Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons

Evolve or Perish: Retail Insights with Bernadette Giacomazzo 👜✨| Emily Blumenthal & Bernadette Giacomazzo

• Emily Blumenthal • Season 1

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What happens when brands fail to adapt? Journalist Bernadette Giacomazzo breaks it down, sharing why evolution is essential for survival in today’s retail landscape. From Blockbuster vs. Netflix to the rise of secondhand shopping and upcycling, this episode dives into the shifts shaping fashion and retail. 🌿📈

💡 Key Takeaways:
🔹 Adapt to Survive: Why evolving with consumer behavior is non-negotiable.
🔹 Quality Over Quantity: The shift from fast fashion to long-lasting value.
🔹 Retail Anthropology: How store layouts and shopping patterns drive sales.

Whether you're a designer or a retailer, this conversation offers game-changing strategies for staying relevant while staying authentic. Don’t miss it! 🎧

🎧 Tune in now! #HandbagDesigner101 #RetailEvolution #SustainableFashion #CircularEconomy #FashionStrategy

Our Guest: Bernadette Giacomazzo is a seasoned journalist and fashion expert who explores the intersection of consumer behavior, retail trends, and brand adaptability to help shape the future of fashion and retail.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”


Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner

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Speaker 1:

If you understand the logistics of retail anthropology and you understand the mindset of the consumer, you can tailor your brand to that consumer, to that desired consumer, without compromising your authenticity, so that all is part of the larger ecosystem of fashion retail. Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Hi and welcome to handbag designer 101, the podcast with your host, emily blumenthal, handbag industry expert and the handbag fairy godmother. Each week, we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers to the creativity, craftsmanship and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all. Welcome, welcome, bernadette Giacomazza to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast. Bernadette, you are a journalist for Retail Wire, dear Media and a CEO of CEO. Wait, wait, wait, it's GeForce Media. Huzzah, geforce Marketing and Publicity. Yes, ma'am, geforce Marketing and Publicity. I was so close. We connected because I featured one of your articles in my entrepreneurship class and, like all other famous relationships, then we became friends on LinkedIn, because that's where grownups are.

Speaker 1:

Allegedly, we're grown up.

Speaker 2:

Oh my God, I'm hoping to get there someday, girl, you and me both, I would say I'm screwed once I start looking my age, so I got a lot to cover. Someone I know was asking, like what are you going to do when you retire? I'm screwed once I start looking my age, so I got a lot to cover. Someone I know was asking like what are you going to do when you retire? I'm like I have so much to get done before I get there, so I'll keep you posted. Jesus Christ, oh my gosh.

Speaker 2:

So we were just chatting before. You were talking about the evolution of media and nowadays, like anybody else, in order to be a quote unquote fame journalist that people will want to hire as a freelance, you need to be a full 360 package. You need to have brands with fans and people wanting to read you, just like anything that, if your articles are going to take real estate, the publications want to make sure people will follow you. But I would love to dive in in terms of how all this fits into the retail landscape, and you know how what you write is is so, so unique right now, because the market is so upside down.

Speaker 1:

How does it tie into the real retail landscape? I think you have to look at it just really as evolution. The very basis of evolution is whether you believe in the theory or not. If you don't evolve, I'm accounting for everybody. If you don't evolve, you will perish, because everything is in a state of change. There are so many different brands out there that Ikea started out as a pencil manufacturer and now it's known for its functional Swedish style furniture. Because I keep developed with the guns.

Speaker 2:

We call that in my class reframing like it's, you're reframing your purpose. So, instead of we use Netflix as the prime example that what they started out as a mail and DVD service, trying to be ahead of the times and then creating a streaming opportunity in almost a very unique and forceful way, there's a backstory to how Netflix was founded. I recommend other people look it up, because I shouldn't be talking about it, because it's definitely a story.

Speaker 1:

That's yet another example the Netflix and how it evolved with the times. And to the point you made earlier about Netflix, blockbuster was given the opportunity. Blockbuster Video if anybody's old enough to remember which I'm going to assume not everybody is a Gen Xer was a place where you used to go if you wanted to watch a movie. You would go there on a Friday night or a Saturday night. You would go to different sections and you would pick the movie you would watch. You would then get about two or three days. You would have to return it on time and you would have to return it rewound, because it's only a CR, or you would get charged an additional fee. Black Booster was given the opportunity to move into Netflix's space and become part of their at the time mail-order DVD club, and Blockbuster said no. We see how well that worked out, which that goes back to the theory of evolution that I talked about before. If you don't evolve with the times, you will perish.

Speaker 1:

I started out as a journalist in print media. The real estate that you got in your column was your key Long form media, long form interviews. If you were working with a newspaper, weekly, you got once a week to get everybody's attention. And if you were working with a magazine, you got once a month. When I was the editor of Latin Trends magazine, I had once a month to tell everybody everything that was going on in Latino and Hispanic culture specifically in and around the New York City area, and I had their attention for a full month. You had a whole month to go get the publication. You had a whole month to digest it, to look at the photos, to see what all was going on.

Speaker 1:

This was right at the cusp of when the digital revolution really first started. This was right at the cusp of when the digital revolution really first started. So I knew at that time that websites were starting to start to take up major real estate, that social media was on the rise. At that time the dominant don't jump on this, this will perish. And you have such a great magazine and it really was.

Speaker 1:

It was written in English and Spanish. It featured celebrities like Romeo Santos of Aventura Bad Bunny before he was famous, ramon Rodriguez before he was up in Will Trent. I'm talking we were breaking some of the biggest Latino stars of the time who hadn't quite crossed over the mainstream. Yeah, I just sit here to this day and I think about what, if we would have evolved with the times, we could have been at the forefront of something great, because there's Latino culture, there's Latino American culture and there's American culture. We spoke to that sweet spot of Latino American culture First generation Latino kids, you know, their parents were immigrants but they were born here. They spoke Spanish at home but they spoke english on the streets. They were familiar with delano velas, but they also had one finger on the pulse of american culture hip-hop, bachata, that sort of thing. But the publisher wouldn't hear it.

Speaker 1:

He was part of that old brigade that said digital media is for yeah it's it's not us right, it's not us, it's too young, it's a passing phase, do you know? Just to jump back a little bit in my career, when I was in undergrad at Duquesne University, I wanted to intern at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette because that was the newspaper record, and at the time all I had to my name in credits was a couple of columns in the Duquesne Duke, which was our local college newspaper. I had a little radio show every Sunday on WDSR while everybody else was in church, because of course, I also had a couple of articles online on a website called In Music, we Trust, oh my God. And I looked and I was like, listen, I just really want to intern. And my biggest pride, my biggest source of pride, wasn't the radio show or the newspaper, it was what I had done online.

Speaker 1:

And I remember the editor at the time looked at me and said and this is a direct quote to this day, I am now 47 years old and I am well out of Duquesne. I remember what he said to this day I am now 47 years old and I am well out of duquesne. I I remember what he said to this day the internet is not a serious place for journalism. You're not a real journalist if you publish online. Where is he now? Good lord only knows? But obviously not relevant.

Speaker 1:

But I say all this to say and to land the plane. People from my generation and before could not have fathomed a time when the internet would be the dominant medium, when our stuff would be broadcast all over the world with just a click of a button. But in order for the Gen Xers to have remained relevant in today's market, they had to evolve with the times and if they did not, they perished. So many of my colleagues who were super talented Gen Xers I mean their stuff would make you sick with how good it was. It makes me sick to this day.

Speaker 2:

No, I mean I know, I know editor in chiefs of major magazines that were bumped because they did not have a social presence, because they were so focused, and it's so unfortunate, but they were so focused on the craft of putting out good content in print that they lost the opportunity to become a beacon, of being worthy of followed. And it was so unfortunate seeing this seasoned person who'd been all over, had been to Paris, been to Italy, like, done all these incredible things, been to Fashion Week hundreds of times, but neglected their own personal brand and, in doing so, like obsoleted themselves out. Yes, it's just so unfortunate because you have to much like any brand which I'd love this to be a segue you have to have your foot or your hand in every platform, unfortunately, if you want to have any kind of real retail success. So go ahead.

Speaker 1:

And to segue into that retail success, you don't have to compromise your brand authenticity. So go ahead as a brand. Before, social media was cultivated as just one of the many in the fast food landscape. But with the advent of Twitter, which is now X and which, unfortunately, is a dying brand because in its prime, you know, twitter was great. It developed its, you know, young voice, yes, that voice, that young, snappy personality, with the, with the clapbacks, as they say, and they opened up and they came into a whole new space.

Speaker 1:

And why did they do that? Because they had an intern. They had the social media intern that had the ability to speak to that generation, even though all the C-level execs were boomers and Gen Xers and to some extent, millennials. But they had that foresight to say well, we need an authentic voice, because can you imagine a boomer meaning like people in my mother's age range who remember Woodstock, trying to get on Twitter and talk about you know those clapbacks? To this day I can't explain to my mother who the hell Felicia is when she hears by Felicia. So the point is they understood that they needed that authentic voice so you can move into different spaces authentically as long as the keyword is I say this again authentic, without compromising the brand, but by keeping a real voice.

Speaker 2:

So I couldn't agree with you more, especially with brands that are independent, that are desperate to try and break through the noise.

Speaker 2:

And in my class the term advertising is a dirty word because I treat it and anytime it's in any of their homeworks I always say they get points off because I say for this entire semester we will never speak about the term advertising, because that's budget, that's guaranteed, that's eyeballs, that's a return on investment. When you're starting a brand, nine times out of 10, you don't have said budget. So it forces you to be clever and think out of the box and to be creative and to find your own voice and to really capitalize on who your true customer is and how to find them. Where do they hang out, virtually, what do they watch, what do they read, what do they listen to? So it really puts brands into intense research mode, to like from ethnography all the way to you know, even empathy for what their customer is going through. I want to, just because you're saying about having a unique voice, how do you think this has impacted retail, at least fashion retail within that space?

Speaker 1:

Well, to speak to fashion retail. I think that, again, certain brands become known for certain things and when they try to deviate too far from it, going off of their authentic voice, they lose the impact you get. A perfect example is Nike. Okay, nike is in the athletic space, it's forever going to be in the athletic space. It's known for its sneakers and you know the Jordans have an all but cult following and they started to expand a little bit within the athletic space by starting to bring on weight or skims that collaborate.

Speaker 2:

The partnership with skims yeah and that's.

Speaker 1:

But see, even with their partnership with skins, they remain within that authentic athletic place. You know, if you're an athlete, if you're somebody who who's like me, that goes to the gym five days a week, you still want, you know, your shapewear, because you still want to look good in that cute little dress, but you're not going to go looking for Kim Kardashian in a fashion magazine. You're not going to read Vogue, you're going to read Women's Fitness. So Nike understands that, and so does Skims. So, to reach somebody like me, they're going to partner with nike, who's going to be in women's fitness, who's going to open it up and say, oh okay, this is great. So they're still remaining authentic within their voice. Skims is not suddenly going into the athletic wear business and nike certainly isn't going into the intimate wear business. They're staying within their authentic brands, they're collaborating in a way that makes sense and they're reaching new consumers, and I think that that's an important distinction.

Speaker 2:

Do you think Nike has lost their customer? Because I know a lot of people were saying recently that they have lost their way and that Skims was a like a Hail Mary to try and keep to have more eyeballs coming to them.

Speaker 1:

I don't believe that that's 100% accurate. I do think that Nike isn't as popular as it once was, but that also can speak to the cyclical nature of fashion. There was a time that Adidas was the brand of all brands. There was a time that Reebok was the brand of all brands oh my God. Yeah, I told you I'm a Gen Xer, so these are all things like. That's the cyclical nature of just fashion itself that you know. Maybe Nike isn't you know the brand that it used to be in terms of popularity, but it still has its devoted base Anytime there's a new Jordan drop.

Speaker 1:

You should see some of these sneaker blogs. You should see some of these sneaker social media sites. There's literally almost a cult around Nike sneakers and specifically the Jordan brand. There are things that they talk about. It literally is like they're talking a different language. Because I'm not a sneaker. Bed Right. How in the world do you know all of these details about a damn sneaker? What is the difference? You know what I see? I see a black and white sneaker, I see a green sneaker and I see a solid sneaker. What in the hell is the difference between all these sneakers? But you ask a sneaker head? They're devoted, like they will pay top dollar for these sneakers. You know six, seven, eight, so maybe they don't have the volume, but they have the dedicated fan base fan base, right.

Speaker 2:

So what do you think a brand could do to solidify their voice in order for someone like you to feel they're worthy of being covered? What do you look for?

Speaker 1:

Well, for Retail Wire, I specifically cover the business of fashion. Okay, I don't cover fashion per se. Quite frankly, I'm not a fashionista. I have never been a fashionista. I don't follow, you know, fashion trends. I don't apply fashion trends to myself. If I like it, I wear it. If it looks good, great, and if it lasts longer, even better. But what I cover is the business of fashion. So, in other words, is there an increase in numbers, an increase in sales? That's something I would cover. Is there a new product that they've never done before? That's something I would cover. A colleague of mine at Retail Y, lucille Barilla, she was the one who actually covered the Nike and Skims collaboration for the site, because that was a new collaboration that they'd never had before. Anything that really focuses on the ins and outs and the day-to-day business of fashion. The boring part of fashion for those that are a bit more fashionistically inclined, fashionistically is how to work.

Speaker 2:

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Speaker 2:

For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the Handbag Designer Bible, founded the Handbag Awards and created the only Handbag Designer podcast. I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale. Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin, or if you had a brand and need some strategic direction, the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass is just for you. So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it Bag.

Speaker 2:

Join me, emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass. So be sure to sign up at emilyblumenthalcom slash masterclass and type in the code PODCAST to get 10% off your masterclass today. To get 10% off your masterclass today. And I totally respect creating new words. That's my jam, I do it all the time. But in terms of being fashionistically covered, check plus with you on that. What are some of the latest retail trends that you see, based on what you've covered recently? Because, honestly, you see things and, yes, it's numbers, but that's what people really need to be paying attention to, because that's where the trends go, that's where the market's going.

Speaker 1:

What I've noticed most specifically in fashion and speaking in general and not brand specific in this case when I first started in, you know, covering business fast fashion, was it Timu Shein, all of those apps that had like what they called fashion hauls online, like these influencers would literally buy three, four, five hundred dollar box worth of fashion and they would pull it out and they would literally get a season's worth of clothes out of there. But the problem was was that this fashion was so shoddily made because, you know, it was about volume that if it lasted even one washing, you were lucky. Because that is one thing that I noticed, even though I'm not, you know, fashionistically inclined check plus again. I do notice things like quality. I like good quality products. I'm not, you know, fashionistically inclined. Check plus again. I do notice things like quality. I like good quality products, I like products. This sweater that's on my back right now is seven years old and you know what? It still looks good, it still makes me feel good, it is indicative of my personality, so I will still wear it. I don't care that it's not in fashion, I don't care that it's not on the cover of Vogue, but I do notice the quality of things. And what I would notice is that this material was very, very thin and I knew that if it wasn't hand washed and most people don't take the time to hand wash everyday clothes, because this is not 1921, they would just throw it in the washing machine saying, you know, it would be rags that you would use to wipe the kitchen countertop Fantastic.

Speaker 1:

So what I've noticed is that over time, a lot of that fashion has fallen out of favor, between the environmental impact that fast fashion has on landfills and the oceans and things like that and Gen Z is very, very inclined and aware of those sorts of things Between the fact that the actual value of the fast fashion wasn't there, you know, I mean, why would I spend $500 on these clothes that aren't going to last me a season when I could spend $25 on a good sweater that will still look good seven years later, you know, and that that again is a numbers game. And also, another thing I noticed is that, because of what's going on in the economy today and you know the crazy politicians are, you know, throwing tariffs here, there and everywhere and when there's so much volatility in the market, all of a sudden maybe getting stuff from China doesn't sound like such a good idea, because who the hell knows? A when it's getting over here. B if there's not going to be a tariff on top of it. And C you may as well buy someplace else. That's what you're going to do.

Speaker 1:

So what I'm noticing is that a lot of people are trending towards again quality. They may not be necessarily seeking out high fashion. They're not going to spend $1,000 on a sweater to work from home. That makes no sense and it also doesn't make financial sense if you're not in a position where a thousand dollar sweater is in your budget. But they are looking for things that are, like I said, quality. If I spend twenty five dollars on a sweater and it still looks good 10 years later, I'll keep it. That is also a very European mentality. As you might have guessed, I'm the product of two immigrants. I was born, you know, here, but my parents were not, and they very much passed down that European mentality to me. What is wrong with that sweater? If it has a hole, take a needle and thread and fix it, don't fix it.

Speaker 1:

Right, exactly so. There's a lot more value. Like I said, the bottom line is placed on quality and fashion rather than quantity.

Speaker 2:

Have you noticed two things. One quote unquote vegan leather, which is really PU, or polyurethane or PVC, which isn't really used. Polyvinyl chloride versus leather. Have you noticed people veering towards one versus the other, at least in terms of what you're covering and if not producing in China? Where have you seen other people going as an alternative to China?

Speaker 1:

Well, one thing I will say is that vegan leather, as it's known now, is certainly not a new concept. No, been wearing, you know, pleather as we show up back in the day.

Speaker 2:

It's all about packaging, isn't it?

Speaker 1:

pleather as we used to have back in the day. It's all about packaging, isn't it? It really is. You know, I listen. I remember in the early nineties wearing a pair of pleather pants because I was in my peak rock and roll era and you know I and actually in the late nineties in college, I was a full on goth. Okay, so the pleather.

Speaker 1:

I got pictures but the pleather and the black makeup and the nine inch nails. Music was just there. But what I have noticed is that the quality of the pleather, the vegan leather, the PVC whatever the hell you want to call the material has gotten a lot better in recent production, to the point that the untrained eye cannot tell the difference Back then. You definitely could. What I noticed, too, is that which also will answer your question about alternatives to China is that if people aren't seeking out leather whether it's because of environmental reasons, personal beliefs on animal welfare or a question of budget they will go to second-hand shops to find the circular economy, and here it is yeah, I've noticed, even to to further, you know, show the evolution and the reframing.

Speaker 1:

As you put it, goodwill used to be a place where you used to just dump your garbage clothes, but now I've been even seeing a social media trend on TikTok, because I follow the older side of TikTok, the Gen X side of TikTok, and I've been seeing that what's become a big trend is that a lot of people go into what they call upcycle fashion. So they'll see a leather coat from the 1990s. They'll, you know, tailor it to their specifications. And these kids are so talented. Let me tell you something it's not just about sewing the hole. They actually will sit there, they will measure it, they will tack it in, they will specify it to their specific. I'm telling you, these kids are talented so, and they would take it in and they would, they would do it and they would customize it and give it a more modern feel for just really a little more effort and a whole lot less money than if they were to buy it new off the rack from, say, a designer brand.

Speaker 1:

So that is one thing that I have noticed. That is a viable alternative and you know to answer, to reiterate your term, circular economy. I think that that can only be good, economically speaking, in the long run for us. As you know in the United States, because no matter who's in office at the time, you know, dependence on too much of one thing is never a good. If all we're doing is importing but not exporting, it's a problem. If all we're doing is exporting but not importing, that's also a problem. So it needs to be that balance and if, for now at least, we can keep things circular and do a lot of upcycling and that sort of thing, at least it will keep us baseline in the long run.

Speaker 2:

No, I couldn't agree more. It's just so interesting in terms of. You know, I read this book in business school. It's by Paco Underhill. I think he's since retired but I know his company is still around. I think it's called his term retail anthropology explaining the science in which and how we shop and like the fundamentals. Again, this was a long time ago but the book still stands.

Speaker 2:

When you walk into a store, people go counterclockwise. So you should set your retail environment or any kind of merchandising, making sure knowing people are going to start on the right and work their way to the left and how many items people can physically digest when they're looking at it. You know too many versus too few. Five is usually enough. How much can we really take? How much are we really looking for? What can you put at the checkout counter? And I've had to. You know, and I'm sure you know this, how real estate in any kind of retail environment is paid for. Like you want a better spot at the register that's paid for. People aren't putting this stuff by the register just because they're trying to be nice or they don't know where to put it. They know that that's the last minute spot for a potential spontaneous purchase. That's where I'm going to put it.

Speaker 1:

Exactly that's where, in grocery stores, you get, you know, all the packs of gum and all the candy and all the tabloid magazines are right at the checkout line because, like, well, hey, you know I'm tired from shopping, I think I'd like a piece of candy, or I'd like a piece of gum, or you know, you just feel you'll be reading the tabloid magazine while you're waiting for the person in front of you to check out, ok, whatever, and then you just toss it on top so that it was purchased.

Speaker 1:

And further to your point about going counterclockwise in a store, that's also why grocery stores put their vegetables and their fruits first thing in there and they make it so aesthetically pleasing All the pretty colors, and it's like, oh, wow, you know, look at that. And so it naturally draws you in. And retail does that as well. Retail shops do that too. The new fashions, the things that are higher priced you know just off the runway, that sort of thing, the things that will be a premium, those you'll see first, which will entice you to go throughout the store, and then the sales stuff is more in the back, which is you know where you'll go if.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you got to hunt for it. Right, exactly no, I have this conversation with my students and because I teach this class over and over, I have to remind myself that the semester before didn't hear the conversation that I just had, you know. Or the new semester doesn't know what I spoke about last semester, but we have this conversation. You know why are bras on the top floor and why are men's so close to the ground floor and what's the why of all of that? And again, going back to retail anthropology, people say, oh for bras, people want privacy.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that's fair and well, but if you need a bra, you're going to travel. You will go to the tippity top. You won't think twice about going up, up, up. Men will not travel. It needs to be on the ground floor, it needs to be adjacent to beauty and fragrance and makeup, because either the woman is shopping for the man or the man and the woman are shopping together and he doesn't have the bandwidth to spend that much time looking and shopping. So when setting up and how you merchandise, you have to take all these things into account and don't assume your customer is going to want to find you or get on that wait list. They don't care, they will forget about you and move on. Everybody and everything is replaceable, so I think brands need to keep all that in mind when creating, growing and building who they are, especially to their customers.

Speaker 1:

Correct, they absolutely do. And I think too again, this also ties back to our earlier conversation about authenticity If you understand the logistics of retail anthropology and you understand the mindset of the consumer, you can tailor your brand to that consumer, to that desired consumer, without compromising your authenticity, so that all is part of the larger ecosystem of fashion retail. Absolutely, it's not as easy as I have a shirt line or I have a fashion line or I have a shoe line. Let's go to market. And I think that you know, if I were to sum up, the one thing that your students could take away from either this conversation or just your class in general, it's this it's not as easy. The creative part is the easy part, even though they think that's the most difficult part. That's the easy part. Your idea bringing it to market is another thing entirely.

Speaker 2:

Can I ask you, before we wrap up, in order to be worthy of someone like you, to cover or have it end up in an article relating to the business of fashion, what do you look for in a brand and a company that make it worthy of a story? Because I think that that's a question we get a lot. That's a question.

Speaker 1:

We get a lot For me, in addition to looking for the authenticity, because, as I tell people all the time and you'll have to excuse my language in advance, I know I'm being bullshitted. I've heard it all I've been in this game 25 years. I started out in entertainment journalism and print journalism. Okay, if you think, I haven't heard every line of bullshit ever invented by man, and still some that are being developed as we speak. I got a bridge to sell you. So, in addition to looking for that authenticity, I'm looking also personally for the unique angle.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that enticed me to work with a now former client on their fan convention was the fact of their authentic story. They had a real, when we think of all American, pull yourself up by your bootstraps type of the story. This was them. It was three dudes from three different parts of the country that had never met each other in real life, that all loved the same thing, the same thing in pop culture, and decided to create a fan convention. Now, if that is not an? And they were in everyday life. They were total schlubs. They were total working men. But see, that's something that I like.

Speaker 1:

I don't want to know about the trust fund baby. You know whose grandfather invented air? I don't want to know about. You know the rich heiress who got bored after you know, the husband divorced her and left her for the 20 year old secretary and got a nice settlement, who then decided to found a cookie company. I don't care about that. You know what I care about.

Speaker 1:

I care about the Latin kid that his parents came here with little more than the shirts on their backs and he created an empire. Everybody loves his stuff. You know what I care about. I care about a woman that looks like me, that went against all odds and went against all common sense and was just crazy enough to believe that her idea worked and was humble and just worked hard along the way. That's what I look for. I look for stories that speak to the real American experience. The trust fund babies don't speak to the American experiences. The rich heiresses don't speak to the American experiences. People like you and me, people like their first generation immigrant that's the American experience. When you make something out of nothing. That's incredible to me. That's what I look for in a story.

Speaker 2:

Man Bernadette, I am jazzed up. I'm ready to submit my own story. This has been absolutely amazing. How can we find you, follow you and get more of your amazing journalistic, fashionistic content?

Speaker 1:

Well, in addition to finding me on Retail Wire and on Dear Media, you can follow me on Instagram. I am bg. Underscore takes underscore picks P-I-C S, so BG takes picks Right. And I am a Bernadette Giacomozzo on Tik TOK. You're going to assume you're going to spell it at the beginning for the folks, so just my name on a Tik TOK and on blue sky, I am God. I am. Bg writes W R I T-I-T-E-S stuff, s-t-u-f-f, so BG writes stuff. Bg takes pics.

Speaker 2:

Okay. I really fold them hard for these and for anybody who wants to find Bernadette, it's G-I-A-C-O-M-A-Z-Z-O, giacomozza, there we go. I'm not going to lie. I'm reading it right here. I'm going to leave a letter out when they need me. I'm talking oh, my God, there's no. You, I just saw that.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much.

Speaker 2:

Oh, there you go. Thank you so much for joining us. This has been awesome. Thank you for having me listening. Don't forget to rate and review, and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer. Thanks so much. See you next time.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Emily Blumenthal

Host