Rebecca Hessel Cohen (LoveShackFancy) on Building a Multi-Generational Fashion Brand, D2C Versus Retail, and Collaborations That Actually Work
Social Currency with Sammi CohenShow Notes
Rebecca Hessel Cohen didn’t set out to build a company, she just wanted better bridesmaid dresses. But that small idea turned into LoveShackFancy, a multi-generational, cult-favorite brand with dozens of stores, hundreds of retail partners, and a fiercely loyal community.
Today, Rebecca joins Sammi to break down the unfiltered reality of building a fashion business from scratch. From leaving her dream job at Cosmopolitan, to launching her first collection the same week she had her first child, to schlepping dresses in her car to early customers— this the unfiltered look at what it means to start a business.
They also get into Rebecca’s viral social media moments (including the most epic bat mitzvah), building a brand that resonates from “babies to eighties,” how she evaluates collaborations from Stanley to Victoria's Secret, and what actually makes a retail store feel magical instead of transactional.
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Here’s What Sammi Covers with Rebecca:
00:00 The Gwyneth Paltrow Moment That Changed Everything
02:03 Partner Message: Mercury for Personal Banking
03:00 Growing Up in Fashion Closets
06:00 Life as a Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan
10:30 The Bridesmaid Dress That Started It All
14:00 Turning a Side Hustle Into a Business
18:30 Launching a Brand While Having a Baby
20:53 Partner Message: Mercury for Business Banking
22:07 Partner Message: Mosh Bars
23:42 Why LoveShackFancy Wasn’t an Overnight Success
26:00 Building a Team and Scaling the Business
29:00 Opening Retail Stores During COVID
33:00 Dividing Roles With Her Husband
36:00 Building the Beauty Business and Sephora Strategy
38:30 Where Inspiration Actually Comes From
41:00 Designing for “Babies to Eighties”
43:30 How LoveShackFancy Approaches Collaborations
47:00 What Makes a Partnership Actually Work
49:30 Building a Brand Through Community and Retail
52:00 The Power of Experiential Shopping
55:00 Supporting Female Founders Through Trunk Shows
58:00 The Viral Home Tour and Social Media Strategy
01:02:00 Instagram vs. TikTok: How Rebecca Thinks About Both
01:05:00 What She Shares Online (And What She Doesn’t)
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