Fashion Meets Business Podcast

Hosted by CEO Shahrooz Kohan, Fashion Means Business unravels the inner workings of the fashion industry through candid conversations with designers, founders, and innovators shaping what’s next. From production to retail, sustainability to technology, we explore how fashion truly runs — behind the runway and beyond the seams.

Each episode offers insider stories from every corner of the industry: the brands redefining success, the tech transforming workflows, and the people driving fashion’s evolution. Thoughtful, practical, and future-focused — this is your backstage pass to the business of fashion.

For brand founders, operators, and anyone curious about the systems that power style, Fashion Means Business is where insight meets inspiration.

🎧 Powered by AIMS360 — fashion’s most complete business platform.

Episode 3: Paid Tariffs? Your Fashion Brand May Have Money to Recover

In this episode of Fashion Meets Business, AIMS360 CEO Shahrooz Kohan sits down with Kimberly Killgore and Gerri Williams from Krieger Worldwide / Norman Krieger, Inc. to unpack one of the most urgent conversations for apparel, footwear, accessory, and textile importers right now: tariff refund opportunities.

After recent rulings around IEPA tariffs, many importers are taking a closer look at duties they previously paid and whether certain entries may qualify for refund review. For fashion brands already managing tight margins, landed costs, sourcing changes, and complex import records, this is not just a compliance update — it is a potential cash recovery conversation.

This episode breaks down what fashion importers should review before filing, including CAPE refund filings, ACE account access, HTS codes, country of origin, eligible entries, liquidation status, refund tracking, and broker data.

Kimberly and Gerri explain why importers should get organized now, what questions to ask their customs broker, and how clean product, sourcing, and import data can make the refund process easier to navigate.

That is where AIMS360 adds real value. When product details, vendors, purchase orders, HTS codes, country of origin, inventory, landed costs, and reporting live in one connected system, fashion brands are better equipped to review their import history, identify potential gaps, and have more informed conversations with their customs broker.

Whether you are a brand founder, operator, finance lead, or importer of record, this episode will help you understand where to start, what information matters, and why your tariff history may be worth another look. For fashion brands, this is not just a customs conversation. It is a margin conversation.

Download the free guide: A Guidebook for Opening and Navigating an ACE Account

Before reviewing potential refund opportunities, importers need access to the right data. Download the guide to learn how to open and navigate your ACE account, review import activity, and better understand the records that may support tariff refund conversations.

Episode 2: From Classroom to Commerce — Future of Fashion with Dr. Nichole Dwyer

In Episode 2, AIMS360 CEO Shahrooz Kohan sits down with Professor Nichole Dwyer, University Lecturer at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, to discuss why the next generation of fashion leaders needs more than creativity.

Together, they explore the connection between fashion education and real-world execution, including supply chain management, international retailing, career readiness, industry networking, and the technology systems that help fashion brands scale.

Whether you’re an emerging fashion founder, student, educator, or industry professional, this episode offers a practical look at how creativity, business strategy, and operations come together in today’s fashion industry.

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Episode 1: The State of Fashion 2025 — A Conversation with Frances Harder

In this debut episode, we sit down with Frances Harder, author of Fashion for Profit, to discuss the state of the fashion industry in 2025. From emerging fashion brand challenges and supply chain pressures to the growing role of fashion ERP software and business management tools, we explore how today’s fashion leaders are adapting to change.

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This candid conversation dives into the realities of running and scaling a fashion business — from apparel manufacturing and margins to the impact of sustainability trends and the digital transformation of fashion operations. If you’re a fashion entrepreneur, brand owner, or industry professional looking for fashion business strategies and technology insights, this episode will give you practical takeaways and a forward-looking perspective.

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