Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this second Ask Me Anything episode, Imran Amed responds to questions submitted by listeners around the world, offering a wide-ranging reflection on where fashion stands now — creatively, commercially and culturally.
The conversation moves from personal encounters with figures such as designer Yohji Yamamoto and Gentle Monster founder Hankook Kim to broader questions about whether the industry has lost its sense of excitement, what luxury means today and how emerging brands can still find a path to market.
“Sometimes big-brand fashion can feel a bit boring and corporatised and cookie-cutter. But there are so many independent, young, exciting brands out there doing really, really interesting things,” says Amed. “I’m starting to feel excited about fashion again.”
Later in the episode, the discussion turns to AI, fashion education and entrepreneurship. Amed makes the case for engaging early with new technologies rather than resisting them, calls on educators to stay connected to the realities of the industry, and reflects on the early failure that ultimately led him to build BoF.
Timeline:
00:00 Introduction
00:32 Who is the most interesting person you've met in fashion?
04:35 Is fashion boring nowadays?
09:31 What does luxury really mean today?
13:08 If you were starting a fashion label today, how would you imagne it?
17:39 How do you see the influence of emerging Chinese brands on the future of the fashion industry?
20:53 How do you balance telling stories from different regions in a well-informed and meaningful way?
26:16 Does the 'wait-and-see' approach to AI in fashion actually protect brands?
32:39 How can fashion educators contribute more meaningfully to the broader industry conversation?
40:10 How can a designer continue in this path, in this 'mad world' with so much pain and sadness?
40:10 Why does fashion matter in this scenario where the whole world is trembling with uncertainty?
43:28 What was a failure/block you overcame that transformed your business?
Subscribe to BoF’s YouTube channel to never miss a video.
CONNECT WITH THE BUSINESS OF FASHION:
Web: businessoffashion.com
Twitter: twitter.com/BoF
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessoffa...
Instagram: instagram.com/BoF
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-...
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/fashionbu...
Newsletter: businessoffashion.com/user/newsletters
ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF FASHION: The Business of Fashion is a next-generation fashion media company conceived for today’s global and hyper-connected world. Founded in 2007 by Imran Amed, BoF is known for its authoritative, agenda-setting point of view on the global fashion industry, and is an indispensable resource for fashion executives, creatives, students, and entrepreneurs in over 200 countries. It has been described as “The Economist of Fashion,” “A Daily Destination for Fashion’s Power Players”, and “The Industry Bible”, businessoffashion.com
In this second Ask Me Anything episode, Imran Amed responds to questions submitted by listeners around the world, offering a wide-ranging reflection on where fashion stands now — creatively, commercially and culturally.
The conversation moves from personal encounters with figures such as designer Yohji Yamamoto and Gentle Monster founder Hankook Kim to broader questions about whether the industry has lost its sense of excitement, what luxury means today and how emerging brands can still find a path to market.
“Sometimes big-brand fashion can feel a bit boring and corporatised and cookie-cutter. But there are so many independent, young, exciting brands out there doing really, really interesting things,” says Amed. “I’m starting to feel excited about fashion again.”
Later in the episode, the discussion turns to AI, fashion education and entrepreneurship. Amed makes the case for engaging early with new technologies rather than resisting them, calls on educators to stay connected to the realities of the industry, and reflects on the early failure that ultimately led him to build BoF.
Timeline:
00:00 Introduction
00:32 Who is the most interesting person you've met in fashion?
04:35 Is fashion boring nowadays?
09:31 What does luxury really mean today?
13:08 If you were starting a fashion label today, how would you imagne it?
17:39 How do you see the influence of emerging Chinese brands on the future of the fashion industry?
20:53 How do you balance telling stories from different regions in a well-informed and meaningful way?
26:16 Does the 'wait-and-see' approach to AI in fashion actually protect brands?
32:39 How can fashion educators contribute more meaningfully to the broader industry conversation?
40:10 How can a designer continue in this path, in this 'mad world' with so much pain and sadness?
40:10 Why does fashion matter in this scenario where the whole world is trembling with uncertainty?
43:28 What was a failure/block you overcame that transformed your business?
Subscribe to BoF’s YouTube channel to never miss a video.
CONNECT WITH THE BUSINESS OF FASHION:
Web: businessoffashion.com
Twitter: twitter.com/BoF
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessoffa...
Instagram: instagram.com/BoF
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-...
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/fashionbu...
Newsletter: businessoffashion.com/user/newsletters
ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF FASHION: The Business of Fashion is a next-generation fashion media company conceived for today’s global and hyper-connected world. Founded in 2007 by Imran Amed, BoF is known for its authoritative, agenda-setting point of view on the global fashion industry, and is an indispensable resource for fashion executives, creatives, students, and entrepreneurs in over 200 countries. It has been described as “The Economist of Fashion,” “A Daily Destination for Fashion’s Power Players”, and “The Industry Bible”, businessoffashion.com
