The Who What Wear Podcast: The 2026 Who What Wear 100 Beauty Awards

Lauren Wang is the CEO and founder of period-product brand The Flex Company. Before even graduating college, Wang held several positions. At just age 15, she freelanced as an HTML website builder. Then during college, she took classes at night while working for IBM and Coca-Cola on their respective marketing teams. A couple years after graduating college, she moved to San Francisco to work in tech at companies such as Autodesk and Upwork. In 2013, after many years of struggling to find period products that worked for her, Wang came up with her initial idea for a better period product. She spent the next year researching the menstrual-hygiene industry, and in 2015, she quit her corporate job to found Flex. In October of 2016, the company began shipping its first product: the Flex Disc. As the company continued to grow, it released its Flex Cup product line and expanded into new categories, and Wang was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Los Angeles region in 2023.

This week, Who What Wear Editor in Chief Kat Collings sits down with Sara Byblow, the costume designer of the new Legally Blonde prequel Elle. They discuss keeping the legacy of Elle Woods's iconic style alive, sourcing more than 70 looks for young Elle's wardrobe, and the meaning behind different shades of pink in the show. Plus, Byblow shares which wardrobe staples carried over from Legally Blonde.  Watch this episode on our new ⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠, and be sure to subscribe!

Beatriz de los Mozos is the founder and CEO of the shoe brand Flabelus. Before founding her own brand, de los Mozos earned a law degree and a master's degree in comparative politics. She began her professional career in law in London and then transitioned to a legal startup, where she took on the role of sales manager and senior legal expert. However, after her doctor told her that she could no longer wear her favorite shoes due to scoliosis, she came up with an idea for a shoe that would be both comfortable and stylish. She set up a Kickstarter campaign, found a Spanish factory to produce her Italian furlane and Spanish espadrille hybrids, and Flabelus was born. Within five years, the brand expanded from an online-only model to selling in over 700 stores across 54 countries, as well as establishing a growing network of flagship boutiques.

For the third year in a row, the Who What Wear beauty editors have tested nearly 1000 products and tools and whittled them down to a list of their top 100 items to shop. The team tested for efficacy, innovation, and lovability across seven categories: makeup, tools, fragrance, hair, skincare, nails, and body. Beauty Director Erin Jahns is back on the pod to share her team’s findings, including four new special-recognition categories: Timeless Classic, Social Media Sensation, Worth the Investment, and High Impact, Low Price. Read the full 2026 Who What Wear 100 Beauty Awards story here! Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel, and be sure to subscribe!

Leigh Batnick Plessner is the chief creative officer of Catbird. Before landing at Catbird, Plessner graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English literature and anthropology, and she worked at various DC coffee shops and as a cocktail waitress before landing a job in the children's room at renowned DC bookstore Politics and Prose. At the bookstore, she was eventually promoted to sidelines buyer, selecting everything for the store other than books. While in this position, she had the opportunity to go to various stationery shows, which prompted her to start a stationery brand of her own called Jezebel. In 2005, she met the founder of jewelry brand Catbird, Rony Vardi, at a stationery trade show. Soon after, she started working at the brand's storefront in New York. Eventually she transitioned out of running her stationery brand and into working full-time for Catbird. She grew with the company and now holds the role of chief creative officer, where she's responsible for the visual identity of the brand, including Catbird's partnerships with talent like Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers.

Wayman + Micah are one of the most sought-after styling duos in the business, and their clients include Colman Domingo, Chase Infiniti, and Regina King, to name a few. In today's very special episode, the iconic duo sits down with Hillary to play a series of games related to their partnership and creative vision, from breaking down the behind the scenes from your favorite red carpet looks to dissecting sketches of their best Met Gala outfits. To get the full experience, watching the full-length video on our YouTube channel is recommended!

Irene Chen is the cofounder of the functional luxury brand Parker Thatch. Before founding her own brand, Chen graduated from UCLA with a degree in political science and began her career in financial consulting. After a couple years in this field, she decided to pivot to fashion, an industry she'd always been drawn to. She first worked for Calvin Klein in its licensing department before transitioning to Donna Karan, where she worked her way up to become the director of product development. Upon meeting, she and her business partner and husband Matthew Grenby decided to start a business of their own, an e-stationery brand called iomoi. This brand went through multiple iterations—from e-stationery to physical stationery to homeware—before they landed on something that stuck. After the success of their first bag, Chen and Grenby decided to focus on functional luxury handbags and rebrand the company to what it's known as today: Parker Thatch.

This week, Amy Smilovic, founder and creative director of Tibi, returns to speak with Who What Wear Editor in Chief Kat Collings about her new book, Almost Reckless. The last time Smilovic joined the pod in 2024, she gave us a guide to her design philosophy: creative pragmatism. This time, she's here to share the "almost reckless" framework that helped her uncover creative pragmatism and how you can use this framework for your own creative pursuits. They discuss everything from how to make sense of your current closet to taking fashion risks that pay off, and Smilovic gives us a BTS look at her design process at Tibi. Plus, learn how to make the most of your suitcase space when packing.  Watch this episode ⁠⁠here on our new YouTube channel⁠⁠, and be sure to subscribe! Listen to Smilovic's previous episode here!

Rose Previte is the restaurateur and entrepreneur behind acclaimed DC restaurants and bars such as Maydan, Medina, and Sook as well as a new food concept in Los Angeles. However, Previte started her career in local government after graduating with a master's degree in public policy. Her first life was interrupted when her husband became NPR's Moscow correspondent, and they moved across the world, visiting over 30 countries in three years. Inspired by her travels, she decided to open a restaurant in DC, and in 2014, her first restaurant, Compass Rose, opened to much success. She then went on to open additional restaurants and a bar in DC, and she recently expanded to L.A. with a food hall, Maydan Market. Previte has also written a cookbook, launched a CPG brand, started a wine company, and founded the restaurant group No White Plates.

This week, Who What Wear Editor in Chief Kat Collings sits down in studio with Executive Editorial and Style Director Lauren Eggertsen and shopping editor Chichi Offor to give you the rundown of the best pieces, trends, and brands to shop in summer 2026. They discuss staples that never go out of style and how trends from last summer have evolved (is taffeta the new linen?) and name-drop the exact pieces to snag to update your wardrobe.  Watch this episode on our new ⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠, and be sure to subscribe! To shop products mentioned in this episode, click here!