117: Transforming Fashion Norms

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 13 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.
On this week's first segment Brenna George gets to speak with Naomi Alabi, the founder of SFWRUNWAY. SFWRUNWAY is an innovative job board platform with a specialized focus, centered around the fashion and creative industries and aims to connect job seekers with unique, high-quality career opportunities. Naomi goes into her backstory and the origin of SFWRUNWAY and what motivated her to start the company. They discuss how Alabi wanted to create a space where creators could not only connect but grow with SFWRUNWAY by offering helpful resources along with job opportunities. She emphasizes the challenges in this industry, and how to set herself apart, Alabi is cultivating a community that is both unique and diverse. The pair also discuss how Alabi perceives CCIs as she explains that all the people she surrounds herself with are involved with CCI, which is motivating for her. To finish the segment, Naomi gives a little advice to those just starting out in the creative industries.
We wrap up the episode this week with Sherwin Salehi’s interview of fashion tiktoker Rwang. Salehi discusses with Rwang, also known as Ricky, what it is like to run the fashion brand IONGAF. The pair speak about Ricky’s journey on social media and what motivated him to leverage platforms like TikTok to build a dedicated community. Ricky opens up about the challenges he faced in the early days and the pivotal moment that led him to transform his social media presence into a thriving business. The conversation then shifts to IONGAF itself, where Ricky provides insight into what it’s like to manage and grow a brand from the ground up. They discuss the concept of “normalizing niche” through unique designs and content and what the daily duties look like when running a fashion brand. They wrap up the interview talking about the current state of the fashion industry and where it’s headed. Ricky shares his thoughts on the future of fashion over the next decade and offers advice for anyone looking to break into the industry.