Photographer Sasha Samsonova is generating quite a buzz with her striking images of women who are comfortable in their own skin and unabashedly sexy. A female Helmut Newton, Sasha is all about celebrating the beauty and strength of the women who stand before her lens. 
 
Born and raised in Ukraine, Sasha is an autodidact photographer who was already shooting for Harper’s Bazaar by the time she was 17 years old, having picked up a camera after her plans to become a professional ballroom dancer fell by the wayside. But her innate understanding of how the body can express emotion in the way it moves has had a direct impact on both her photography and the films and videos she is now directing in Hollywood.
 
Sasha has worked with celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Lili Reinhart, Khloe Kardashian, Emma Roberts, and Kate Bosworth, her images have been featured in the pages of Vogue, L’Officiel, Elle, and Playboy and she has collaborated with brands such as Google, Fear of God, and Revlon. 
 
When you see Sasha’s work it’s all about sensual strength. And when you listen to her speak, you know that her goal in life is to make women feel as powerful as possible. And she has the photos to prove that she is doing exactly that.

071 Sasha Samsonova: Photographing Female Power

Guillaume Delacroix is a luxury brand whisperer. His entire career, from his early days working at Karla Otto and KCD to his time at Giorgio Armani and Balenciaga, to his current role as the founder and CEO of DLX, he has been helping leading prestige companies craft their narratives in ways that spark conversations, engage the public and create lasting impressions. 

Guillaume launched DLX nine years ago and since then he has built up a reputation in the industry for both spotting and supporting budding design talents but also for helping more established companies create bold new chapters in their brand strategy. A born storyteller, Guillaume doesn’t limit his clientele to just fashion labels but instead uses his skills to create memorable moments with a variety of companies. He has worked with everyone from Matches, and the famed Samaritaine department store in Paris to hot niche brands like Sophie Carbonari Skincare, the Zurich-based On athleticwear label and the current must-have swimwear brand Hunza G. 

The common denominator across all these companies is they are cool. And if they weren’t cool, by the time Guillaume works his magic on their brand strategy, communication rollout and event activations…well they damn sure will be.

I have known Guillaume for years and considering his impressive track record in the luxury space what still strikes me the most is how humble and self-effacing he is. I mean just Google the guy. For someone who can weave a brand narrative like nobody’s business, there is very little about Guillaume himself online. I hope this podcast will help change that. As he is one man worth knowing. 

This interview took place in June 2021

083 Guillaume Delacroix: Fashion's Badass Brand Strategist

Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, talks about his new collaboration designing costumes for the Paris Opera house, the debut of his make-up line with L'Oreal, his childhood, his friendship with Kim Kardashian and where he wants to take the Balmain brand.

001   Olivier Rousteing - The Creative Director of Balmain

Rebecca Todd is one of those “she is just born with it” stylists. Self-taught and a straight talker she is at the top of the stylist game in Hollywood. And that is because Rebecca is constantly hustling, networking, and pushing herself creatively. That drive has resulted in a highly successful career in both styling and costume design that spans over 20 years. And her mile-long list of clients includes everyone from Blake Lively, Kobe Bryant, Melissa McCarthy, and Dwayne Johnson to Elle MacPherson, Ryan Hansen, Lizzy Caplan, and the one and only Betty White. 

Rebecca started out in Hollywood in public relations, which evolved into merchandising and buying before she got bitten by the stylist bug. And almost from the moment she decided that being a stylist was her dream job her career took off. In less than a year, she was styling for America’s Next Top Model and then became the head of the wardrobe departments of numerous shows on the E! Entertainment channel and The Style Network.

Over the span of her career, she has done everything from celebrity styling and fashion magazine editorials for publications like Flaunt, People, Us Weekly, LA Confidential and Maxim to creating the visual story for advertising campaigns for companies such as Ford, Nike, Pepsi, Starbucks, Showtime, Google, AT&T, Budweiser, Toyota, and Universal Studios - just to name a few. Not to mention her red carpet work at all the top awards shows, The Oscars, The Emmys, The Golden Globes as well as the MTV Music and MTV Video awards shows. 

Earlier this year she continued to challenge herself during the quarantine and designed to launch her own clothing line called Grey Hayes. Its message t-shirts, hats, and masks are all inspired by the lockdown. The clothing, sporting phrases like Stay Home, Worst Birthday Ever, Essential, Back The F#CK Up and Mental Distanced, have been selling like hotcakes. 

Just on a technical side note, I did want to let all you listeners know that Rebecca and I did our interview over Zoom Video. So don’t be surprised by a couple of very minor audio issues.  And if you happen to be more of a visual learner, feel free to head over to my signature YouTube channel to watch the video version of this podcast in action.

Now to all you future stylists out there, get out your pens and paper and pay close attention to what Rebecca has to say in this podcast. Her tips and tricks are a masterclass on not only how to become a successful stylist, but also how to stay on top in Hollywood.

055 Rebecca Todd - The Straight Talking Hollywood Stylist

The Fashion Your Seatbelt podcast gives its listeners the rare opportunity to hear from some of the leading voices working in the fashion industry today. Each podcast is an exclusive one-to-one conversation with a creative who is crafting the future of fashion. Hosted by the renowned and award-winning fashion journalist Jessica Michault, this podcast is designed to take its audience directly to the heart of fashion and discover what makes it tick.

055 Rebecca Todd - The Straight Talking Hollywood Stylist

Fashion Your Seatbelt

Related tracks