There are only a few weeks left in 2025. Before I had kids I would try to take off work between Christmas and New Year's Day and spend a lot of that time reading.
In this issue I'm sharing some of the best media I consumed in 2025 that helped me become a better marketer, especially with regards to the fashion industry.
It takes more than a few media buying hacks to succeed as a fashion brand–the biggest, most enduring brands develop an ability to read and connect with the broader culture.
Before we get into it, I want to thank this week's sponsor: Layers.
Layers is the first search & merchandising platform built exclusively for Shopify Plus. Faster, smarter, and more capable than the legacy tools, for a fraction of the price.
Here is my 2025 reading/listening/watching list for fashion brands:
Andrew Faris Podcast x Mixed By Nasrin Interviews
Andrew Faris is a Meta Ads media buying and creative strategy expert who typically works with brands outside the fashion industry, with one exception: Mixed By Nasrin.
Mixed was founded by Nasrin Jafari–she started her career in public education, then pivoted to fashion after launching a line of jumpsuits.
She has a similar story to many folks reading this: she had a product idea, got some samples developed, purchased inventory and started selling online.
Andrew has done three interviews with Nasrin that chart the ups and downs of her business, where she personally experiences many of the topics I write about here. It's a great resource for fashion brand founders working outside the traditional fashion system:
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Let's face it: Shopify's built-in search and filter capabilities are weak. And if you run a brand with dozens of SKUs, using Shopify's OOB search and filters are costing you missed sales.
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Fashion People/Lauren Sherman Founder Interviews
I'm a paid subscriber of Fashion People, Lauren Sherman's Puck newsletter covering the fashion industry.
She does a bi-weekly free companion podcast for the newsletter; once or twice a month she'll do these really in-depth interviews with the founders of different fashion brands.
Here are some of my favorite ones:
Tasteland Podcast
Tasteland is my favorite new discovery of 2025. They rarely (maybe never) cover the fashion industry directly, but they interview a lot of smart, creative people involved in media, marketing and culture.
If you're curious about the ways that technology is shaping taste and culture, this is a great listen.
Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon
Another Lauren Sherman mention on this list. Selling Sexy is an in depth and entertaining look at the founding, growth and decline of the Victoria's Secret brand.
Victoria's Secret exemplifies the brand positioning principle and three stages of brand growth framework that I write about here. So it's worthwhile to see what they got right and where they went wrong.
Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture
Ana Andjelic is one of the best brand strategists working today. A lot of fashion "branding" experts are kind of navel gaze-y, but Ana applies a deep and broad pool of knowledge to the discipline.
Hitmakers is a strong follow-up to her first book, The Business Of Aspiration. And, like the first book, the "works referenced" section is more than worth the sticker price.
Happy Medium: A Guided Creativity Journal
Happy Medium is one of my favorite brands, period. Their mission is to help everyone discover the joy of creativity, even if you've historically shied away from art because you're "bad" at it.
When I'm in NYC I always make sure to stop by their downtown art cafe for a pottery or life drawing class. This creativity journal is a great way to bring that energy into you home, wherever you are.
If you're feeling burned out or mentally blocked, this is a must.
The Creative Act: A Way Of Being & The Artist's Way
I am a huge proponent of The Artist's Way. I joined a virtual Artist's Way group in 2020, and I probably wouldn't be writing this newsletter if not for that experience.
But, in my opinion, you get the most out of TAW if you're able to do it in a group of at least four people and commit to the entire 12 week process.
It can still be powerful if done solo, but (again, opinion!) it's harder to stick with that way. Doing it in a group also helps reveal additional insight and uncover some of your own blind spots.
This year I also read The Creative Act, Rick Rubin's take on the process of nurturing creativity and breaking through creative blocks. I'd say that there is a lot of overlap with TAW, although there are plenty of fresh perspectives.
If you can't commit to TAW or are looking for a more bite-sized, passive experience, The Creative Act is a good place to start. Bonus: the book itself is a beautiful object.
LORE Journal
This one might be a little biased, because I contributed a piece to LORE Journal. But this is a book I find myself returning to again and again.
Future Commerce (the publisher of LORE) does a ton of great work exploring the intersection of commerce and culture, which is right where we're trying to build our brands.
The essays in this book will make you think deeply about the ways that commerce and culture are shifting in a world of accelerating AI adoption, where everyone is seemingly trapped in their own algo-driven filter bubble.
Plus...the book itself is beautiful. I am a sucker for something that looks great on the coffee table.
Halston (Netflix Series)
This series came out in 2021, but I gave it a rewatch this year. It can be kind of campy, but it also highlights some of the core issues that fashion entrepreneurs still deal with: the struggle to find product-market fit, balancing creative vs commercial needs and the importance of delegating.
At one point Halston develops a coke addiction because he can't delegate effectively–many such cases.
A lot of this series is stupid, but there are some great lessons inside, and it's definitely entertaining.
That's it! This will be my last newsletter of 2025. Can't wait to see you next year...I have a lot of exciting new projects planned for this list.