The Daphne Seybold Interview with Throwing Fits

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daphne Seybold Interview with Throwing Fits

Podcast: Throwing Fits
Episode: The Daphne Seybold Interview
Date: December 8, 2025
Guest: Daphne Seybold, Co-CEO and CMO of Sky High Farm Goods

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Episode Overview

This engaging episode of Throwing Fits features Daphne Seybold, formerly of Comme des Garçons (CDG) and Dover Street Market, now the co-CEO and CMO of Sky High Farm Goods. The discussion explores Daphne's trajectory from high fashion to food systems activism, the operations and philosophy behind Sky High Farm, sustainable fashion, the beauty and challenges of agriculture, and insights into collaborations at the intersection of culture, style, and social good.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Daphne’s Transition: Fashion Icon to Food System Advocate

• Background: Daphne reflects on her 15 years at CDG/Dover Street Market and how she pivoted towards Sky High Farm Goods, merging her fashion expertise and passion for food justice.

• Motivation: The urge to enact real societal change, prompted by witnessing systemic inequalities during the pandemic and social justice movements (08:00–09:07).

  “I saw how woefully insufficient the system in place to combat these issues are. I wanted to do more.” — Daphne (08:42)

• Mission: Sky High Farm (founded by artist Dan Colen) donates 100% of its produce and proteins to underserved communities, while Sky High Farm Goods acts as a commercially-driven brand to fund and raise awareness for the farm's nonprofit work (10:23).

• Fashion to Farming: Daphne thrives on using pop culture and her fashion industry network for social good, shaping awareness campaigns while maintaining authentic values.

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2. The Sky High Farm Universe & Model

• Structure: The farm and brand are legally and operationally distinct but serve the same cause (11:13).

• Learnings from Industry: Insights from talking to leaders at Patagonia, Newman's Own, etc., reinforced how good branding and authentic storytelling can amplify social impact.

• Bridging Fashion and Food:

  “In the industries that we’re in now—fashion, food & bev, beauty—it’s $11 trillion in spending.” — Daphne (12:42)

• Workwear to Real Work: Comparative analysis of “fashion people” vs. “farming people” entering each other's worlds; farming people bring expertise, style, and resilience (13:26–13:47).

  “They’re the most stylish but also the smartest people I know… that work is incredibly skilled labor.” — Daphne (13:31)

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3. Fashion, Sustainability, and Consumption

• Sky High’s Sustainable Approach:

  • Clothing made from upcycled, deadstock, and vintage materials
  • Donations baked into pricing, turning every customer into a donor (68:43).

• The True Cost of Food:

  “Food should cost what it actually costs to produce, but equity in society should permit people to be able to afford that food.” — Daphne (16:02)

• Fast Fashion & Industry Critique:

  • Fast fashion named the “most evil” sector (63:31).
  • Larger luxury groups have resources to innovate, but fast fashion causes greatest damage.

  “A lot of it’s bullshit. Greenwashing fatigue is obviously very real.” — Daphne on sustainability claims (45:02)

• Market Realities:

  • Pace of newness, overproduction, and the myth of infinite growth threaten both environment and industry (60:19).

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4. Memorable Moments & Quotes

Meeting Rei Kawakubo (CDG)

• The first time Daphne met Rei, she tripped on the stairs in Paris (17:25–17:54):

  “Looking at Rei is like looking at the sun. You need to avert your gaze… She’s got aura.” — Daphne (17:54)

Dover Street Market, PR & Community

• Her pride in giving independent designers a platform:

  “Ray and Adrian were amazing at fostering community and giving these emerging designers an opportunity.” — Daphne (23:53)

• Most valuable lesson from CDG: Subversion, questioning the status quo, and fearlessly testing hypotheses (35:11–35:56).

Real Talk on Fashion’s Environmental Impact:

• After attending a global climate/fashion summit:

  “We have not succeeded. In fact, we’re even falling behind.” — Daphne quoting sustainability leaders (54:00)

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5. Collaborations, Brand Relationships, and Culture

• Partnership Selection: Careful vetting of collaborators; preference for meaningful partnerships over quick marketing wins (66:26–68:43).

  • Example: Levi’s partnership on transitional cotton; Converse upcycling (65:08).
  • Dover Street Market Incubator: A vital resource for manufacturing and scaling Sky High’s sustainable goods (47:11).

• Pop & Culture Influence:

  “I love that Bad Bunny might walk into Dover Street and buy Sky High not knowing what it’s about…once they look under the hood, there’s so much more.” — Daphne (62:14–62:34)

• Dream Collab: Would love to take a major luxury brand’s deadstock and showcase new ways to address fashion’s waste problem (83:27).

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6. Life Upstate, Access, and Food Equity

• On Regenerative Agriculture:

  • Sky High Farm practices “regenerative agriculture”—food fit for Michelin-star restaurants is given to the underserved (72:14).
  • Crops chosen based on feedback from recipient communities for cultural appropriateness (73:51).

• On Urban Flight: The pandemic accelerated NYC-to-Hudson Valley pipeline, transforming property values and local economies (74:47).

• Local Engagement:

  • Deep commitment to working with local communities, including a farm expansion from 40 to 560 acres (75:44).

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7. Lighthearted and Personal Moments

• What She Misses from Fashion: Not much; still deeply involved via partnerships but without the consumption treadmill (39:03).
• Consumer Confession: Occasional In-N-Out order; used to do animal style but preferences have changed (69:17).
• Favorite Ways to Spend Money: International travel with her family, especially to Southeast Asia (78:00).
• Forthcoming Projects & Drops:
  • New On Running collab in February
  • Upcoming Levi's project on transitional cotton
  • Spring Doublet collab with extravagant “fish shoes” (82:07–82:27)
  • Exclusive: Strawberry jam debut (45:38–46:44), with a potential “Throwing Fits” raspberry flavor teased (46:41–46:47; 63:02).

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Fashion Consumption:
  • “I realized I’d amassed so many things…I’d lost my capacity to value them in the same way.” (42:44)
• On Community:
  • “It’s a group of people with shared values… being able to galvanize a community around this work is something I’ve really enjoyed.” (37:05)
• On Sustainability Progress:
  • “We’re addicted to newness… The rate at which we’re consuming is like one person has the equivalent of 22 closets.” (56:05–56:25)
• On Equity:
  • “This quality of food shouldn’t be a luxury… It should be a universal thing everyone can access.” (71:58–72:14)

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Important Timestamps

• Fit Check & Japanese Shopping: 01:20–03:34
• Births, Farming Anecdotes: 05:22–07:12
• Sky High/Charity Model Explainer: 07:25–10:41
• CDG/Dover Street Stories: 17:07–34:17
• Sustainability, Greenwashing: 45:02–55:59
• Industry Critique & Fast Fashion: 63:14–64:04
• Food Access & Farm Practices: 72:14–74:08
• Light Personal/Travel Q&A: 78:00–80:10
• Collaborations & Upcoming Releases: 82:07–84:50

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Tone & Takeaways

The tone is candid, witty, and personal—equal parts honest critique, passionate advocacy, and insider storytelling. Daphne brings a balanced blend of reverent appreciation for her high fashion past and pragmatic optimism for systemic change through creativity, collaboration, and community-building.

For listeners: This episode is a must for fans of fashion, food, sustainability, and those who want to understand how culture and commerce can be repurposed for real-world impact.

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Next Up:
Stay tuned for the anticipated Sky High Farm Goods x Throwing Fits raspberry jam collab! (63:06, 84:44)

Transcript

[A]

Our guest this week didn't leave fashion. She's just living on a farm upstate. She schlepped down to the big city from the northern homestead where the vibes and righteous agricultural acts are sky high. To slum it with us idiots, she swapped DSM and CDG for GFP. No more CFDA. New ops are the USDA because the CEO and CMO is anti GMO. Here to talk with us about her 15 years at Comme des Garcons changing how we consume and support food systems. And if fashion is cooked, the co CEO and CMO of Sky High farm goods, Daphne Sebold. Daphne, how are you?

[B]

Oh, my God, I'm amazing. Thank you for having me, guys.

[C]

Of course.

[A]

First of all, thank you for bringing us a whole bunch of pie. Yeah. Which we're going to try in the afters or in the midweek.

[C]

Boys only smell it right now, like a cartoon wolf.

[B]

I think there's like a ricotta pie in there that I'd never tried before, but looks so good.

[C]

Wait, you got it for us and you haven't even tried it?

[B]

I haven't tried it yet because Rose Bakery is known for, like, their amazing baked goods. I was like, I'll take one of every single one you have.

[A]

What's your typical order at the Rose Bakery?

[B]

Oh, I do the soft scrambled eggs there with locks.

[C]

Nice.

[B]

It's just, like, covered in. In butter.

[A]

That's. That's how you make things taste good.

[C]

Yep, that'll. That'll check out. Daphne, thank you so much for joining us. And again, thank you for the hospitality. That was so sweet of you. Most people don't bring us stuff, if I'm being real.

[A]

They take stuff.

[B]

They take stuff. No, I like to give. I like to give.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

Well, can you give us a little fit check? Can you walk us through everything you wore today to podcast while we're at it?

[B]

For sure. Well, I. I felt like I had to represent my. My old home, so I'm wearing a little bit of comedic on top.

[A]

Which subline is that?

[B]

This is. So it's like, you know, the. The adult. It's designed by Junior Watanabe, and it's like your everyday, calm clothing. But, yeah, I wanted to wear a nice knit. And then these are a press. A. Or a press. I just got back from Japan like, two nights ago, so I'm calling it a pressing.

[A]

Did you do it? Did you buy these in Japan?

[B]

Yes, where they're cheap. I also bankrupted myself that stor often.

[A]

Do you Go to Nippon.

[B]

Not enough. Okay. Actually the last time was in March. I was just there for like a big launch for our On Running or on collaboration. And Ryan McGinley was out there. We did a talk.

But yeah, not enough. I'm obsessed.

[C]

And good for your bank account, I guess, based on what you just said, you know.

[B]

Well, I was gonna say like yes and no because the yen is weak right now and you know, you might get hooked up with a little discount. There's no, there's no, you know, it's tax free. So when I'm there, I, I buy it up.

[A]

You're hitting DSM Ginza expeditiously.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

What else are you. So do you go, do you ever go with an empty suitcase to Japan? Because that's kind of the move.

[B]

I'm. No, because I'm like you, you shouldn't go and like break the bank. But then I'm like, I want to buy things and if I come back empty handed, my husband's going to be like, that's not acceptable. So I, I pack it to the gills and like sometimes I have to bring bag. Bring back another bag. Right. But I'm not that girl who's like, hey, let me pack like two empty suitcases. I don't have that forethought or organization.

[A]

Or you show up to the plane just wearing like four jackets.

[C]

You got to do whatever it takes, you know?

[B]

Exactly. I'm like a donkey through.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So yeah, a, a press. These are my, my the, the. The grass inspired color way for the, the on collab we just did.

[A]

Right? Is that what it is? It's a grass. Grass inspiration.

[C]

It's like mossy.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. These are called fur.

[A]

Oh f. Right, right, right.

[C]

You're looking tonal.

[B]

Yeah, it's very tonal. I'm really into color. Color theory and the jacket and that's a, a sky high farm goods like workwear jacket. So from the new season, what about this little timepiece? Oh yeah, this is a hand me down Rolex from my mom.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Very nice.

[B]

Than lot. All of my best stuff is really from my, my mother who has amazing taste. This necklace too.

[A]

Is she who got you into like fashion and, and design?

[B]

And I mean both of my parents were really, really into clothes. Oh nice. And they, they also had a lot of stuff that was handed down to them. I mean I rarely buy new now because of just what I do.

[A]

Except for these Oppress.

[B]

Yes. But they're, they're designed to look old.

[A]

Right, right, right.

[C]

I've got A. A very overpriced pre distressed hoodie myself. I understand.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, you pay good money for the distressed, but. Yeah, no, I cost a lot to look this old. Exactly. To be. For the close look, this beat up. No, but all the jewelry is. Is my mother's and even the ring was a hand me down from my grandmother, so.

[A]

Oh, so your husband was.

[B]

Oh, he didn't. I mean, for the record, he did not have to buy me an engagement ring.

[C]

Call this man out publicly. Let him go.

[A]

Wait, so he didn't buy your ring and he's demanding goods from Japan every time you travel here?

[B]

He doesn't demand anything. I think it's more like I feel guilty if I show up at home and I'm like, I got this, this and this. And he's like, nothing for me. Yeah. And.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And the undergarments.

[B]

Uniqlo underwear. Nice Sky High socks.

[C]

Oh, those are very fun.

[A]

And you're sipping on a topo Chico. And you brought us some sky High honey. Some pie from Rose Bay Goods. Just honestly, our favorite guest of the month. We haven't even started yet.

[C]

Yep. But the bar is subterranean though. Let's be clear. Guys, that's.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Shout out to the meat and potatoes of the only podcast matters. Daphne, as the co CEO of Sky High Farm Goods, have you ever slaughtered an animal on the farm?

[B]

Oh, my God, no, I've not.

[A]

That's not an initiation for new employees.

[B]

Definitely not in blood out. But also, just to be clear, the farm is a totally separate entity. It's a nonprofit. The animals are harvested elsewhere. Just because to harvest a cow is like a real undertaking.

[C]

Have you witnessed a harvesting of a living creature?

[B]

No. I have. However, just to kind of flip the coin, I have seen a cow birth.

[A]

Oh, that's gnarly. I've seen one of those.

[B]

Or amazing.

[A]

Very slimy.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Which one was it for you? Oh, it was magical.

[B]

I mean, I don't know like any time. I mean, maybe it's because I'm a mom of two, but, you know, it is pretty incredible, you know, just. I mean. Yeah, it's insane.

[C]

The miracle of life, I believe is the term.

[A]

Yeah, no, but it's this thing coming out that's like a full. The size of a full grown adult.

[C]

You're like, Jesus, a small car.

[B]

That was going through my mind.

[A]

So I was on a dairy farm once and saw a cow give birth. And the farmer, like, it was obviously very intense, very, very beautiful, very gross. And the farmer was like. Everyone's like, oh, my God. And then the farmer holds up the baby calf and it's like, it's a. It's a boy. We gotta send him off because he can't give milk on the dairy farm. Kind of a waste in his eyes.

[C]

We've got some new veal, some fresh veal coming up.

[B]

Well, no, in. In the farm's case, right now it's primarily all female cows.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And they bring in one bull from time to time.

[C]

Lucky guy.

[B]

He. He is indeed. He comes back. It's not just the one time deal. He's come back a couple times. So he's a very, very popular cow among the lad.

[C]

He comes a lot for sure.

[A]

What? Okay, so can you break it down for us? Like, sky high on goods and the extended universe? Like, what is it? How hard is it to get people to understand what's going on? Just break it down for us.

[B]

It's hard. I mean, I mean, you know, we come from. From fashion land. The farm, you know, I mentioned is a nonprofit. Dan Colin, who's an artist, he's my partner on the business, he founded the farm almost 12 years ago, 13 years ago now. And from day one, they've been donating 100% of everything they grow using the best sort of ecologically sound methods, whether it's produce and then also proteins. And then they donate that away, 100% of it, to communities that have been deprived of fresh food, like locally in.

[A]

The New York area, in New York State.

[B]

And we do it through a group of Access Food, Access partners. And. And you know, I joined the board when the founding board, when Dan was getting that off the ground. It was me, John Gray from Ghetto Gastro, Joshua Bardfield, who's now the co executive director over at the nonprofit. And, you know, at that point, I was still working at Dover street, but was starting to really kind of learn a lot about the work of Sky High and how urgent it was. I mean, we just lived through the pandemic, right? You know, the murder of George Floyd, the AAPI movement, like life. It was, you know, these crazy movements were happening and everyone was in a lot of pain.

And I saw sort of how woefully insufficient the sort of system that's in place to combat these issues are. And I wanted to do. To do more. So Dan and I had already done a bunch of like, charitable 100 for charity projects at Dover.

And we sort of started talking about making a brand that could essentially generate awareness, raise revenue, but do it through, like the pop cultural sphere.

[A]

Got it.

[B]

So really Kind of deliver this like, super urgent, super serious work to the center of the zeitgeist.

[C]

Did he need a lot of convincing? Since that's like, definitely seemingly out of his wheelhouse, I would imagine.

[B]

I mean, honestly, it was like a very much a mutual conversation. Maybe one of the most organic things that's ever happened to me.

[C]

Just like the food.

[B]

Just like the food. You know, I'd been at CDG in Dover for 15 years. I loved it and really there was no impetus for me to leave. But he and I started talking a lot and I really saw that there was power and. And to be quite frank, like, I didn't know how I could get involved before. I mean, oftentimes, you know, you kind of carry on in your career and like, you know, you're like, I don't. You're kind of looking at all these issues from the outside. I'm like, am I going to quit my job? You know, am I going to start from scratch? You know, I'd done a little bit of work with some non profits and they were very conservative in the way that they were thinking. And so the opportunity to kind of create a brand that could like, marry the best of what I knew, working in luxury fashion and like streetwear that could then help to kind of like open the aperture for like this whole other issue was like, very, very interesting to me.

[A]

So sky High Farm Goods is effectively the revenue generating branch that all that goes to fund the farm, which then grows and donates and fights food insecurity and food in access.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Pretty simple.

[B]

Yeah, seemingly. But it's your job.

[A]

Sounds so easy.

[B]

I mean, to be honest with you, like, as a former comms person, like, it's one of the most difficult communications jobs I've ever done because, you know, people like to think that the, the farm is owned by the brand, vice versa, and they're actually entirely separate on paper. Intentionally. Yeah, yeah, we totally wanted to keep them separate because I mean, to be honest with you, when Dan and I started off, like, neither of us was like, we need a clothing brand that wasn't. I mean, we know how hard it is. Right? Like, I know how hard it is. I mean, the world doesn't.

[C]

Like, are you sure?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, the world doesn't need more in it. Right, right. Like, so I think when we were talking about it, we're like, if we're gonna do this, it has to be really, really different. And it can only be built to service this other bigger sort of cause. Right. So we talked to like, leadership at, like, major companies. Patagonia. We talked to the folks at Newman's Own, which. Do you guys know the brand? Of course.

[C]

Shout Out Paul.

[B]

Shout Out Paul. Like salsa for good Works Hutchner. Yeah, exactly. But, like, they have an amazing story. They've raised $600 million, 100% of profits to charity since its inception. But no one knows.

[C]

They just know. The salad dressing is delicious.

[B]

The salad dressing is delicious.

[A]

And the one racist logo with the sesame ginger character.

[C]

Oh, that's right.

[B]

They don't still have that. Do they know?

[A]

No, I don't know. Paul Newman dresses a samurai with two swords and shit.

[C]

Tough look. Tough look for Paul.

[B]

Yeah. Not so, but so modern.

[C]

Good stuff.

[A]

Anything for the cause.

[B]

Yeah, but it was. It was. It was really interesting. Like, I was like, what? Like, with a little bit of good marketing.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, whatever it is that they've built, we could do that and more. Right. But do it in a way that, like, people actually understand and are like, oh, I'm going to patronize this thing, because I realize it does something else.

[A]

And it feels like you built up the network and Rolodex where you could really tap into, like, that pop culture lens, that pop culture sector that you talked about, where it's like, yeah, bring people in through good clothes, and then maybe they are. Hopefully they learn about, you know, what you're actually dealing with.

[B]

Exactly. I mean, in the industries that we're in right now between fashion, food and bev Beauty, it's $11 trillion in spending. Right. Like, the way that. Yeah. And also, like, if you do the research, like, those industries dwarf, you know, climate. Climate talk by, like, some crazy factor of 350 to 1.

[A]

Higher now.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, it's just, like, there are levers that you can pull and people that you can talk to. And, like, you're right, James. Like, we're very lucky that over time, we've amassed some pretty incredible friendships that have really kind of paid it forward.

[A]

So we're gonna get into that. But real quick, who do you think is better at switching gears? Fashion people that get into farming or farming people that get into fashion.

[B]

Definitely farming that get into fashion.

[C]

They're already in the workwear. They already are on trend.

[B]

They're, like, the most stylish, but also the smartest people I know because they.

[A]

Already know the seasons. Right.

[C]

They got an almanac for that.

[B]

They. They know the seasons intimately, but they. You know what it is? It's like that work is incredibly skilled labor.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Right. You have to be. You have to have like the mind of an engineer married with like the physical, like you have to be able to do work day in, day out on your feet. So they're in amazing shape. They're really sharp fashion people. I think they like to think that like you have a garden and you know, but it's like you don't need.

[A]

To wake up at 5am not get home am you.

[B]

Exactly, exactly.

No, it's, it's, it's actually really humbling. Like the team and I, we go up to volunteer three, four times a year and like if I'm out there for three hours, I'm exhausted.

[C]

Sure.

[A]

What do you like to do on the farm?

[B]

We help them with everything we like.

[A]

What, what's enjoyable? Do you like, do you like doing?

[B]

I like the birthing cows. I mean I don't know that I could physically handle like the, what is it called? The husbandry. Yeah, that's crazy.

[C]

Facilitating nature's way.

[B]

But like certainly like the harvesting, the washing of produce, like all these things that are really like tactile and rote but like weeding even like when you understand like the sort of really unique ecosystem in the soil, like there's something really kind of amazing there. When you think about like how much pre planning goes into making the crops that like feed us, it's kind of an art. It's a, it's a massive art.

[C]

Do you think there's a stretch where it's like, okay, fashion people love fabric and getting hands on and that tactile nature. Do you think that like translates to that hands on work on the farm?

[B]

I think so. Okay, I, but I also think, you know, increasingly people are really kind of connected or becoming more connected to where their food comes from. They don't know it intimately, they don't know the practices that go into like that carrot that they just ate. But like we care about nutritional content now.

[C]

They know the carrot was more expensive than a normal carrot so it must be better.

[B]

Well, true, actually. Yes. And like we could get into a whole kind of conversation.

[C]

We might, we might. We very well. Can I.

[A]

This is, this is a big question and there's no right answer, but should food be expensive because of the work it takes to support and maintain, you know, agricultural ecosystems in a sustainable manner? Or should food be cheap because it is a human need for survival?

[B]

I think that food should cost what it actually costs to produce, but I also think that the equity in society should permit for people to be able to afford that food. So I think the problem right now Right. Is that in order to produce that better carrot, the amount of resources that go into growing that carrot are real. Right. You want to pay the person a living wage, you know, with the cheapest possible bite. There are a lot of externalities that don't get passed on to the consumer. They get passed on to somebody else. The poor grower or the communities. Right. That are around where the food is produced. So to me, it's like we need to actually allow. And, you know, you had asked me about, like, food as luxury before. Right. Like, the reality is that everyone should be entitled to eat this quality of food. It's just that right now, no one can afford it.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Well, let's try to make a difference, but first, let's take it back to where it all began, kind of. Daphne, how long were you at Cole de Garcon in Dover Street Market?

[B]

So it was about 14 years, seven months, so about 15 almost.

[A]

You couldn't make it to 15. Just.

[C]

You can round up. No one's gonna hold your fire.

[A]

They give you a Rolex at 15. No. Or a weird comb.

[B]

15'S a good round number for sure.

[A]

You can round up. What is. What's Ray Kalku actually like?

What's it like to be in her presence?

[B]

I mean, I will tell you, the first time I met her, I tripped. Wow.

[C]

No.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Damn.

[B]

They had flown me out to Paris. I was like, just a kid, and I was obviously, like, anticipating this moment.

[A]

From, like, your whole life.

[B]

Yeah. And I. I tripped on the stairs up to meet her in the office.

[A]

Did he bust your ass or was it just, like, a stumble?

[B]

It was a stumble. And I picked my. Oh, wait, of course. Yeah. I could not. Well, looking at Ray is like looking at the sun. Like, you need to, like, avert your gaze.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because Indiana Jones, she has a lot of presence.

[A]

Yeah. That sun got a bob.

[C]

She's got aura.

[B]

She's got. She's got real aura. And she's. She's. She's not very tall, but she's radiating, like, aura.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, I would say she's very kind. She's very thoughtful. Like, I've been at meals with her where she's been very, like, generous. You know, when she connects with you, she really sort of is talking to you. It's not like a sort of.

[C]

Right.

[B]

You know, despite the shades. Despite the shades. She's very present, though, and she's always paying attention. And I've never met anyone that works any harder than she does.

[A]

When you trip, did she point and laugh or was she like, oh, God, that's embarrassing? I think she, like, is the new girl.

[B]

No. I mean, she might have been thinking that, but no, she was. She was very sweet. I think she maybe thought I was Japanese at first because she started talking to me in Japanese, and I was like, I'm failing this test too. Yeah. You know, I got nothing. I got nothing. I'm so sorry.

[A]

Did you ever learn Japanese to, like, communicate either? Just in the company at large, not just with Ray.

[B]

I mean, I think 15 years, like, there's osmosis, right? Like, the same with a French, who I spent a lot of time with too, but, like, you kind of get a sense of, like, what everyone's saying, but it's very different in terms of sort of communications, like, codes. But obviously in Japan, it's. There's sort of a lot of reverence and a lot of sort of very clear kind of hierarchy in the way you speak. And.

Yeah, I. I didn't really pick up enough because I was there so sporadically I would show up, eat their amazing food, you know, get to enjoy the fruits of all of their labor, and then go home.

[C]

So, yeah, it's been fun.

[B]

That was really fun, but I gotta go.

[A]

What was the fit you're wearing when you first met her and stumbled and embarrass yourself?

[B]

I think I was wearing, like, a com. Com look, which is, like, her colle for every day. It's what she wears herself. You know, where this stuff for the Runway can be quite, like, conceptual. Conceptual.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

The blob dresses.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like a dinosaur paper mache.

[B]

Yes, yes. I know. I wore. I think it was just a dress from, you know, there. There's. That collection is, like, has, like, the calm codes in it, but it's, like, you know, easy enough to wear. And sure, at that point, I hadn't amassed a massive calm wardrobe yet either. Like, I was still rubbing pennies together outside of my.

[C]

I'm waiting for the discount to hit. I just started.

[B]

I just started.

[A]

Were you eventually in calm? Head to toe, every day?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Head to toe comb? Yes.

[C]

Is that like, a requirement?

[B]

There's an unspoken understanding. Got it. Yeah. I mean, true.

[A]

Like, every brand, right?

[B]

Yeah, of course. And especially if you're out representing the brand. I mean, it would be crazy if, you know. But no, I mean, like, you know, CDG was so many lines. I think when I was there, there was 14 lines.

[A]

God damn.

[B]

So, like, if you couldn't find something to wear, you should probably work a personal problem. Yeah, but exactly right. Like, There's a wallet for that. There's a sock for that. There's a junior watanabe for that.

[A]

There's a shirt for that.

[B]

There's a shirt. Shirt for that. Yeah.

[A]

So did you ever.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

If you had to pick one sub line as your favorite.

Damn.

[C]

So many to choose from.

[B]

That's hard. That's really hard. I think on plus love the. Good, Good, good answer. I love straining.

[A]

But.

[C]

Wrap it around your waist is a little skirt.

[B]

I don't know. Mainline is like.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, the way she's able to distill the big ideas into clothes that you can wear every day is like. I mean, what you see on the Runway is, like, a tiny percentage of what they sell in the show. You've been to the showroom. Yeah. It's like, you know, some of the tailoring was absolutely incredible. But to wear every day, I'd say comp. Com.

I do think play is a really interesting idea in that the concept for that line is no design. And it was like the basic. The building blocks. Yeah. Right. Of like a. Yeah. But, like, kind of smart because it's like these elemental parts of entry level.

[C]

Kind of in a good way to bring you into the universe, you gotta have a portal vessel.

[A]

The 13 other lines, maybe not underrated, but maybe, like, overlooked as kind of those early days of marrying luxury and streetwear.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Which we talked about how, like, when I was a complex, you were the first person from a luxury or capital fashion house that ever reached out to me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And looking back, we both are like, oh, that was prescient. Where, like.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Where Daphne saw where the world was headed. Right. Where it was like, street wear and the democratization of fashion. You couldn't just only exist at the elitist, you know, tip of the pyramid forever.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. No, I. I mean, I appreciate you saying that. I don't know if I really realized that. I think I saw value in all kinds of media, to be honest. Like, I really think at that point. I remember Hypebeast was, like, kind of starting to explode too. And it was like.

Fashion isn't just for one type of person to consume. Right. Like, everyone should be able to enjoy it. And it's like, food. Yeah. Hey, you should be. You're blowing my mind right now.

[C]

I'm a comms guy.

[A]

Daphne. Fashion is carrots.

[B]

You were in fashion pr, Both of you, before all this starts.

[A]

I know.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean.

[C]

I mean, technically.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, did you. Did you also write interviews pretending to be Ray Kawakuba? The way we did for designers that we represented.

[C]

Some of my finest.

[B]

No, not for her. But I mean, I definitely, like, I took care of the whole stable of designers. So, like, k n o Mia Jr. You know, RK as well, but Tao. So, like, I really got to kind of, you know, I was really kind of involved with helping to kind of tune that language for sure.

[A]

So did you, like, were your services and expertise part of the. If you're a brand in the Dover street brand incubator program, like, you work with them?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And were your services and expertise and. And network and everything available, or were you, like, gate kept for, like. No, this is calm only.

[B]

No, I actually. It's one of my proudest things about working there was that when Dover street open. So I had started at. Com, I'd interned for two years, and then I started a Com formally in, like, 2009. And then when Dover opened in 2013, like, I wanted to do that too, because I knew, you know, it was going to be amazing. Like, London was incredible, you know, but also, like, the access to all of the brands, both emergent and established, was going to be really kind of unrivaled. So part of what I really loved about that was like, you know, Ray and Adrian were really amazing at fostering community and, like, they really believed in using their platform to give these emerging designers an opportunity to share their work where it's really hard right out of school, you know, I remember, you know, from Maureen Sayre to Craig Greene, Evan Connory, you know, Simone Rocha, Erl. Like, I got to work with all of them as they were kind of on the upswing or unknown even, you know, crazy. I would see them in their showrooms in Paris. I would go by, you know, say hello, ask them where they were at with press. When they would come to town. I would organize desk sites for them so they could meet the press directly. I got a, like a, you know, number of New York Times profiles for these. For these designers. And, like, I realized that, like, I was really enjoying the kind of, like, being able to bend a lot of the relationships I had to supporting these really talented in the Lord's work. Honestly, I mean, it was. It was cool, though. Like, I really. I mean, I will say, like, you know, they were so talented that it wasn't hard.

[C]

Right.

[A]

You know, was it hard at all to kind of get out of the shadow of Columbia Garcon because you're in this incubator program, or was it almost like, yeah, you're just drafting in the wake of this, you know, behemoth.

[B]

Well, I mean, in cdg. With cdg, it's like that opened so many doors. Like, if I told people that I did communications for reikoakubo, I automatically had their ear. Right. It was kind of like they would at least listen to what I had to say. And I think just going to sky high, like, I think maybe that pedigree helps for sure. Absolutely. But, you know, all the people that I know, from you guys to the people that have authored stories for me, like, those are relationships I had from that time. So just really kind of thankful that everyone's been along with me for the ride.

[A]

Was there a single project or collab or campaign that stuck with you as your favorite from your time?

[B]

Oh, my God, there were so many.

I mean, there are so many special projects. Like, I obviously, I got to do the Met show, which was pretty crazy.

[C]

Yeah. Wow.

[B]

Ray flew me out to be with her. Adrian. Andrew Bolton, who's the curator of the Costume Institute. And it was us alone in a room with, like, all the archival CDG dating back to I don't know how long. And I don't think anyone had ever seen it all amassed.

[C]

Crazy.

[B]

It was incredible. And I remember sort of thinking, like, do I deserve to be in this.

[C]

Room at least once in a lifetime, though? Like, that's incredible.

[B]

It was. It was amazing.

[C]

I do it for free. It's like, I don't need any.

[B]

Yeah, no, no, really. I mean, that was very, very cool. You know, I got to do all the dressing for the red carpet, which was insane. The after party, we did an amazing store at the Met. You know, I love Andrew Bolton. We also did these windows at Barney's with Dennis Friedman, which were like, you know, they were doing a comparison of Rei Kawakubo and Louise Bourgeois. So, like, it was this crazy kind of confluence of things that was happening. And it was, like, pretty amazing for me as part of my career. But over the years, there were so many, right? Like, I got to do, like, I brokered, like, a pretty big project with Tiffany and company back then. Francesca Amothy Atroff was leading all of the design for the high jewelry. And I remember I walked in to the office, it was just the two of us in her ginormous room, and she was like, what do you want to do? And I was like, me, Me. And I was like, well, I actually really think. Because, like, you know, everyone knows the new Tiffany stuff, right? But, like, Tiffany has an incredible archive, right? Like, that stuff, to me, is amazing. They're museum pieces, right? And I was like, well, why don't we bring some of the pieces out of the archive? We can do pop ups at all the Dover Streets. And she's like, okay. And then like, you know, several months later, we had like, it was called the out of retirement collection. And it was just like, so cool that like, I could have a basic idea and if the idea was good, it won. Like there wasn't. Didn't matter. Like, you know, that I was like the lowly PR girl in, in New York. Right?

[C]

You were given a lot of agency and empower.

[B]

Totally. And I think that that's just a testament to. To Adrian and Ray. But there was one really cool project I did with the artist AI Weiwei. I don't know if you guys know who he is.

[A]

He drops a lot of fine pottery.

[B]

Breaks a lot of pottery, fumbles a.

[C]

Lot of fucking bags.

[A]

This guy's butterfingers.

[B]

We did a shoot for vmag way back in the day where I had the idea to showcase a bunch of emerging designers. Craig Green was one of them. And he had concepted the shoot to basically, like, we'd ship him a box of clothes and he was going to put the clothes on his studio staff and like the people that worked for him. He was, you know, the proletariat was the way he kind of described it. And you know, I get a call, I remember it was like 11 o' clock at night. And he had essentially like dressed all of them up in these amazing garments. One of a kind. He put them on pedestals. And then he dumped cans of paint on each of their heads.

[C]

Whoops. Dropped another one.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, it was. And so like, there are these amazing. It's like Melita Baumeister, Craig Green, you know, Phoebe English. And at the time, you know, I, you know, because I really took very seriously, like, you know, for a lot of these young designers, their collections are super precious. We all know how much it cost to me.

[C]

Got one sample. Got one.

[B]

You got one precious sample. And we basically turned it into, like, it was covered into art.

[C]

It was turned into art.

[B]

So I didn't. I mean, it took me like a couple hours to like, settle down and realize each of these pieces was like, prep, like priceless.

[A]

Now actually you were like, oh, initially.

[B]

I was like, I'm gonna get fired.

[C]

Who's gonna tell Craig?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Who's got a good dry cleaner?

[B]

Yeah, I was like.

But yeah, thankfully they were all pretty, like, understanding.

[A]

Did the designers with it or did they also have we did a huge, like, exhibition.

[B]

No, they were all. They realized that it was literally now one of a kind.

[C]

Okay, where are those get garments now?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But we displayed them in Dover. We did an exhibition. They're probably in our like, warehouse. Okay, are. I mean their warehouse or like Nigo.

[A]

Bought them at auction.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Right.

[A]

For real.

[B]

But it was. It was a really amazing story. And then I got to work on like, all the mega CDG Nike shoe launches. I concept of one of the. The foam posit. When they brought the foam posit back.

[C]

Which one?

[A]

The Composites.

[C]

I love those. I have the white pair.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. They're amazing, right? Yeah. That campaign was.

[A]

Was my baby and give me a 95s laying around.

[C]

The black.

[A]

The black and gray ones.

[B]

Maybe I'll take a look.

That was cool. We also did like Mickey Moto pearls for. For Men, which I thought was like. I mean, Ray was always kind of pushing the boundaries of like, gender and like, what was like, acceptable. And I really kind of love that. Like, just trying to pitch that because, you know, a lot of people actually bought in.

[A]

Is that the biggest difference you've seen? Maybe just from being, you know, having so many friends in the industry and being a part of it for so long? The biggest difference between Calm and other major houses, that it's like, it's the best idea. No matter where it comes from, the best idea wins. Or is it like, what's the biggest difference maybe you saw between how Calm tends to move and these other capital.

[B]

F. I mean, honestly, like, they really didn't. They didn't give a shit about trends at all.

[A]

Calm.

[B]

Yeah. Thankfully, like never. And I think oftentimes, I mean, you know, the business, despite being like a mega business, was run pretty lean.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, like, there weren't like assistants running around.

[A]

I got the PR person concepting jewelry collaborations, but.

[B]

But it was cool. Like, you know, like, they really believed in like, rule breaking, but not for the sake of subversion alone. It was really like, why. Why does this need to be done this way? It doesn't.

[C]

Real innovation.

[B]

Yeah. Like, just really not taking for granted what's right in front of you and being willing to like, you know, I think the way we would describe. I would describe her work, for example, is like, you have to know the rules to break them. That's what she was as a. She's an. She's a master tailor, for example. But I think that's what the business did too. Right. Where it was like, we know the rules of the game. This is a commercial business, but we also know how to break those rules to get what we want. And I think that informed a lot of the spirit of. Of Sky High.

[A]

Oh, is that almost like the most influential thing about comb is like that philosophy?

[B]

I mean, there's obviously the historical work too. Like, I think she really was responsible for this idea that you were black as a uniform. Right. Like in the 80s and 90s.

[C]

Crows.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, which was like a pejorative term back when.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, she was showing like. I think the word is disable. Right. Like, the people looked like they were wearing baggy holy clothing, you know, and she wasn't afraid to, like, mess with what's beautiful to really kind of, you know, force you to confront your notion of beauty, which I think has really kind of stuck with me. I also think, like, one thing that people don't really quite understand is, like, you know, calm is obviously the most avant garde, but, like, they had a lot of love and respect for the classics too. It was really just about, like finding, you know, when we partnered or took a project on, it was like, is the spirit of this thing strong? Does it have its own identity and its own voice? You know, if it does, like, there's something there. Like, these things can feel like opposing impulses, but actually they can hang together and make something that's like synergistically even better.

[A]

Right, sure. You know, greater. Greater than the sum of its parts.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

One plus one equals three.

[A]

Oh, there it is.

[C]

That's math. That's fashion math for you.

[B]

That's stolen from Adrian Joffe. I can't.

[A]

That's fashion people trying to do math.

Is that the biggest or best lesson that you took away from working at your time at Dover and Coleman and applied now that you're the boss. CEO.

[B]

Co CEO, Actually. The CEO Dan Den's Dan is actually only in the business a third. A third of his time. He's breaking news. He's an artist full time.

[C]

Let's remove.

[A]

He still do nest parties?

[B]

No, I think those are a thing of the past. I mean, that one nest party was probably enough parties for. I mean, they did a few of those, but.

[A]

Did you ever nest. Do a nest party?

[B]

No, that I. I was well after that time, but. Okay. What.

[A]

What is the biggest lesson that you've taken away from your. Your 14 years? Seven.

[B]

15 years. Yeah, I can. I can have that.

[A]

That is how you're immediately. Is applicable in your day to day or. Or, you know, Mac or long term at Sky High.

[B]

I mean, a big part of it was the subversion piece, like, just questioning and not taking things for granted. I think, you know, if you're going to. I mean, you kind of have to be naive or stupid to be like, I'm going to get into food systems work. Like, I have no experience. I like to eat. That's the extent of it, you know.

[C]

Qualification.

[B]

Yeah. No, but actually, I mean, I think food, you know, I think the reality is that I realized that, you know, there's maybe power in using, like, a creative prism to solve problems in a world that we all know is, like, it's really not in good shape.

[A]

These think one plus one equals two.

[B]

I mean, I think that, like, there's something to be said for, like, taking the status quo and being willing to, like, turn it on its head.

[A]

Sure, yeah. Like what Ray was doing at home this whole time.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I. I don't dare to compare myself to her, but I would.

[C]

Be like, we can for you if you'd like.

[B]

I mean, we'll take it. Right.

I mean, I think. I think the thing is, like, you know, it's. It's that mindset and that mentality and like the sort of fearful fearlessness. Right. I think, like, you don't really know if an idea is good until you give it legs in the world. And, like, it's a hypothesis. Everything is a hypothesis until it bears out. Right. If you're lucky. So I think that's kind of like the spirit that's, like, given me a lot of, like, confidence to do this, even though I have no clue if it's the right thing. I think we both. You know, I won't speak for Dan, but a lot of his art is really sort of questioning authoritarian sort of strictures, and his whole career is sort of built on that. And I think maybe there's that sort of common mentality there that. That works for us.

But the other thing I think is just this idea of, like, actually trying to create a real community, which community is totally over.

[C]

Bastardized word for sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But when it's used for evil, but when it's real, like, it's actually like, there's no other word to describ. Describe what.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What's real? You know, it's real.

[B]

It's. Well, it's a group of people with shared values. Right. And I think in my case, being able to galvanize a community around, like. And I'm talking about the fashion community, right? Like the editors, the stylists, you know, the expert Creatives who are really like at the top of their game, but also the huge fashion houses too, who like, you know, may not normally transcend their like competitive. Competitive differences to do anything together. Like the idea that we could all be in dialogue with each other around this work is like very, very cool to me and something that I've really enjoyed.

[A]

I mean, food is the absolute lowest common denominator between.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Any human being.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Besides oxygen, water. Yeah.

[B]

I mean, and clothes.

[A]

That's what we need to shelter.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, but, but also just to say the bare necessities, we'll get into like the business model a little bit at some point. But like when we were bringing the collection to retail, you know, all the wholesalers came into the showroom and you know, everyone has a relationship to food, agriculture, inequity, wherever they come from. So it actually wasn't that hard to sell, you know, but I think it's packaging it in a way that people can understand.

[C]

Oh, absolutely.

[B]

And like then sort of be like, okay, I'm gonna participate.

[A]

Is there anything. How long you've been in Sky High now?

[B]

We've been at this for you yourself.

[A]

I mean sky, how you mentioned the farm is 2012 and then.

[B]

Yeah. Oh gosh.

[A]

And then you're saying I've been involved.

[B]

With Sky High, the non profit dating back now probably about, I want to say five or six years.

[A]

But the goods.

[B]

Goods started in January of 22. So that's been three years and 11 months.

[A]

And you started, you started it.

[B]

I started it with Dan.

[A]

What is, is there anything you miss about being in the capital F fashion world?

[B]

I mean, honestly, not much. I mean, but I say this in a really, like it's, it's not what you think. It's actually that in some ways I'm in it more than I ever was. Because. Yes. Like there's a sort of surface level of what fashion is. Right. But so much of what I do now is dependent on certain partnerships and the sort of adoption within the agent, the sort of, the larger industry around what we're doing. So like you know, on, for example. Right. Like very cool that they were willing to take a chance on a social justice brand that has a cute logo, you know, but like they don't have to talk to us. But I do think like, you know, we've got a multi year deal in place. They're incredible people. And to be able to.

The wrong word is infiltrate. The right word is maybe like to be able to advocate for this work from the inside out is like, pretty cool for me. Like, and. And the nice thing is, like, I speak their language. I came from the brand side. So, like, when we're talking about campaigns, like the models, the photo, we're all speaking the same language. It's just like, what is the end goal?

[A]

It's rare that the social justice person shows up looking drippier than the fashion knows what the.

[C]

Is up.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I guess.

I didn't say that. You did.

[A]

Okay, I did.

[B]

We're not allowed to. Like, I think, you know, I'm just fresh off of coming back from Japan. Yeah. I feel like I can still say it, but the longer I'm here, I'll just be like, it's a press.

[A]

A press.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You'll get back to normal soon enough.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

The pretension will fade with the jet lag.

[A]

What's something you're just specifically. Because it sounds like there's a lot. What's something you're so happy to have left behind in the fashion world?

[B]

Well, I mean, part of what instigated the move, right. I mentioned these big kind of social currents. You know, the pandemic was crazy, right? Like, we seem to have, like, it's in our rear view now, but, like, it was pretty intense.

[C]

Let's not minimize that. It was insane.

[B]

It was insane. And I think at that time, I remember, you know, I loved working at CDG in Dover. Never would have left. But I also saw, you know, people cropping up on the comments section who were, like, clearly in pain and like, real people. Real, real people. And, you know, the store also, you know, that's not. We're not. They weren't a big box re. They're not a big box retailer. Right? Like, there's so much sort of blood, sweat and tears that went into making Dover Street. Dover street, like, that was my. My home, my temple, you know. And yet, you know, so we were selling things, right? We were still trying to keep things going.

[C]

Run a business.

[B]

Run a business, right. There were mouths to feed. And I think at that point I was sort of like, I don't know, after this if I can like, elasticate.

[C]

Back, like, from a conscience perspective or.

[B]

It'S just like the. The cycle of, like, consumption, right. Newness and always having to promote the next good. And. And maybe it was because, you know, I was part of like a. You know, every rollout for every sneaker was like, it got increasingly kind of compacted, right? It used to be like, we'd announce a big project six months in advance. Now you launch the week of.

[C]

Yeah, right.

[B]

Because the consumers.

[A]

Because you got something else. You got something to watch next week.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And there's so much more noise.

[B]

And. And I also, like, I realized that, like, you know, and I was very much a rabid consumer. I am a rabid consumer myself, but.

[C]

Like, we all are.

[B]

I. I just had amassed so many things, beautiful things, and I'd lost my capacity to, like, value them in the same way. Like, I was like, oh, you know, I turn my head immediately and see something new and be like, oh, that's shiny. Shiny good. You know, and. And then I would come back like a year later with something with its tags on, and I was like, this is something's.

[C]

You know, because I was sobering, for sure.

[B]

Yeah. And. But I was the beneficiary, right. Of, like, this incredible privilege to be able to buy from these collections at a staff discount. And I think all those things sort of compounded, like, kind of opened the sort of gateway for me to maybe consider a change. But was it.

[A]

Was this happening? Just. Was this, like, a creeping sensation over for years, or was it like a. Kind of like a wake up moment?

[B]

I think it was a wake up moment. But also, Dan and I were talking so much at that point, and I was sort of seeing that, like, there's this current of life that's happening up here and there, then there's like, a reality for everyone else.

[C]

Yeah, welcome to America.

[B]

Yeah, no, but exactly. So, like, you've got this sort of geopolitical noise that's happening, and I'm not taking away from that. That's all really serious and important discussion and, like, critical. Right. To all of our. Our livelihoods and, well, beings. But at the end of the day, you know, we just come out of this moment with snap, or in SNAP right now.

[C]

Right.

[B]

With what's happening. But, like, there are tons of people that are literally, like, so underserved, starving. Living meal.

[A]

Meal or.

[C]

Yeah, living crazy.

[B]

Well. Well, exactly. And I think, you know, it's. It's. It's. It was very sort of sobering when, you know, I saw. It was like $37 billion got cut from SNAP. 42 million people depend on food stamps and this program depends on. And 40% of those people are children. Like, it kind of like, unfortunately has brought into very sharp relief. Like, it reminds me why we're. Why I'm doing this.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Which is to say it's really fun and it's cool, but in reality, like, it is built to serve something else, a real purpose.

[A]

Do you When. When brands, like, because you're so privy to this, like, when brands make pledges to be sustainable or environmentally friendly or provide transparency in the supply chain or what have you. How much of that is real and how much of that is bullshit?

[B]

A lot of it's bullshit. I mean, I want to just be clear. Like, I'm not as. Look, I came from luxury fashion. I'm not a sustainability expert by any standard. I think, you know, greenwashing fatigue is obviously very real. Although I say the place that I'm at now is I actually have relationships to the growers and the people that actively are producing the ingredients that go into your beverage, that go into the jam or. Oh, I just. I. Maybe I pre announced, but the jam is come. We have a jam coming in.

[C]

Let's jam out.

[A]

What flavor?

[B]

Strawberry. Just to start. Very classy.

[A]

Is there raspberry in the way?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Can we make raspberry?

[B]

We'll make it free. Why don't we do a throwing fits? Raspberry flavor down.

[C]

I love raspberry.

[B]

All right, let's do raspberry.

[A]

Is it a jammer preserve?

[B]

I'm Chinese. Like, we. I barely grew up eating jam.

[C]

Okay. What is that?

[B]

It's a jam.

[A]

Pectin is like a preservative. Like it?

[B]

Yeah, no, it's a jam.

[A]

Okay. Fire.

[C]

Is it delicious on toast? That's all that matters.

[B]

Yes, but it's not. It's not like, overtly sweet. Like, I think perfect, too.

[C]

Sweet is not.

[B]

Yeah, like, when you go into this and. And this is the thing, like, I'm not from this country, so, like, when I would go into the supermarket, I was like, I don't understand. There's 20 types of jam.

[A]

Why do I now have diabetes?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And they're all gonna kill you.

[B]

So, I mean, I think one of. We wanted to, you know, we use local strawberries from an incredible farm upstate. Those are packaged on site, and it's just simple. Like, the best things are simple. Nothing added to them.

[C]

Yeah. When does jam drop?

[B]

I have to check in with Grant Lurie, who heads that up on my team. But I think it's. It's going to be like first week of December.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think that's what this is.

[B]

The exclusive announcement of Jam.

[C]

New jam alert.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

45 minutes in.

[B]

But I will say, like, one thing that's been really, really cool for me is like, this, you know, collection we made with Dover street, primarily made of dead stock, vintage fabrics, upcycled fabrics.

[A]

Like the jacket you're wearing.

[B]

Right Now, Yeah, yeah, yeah. We. Part of the mandate to Dover Street Market, Paris, which is the incubator that we belong to, is that we wanted to use what was already in the system. So there's you guys.

[A]

Sorry, you guys are in the incubator program?

[B]

We are, yeah. And so they help us to basically manufacture, produce, distribute, sell. You know, I. And then we handle the creative.

[C]

Right.

[B]

The marketing and the press.

[A]

I was gonna say, it's like they're saving money on the marketing and communication, I think.

[B]

So you're like, oh, we'll just.

[A]

We'll just get Daphne back in the mix. Yeah, she'll take care of it.

[B]

I mean, you never. You never. You never go too far.

[A]

It's like riding a bike.

[C]

They're like, we already had the best anyway, so it's like, has that relationship can't go to someone else.

[A]

Have you been kind of the linchpin in that relationship between Sky High and. And Dover Street?

[B]

I mean, Dan. I mean, we all have a relationship. Maddie Friedman. Who? You know, Maddie, Maddie, Maddie. He's still.

[A]

Bring back the. Bring back the. How was that Fit Pick series that he had going on? He has an insane Fit Pick series, which. I'll bring it back.

[B]

Maddie, he's gonna love that we're talking about this, right?

[C]

I mean, Maddie gets his flowers. Come on.

[B]

He definitely.

[A]

The last time that he came up on Pod, someone like. Someone was like, yo, they called him.

[B]

The nicest guy in the biz. And you were. And he was so mad.

[C]

I wouldn't. I would really. He was mad because. Going to disagree, brother. Besides you.

[B]

He wants you to call him the strongest guy.

[C]

Oh, that's. He is jacked. Here you go.

[B]

Jacked.

[C]

He is jacked.

[B]

We love you, Manny.

[A]

Keep, keep, keep.

[C]

Keep stalling.

[A]

Keep stalling. Keep stalling. Keep stalling.

[C]

But we should talk about Maddie more so that you could find the fit pics here.

[A]

Oh, here we go.

[B]

Here we go.

[C]

Fresh.

[A]

Fresh Fridays.

[C]

Oh, Fresh Fridays.

[B]

You know about this Instagram account?

[C]

I mean.

[A]

Oh, it's a. It's a burner. Am I not supposed to expose it?

[C]

Too late now. Sorry, Maddie, everyone can see how buff you are.

[B]

Wait, when's the last time he updated that?

[C]

This is insane.

[B]

Oh, I don't know if he knows. Everyone knows that that exists.

[C]

Spoiler alert.

[A]

Someone I forget. Oh, it was.

Mac from fro.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

Oh, from.

[A]

From Houston. No, no, not Mac Houster. From H. Lorenzo. Yeah, yeah. And he.

[C]

Yeah, scion of the H. Lorenzo empire.

[B]

Yeah, he used to work for them, right? I think H. Lorenzo.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Maddie.

[B]

Anyway, I love that's making the round.

[C]

That has been the Maddie portion of the show.

[B]

I'd have to call you and say, let's delete that.

[C]

Congrats. You nice and jacked man who we all love.

[B]

Who we all. The nicest jacked man in the world.

[C]

Truly.

[A]

Or the most Jack nice man.

[B]

Yeah, the most.

[C]

Jerry wants to lead with the muscles, I believe so.

[B]

Like, yeah. So I don't know how to recover.

[C]

What are we talking about?

[A]

The sky high CDG or DSM relationship.

[B]

Yeah. So it's really like. Like I said, like, we didn't really have designs to start clothing. And I wasn't really interested in taking on the full supply chain. Like, people do that for years and fail. Right. Like, to me, you want someone who has the. Know how the expertise, understands the sustainability piece, but also has economies of scale. Because, like, that's the point. Right. The more we can move, the more we can raise money. So having that expertise has been, like, really, really clutch, I would say. They're obviously my family, so I felt very sort of lucky that they were like, let's make a collection.

[C]

Who says you can't go home?

[A]

I know when you hear your family.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

Unlimited play cons. I mean, bottomless.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Triple dipper at Dover Street.

[B]

No, it's.

[C]

That's Chili's.

[B]

It's. You know, I like to. I like to think that, you know, I've tried to keep it, like, pay it forward and just make sure.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

It's always.

[A]

So. Yeah. So it's still. It's still a strong bond even.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Unbreakable, if you will.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, like, I'm headed out for all your London listeners. I'm.

[A]

There's a lot of them.

[C]

There's a. It's a huge market for us.

[A]

THEY speak.

[B]

Hello.

[C]

Hello, Governor. They love that. They love when you do that.

[A]

Yeah. If you're going to speak to them and if they want to. If you want them to understand, you got to speak in a British accent.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

We're doing Austin Powers impression. They love that.

[B]

Oh, do they?

[A]

That's a big one.

[B]

Yeah. I went to a British high school, so I, like. I'm very sort of familiar with the Brit, but I can't. I can't. I can't, like, materialize the accident. You're gonna say. You're gonna say knackered again.

[A]

You don't feel called knackered, man.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Feeling knackered.

[C]

Wait, we're just real quick, if. If you could only shop at 1 Dover Street.

[A]

You got all eight babes. Or what's the.

[C]

What's the best overstreet in the world? That's. I think that was on here and it got cut.

[B]

But, I mean, I don't want to get cut by someone on the other. I mean, it depends, like, so.

[C]

No, it doesn't. There's an answer.

[B]

I mean, the London store is magical. Like, you go in there, it's like, you know, I mean, I was there. We built New York and LA together, so I feel very close to it. But just the physical.

[C]

Why Murray Hill for New York?

[B]

I mean, they. They like the building. Honestly.

[C]

Destination shop.

[B]

It was an old bank.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's kind of the. The OG DSM mandate was like, let's go to the neighborhoods that people aren't necessarily expecting.

[B]

I mean, when they. When they opened Chelsea store with the. Was like the crazy space tunnel, which is still there.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, Chelsea was derelict.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

And now it's literally the center.

[C]

It's another destination. That was destination.

[B]

So I think it's a lot of, like, you have to have the foresight.

[A]

The Ginza one is awesome.

[B]

I love the Ginza one. And that team is incredible. Shout out to Erica San. Sorry I have to say it, but.

[A]

The LA one, oh, it's beautiful. It's a horizontal.

[C]

Space tunnel.

[A]

That is a fucking journey to get to that one.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, that. I mean, that's also the heart of downtown L. A. So it's a little.

[A]

My line out of Battery. The last time I was trying to go there and I had to, like, walk. You had to walk through skid row to get there is crazy.

[B]

Yeah. I'm amazed that you took a lime scooter. That's incredible that you did that.

[A]

I love a line.

[C]

Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to spend money on.

[B]

New clothes, you know, Gotta save on the ride, Right?

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

Increases my shopping budget.

[A]

I was like, well, I can't buy outerwear because then I can't, like, bring it on the line, you know? All right, so what's the number one? Is it London?

[C]

Yeah, it's London. London.

[B]

I mean, maybe you already said it.

[C]

So we're gonna go there.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Going back to the. That is Fashion industry, claiming whatever environmental friendliness and everything. Have there been any noticeable changes in. In your time and fashion that. That do give you hope when it comes to making the world a better place?

Your silence is definite.

[C]

Yeah, that's. I mean, rough response.

[B]

I.

Trying to. Trying to think about how to Say this, like, diplomatically. I think.

[C]

Don't.

[B]

No, I mean, I think that we're not meeting any of our sustainability goals. Like, I.

[A]

The industry writ large.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I was invited to participate on a panel, the Copenhagen. It's like the Global Fashion agenda, which is the big sort of fashion industry gathering for climate. It's so interesting. Like, you know, you go there and it's like, these are the people in the room who, like, really seriously know what the. The extent of the problem is. And they were very clear with all of us. I mean, I felt like a child, but they were like, we have not succeeded. In fact, we're even falling behind.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

And it was. It was actually really telling because in the room, you have. Yeah. You've got leadership doing panels. I was there for, you know, I was on a small panel myself. And, like, you've got leadership talking about their sustainability measures that they're taking. You've got the middle managers that are there who are like, people who are in the supply chain or design room who have to, like, actually try to incorporate these new materialities.

[C]

They have to implement it. Like, actually.

[B]

Yeah, but there's no one from the finance side there. And if the people who handle the bank account are not there helping to instigate that change because it does affect the bottom line, it means that no one's taking it seriously enough. And I thought. I thought one of the best sort of analogies that I heard when I was out there is like, you know, you hear about these, you know, small manufacturers who are making, you know, mushroom leathers or like, other types of technical innovations that are really, really cool. Right. But they're really resource intensive and they cost way more per yard. And, you know, you know, these companies are invested in by one large conglomerate or one big company, but, like, if they can't scale, they die. And so that adoption, and, you know, they would have been that company's sustainability play. It goes away.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's not to say that people aren't trying to make changes. I just don't think it's happening expeditiously enough. There are not enough sanctions or rules in place to ensure that people are actually abiding by certain standards.

[C]

Do you think we're past a point of no return? Not to be like, you know, doomer.

[B]

But I think that we are, like, we're addicted to newness. And I think that the cycle has gotten so fast and so prolific that, like, I mean, I forget what the statistic is, but, like this, the rate at which we're consuming. It's like one person has the equivalent of 22 closets.

Like, that's.

I mean, you're telling me.

[C]

I was gonna say you're barking up. You're barking up the wrong tree with this crowd.

[B]

But yeah, that's insane.

[C]

If that's.

[B]

But if you really kind of visualize what that looks like, that's actually kind of insane. I will say it's interesting. Like the conversations that I've seen happening around waste. You know, for example, we. We did this partnership, Balenciaga. They were super supportive. They sent us a really nice amount of merchandise. And it was stuff that had already been through the system. Right, right. It been on the sales floor, discounted, you know, regular sale, friends and family outlets. It was what would have been collecting dust. No one in the warehouse.

[C]

Yeah, the worst of the worst.

[B]

I mean, but that's where most of the clothes go. Right. Like, whatever doesn't get purchased is literally collecting dust unless it's incinerated. But that's not something we do anymore.

[C]

That used to be. That was a nice little Burberry method. Burn it on the roof.

[B]

I mean, it wasn't so great. And I think, you know, to be able to take that merchandise, you know, we customized it with artwork from Ryan McGinley. You know, Nadia Leacon shot a campaign for us. She was at that cool project. Yeah, she was like just to. I think at that time she was also shooting the main Valencia campaign. So to have her participate for next to nothing was pretty incredible. But we sold the pieces at half the price. We put them in Dover street. You know, it was 100% sell through. We donated all the money away to the farm. It just kind of showed that there was like an opportunity to re imbue these goods that already had a life with value. You just had to package it properly.

[A]

Ooh, communications, marketing.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, put Daphne on the case.

[C]

Say if every. If every company had a Daphne, then maybe the planet wouldn't burn people.

[A]

If you could snap your fingers and change anything about how the whole industry operates besides just having one of you at the helmet everywhere.

[B]

I mean, I don't.

[A]

What are you. Where are you starting? Where are you gonna start?

[C]

You're the boss.

[B]

Change. One thing. I think I would, like, slow down the cycle. I think that, you know, it's a race to the bottom. You look at, like, what's happening, right, with all the big, like, e commerce giants. The discounting cycle, right. Like, that's happening because they're all competing to be the first to go on sale. You know, buying is not an exact science. Right. Even if you're incredibly skilled, you're still stuck with merchandise at the end. It has to be liquidated. You know, you know, at Calm, we never had like pre. We never had a holiday and pre. Holiday cruise. Cruise and you know, the, the collection for the collection. Collection control. So I think, you know, these are all sort of generated moments to create occasion based purchases, which is fine. Like I get it. Like we all want to shop at specific times of the year for specific needs, but I don't know that there has to be quite this much does essence.

[A]

Oh, sky high money. Really, really no good for you guys. Yeah, we got out unscathed.

[C]

The one.

[B]

I mean. Yeah, it's, it's, it's. Yeah, it's hard to see that because just also knowing how dependent those small brands are for that money.

[A]

Was Calm able to not create like fake occasion buying opportunities? Because it's independently owned and not part of like a larger conglomerate that's publicly traded. It needs to produce like earnings on earnings on earnings every three months.

[C]

Shareholder value.

[B]

Yeah. I mean private, private and public certainly, I'm sure has something to do with it. I mean, you know, if your fiduciary duties to your shareholders and the expectation is a. Is growth.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

At every turn. Like at all costs. Yeah.

[C]

That's when we'll meet. We'll meet at the bottom, as you said.

[B]

But that's, I mean, not to get like super philosophical on you guys, but I feel like the conversation kind of listening.

[C]

We're in the serious portion now of.

[B]

The show, but I feel like, you know, there's like a myth of like infinite growth on this planet, which is real.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I mean, the, the planet has a finite size. Oh, right. So like, you know, we keep thinking that GDP can keep growing and growing and growing, but there's just a reality around resources and who gets to commoditize them.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Data centers.

[A]

Is that the answer?

[B]

I mean, more data centers, please. They use up. I mean, I'm not an expert. I don't know how much energy they.

[A]

Use, but a lot about one Philadelphia every day.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's actually insane.

[A]

Yes. Okay, so is there. What would your advice be? Because whether it's the brands and the holding companies or the consumers and everything, it's. It's a cycle. Right. It's all downward. We're circling the drain here. How can someone as a consumer be empowered and.

Act ethically and responsibly in the current moment that we're In, I.

[B]

Mean, I think it's tough, right, because you know, it really is about education.

But I think the way things are set up right now.

You know, you don't want to be a brand that's preaching to the consumer about what they should buy. Right. I think that's maybe the approach that Sky High is taking is to say we want to make things that you actually covet that are more responsibly made, that actually honor this sort of like earth first approach, that then don't force you to compromise on like good style or design. Right. And I think that that's actually the consumer has to take it upon themselves to actually care enough to make the change. But I also understand that like the means or mode of participation is different depending on who you are. And like, I love that, you know, Bad Bunny might walk into a Dover street and buy Sky High without knowing what it's about.

[C]

That doesn't bother you when a customer is just like, I just think this thing is great.

[B]

Definitely not. I want them to be excited by it and to be engaged by it because once they start to lift up the hood and see that there's so much more going on. I mean, my hope or my desire is that they're going to further engage with us and then by extension want to engage with the farm.

[A]

It's almost like pre sale supreme in a way where they would just put out like something fire that kids wanted and then hopefully out of the 1,000 kids that buy something, maybe like 10 of them, like, oh, who's this artist?

[C]

Who's Malcolm X?

[A]

Yeah, who's this? Literally, who's this musician? Yeah, who is Sun Ra?

[C]

You know, like Trojan horsing, You know, Education.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[A]

Putting them, putting the pill. What is it? A tablespoon, A tablespoon of sugar. Tablespoon of Sky High, honey.

[B]

Go down. Yeah, I love that.

[A]

Sky High throwing fits. Raspberry jam.

[B]

Yeah, that's definitely going to come out. We got to start working on the label.

[A]

Okay. What's the most evil brand in fashion?

[C]

There's got to be one. You could just say lvmh. I. I said that.

[A]

I said that.

[B]

No.

[C]

Well, unless they want to invite me.

[A]

To some more shit or send some Hennessy.

Is it like the hyper. Is it like she in or is it.

[B]

Yeah, I think it has to be fast fashion.

[C]

True. Yeah. Let's be clear.

[B]

I mean, I've had the, you know, I've had the great honor of actually talking with a lot of leadership at the lvmhs. And carings of the world because, you know, they are, they actively have the resources to investigate new ways of making things. They'll listen and are, they're invested in it. So I don't know. It's really, it's really the fast fashion piece. It's, you know, I, I, Zara Sheen.

[C]

Has got to be the worst, right? They're so bad.

[B]

Yeah. Can neither confirm or deny, but I think definitely confirm.

[A]

Okay. With, with the leadership and, and C suite people that you do speak with. Like, what percentage of influential individuals in the entry are actually concerned with, like where things are headed or like the, the impact, the negative impact that, that their work and our world is having on the greater world? Or is it? Or is it? And how much of that is like your detectors going off and you're like, yeah, you're just saying that to my face.

[B]

I think that everyone is really acutely aware there's a problem.

I think it's kind of interesting because, you know, most of these organizations are like Goliath, right. Or like, they're like the Titanic. Right. You don't just turn the Titanic overnight.

[C]

It's a cruise ship.

[B]

Yeah. You can't, you just can't do it. I think it's really that they see that they have to take incremental steps. Actually, our partnership with Levi's is a really good example of that. And I, I'm allowed to talk about it. I, I understand from what I understand, Leo said. Yeah, I love Leo. And Leo. Leo, Molly. Molly.

[C]

The best.

[B]

Yeah, the best. But yeah, they, they have an amazing program around transitional cotton, which is essentially the way that they help farmers who are practicing traditional forms of cotton farming transition to organic cotton farming. But it's not like, you know, Levi's produces so many pairs of jeans, denim pieces. It's like, how do you, you know, you can't flip a switch and have it revert overnight. And so, you know, we have a partnership coming out next year. The pieces are really, really good looking and I think they're all priced really accessibly and I think through a partner like us, you know, there's a way to storytell around transitional cotton that feels authentic to. I mean, we have, we're literally born out of the soil to do this work. We're not here to have another fashion brand. We're really here to kind of like we're connected to something much bigger than we are. And so the idea that like we have an authentic tie to farming an ag, we can help them tell that story. So they are there's work being done, but it's not like, it's not like you flip a switch and it happens instantaneously.

[A]

Yeah. What's the, like, how involved are you with choosing partners and collaborators and like, what's the process and, and how do you go about, you know, weighing like, okay, this brand is fire. They want to work with us, but maybe they come with some baggage.

[C]

I'm not.

[A]

Not Levi's, but yeah, just generally, I.

[B]

Mean, the truth is, like, it would be very hard to find a one size fits all metric for what makes it acceptable to work with them. Because each company, if you were to look deeply enough, it's imperfect.

[A]

Oh, they got skeletons.

[B]

I don't know if it's skeletons, but I think that.

[A]

Oh, Balenciaga, it's got skeletons.

[B]

I mean, I'll let you talk about those, but I think, I think there's just a reality where, where you have to partner with them in a way that actually can be actualized within their infrastructure. Right, right. Like, so, I mean, Converse, for example, like they, you know, they put out millions of pairs of the Chuck 70. You know, in our case, you know, we did a partnership with them. There was five SKUs in total. The last two SKUs were all made out of like upcycled workwear.

[A]

Oh, cool.

[B]

So like they, and it was the first time they'd ever collaborated with a brand in that way where they'd basically taken something that already existed. It was literally like a chore coat taken apart and used as an operate.

[A]

A lot of, a lot of times these guys, workwear, touch grass.

[B]

I mean, the real ones among us do touch grass in workwear. But I know that, you know, we, I mean, we love workwear, obviously that's the kind of thrust of the whole clothing collection. But I think the point is like, each company can work with you in a different way. And I would also say it's a very self selecting group because at the end of the day, I'm not interested in a marketing partnership that's like a quick flash in the pan, you know, where they're like, okay, let's donate like 1% of sales. Right. Like, we're pretty if we're gonna go there. Yeah. And I think, you know, Dover street, to their credit, you know, this is really something we worked on with Adrian. But you know, we basically baked donation into the price of the goods when we were selling them at wholesale so that it meant there was always money flowing to the farm. And just on that program alone, you know, we raised over $600,000 just to through selling garments, you know, so. To stores. Yeah, yeah, because. And. And it was amazing because it sort of rendered every single retailer that bought the clothes and then every customer who bought the clothes from them a donor.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Right. So this idea of, like, really?

[A]

Yeah, Gotcha.

[B]

Opening the aperture, you're gonna be part.

[C]

Of the cause whether you like it or not.

[B]

Yeah. Well, you like this. Like, you're gonna have to pay.

The fee.

[A]

Yeah, well, look, look, we're not here necessarily to cast moral judgment, but we do got to know Daphne. When was the last time you ate fast food?

[B]

Oh, I mean.

Oh, that's a hard one.

[C]

Oh, really?

[B]

Does Shake Shack count?

[A]

May fast casual fast food. Quickly. I believe they're good quickly.

[B]

Maybe in and out.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

When I was last in California.

[C]

It's so good.

[B]

I love in and out.

[A]

What's your in and out order?

[B]

I mean, I'm kind of that boring person. I don't like the. The sauce that much.

[A]

The spread. Animal sauce? Well, animal.

[C]

No, it's spread and then animal style is a way that you can.

[B]

Yeah. What's it. When the. Okay, I. I born when I was in college and I thought it was the thing to do, I would eat the. You know, I'd do it with the. Without the bun, and I'd do with lettuce.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Now I just eat the classic. Yeah, yeah. Now I just eat the classic. But I don't want too much of the animal spread. Animal sauce.

[A]

It's. They give you a lot. Speaking of la, you guys did collaborate with Erewhon on a smoothie.

[B]

Yeah, not a smoothie. We did. We. We did a smoothie at. At Happier, which is down.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Here.

[A]

What do you do there? 1.

[B]

They. We basically launched a beverage with them, and then we did merch to go with it.

[C]

Gotcha. What was the Bev?

[B]

The Bev was a sparkling honey pop. Really delicious sparkling water with honey. It was pre and probiotic, had a lot of fiber. It was really, really delicious.

[A]

Do you prefer Erewhon's 26 bottled water or their raw milk?

[B]

I don't think I've ever bought either from them.

[A]

We've bought the water.

[B]

26. I mean, how much water are you getting for 26?

[A]

Not a lot. This much?

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I will say, like, I'm friends with the family and they're very, very generous.

[A]

The Erewhons.

[B]

Sure. The arrows, the entosis. They were very supportive when I. When I came to them and, hey, like, I'd love to launch this with you. Guys, we then went on to put like our tallow, our beauty product in there and you know, so it's been a very sort of like lucky.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Thing to be able to sell there because the audience, those people are nothing if not health obsessed.

[A]

Right.

[C]

What do you think of people though that like make shopping at places like everyone like a flex.

[B]

I mean I get it, right. Like it's, you know, you're spending that much money on something like what is the gratification of buying anything expensive?

[A]

You tell me. Posting it on Instagram.

[C]

Well, telling everyone else.

[B]

So I, But I think I get it. That's human nature. Right. I don't know that it's something I would do, but.

[C]

Right.

[B]

That's.

[A]

What about like there is this kind of like emerging tier of, of luxury produce, luxury fruit. Is that a net good or is that kind of like when you're talking, when you're just. When you are connected to people that are literally just looking for fresh vegetables or like any food.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is that, I guess this goes kind of back to like, you know, the cost of food. Where do you, where does this pan out for you?

[B]

I, I think, I think it's a problem that it's that expensive. I mean, I think the point to say is that like this quality of food shouldn't be a luxury. Right. It should be a universal thing that everyone can access.

The farm, the sky high farm, like the level of the food that it's producing through. And I'm just going to get a little technical here, please. It's called regenerative agriculture. It's a very specific type of agriculture that's been practiced for centuries but is completely different to the sort of mass industrialized form of farming that we are familiar with that like, like feeds us now.

[A]

No. Monsanto.

[B]

Exactly.

But so this is food that would be like fit for a Michelin starred restaurant. Right. That we're essentially sending to the people who have zero access. And I think that example is really sort of to say like we've gotten so far beyond the point of it being sort of acceptable. It. But it's not just about access to that food. It's access to the ways and means of production. Right. It's you know, understanding where your food comes from, you know, being able to participate in the food system, you know, to be a part of that dialogue, to eat culturally appropriate food like that's equity is a much bigger basket than just solving.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Food insecurity. Food insecurity is the byproduct or the symptom of A broken system. There's a lot of other things that you have to solve for, and that's actually what the farm is trying to at least provide a model for.

[A]

What are you guys growing up there?

[B]

It's primarily vegetables, and then, of course, all the animals. So cows, broiler, chickens, eggs, what veggies we got. I mean, it's everything that's good. It's kale. Well, I was gonna say, like, the. The. Maybe the. On the sort of note of, like, culturally appropriate food, we try to grow what the communities we serve ask us for.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So, like, rather than foisting, for example, kale on the Ecuadorian community, they might say, oh, we want cilantro. And that's what our farmers are growing. Planning to grow, like, six months in advance, a year in advance.

[C]

You're listening to your constituency.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I think that's the point is to kind of flip the model so that, like.

[A]

Because no one wants kale.

[B]

I mean, if it's massaged. I love massage kale. Yes. With a little. Okay, sorry.

[C]

If it's done.

[B]

He and I are on the same page. We like kale.

[C]

So we won't find you shopping at, like, Meadow Lane.

[B]

I'll definitely go by. I mean, I think oppo research. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, I'd love it if they would even sell the honey.

[C]

See what you're saying, for me, like, they're another stockist.

[B]

They're an opportunity to, like, showcase something. I mean, I do think, you know, the products have amazing shelf appeal, and I just think that, like, if people can understand that, like, the honey that they're buying actually serves a farmer, if.

[A]

1 in 10 people do do the research, like.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

What.

[A]

How robust is the. The fashion world to upstate pipeline these days? Because during COVID During pandemic, that was, like, there was a huge, huge land rush exodus. Right.

[C]

What is.

[A]

What's it looking like now?

[B]

I mean, the Hudson Valley's gotten very expensive because people are still wanting that escape. I think that desire for access to green space never went away. Right. But it's. Yeah. I think property prices have shot up.

[A]

Do. Are the locals happy? Just have people who might bring in some, like, actual good restaurants.

[B]

I mean, I'm. I'm sure. But it's. It's no good if they can't afford those restaurants.

[C]

That's so true.

[B]

So.

[C]

Yep. You said it.

[A]

What's the. Like, what's the relationship with Sky High, the farm and, like, the local. Local communities of workers?

[B]

I mean, we Try to very much like be in dialogue with that community as well. We just, right now we're on a 40 acre property, but we're moving on to 560 acres.

[C]

That's an upgrade.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

You're hiring? Yeah. Right.

[B]

I mean, do you want a job?

[A]

It's.

[C]

A lot of people do.

[B]

Yeah. Well, we have an amazing, we have an amazing fellowship that I've been trying to share with people. But yeah, the property's massive, obviously, and there's a lot that has to go into kind of anytime you do any kind of building or, you know, it'll be a multi year transition for us. But like, you really have to be in dialogue with the community. Like those are the people that you're talking to first. You're not just sort of walking into their space and actively building on it.

[C]

You're not colonizing.

[B]

Well, actually a good example is we just did a really incredible biennial. It just closed in October, but it was a fundraiser for the farm and we took over. There was an old cold apple storage warehouse on the Hudson Valley River. 25,000 square feet. We had 50 plus artists, hundreds of pieces of work in there. And all the artists from blue chip to emergent, basically were like, we're down to donate portion of proceeds from sales to support the farm. But the whole point of that show, right. In that specific location was that it was site specific. Right. And it was really about honoring the Hudson Valley, the passage of time. The whole show was really about like, it, you know, wasn't trying to like foist a New York City event on the Hudson Valley. And in order to even do it, we were in dialogue with many of the, you know, individuals, obviously the local planning committees, etc, like very early on. But like, you can't just, you know, that's the way that people are completely like, become opposed to whatever it is you're doing. If you're not, if you're not trying.

[A]

To reach out the city, it's. Yeah, right.

[C]

The slick, the city slickers.

[A]

Do you live upstate?

[B]

I live, I'm like in Westchester now. I'm a couple of like 35 minutes outside.

[A]

What's your address? Do you spend. And you spend a lot of. You said you go to the farm, what, three, four times a month?

[B]

A month, yeah, depending on what's going on up there. I mean, we do, you know, we go up there to volunteer, obviously, but our, our, we have a little warehouse up there with all of our, our merchandise. So a lot of the shipping and logistics happen there.

[A]

Daphne, what do you like to spend your money on, your hard earned money on. Yeah, we talked about all that. All the good stuff. Let's, let's get, let's get nasty.

[C]

Yeah, we love asking.

[B]

I like to travel. I like to travel a lot.

[A]

Where have you been recently? That wasn't for work or do you, or do you conflate like work trips, like, oh, I'll spend another week in Japan, it's fine.

[B]

No, I, I'm. We very much like that was a big centerpiece of like my husband and I's like sort of relationship and like for Christmas we're going to Philippines.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Last year we were in Thailand. Year before that we went to. Was it Cambodia?

[A]

So like really trying to love Southeast Asia.

[B]

I mean I, I miss Asia now that I've, you know, it's been a long time. But like, like I remember my son, he was nine months, we flew through Beijing and I took him on the Great Wall. Like he was strapped to my chest. You know, we're kind of those people that are like, when you travel, like the kids come with you and it's not like we're revolving around the kids.

[C]

It's really like letting them ruin your kids.

[B]

It's an adventure. Yeah, well, they still manage to do that somehow. Hi, Ansel. Hi, Stella. I love you.

[A]

It's. What's next? Philippines.

[B]

Philippines is next.

[C]

Nice.

[A]

What else on the bucket list?

[C]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Where haven't you been? So many places I haven't been to Mongolia. Like I wanna. I still haven't been. I mean. Yeah, it's hard. It's hard. Like it's a whole world out there. There's a whole world out there and.

[C]

I also got to see it before it's gone.

[B]

I mean, I think it's also just. I'm interested, you know, with Sky High, like, especially because we make food products. Like the idea of locality is so important. Right? So like local taste, local customs, local things that are grown, you know. That's interesting to me.

[A]

Have you made a dumb purchase recently? Regret whether it was one of those things that a year later still has the tags on it?

[B]

Just. That's a good question.

[C]

Little self audit.

[A]

Talking about mindless consumption.

[B]

You know, I'm like, sure, my husband might listen to this, so.

[C]

Let's hope so.

[B]

Let's. Let's let.

[C]

Oh, you're.

[A]

You don't want to expose your spending.

[B]

Habits or the stash that's in the.

[C]

No, the se. Oh, the secret stash. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Honestly, keep that in the warehouse upstate.

[B]

Yeah, that's, you know, I don't mean. I don't mean to, like, demure. I just think, like, because I now have clothes through Sky High, I just wear that and I wear the Comsa. And I don't like. Unless I go to Japan.

[C]

Right.

[B]

That's the only occasion.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. So that's fair. He's looking at me like, this is his. This is.

[C]

Stop greenwashing your consumption.

[A]

No, I don't know, like. Like a. Maybe like a bad meal recently. You're like, oh, overhyped restaurant or something. Or, you know, the name of. I don't know, maybe you went to a country that sucked.

[B]

Wow. That. Why don't I turn a whole population of people against.

[A]

Exactly.

[C]

Right at the end. Might as well go out with a bang.

I mean, living in New York, this is. This is like an endless list of things that maybe disappointed you. Let's be real.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or at this point in your life, because you've been such a. You know, you've been in it for so long, maybe. And that's a great thing about, I don't know, experience and getting older is you, like. No, you learn what you don't like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, don't waste your money on that anymore.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I think it's a pretty curated life now. I also don't live in the city fold. I was here for so long and I, like, was in it. And, like, do you miss it at all? I have a lot of space now.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and it's green. I'm in the city like three times a week for work anyway, so it's like, nothing really changes.

[C]

Having your honey and eating it, too.

[B]

I mean, let's be.

[C]

It's a blessing. It's a blessed existence.

[B]

That's all. I mean, that's all. That's all.

[A]

Green Acres is the place to be.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Daphne, thank you so much for coming.

[B]

Two hours already?

[A]

No, it's like an hour and a half. Or an hour and a half. Do you have any constructive criticism you'd like to give us?

[B]

Constructive criticism?

[C]

Go off.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No, I mean, I had such a blast.

[C]

How can we make the pod more sustainable?

[B]

I mean, that I definitely could not answer for you.

[C]

I think we're pretty good, actually.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

We're just polluting minds.

[A]

Transportation to work.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Or City Bike, I take.

[A]

No, no, we do.

[B]

Oh, okay. That's pretty good. I mean, you're lime scootering it all the way to downtown la. That's like. That's commitment.

[A]

Well, the Cadillac Escalade was in the garage Shout out, shout out, shout out. General Motors. Where can the kids follow you? What would you like to plug? What projects are coming out soon?

[B]

I mean we've got got on just launch. We've got another on launch in February where we have the Levi's project. Oh, we're launching a collaboration with Doublet in the spring of course. Yeah, we.

[A]

Those shoes are going to be crazy looking.

[B]

Yes, yes. Oh they are. They're like. He designed shoes that look like fish.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

But our very fire. The pieces, the pieces we did with him are. It's gorgeous. He's an, he's an amazing tailor and like what's his name? Eno.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And he, he made an entire like mud dyed like beautifully tailored mud dyed suit.

And a bunch of other pieces. Yeah.

[A]

Are so you and Maddie, are you like oh, we want to work with this guy. We want to work with this brand, we want to work with this talent or this business.

[B]

Yeah. I mean we spend a lot of time thinking about who and what we want to materialize. But a lot of stuff comes to us too. Like on came to us which was really cool. I think with the Nike project we did, we suggested it like, like or actually Dover street was like do you want to do something with Nike? And we'd already been talking about it but like the sort of ending trifecta of like Dover street sky high and costs was something that we, we orchestrated and he was really generous but you know like it was, that was amazing. But that was something that we, we kind of pursued in terms of like the who and the what.

[A]

Do you have a dream collaborator?

[B]

Oh, that's hard dog bitch. I mean I thought we already landed.

[C]

We did the work, it's done. This contract is signed. This is an audio audio agreement.

[B]

That's really hard. I mean I have a fantasy about like materializing a collaboration with a brand where we can basically take all of their dead stock and like really show that there are other sort of methodologies for like dealing with the waste problem we have. That would probably be a luxury group I would say.

But I also think companies like Uniqlo are really interesting because they have that economy of scale that they're also really excellent in terms of like price point for value.

[C]

Totally.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Maybe the best in the biz, right?

[B]

I think so. And like they take such pride in like their innovation and like their capacity to make really well made things very affordable. And I think that that's actually pretty cool.

[A]

You don't have Yanai San's number or Claire's number.

[B]

I. I'm working on it.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

I just will say that's cool.

[C]

We're excited to see where that goes.

[A]

Honestly, if you're listening, drop your number in the comments.

Daphne, we're big fans, and we want to thank you again for coming onto the only podcast that matters.

[C]

Appreciate your time.

[A]

Stay tuned for that sky high throwing fits. Raspberry jam. It's gonna be a. Gonna be amazing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Can't wait for the marketing on that. All right, thank you again, chef. Take us out.