In the constantly shifting terrain of fashion and digital marketing, Zoe Nochlin (@zoenochlin) has emerged as a trailblazer at Grailed, where she masterfully blends style, community, and innovation. As the social media and entertainment marketing lead, Nochlin's role is as dynamic as the fashion world itself. From curating content that resonates with Grailed’s diverse audience to fostering a vibrant community of emerging designers and influencers, Nochlin is instrumental in shaping Grailed’s brand identity. Her passion for uplifting new talent and creating opportunities for creatives is at the heart of Grailed’s mission to not only stay relevant but also to push the boundaries of what a fashion marketplace can be.
FORM: Who are you, and what do you do?
ZOE: I handle social media and entertainment marketing for Grailed, which involves a bit of everything. My responsibilities include managing our social channels, creating content, and developing our styling perspective to showcase what we think is cool. I also run our influencer program, collaborating with various creators and artists—both emerging and established—to dress them or create content together.
Additionally, I provide new artists with opportunities to borrow clothing or create content, which is something we focus on a lot. I also play a significant role in planning and executing our events, whether it’s for Fashion Week, pop-ups, or casual office parties and happy hours. We aim to do a lot of community-focused activities, and my niche is developing and fostering our community, ensuring we stay relevant and connected. I also work on supporting and uplifting our community, giving people opportunities to create cool stuff.
Photo: BFA (@bfa)
FORM: I’m glad you brought that up. I’m always interested in how people approach forming communities. Could you tell me more about how you’ve done this with a brand like Grailed?
ZOE: I would say there are a few different approaches. There’s the more traditional route, like influencer community building, where we work with various creators and influencers for campaigns, events, or regular evergreen content. For example, we might have someone make a video showing what they’re interested in on Grailed, how they’re styling a fit, or giving people some money to shop with and seeing how they style it.
However, the aspect we are most passionate about is building a community of emerging artists, designers, and cool people within the New York City area. We try to give back as much as possible. For instance, we have our showroom and archive in Soho, and for the last couple of years, we’ve made a significant effort to let people come and pull pieces for shoots, music videos, events, etc. We also allow them to use our content studio and photo/video equipment if they need a place to shoot.
Additionally, we have a program called Open Brief, where people can pitch us ideas for projects they want to execute. We provide them with a budget to produce and execute their shoot, whether they’re photographers, stylists, videographers, or any other creatives. If we like their idea, we’ll fund it and publish the content ourselves. We also conduct about four interviews per year with different people, which we publish on our editorial platform, Dry Clean Only.
We focus on events and the physical aspect of community building. For Fashion Week, we host parties that are casual and inclusive, inviting not just A-listers but buyers, sellers, and regular people from Grailed. For example, our recent pop-up with Boiler Room for Paris Fashion Week was open to anyone. We aim to make our events as non-exclusive as possible to celebrate the community.
We host various happy hours and casual hangs at the showroom, inviting people to come, chill, and chat. This is something we do a lot to foster a sense of community.
Photos: Mark Hunter (@thecobrasnake)
FORM: How do you think you can reinforce a brand identity when it’s not directly under your control due to the nature of the business model?
ZOE: Grailed is special because it offers something for everyone. This is a key aspect of how we market the app: you can find something for everyone on Grailed, and that’s what makes it cool. We achieve this through curation and editorial content, which sets us apart from other marketplaces. Our strong curation aspect means you’ll find a wide range of items, from super low to super high price points. We curate and merchandise collections based on what’s trending and what we think is cool, creating a distinct brand persona and identity.
Another important factor is who we work with and align ourselves with, whether it’s creators or artists. This helps position our brand uniquely. The listings on Grailed speak for themselves; if you’re searching for something special, archived, or unique like Rick Owens or Raf Simons, you’ll find it on Grailed. You won’t find that on Depop or Poshmark, and while you might find some items on eBay, it requires extensive searching.
We also focus on supporting our sellers because, without them, there is no Grailed. Celebrating and creating a community with our sellers is crucial. Any marketplace is only as good as its supply, and our team does a great job finding and onboarding sellers to ensure our product curation meets our standards.
It’s challenging to cater to a diverse audience on a marketplace like Grailed. We strive to speak to different types of people without isolating anyone. We love working with emerging artists and cool people in New York, but we also ensure we don’t alienate our original community of buyers and sellers who love archive pieces, streetwear, or vintage items.
For example, our shoots and editorials incorporate various trends and styles to make our platform as diverse as possible. For the upcoming shoot on Thursday, we have 10 different looks across men’s, women’s, and unisex categories, aiming to appeal to all key personas. This way, it truly feels like there’s something for everyone on Grailed.
Photos: Nikole Naloy (@nikolelubov)
FORM: How would you describe Grailed’s style if it were a person?
ZOE: I feel like that’s difficult because there are so many Grailed users. Do you know what I mean? The earliest Grailed consumer was likely an OG from the mid-2000s to 2016, maybe wearing some Rick Owens with a bit of a goth vibe. But it’s expanded so much since then. Now, we have Chrome Hearts enthusiasts, streetwear fans, and everything in between. It’s really crazy how diverse it is.
From our perspective, we try to incorporate timeless, high-quality pieces while also featuring super cool emerging designers. We care a lot about not just showcasing huge designers but also putting new designers on the map. We want to be on the cusp of who’s about to pop off in the fashion game. This blend of past, present, and future makes Grailed really interesting.
Everyone on our team has their niche and specialty. For me, it’s definitely the emerging designer category. I’m always finding new designers that I love and keeping an extensive list of them. We also have a social series called “On Our Radar,” where we feature an emerging designer two or three times a month. We interview them and share their content. We’ve been expanding this to include studio visits, shooting content of their studios and pieces, and interviewing them. This is something I’m really passionate about.
Whenever we have shoots, I always try to incorporate some really cool up-and-coming designers. There’s so much opportunity to work on this, and it’s something I truly care about.
Photos: Nikole Naloy (@nikolelubov)
FORM: You mentioned supporting up-and-coming designers. How does Grailed approach this? Do they have their own page that is editorially promoted?
ZOE: No, but we should definitely do that. It’s on our list of things to do. Typically, we either try to find sellers who might have some of that merchandise, or, honestly, it’s not always about making a sale on Grailed. Sometimes, it’s about giving a designer a platform to tell their story and talk about who they are. It doesn’t really matter if they’re not on Grailed. Of course, it would be nice, and we want people to have the full experience of discovering someone and then finding them on Grailed. But it’s not always realistic for emerging designers.
For me, part of it is genuinely giving these up-and-coming designers a platform to talk about who they are, what their brand is, and tell their story. We’ve been discussing ideas like an emerging designer bazaar or exclusive collaborations on Grailed, similar to what we did with Heliot Emil and Alpinestars. That collaboration was exclusively sold on Grailed.
So, there’s a lot of opportunity. But, long story short, if they’re not on the platform, it’s not the end of the world. We’re still committed to giving them exposure.
I think what makes Grailed really special is that it closes the gap by allowing you to recycle your closet. It empowers people to participate in a circular trend of both buying and selling. Additionally, it helps avoid supporting enormous brands that don’t need more money, giving power back to the people.
FORM: Grailed is at the apex of luxury fashion and streetwear. In recent years, especially with independent and emerging designers, celebrity influence has become increasingly important. While big fashion houses still create what is considered “cool,” it’s influencers and celebrities who curate these creations to appeal to their audience. What do you think about this shift?
ZOE: I totally agree. It’s a combination of people trying to support emerging fashion and designers, and a lot of it involves archival pieces. Many celebrities now pull from the archives because everyone wants to be seen as a curator and tastemaker. There’s a discovery aspect to it. If you have money or are a celebrity, you can buy whatever current designer pieces you want. But by wearing emerging designers, or an archive piece, it allows you to come across as being knowledgeable about the fashion landscape and having a curatorial eye.
I’ve noticed a huge upward trend in this. Everyone is becoming their own curator, always looking for something new, whether it’s old or new. This is what makes Grailed special. It’s a place for discovery, where you can find something 20, 40, or 50 years old, something fresh off the racks, or the next big thing.
For example, many people discovered Bode on Grailed when it first got big. There are many brands like that, where people discovered them when they were small. It’s interesting to see how celebrities, stylists, and others are pulling from the archives or using emerging designers.
Photos: BFA (@bfa)
FORM: What’s your relationship with the intersection of bootleg and fashion culture?
ZOE: That’s interesting. I’m not really in tune with the market. Personally, I feel like the logo mania has died down, and people care about it less. Fakes are less on my radar now compared to the era of Off-White and Gucci, when there were many fake T-shirts and Off-White belts. That was a different time. There’s still a market for fakes, but I’m not as aware of it. I love those insane fakes because there’s a big culture of irony now. Many trends play into irony, especially Y2K stuff, which is just ironic. Those fakes feed into that.
FORM: That’s really interesting. Would you say your own style incorporates irony?
ZOE: Yeah, definitely. A lot of what I wear is just for fun, referencing something from the early 2000s or something silly. It might not be my taste forever, but I think fashion is about having fun and playing around, not taking things too seriously. I’d say my style is a little goth, definitely early 2000s pretty often. Maybe a touch of mob wife sometimes, and occasionally it goes in a more cyber direction. It kind of depends on the season.
Nochlin’s work at Grailed reflects her conviction in the importance of genuine engagement and community. By seamlessly blending the past, present, and future of fashion, she ensures that Grailed remains a hub for discovery, creativity, and innovation. Through her work, Nochlin is not just promoting clothing or accessories; she’s championing a culture that values individuality, creativity, and inclusivity. As Grailed continues to grow and evolve, Nochlin’s commitment to supporting emerging designers and fostering a diverse community will undoubtedly keep the platform at the forefront of the fashion industry.
Zoe Nochlin (@zoenochlin)
Words: Soukita Morgan (@bysoukita)
Photography: BFA (@bfa), Mark Hunter (@thecobrasnake), Nikole Naloy (@nikolelubov)
