'There's a return to retail': Michael Stars co-founder Suzanne Lerner on fashion's direction

Michael Stars wants to strike a balance between evolution and tradition. "You could call it quote-unquote sustainable, because my stuff doesn't get thrown away," said Suzanne Lerner, the company's co-founder and president, on the Glossy Podcast. "It doesn't end up in the landfill after that season that it was so trendy." As evergreen as its styles are, Michael Stars' revenue model is quickly changing. "Fifty percent of our business is specialty stores," Lerner said. "About 20% is our own e-commerce site, and the balance -- 30% -- is a mix of other [retailers'] e-commerce sites and subscription boxes," she said. Next, the company is looking to rebuild the brick-and-mortar retail network that it "successfully" pulled away from, Lerner said, starting with pop-ups. On the podcast, she talked about how the company has embraced direct-to-consumer model, how she met her husband-slash-business partner and why, when it comes to the company's political engagement, "We've got to be out there speaking."