Claim OwnershipSTYLE AS IDENTITY
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© 2025 The Majority Group
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Meet the brands using style to preserve culture, serve community, honor identity – and evolve our understanding of the style-status-quo. Hosted by Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom.
45 Episodes
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Who are we? Some of us look to our past as well as our present to answer that question. We spoke to four brands (UnoEth, Nazzal Studios, House of Aama, and Dendezeiro) who are adding to the public archives with creations rooted in history, heritage, identity, and most of all, power. If fashion is a language (and we believe it is), their output is expanding our lexicon of self-expression and our collective understanding of the experiences that ripple across generations and make us who we are. Join us to see how stories are spun into style. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroup.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brazilian born-and-blessed brand Dendezeiro represents the lesser acknowledged narratives of Bahia. Through the lens of Hisan Silva and Pedro Batalha exploring their family roots, they use fashion to redefine the narrative of sertão the dry backlands of Brazil. Where some say local fashion is corny or ‘brega’, Hisan and Pedro say it’s chic. Meet Hisan, Hypebeast’s next 100 and Forbes the 30 under 30, to hear how they are flipping the script, and their secret to using social to drive sales, hype and authenticity. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Akua Shabaka, along with her mother, Rebecca Henry, established House of Aama in 2015. Akua and her mother are world builders and weavers of visual stories. They create stunning, often ethereal collections like Salt Water, that introduced a fictional Black resort called Camp Aama, and like Sun Records, inspired by Akua’s father’s life. House of Aama is the output of Akua digging into her past (culture, identity, heritage) and sitting in her present. The brand and the pieces become a form of spiritual expression that add to the public archive. Hear how Akua and her mother quickly grew their personal project into an in-demand business. You’ll be as in awe as we were.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Although Sylwia Nazzal dreamt of one day launching her own brand, her first goal after graduating from Parsons Paris in 2023 was to gain in-house experience. However, no one would hire the Palestinian Jordanian, Arab designer, citing her as talented but too political. When they said no, she said yes. Sylwia moved home to Jordan and started Nazzal Studio, debuting her first hit-collection ‘What Should Have Been Home’, a dozen-piece ode to ancestors, honoring of resistance, and urge to reflect on the future. From hijab hoodies to camel shaped shoes, hear how Sylwia creates these heirlooms at first stitch and produces profound pieces placed in closets and museums alike.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you’ve ever had a truckload of product catch fire just before it reaches its destination…then you can relate to UnoEth. If you haven’t experienced this feeling, tune into this episode to hear how Xiomara Rosa-Tedla and her dad Dagne Tedla made it through, with help from the strength of their partnerships and vendors.Their father-daughter business UnoEth (one Ethiopia) offers signature, handcrafted leather bags, totes, backpacks and accessories by reaching back to their roots and partnering with Muzeyen Siraj and his team of artisans in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Find out how they started their brand by accident (read: friends and strangers alike were clamouring for these bags), what lessons Xiomara has learned through working with her Dad, and why building a business alongside trusted community like artisan-partner like Muzeyen Siraj will help you get through flames.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Innovative products can change our lives. We spoke to four brands (Evelyn & Bobbie, Crave, For Them and CuteCircuit) whose patented products grant us permission to choose ourselves - and not settle for products that don’t. But applying for a patent takes time and money - precious resources for emerging brands. In this Reflections episode, we take what we learned from these guests and form our own opinion. Are patents worth it? Is there a better way for brands to protect their IP? Join us.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
CuteCircuit was the first fashion company to create smart textile-based garments that create an emotional experience for their wearer. Like their Hug Shirt™ that can send people a hug, or The SoundShirt™ that allows deaf and hearing audiences to experience music and sports more intimately through transmitting sound into touch. Meet Francesca Rosella and learn how she brought these inventions to life and hear why she thinks it’s as important to trademark as it is to patent. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Queer people have been using DIY techniques to present more fully as themselves since the first baby gay was born. Recently brands have started to build products safely, stylishly serving this need. For Them is *the most* innovative name in the game, offering two binding options with their Binder All Day and the Binder Max. They also debuted the first-ever Jockless Strap, a pouchless jockstrap, Trad Boxers that offer a pouch for packing, and underwear with a tucking channel. If that wasn’t enough, they also own queer-canon media company Autostraddle. Find out why its mission critical for them to be both product and media company, and how their membership community fuels - and - flourishes because of it. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroup See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 2008 Ti Chang went searching for an enjoyable pleasure product. All she saw were lazily made, anatomical parts. As an industrial designer, she set out to create the products she wanted. What happens when you create something no one asked for? For Ti, this was a vibrator on a chain. Find out how she brought it to life and created a net-new category: pleasure jewelry. What’s her POV on patents? Mixed reviews. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the US, only 12% of patents are granted to women. Evelyn & Bobbie founder, Bree McKeen, has six of them. With their biomimicking bras, Evelyn & Bobbie offers the world the first true underwire replacement. In exploring this theme of patents we’re focused on fashion innovations that give us permission to be our unequivocal selves. Let’s meet Bree and find out how she went from idea to patented invention - and why utility AND design patents are critical for protecting your brand. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Made in Portugal. Designed in NY. How do we define where a brand is ‘from’? Its origin? Is the answer straightforward, or nuanced, like our very own origin stories? We met with four brands whose genesis is heavily intertwined with their own origin story to dig deeper. Sit with us, Lola and Frankie, as we unlock how the origin stories of The Øther, Sheila Rashid, Savant Studio and Bhavya Ramesh are also what makes them non replicable. Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bhavya Ramesh and her namesake brand are expanding the audience for Indian jewelry both globally (outside of India) and locally (beyond Indian weddings). Bhavya creates time-transcendent pieces rooted in culture: sunglasses, rings,… you name it, Bhavya is designing it, and pushing the boundaries to give us experimental self-expression. Bhavya says she always goes a step too far when imagining her designs. The result is a brand narrative that is undiluted and as strong as a snake grip, echoing the exterior of her Bombay store that is turning heads and drawing all kinds of people in. Hear how Bhavya takes the right risks to realize her vision. You don’t want to miss it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Michael Graham is the curious, romantic magic behind Savant Studios. The brand that produced the Brooklyn *it* trucker hat and 700 original pieces for Olympic athletes. The brand that puts on Sunday Vibes, the weekly place to catch that creative spark only caught when sharing space. The brand that travels every other month to Mexico to hand select leather. How does Savant Studios create throughlines and narratives that create cohesion across their whole canon of creation? Spoiler alert - it’s not by pumping money into marketing.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chicago is the third largest city in the US but had its first ever fashion week this year. Brands like Sheila Rashid are putting it on the map by representing Chicago style with collections referential to blue-collar work through their own local fashion dialect (hello monochrome fits). Being so representative of a place while appealing to a global audience AND landing on the highest of profiled celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper and Lena Waithe is no easy feat. Learn how Sheila gets it done while leaning into her superpowers of storytelling, signature pieces and relationships with stylists (ahem, Law Roach). Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Through her brand The Øther, Nyla Hasan is connecting craft to identity. Using artisan-made, small batch garments she explores her experience and the tension of feeling like an “other”, hoping to use clothes as a way to build connection and belonging. Hear how she builds The Øther within the vision and values that push back on fashion industry norms and conventions.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders evolving the style-status-quo. Style as Identity is a podcast by @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Let's unpack what we learned from the previous four collaboration-focused episodes Dinner Service NY, KSENIASCHNAIDER, Zipeng Zhu and Tala Barbotin Khalidy. Ranging from collabs with Adidas Originals, Allbirds, rappers and artists we reflect and marinate on the difference between a dream collab and the right collab to drive success for your brand. Listen to get the tips you don’t want to miss.
Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders building fashion brands within their values and vision. IG: @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tala Barbotin Khalidy pieces aren’t just fashion - they change the lens through which we view Lebanon and Syria. They change our relationship with clothes. For her, collaborations are a way to practice self care through community, honor craft and preserve culture. Hear how she defines collaboration and the ways it manifests into partnerships with jewelry makers, illustrators, animators, and rappers.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders building fashion brands within their values and vision.IG: @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The best way for a brand to know how to create a successful collaboration is by listening to the people we collaborate with. Today we sit with Zipeng Zhu and get his perspective on how to bring a collaboration to life so everyone benefits - especially the consumer.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders building fashion brands within their values and vision.IG: @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1Most brands know who their ‘dream collab’ would be. But is it the right collab? Sometimes - but not always. Today we sit with Ksenia and Anton Schnaider, founders of Ukraine-based brand KSENIASCHNAIDER to hear about when their dream collab - with Adidas Originals - was also the right collab, and what made it a success.
Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders building fashion brands within their values and vision.
IG: @themajoritygroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Most designers have a dream collab. But would they be the right collab? What defines success and how do we measure it? Today we learn from Dinner Service NY - a brand that views collabs as their primary marketing engine to fuel demand for their sustainably-minded pieces.Like and subscribe to join hosts Lola Catero and Frankie Ikwuazom as they meet the founders building fashion brands within their values and vision.IG: @themajoritygroup See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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