Sono, It's Not A Quick Thing

Stephanie Oberg and Simon Homes are the life and work partners behind Sono: an independent luxury brand, established in 2004. Having worked at The Row and Lemaire, the couple decided to focus full-time on Sono during Covid. And it worked: things clicked. This is an account of what it takes to build a luxury company independently over more than twenty years, and reach creative freedom and commercial stability. In this episode, we talk about: 1. Longevity, limiting options, keeping investments low 2. Managing wholesale thoughtfully 3. Founder burnout 4. The two sides of social media 5. London studio and store   Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


A two-part conversation with Natasha Mead, a New Zealand-based Art Director and Founder of 1of1 Studio. She is the mastermind behind some of today’s most referenced visual identities across independent fashion, lifestyle, skincare, interior and hospitality companies. Her collaborators and projects include: Lesse, Binu Binu, F. Miller, Reome, Baina, J. Hannah, Anyone Girl, Moon Lists. In Part 1 of this conversation, we’ll learn about:The role of naivety and isolation on the development of Natasha’s studioUtilitarian and archival references inspiring her workNatasha’s approach to craft as a commitment to expressing careThe 1of1 Studio client filter Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Preview of Radical Refinement: a paid workshop on how to define a brand philosophy to see you through a turbulent market reality and beyond. Purchase the full workshop here. DESIGNED FOR:Brand-owners & aspiring brand-ownersDecision-makers in fashion & creative industriesBranding, marketing and copywriting expertsTOPICS:Why it’s important to set a strong philosophy nowAre your brand values genuine?Establishing what makes your work uniqueTranslating your philosophy to sales, communication and visual strategies  Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


A preview of an uncut workshop with the Los Angeles-based designer, Jess Hannah. Recorded in London in May 2024 and joined online by 10 diverse business owners, we discussed Jess's decade of learnings with her brand, J.Hannah, and reflected on mindful growth, de-growth, and “honest capitalism.” Become a paid Apple Subscriber to enjoy the full conversation, Episode 28.TopicsA decade of opportunitiesWhat lays beneath the numbersNon-linear financial realityOff-line marketingWholesale post-CovidProfitability over growth"Honest capitalism" Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


To mark 2024 Melbourne Design Week and the release of Advance Copy’s book, Growing Independent Fashion Brands, the iconic Australian fashion designer Lee Mathews and publisher and creative director Beth Wilkinson, gathered a small group of fashion industry insiders and admirers of the brand for an intimate conversation.In this characteristically frank reflection, Lee delved into her founding principles, offshore production, the pricing conundrum and so much more. Take a moment to sit down and tune in to this much-needed personal account of an iconic independent brand owner. Enjoy!   Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


This spring, the Advance Copy podcast is developing into a suite of members-only audio consulting sessions, register here to show your interest.  Tailored to the perspectives of elevated independent brands and approached with honesty and pragmatism, each session will bring you unique insights on how to grow a fashion or lifestyle company fit to the needs of today’s world. The discreet episodes are designed for:FoundersIn-house decision-makersExpert freelancers of elevated independent brandsTopics of focusRefining brand valuesWholesale partnershipsDirect-to-consumerFinancial stabilityCommunicating true purpose Welcome to Advance Copy: BookInstagramSubstackWebsiteNewsletterPost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Carmen de Baets reflects on how she met her husband and business partner Joris ter Meulen Swijtink, establishing their guest house, shop and kitchen Carmen Amsterdam and the much respected visual signature of their company. Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Casa Shop's Emi Moore and Jacqueline Davis, reflect on how their paths crossed, the company's trajectory since its establishment in 2016 and the origin of their distinct Instagram aesthetic. With a little help of a marine biologist, we’ll also talk about how the definition of “development” has been misunderstood and why “less is better” best symbolises Casa Shop’s idea of growth.GuestsEmi MooreJacqueline DavisQuote from "Ladders, trees, Complexity, and Other metaphors in Evolutionary Thinking"  by Andreas Hejnol in Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet - Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene, pp.G87–G102. Available to purchase here. Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


Palo Studios is a multi-division company comprising of a wholesale agency, a brand, and a creative production agency all under one ethically minded umbrella of its founder, Cassie Rose Ebner. Every collaborator of Palo Studios is driven by positivity and well-being thus creating a new template for working in fashion.We talk to Cassie about the critical moment when the grasp of the classic wholesale model begun to loosen inspiring her to bridge the gap between conscious brands, retailers, and customers.Guest: Cassie Rose Ebner, Palo Studios Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre


ArtEZ University teachers, Hanka van der Voet and Chet Bugter, discuss their recent open source paper: A Fruiting Body Of Collective Labour: Working Towards A De-Hierarchised System For Fashion Education. The document looks to the collaborative world of fungi and mycelium networks to find inspiration for de-hierarchised models of fashion education. We’ll learn how lichen networks influenced their approach to the management of the Critical Fashion Practices Master’s course and discuss how fashion designers, entrepreneurs and practitioners can encourage more collaborative ways of working.A Fruiting Body Of Collective Labour: Working Towards A De Hierarchized System For Fashion Education by Hanka van der Voet and Chet Bugter, Published by MA Critical Fashion Practices, ArtEZ University of the Arts Arnhem, 2022.Calling out Dutch Art InstitutionsFantastic Fungi - documentary by Louie Schwartzberg and Mark Monroe available on NetflixThe Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins by Anna TsingGuestsHanka van der Voet and Chet Bugter, ArtEZ University of the Arts Arnhem Welcome to Advance Copy: Consulting MembershipBookInstagramSubstackWebsitePost-production & editing: Mark SmithMusic & post-production: Emmanuel Corre