*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).
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
According to the Federal Reserve, the investment gap between Black and white Americans has remained substantial, with only 34 percent of Black households joining in on the historic rise in the markets. Stacey Tisdale, the first Black woman to have reported from the NYSE and the CEO and president of Mind Money Media Inc., said that the data might not be as disheartening as it seems. "I think that number is very deceiving. That Federal Reserve study is actually from 2019, and it's very important that we all look beneath that number and look beneath the surface because there is nothing short of an investing revolution going on in the Black community," Tisdale said.
James Vlahos, Co-Founder and CEO of HereAfter AI, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed.
Ava Rathenberg, Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover,' joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community.
An award-winning performance by the LSU Tiger Girls dance team is going viral on TikTok, but like many other viral tiktoks, this one had a larger story to tell. The story goes back to 2021 when for the first time in 22 years, the LSU dance team was informed it could not compete at Universal Dance Association Nationals. The team made their anticipated return to UDA Nationals this year with a performance that delivered a strong and clear message to their university. The LSU Tiger Girls walked away from the competition with their first national championship title in 12 years, redemption against the university that held them back, and of course- millions of new fans and friends on TikTok.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL over racial discrimination, exposing a long-running problem the NFL has had with diversity in its top coaching and management positions. Eric Mitchell, the president and CEO of public relations and communications company LifeFlip Media, joined Cheddar News to delve into the scandal rocking the pro football world just before the Super Bowl. "There is a problem. If you look at who owns teams in the NFL, it's right, it's a good old boys club, it's a bunch of old white guys," he said. "So, it's exposing something that's been around for ages and now that we're sitting in 2022 has come up."
This April, Madison Square Garden will be hosting the first-ever women's boxing match to headline at the arena in its 140 years of history in boxing. Undisputed lightweight champion, Katie Taylor, and seven-division champion, Amanda Serrano, will go head-to-head for a career-high guaranteed seven-figure purse for both of them. The pair joined Cheddar News to talk about the upcoming "fight of their lives." "I mean, this is the first step I believe," said Serrano. "Unheard of, two women headlining the Garden, we get in the biggest paydays of our career, I hope it continues to break down barriers."
Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, founder of BrainTrust Founders Studio joins Cheddar News to talk about the importance of supporting Black beauty and wellness founders.
