tatiana Pyle]

And now back to the glossy podcast.

[Christina Ko]

So summer's here, which means warm weather, beach vacation and music lovers everywhere. It's festival season time. Coachella is the kickoff. It's usually held in Indio, California in April. And this year's headliners were Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone. After that there's Gov Ball in New York, Lollapalooza in Chicag, Bonnaroo in Tennessee, Glastonbury here in the uk and one of the fastest growing festivals, Stagecoach, held in California the week after coachella. So between 2022 and 2024, Stagecoach actually saw a 57% jump in the number of pop culture driven or non endemic brand partnerships, which is basically a very roundabout way of saying, brand partnerships which were not tied specifically to the festival or the theme. So these, for example, included activations from brands like Elf Cosmetics, Wrangler Jeans and Coach, among others. And this kind of speaks to how festivals have grown beyond just being a concert. And I think that's what we remember it by. But it's evolved into being so much more than that. In this episode, we're unpacking how the modern music festival has become fashion's favourite Runway and marketing's most performative playground. Cue Coachella, for example. From what influencers wear in the desert, how performers think about their stage looks. We're digging into festival fashion and how it's become one of the most curated, visible and brand driven spaces and culture. You'll hear from designer Asha Levine, who designed Lisa's look at Coachella this year, and Raisa Girona, the chief Brand Officer at Revolve, who built Revolve Festival into the tentpole event. It is for influencer marketing and for this I'm really happy to have Glossy's managing editor, Tatiana Pyle on the Glossy pod. So. Hi Tatiana, welcome.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Hello. Thanks for having me.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, of course. It's so fun to have you on and obviously you are an actual festival goer. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't actually been to that many festivals, so it's very nice to have you able to speak to what it's actually about, what festivals are like and which ones you've been to. So let's start with that. You know, which ones have you been to? And I guess what was your favorite?

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah, so when you first reached out to me about this, I was like, you know, actually I haven't been to a lot of. But as I think about it and reflect upon my past experiences, I've been to almost all of the major ones in the U.S. i've been to Coachella, I briefly popped into Lollapalooza. I've been to Made in America when it was in its heyday. I've been to the Roots Picnic, which is also in Philadelphia. And I've been to Broccoli city festival in D.C. yeah, that's quite a lot.

[Christina Ko]

And obviously each one of these has like a specific theme, right? And different artists, different, different vibe. So much of that is about fashion. So what did you wear and kind of what goes into picking out an outfit for a festival like this?

[Tatiana Pyle]

So I really do think it's dependent on your intentions for going to the festival. For me, all of these, at least for the very first time that I attended each of these festivals, my intention was truly just to go and enjoy the music because where else can you see, see so many artists across multiple genres in one place? So I made sure to wear comfortable clothing, sneakers of course, or flats, something that I could wear for hours on end. I personally went the pants option because I wanted something that could keep me warm at night and comfortable tops made. I sure had. Whether it be like a fanny pack or some type of bag that I could wear as a crossbody in the event that I didn't want to carry it all day. So for me, comfort was priority. But when you go to festivals, maybe the second, third time and beyond that, I think you kind of understand the logistics of it all or you have an idea of like the itinerary and maybe you want to go to some brand activations so you begin to change your aesthetic or, you know, your outfits more. So you're looking for the fashion moment rather than going for the comfort and long lasting moment as well.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, I could totally see that. I know that, you know, whenever I go somewhere for the first time, I'm always so worried about the dress code and also like, you know, am I going to be comfortable or not? So what kind of brands do you gravitate towards to? I guess for festival dressing? And is there any that you change depending on which festival you're going to?

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, this is a no brainer and it's great that you guys had Reyes on because when I went to Coachella, the first brand I immediately thought about was Revolve. I mean, Revolve essentially is synonymous with Coachella at this point. So I made sure to try to dress like what I thought of Revolve Girl would dress like. But still thinking about comfort first and foremost. And then you have some of those festival esque brands that I, I noticed that a Lot of the young influencers dress with. So you have like the lioness, you have jaded London. You have, you know, dolls kill. All of those brands that really kind of lean toward the more fun flowy but still trendy type of wear.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I think that this is the real thing is that each of these festivals have their own style. You know, if we can kind of zoom out, look at how all of these different festivals are presented, you know how that's kind of shifted over time as well. There was a moment, I think when like Bonnaroo was like Jam ban diy, you had Gov Ball, which was more like indie fashion. Lollapuza was typically like alternative rock. I know from the UK side of things. Glastonbury is like you have to bring wellies because it gets very, very muddy here. But a lot of cute dresses still, you know. So in that kind of sense, is there anything that you remember from like past looks around festival seasons that you know, you were thought that like, were super iconic, like festival ready? Anything that kind of comes to mind then?

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah, it's really important that you call out, you know, every festival does have a different genre of music and also genre of concert goer as well. So I. What I think is really unique, and I'm sure we'll talk about this a little bit later in the conversation, is that you have a festival, you have two festivals like Stagecoach and Coachella, which are both held in California. And I think Coachella is more of what you envision a California festival to be like. You know, you have the, the flower crowns, you have the crop tops, you have the flowy skirts and very hippie esque, more free, more free flowing, more carefree, colorful type of aesthetic. And then you have Stagecoach, which is very much so synonymous with the country, the western type of attire. And then you move over to the east coast and you have festivals like Made in America, which quite literally I would the. A couple of times that I went. It was American, very much so like American. You'd see people with American flag shirts. You would see people with like their Coors Light esque type of. Which is what I classify that as. Like, you know, you have like the band tees or you have just like that vintage Americana type of feel to it. Then you have a newer festival like Broccoli City, which is in Washington D.C. and it's a little bit, it leans more hip hop and R and B. So you see a little bit more street wear, a little bit more of like that trendier type of aesthetic and Then, you know, you mentioned it earlier, you have Governor's Ball, which is in New York City. So I think out of all of the festivals, that one is the most diverse when it comes to style, just because it's in New York City, which is a style capital. So you do have the Indy, you have the alternative, you have the Western, you have the street wear. You get a little bit of everything. You almost don't even know where you are when you go to Governor's Ball. Just because I think that one is the most probably diverse of all of the festivals.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I think that, you know, for me at least, like, festival going is almost just like always this kind of hippie look that was, you know, pioneered in like the early 2010s. You had free people maxi dresses, you know, flower crowns from, like Urban Outfitters. They had like the Jeffrey Campbell litas. I don't know if you remember, these are massive platform sho, like wild fox, but obviously revolve coach acne, y2k, even like brands like Cavalli have leaned into festival dressing over time. And I think that's actually like pushed brands to not just think about who they're dressing for those events, but also actually bring their brands to the festivals. And this is what we're talking about now. You know, you mentioned Revolve, and obviously they brought their presence over in the early 2013s, I think. And that's something that, that, that brand presence is something that's almost quite new and it has also affected how people dress for these events. You know, I think that for a lot of these times, the, the brand activations become, you know, massive things. They end up being queued up events usually tied to some kind of a brand launch. On the makeup side, it ends up being product. I'm sure you've seen so many of these over the years covering it as well.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm just thinking as you were speaking about when you. When people would go to festivals or music events years past, thinking about, like, you know, the moments at Glastonbury where you had the hunter boot moment, where now it's, you know, that was like a moment in time where she wasn't dressing to be a fashion moment, rather her outfit became a fashion moment because she was dressing for the occasion. Now you have music festivals which have turned into, you know, these influence, influencer marketing moments, just given the nature of social media and the impact that it also plays into just pop culture moments as well. Because I remember when I went to Revolve, well, I went to Coachella for the first time, which was during Be Chella, which greatest show of my life. But that was the first time I went to Coachella. First time I saw Revolve Festival, first time I really got, got inundated with what an actual like brand activation on site at a music, music festival looks like. And it was a huge occasion. I, that was the first time I ever met Jackie Aina. She was just there standing in line next to me and I was like, wait, these are influencers everywhere. They're like influences in the wild. They're just like all over the place, like taking photos, looking fabulous. But it was such a larger than life moment. You know, they have the infamous carousel and you know that that's a photo opportunity. Then they have a performer you almost don't even need. I actually know this for a fact that there are people who live close to Indigo, for close to Palm Springs who actually just go to the grounds for the brand activations and they don't go to the actual concert anymore. Because sometimes depending on the brand and depending on the budget, you don't even need to go to the, to the actual festival itself. You can get almost a better experience by going to the brand activations.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, of course. So many brands put in, you know, big marketing dollars into this and I think that that also changes as also these ticket prices go up for, for all of these events. I know that. I'm sure some people go there almost to recoup the ticket cost because the amount of free merch that you get at a festival like this, you know, it's probably similar to something like a retail conference. Like everyone's just throwing product at you.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Oh, absolutely. I mean you had this year or this past year Neutrogena and so de Janeiro, they both were first time activations. Neutrogena was the official SPF brand of note. Then you had Sol de Janeiro which did a major activation. Then you had of course Revolve Fest which is competing with these brands and having to up their experience as well. You have Kendo and Kylie's brands that were there. You have Goop, you have Push, you have all of these brands that are there and they're giving away merch. And you absolutely, like I said, you do not have to go to the festival if like you are only going to get that influencer type of experience.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, of course. And do you think that brands show up in different ways? So, you know, let's say it's Coachella. I know you didn't say that. You went to stagecope, but some of the other ones. Is there any time where you've seen a brand, for example, in both festivals and do they activate differently?

[Tatiana Pyle]

I think the brands that activate the. The most different, I would say was, are probably going to be kind of a chase to our world, which is Food and Bev, because they kind of have more room to play. They don't have to necessarily have their own individual activation. Rather they can partner with the brand. So I know, for instance, like, if I'm not mistaken, there is a tequila brand that works with Neon Carnival, that also works with, I believe it's Levi's. If I'm not mistaken, they sponsor this like super exclusive after party carnival festival experience that happens like immediately following Coachella. So I've seen how Food in Bev kind of has more space to play a little bit differently than a traditional beauty or fashion brand would be able to. But I do think just given the nature of Coachella, which leans a little bit more boho and stays Coach, which leans a little more, more western, they do show up slightly differently, whether that be just through the actual, like, physical manifestation of the activation itself.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I think that that's the thing, like, for both of those festivals, there's a very clear theme. You know, brands can tap into the Western look. I think that, you know, for some of the things that Stagecoach, like writing a book or offering, I don't know, a party hat shaped as a cowboy hat, that's something that ends up being a very easy tie in for brands. And it's the same at Coachella. I know that Ulta Beauty had some temporary hair color kind of leaning into the hippie vibe. There's also photo ops. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's. I think that makes something that makes it easier. And I think that that's why a lot of brands have gone into this space, is because how easily they can just attach themselves to a theme and start up with a very popular brand activation where there's a lot of people attending as well. Because I think that some of the numbers that I've seen, there's 40% of stage creator attendees, for example, are between 18 and 34 years old. And there's been a growth in the audiences who go there. Each time. Every year, ticket prices increase and also like the number of people that increases as well. And do you think that that's going to keep growing? And is there also any issues, I think with brand activations at these events? As you mentioned, you're a music fan. Do you think that. That kind of ruins the experience a little bit when there's too many brands.

[Tatiana Pyle]

You know, I would hate to be a purist or a snob and say, yes, it does, but I. I do think, at least when we talk about some of the larger music festivals like Coachella, where, to my memory, there are almost no actual activations within the venue itself, a lot of the activations are off site. So it's kind of like if you're there for the festival, it can be out of sight, out of mind. If you want to have that experience, you do have to travel outside of the festival grounds to get those brand activation moments. So I don't think it's too much of a clash. I do think it's. It's a hefty cost for any brand that chooses to activate during some of the biggest music festivals in the world and not be sure that you will get that ROI. I think even though the core consumer is between 18 and 34, you just need to make sure that your brand aligns with that demo. It's. It's a really strategic move on a brand's part because it is very costly, I'm assuming, to activate in these spaces. So I think it really boils down to who is my consumer base? Are they showing up at these festivals? And if they are, are they coming off of the grounds? Are they on the grounds? If they are on the grounds, does it make sense to actually show up here? Because they probably won't venture those 10, 15 minutes that it takes to go off off grounds. And also you have to take a shuttle to get back. Like, there's a lot of logistics that comes with going, leaving Coachella, you know, leaving the actual grounds. And a lot of people just don't want to do it because they're there for the music. So, you know, it's a lot of thought that goes into it.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I have a good example to bring up here because I know that Bass, the. The travel kind of luggage brand, they specifically chose Stagecoach, even though typically they would have activated at Coachella. And this is because they wanted to target that specific population in those regions in the US where they don't have as much visibility. So I guess this is also where a festival kind of comes in, where for a brand, I think it's a good opportunity to target customers in a market they might usually not attract naturally. And obviously the fact that there's a different level of investment as well as some of these festivals like Coachella, I'm assuming the brand packages get more Expensive, maybe more entry level festivals like Stagecoach are actually a better option for brands looking to get the marketing dollars worth for their activation. I think that that's something that they were looking at. And I think the Luggage brand also partnered with another rental platform and the Western Wear brand to Covas. So they worked on the influencer side of things and kind of brought them into a luxury home near the festival grounds. So basically doing a brand trip, but probably on a little bit of a cheaper scale than doing it as something like Coachella.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Absolutely. And I mean to that point too, I'm thinking in real time here, like if you have a Revolve festival, for instance, which has pretty much staked its claim with Coachella. If I was a competitor, I would probably not do something at Coachella because how do you compete with a revolve fest if you are also a similar retailer? I would maybe go the Stagecoach route where it's a growing opportunity. Maybe you can even introduce yourself to newer consumers who may not be aware with your brand. Or I would go to, you know, maybe something on the east coast. But you know, I think it's. It could be an opportunity for brands that maybe they don't have direct competition that already has a solidified steak or a presence there, like Neutrogena for instance. I mean, outside of Goop, which is also newer to the Coachella world, I think it was a really smart opportunity for them to show up. And I mean, so de Janeiro, you know, there are, and I might be wrong here, but I can't remember if there's another body care brand of that caliber who had done something at Coachella prior. So I think with those two brands it was kind of like, of course it was a no brainer, but there was also not much competition in that space either.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. I think skincare is something that's relatively new in that festival scene. But for brands, you know, which already kind of tying into that younger demographic, it definitely makes sense. And we already spoke about this a little bit, we mentioned it. You know, there's no talking about festivals now without talking about influencers. And one of the biggest way that brands can work is by partnering with influencers around these events. And it takes a lot of work to get influencers in and to make sure that they're actually showing up and having a fun time. Like it's quite rare, I think that you're able to make people act naturally if you're doing it as a brand activation. And I think with this, you know, this is where I think revolve shines. Yeah. So I spoke to Raisa Jaron, the chief Brand Officer at Revolve, around this episode, and kind of talking about festivals. You know, I think that this is something that they're really kind of well known for.

[Tatiana Pyle]

We just want them to have a good time, you know, And I think the more of a good time they have, the better their content is, I hope, and I pray that what they say is really what they mean. And majority of the time, it's like, I'm having the best time ever, you know, and that's, like. That's cool. Like, that's really what it's about.

[Christina Ko]

And I think that that's what Raisa was talking about, is that she spends an inordinate amount of time just trying to make sure that all of these elements for Revolve Fest really work. I think for her. She talked about actually going to the event, experience it firsthand. They have whole teams just trying to make sure that that whole operation flows seamlessly. So I'm assuming for them, inauthenticity is also a big problem. You don't want it to be something that is felt. Obviously, I don't think most brands will put in that much effort, but they did also give a little bit more detail about what goes into also choosing the influencers. I think that that's really interesting because it's not just a PR list and looking at follower counts, they go into quite a lot of detail there.

[Tatiana Pyle]

You know what, it's really scientific in a sense, of really piecing the puzzle together to make this perfect group of people that will represent the brand for what we are and what we stand for for that moment, you know? And so the team really does a fantastic job of looking at so much information and data of, like, okay, who came last year? What were their social stats? How's their engagement this year? You know, what are they doing, you know, to make sure they have something to bring to our customer base, to our network of people on top of, like, who's new and who haven't we worked with? Who's, like, popping off on TikTok or on Instagram or YouTube or whatever it is on Pinterest. And again, who really embody the brand. Ultimately, that's what it comes down to. Like, who's gonna embody the spirit of Festival and Revolve and be able to communicate in their own way through their channels what this experience is.

[Christina Ko]

It's a lot that goes into it, huh?

[Tatiana Pyle]

I think, you know, Revolve has done a really great job at like selling the point of what an influencer is supposed to be, which is, you know, like, make aspirational content. I think part of the reason why I was so excited to go to Revolve Fest when I went to Coachella is because of Revolve Fest's past and the content and the influencers and their outfits, they just made it seem like it was a place you had to stay, stop by. Regardless of how complicated it is, which no one talks about how complicated it is to get to Revolve Fest from Coachella. It's not easy to go back and forth, but still it's like you have to do the carousel, like, you have to get on the rides, you have to take a photo. You know, you just have to be there. So, no, I think that, like, to her point, Revolve has set an excellent, excellent job at like, selling Coachella as an idea. But I think that was before influencers became their own separate beast. Like, I have not been back to Coachella since the pandemic, so I do not know, like, in person how it is there these days. But from the content that I saw, I only saw actual Coachella stage performances from friends that I knew who were there. I didn't see any actual influencers who are there with whatever brands post themselves experiencing the actual festival itself. I saw them covering a lot of content about the activations and their get ready with me. So I don't know how much of a desire people may have these days to go to the show when they can just go to, to the brand activations and get the photo moment or the freebies. So I definitely think it's probably changed the way people thought about attending Coachella, especially when it's not a cheap festival to attend. And you're also taking a risk when you go to Coachella because you don't know who the headliner is when you buy the ticket. So I. I'm sure people are kind of like, well, maybe I'll just go be in the area and see what happens. Because these influencers are showing up and having a good time and they're not necessarily showcasing the show.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And that's the thing. Like Coachella and Revolve Fest, they end up spreading out into the streets. I saw someone, I think it was too faced doing inactivations in like a parking lot somewhere nearby. So I think it ends up affecting that whole area. And as a result, I think brands are probably going to be thinking about more original ways of maybe tying it in just lightly into the festival. Activation and doing a proper thing somewhere else maybe as well, where they have a little bit more space and a little bit more time. This brings us swiftly to the other side of festival fashion. So obviously we've talked about influencers, we've talked about brands and the authentic inauthentic ways they're showing up there. But a lot of the other attention actually goes towards the people wearing things on stage. You know, there's so many amazing performers. As we mentioned, Lady Gaga and Post Malone were at this year's Coachella. And, you know, every time these headliners bring a lot of attention mentioned, which is also a great opportunity for brands to show up and dress some of these people in the same way they do for a red carpet, for example. So they need to be thinking about what they're wearing. But there's a huge other element to it, similarly to a music video or, I don't know, a tour like Beyonce. You got to think about the movement side of things too, as well as the audience, the live streams, you know, is it going to be realistic for the desert in Coachella's case? So, yeah, there's a lot of things to talk about. I'm wondering, you know, in terms of headliners, which ones have you seen and was there any kind of special fashion moments there?

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah. So just really quickly, I want to reference last year because I remember Doja Cat headlined, I believe, the first night of Coachella, and I was looking at her outfit and I was like, I love this. Who. Who styled her? What was the brand? And I looked it up and it was Timberland. And I remember we had, you know, internally at Glossy being talking about how Timberland had been doing a really good job at just showing up in very irrelevant but subtle ways at huge cult, like, pop culture moments. And that probably was part of the reason why we were like, they need to be in glossy 50 last year. So I just remember that, like, very, very vividly. But this year in particular, I think, you know, it, there were a few artists that everyone was looking to see what they were going to be wearing. I mean, Charlie XCX being one of them. I believe she wore vintage Tom Ford is what I saw when. When I did some research on it. Lady Gaga, of course, she was another huge one. I loved her entire set. I think she did a marvelous job. And I'm not quite sure what she was wearing or how her stylist is decided to choose the brands that she wore, but I. I loved her entire, entire costume arrangement.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, absolutely. And although we didn't Get a chance to talk to a stylist. We have spoken to a designer who specifically designed Lisa's look at Coachella. So Lisa's known for, you know, being the. The kind of single artist Now. She used to be a member of blackpink before going solo, and she's had, you know, been riding this. This wave of popularity since then. Obviously, K pop stars are already massive icons, so to go and have an independent career like that and headline at Coachella is a massive moment. Obviously, this is also her first time headlining at Coachella, so her look had to be insane. And I think he spoke about some of the inspiration behind it being this massive lizard alien creature. He wanted people to be scared of her. He kind of creates these incredible creations. He's done Lady Gaga before, as well as some other artists doing things for music videos. And it's almost like a costume. It's not always just a fashion piece. Do you think those are more effective?

[Tatiana Pyle]

I think it really, really matters in the artists. If the artist is a more risky artist and they're known for their eccentricity, then sure, it works. But if you're trying to outfit someone who. It just doesn't make sense. I don't think it resonates, and it doesn't have that moment that people may be looking for, so then it kind of falls flat or it feels like it doesn't make sense. I am not extremely familiar with Lisa's discography prior to her starring in the White Lotus. So I personally have only one dimension of who she is as a person or as a celebrity. And that is, like, a very calm, chill person. That's how she presented herself on White Lotus. So to see her outfit, I'm like, oh, okay. There's a whole side of her that I have no idea of who she is. And I think maybe for her, because she is gaining so much popularity in the States, she was already huge out. I mean, outside of the states, internationally. But now it, like, creates some type of, like, intrigue, like, who is I? My relationship with her as is, you know, as an actress. And so to see this version of her as a music artist, I'm very curious. I might look up a song. I might, you know, look at the stylist or the designer, because this creates some type of, like, intrigue from a person who is kind of a little mysterious in the sense states.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I think that that's something that Asha wanted to tap into as well, that kind of mysterious aspect. Let's hear from him as well, because he spoke a Little bit about this kind of transformation. I think it's quite fun. That kind of. He mentioned that to me.

[Asha Levine]

That piece was really about transformation. After the show, Lisa told me something that really stuck with me. So she said that when she. She stepped out of the reptile villain look, she could see every reaction from the audience because they're all looking at her. And she said everyone was shocked. Literally, like jaws open, eyes wide, shocked, like scared. And she said the energy felt like awe or even fear. And really, that's the space I love to live in with my designs. That eerie, unknown place that no one expects. And it really makes the moment unforgettable.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, it was quite something. So the creation that she's wearing there is this kind of futuristic bodysuit which lit up basically. It had these little glowing LED lights as well as this almost like red scaled alien cat suit, which is this, like, alien slash, like, reptile inspiration. I think it's pretty cool.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah. I think out of all of these, my favorite is the red one because it just, first of all, she slays in it. She looks so comfortable and in her moment and in her element. And I just love a full body suit. I just love it. It's so cute. I feel like I could wear that maybe to, like, Cosmocon or something like that. But no, it's really cool.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, no, I'm the same. Like, that would be my Halloween costume. If anything. Like, this doesn't feel like something you'd wear every day. And it's really interesting what Asha spoke about, because obviously it's an incredibly tight operation. We've spoken about what it takes to pull together a look for the red carpet, for a concert. It seems like it's even tighter.

[Asha Levine]

So we started developing concepts four to six weeks before the opening show, which is an incredibly short amount of time. But regardless of time, when people come to me, whether you're a pop star or a client, you come to me, you're going to get a look that looks like it took a year to make, and that is the magic. People see this look and think that it took six to eight months, but we're compressing 15 years of innovation, material innovation, embedded hardware innovation into four to six weeks.

[Christina Ko]

So, like, when you're looking at that, that's something that's literally taken them, like, four to six weeks to create, which is insane. Like, you're looking at couture pieces. Like, most designers end up getting at least six months to work on that. And Ash is kind of well known for using, like, the sleek, modern Design with some innovative tailoring methods and material advances. So he focuses on emerging technologies, working with 3D body mapping, second skin designs. I think it's quite cool when you're looking at all of these textures, that this isn't a traditional festival look.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Yeah, no. I'm shocked that it was only six weeks. I would have expected that that would have may have been three to four months. So for him to have pulled off multiple looks in that shuts compressed time frame. Bravo. Hats off. But, I mean, that also just speaks to probably the, like, synergy between him and Lisa. They were probably just on the same page because there couldn't have been many requests. There's just no way that he would have been able to pull that off if she would have not liked it and had to completely, like, scrap and then start from ground zero.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, exactly. I think that he spoke about having, you know, this very good relationship with Lisa and her team, how they were, like, constantly communicating back and forth, you know, emails, fittings. Like, obviously you have to have multiple fittings as well as a dress rehearsal before the actual festival, just to see it kind of come to life. And it's quite funny, like, seeing him talk about it, because it takes. It takes a lot to actually pull it together.

[Asha Levine]

All of this is a bit of controlled chaos. I'm usually there for fittings and final adjustments, making sure everything behaves under the heat, sweat, and constant motion. I travel with a tight team, and we bring tools from soldering irons and adhesives and backup closures. It's like all of this unglamorous but essential stuff, and truly the whole process is a marathon. I literally had an impossible amount of time. And each day, I kid you not, was literally like, each day up to showtime was a sprint. I was literally running. I was going between this person and that person.

[Christina Ko]

This person.

[Asha Levine]

That's for doing the things that I need to do. Pinning everything, like, mostly everything from all the departments come to me, and then it's up to me to place it all together.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah. So as you can see, you imagine a designer running around with a soldiering iron behind the scenes at Coachella.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Safety has it for sure, but worth it. In the end, the look was worth it. And I will say, just on a more, like, scaled back state, I. My other favorite look was Benson Boone. I just love him as an artist. I think he's so incredible. Loved his Dolce and Gabbana look. I thought it was great.

[Christina Ko]

Yeah, definitely. And I think that that's the thing, like, designers can choose to go all out. And I think that that's kind of what makes festival fashion on Stain so unique. You know, Charli XCX can show up in a T shirt. You have Lisa in this insane alien outfit. Others wear suiting and, you know, Dolce and Gabbana. It's everything goes at a festival as long as it kind of ends up working for the artist. But yeah, all right. I think that that's everything that we have time for today. Thank you, Tatiana, for coming onto this festivals episode. It was so lovely having you on.

[Tatiana Pyle]

Of course. This was so fun.

[Christina Ko]

And that's all the time that we have this week. Don't forget to give us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you're listening to this, it really helps us out a lot. Thanks for listening.