*By Jacqueline Corba*
The two designers at the helm of Badgley Mischka said retail start-up [Rent the Runway](https://cheddar.com/videos/rent-the-runway-raises-millions-in-vc-funding) is a "gateway" for the next generation of shoppers to discover their brand.
The consumer "gets a good experience from them, and then she gets introduced to the brand and she matures, gets a little more income and then she can afford to buy the clothes," James Mischka said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
"Rent the Runway's buying power is phenomenal," Mark Badgley told Cheddar Tuesday. "Their buys are bigger than most of the major department stores today."
Badgley said this is a testament to the growth of the start-up, which was most recently valued at nearly [$800 million] (https://www.recode.net/2018/3/9/17099908/rent-the-runway-alibaba-jack-ma-joe-tsai-blue-pool-capital-invest-valuation-women-clothing-apparel).
The duo is also looking to tap into the next generation of their customers with the expansion of the company's lifestyle products, which will incorporate its signature sparkle.
"There's a thread of glamour in everything we do," Badgley said.
The label ー once known for its $10,000 red-carpet gowns worn by Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, and Kate Winslet ーis now adding housewares, shoes, and jewelry to its lineup of products.
In Mischka's view, the label has changed its conception of fashion and remade the pieces for real shoppers, not just industry insiders.
"We've really learned that you can't sit in New York and just be in an ivory tower and just design for what you think to be a fashionable thing," he said.
"We looked at the past 30 years of Badgley Mischka and what our customers have said to us over the past 30 years and try to answer all their questions or all their needs," he added.
Badgley Mischka recently debuted its Spring 2019 line [on the runway](https://www.badgleymischka.com/live-runway-show.asp) at New York Fashion Week. The collection, set at a garden party, was a fantastical ode to "Alice in Wonderland."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-design-duo-behind-badgley-mischka-celebrate-30-years).
Premio Lo Nuestro 2022 is kicking off awards season this month with its 34th show. The star-studded event will include performances from Pitbull, Luis Fonsi — and even Sting with his new Spanish-language single "Por Su Amor." Ignacio Meyer, the vice president of music and non-scripted entertainment, Univision, joined Cheddar News to talk about the music award show details. "We’ve actually still got plenty of surprises that were going to be announcing," Meyer said. "We're not done announcing the star power just yet." Singer Camilo leads with 10 nominations going into the event.
Black spending power reached a record $1.6 Trillion in a 2021 report from the University of Georgia Selig Center for Economic Growth. Ayesha Selden, certified financial planner, breaks down why real estate is the key to closing the racial wealth gap and how Black Americans are using social media to improve financial literacy. "If we look at home ownership as being a primary driver of wealth, when you look at the equity that Americans have in their homes, that equity can be used to buy additional assets like other rental properties. That equity can be used to educate our children," Selden said, noting that lower rates of home ownership meant Black Americans tend to incur more debt on average for their student loans.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Dr. Kate Strasdin, fashion historian & senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at Falmouth University, discusses the lessons industry leaders draw from history to make fashion more sustainable today; Kendall Becker, fashion editor and trend forecaster, forecasts the hottest trends of 2022, and what will be left in 2021; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Going Circular.'
Dr. Kate Strasdin, fashion historian & senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at Falmouth University, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the lessons industry leaders draw from history to make fashion more sustainable today.
A new survey from Etoro suggests that talking crypto might actually help Americans on the dating scene find love...or at least land another date. The survey found that 74% of respondents would be more interested in going on a second date with a person that pays the bill in Bitcoin. Callie Cox, Etoro's U.S. investment analyst, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
Energy Vault, the company developing sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, is now trading on the New York Stock Exchange following the completion of its business combination with Novus Capital Corporation II. Energy Vault develops sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions designed to advance the transition to a carbon free, resilient power grid. Robert Piconi, co-founder and CEO of Energy Vault, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to disucss.
A new mobile app has launched just in time for Valentine's Day. Our.Love bills itself as an A.I.-powered, gamified, relationship wellness app for couples. The app is set in what the company calls the Coupleverse, a virtual world where each couple can build a virtual relationship home as they also build their real-world relationship. Founder and CEO Tal Zlotnitsky joined Cheddar to discuss how the app works. "The concept behind Our.Love is to give people the opportunity to understand where they stand in their relationship through very simple metrics that we provide within the app that will help them in real-time, see where they stand, see where their partner is, and be able to get closer together," he said.
