Thread Advisory Group

09/03/2026

What makes a brand impossible to ignore?

For Alex Vailas, Head of Brand at Bad Birdie, it starts with understanding what people want—and knowing how to turn that insight into something they can't overlook.

In the newest episode of Behind the Thread, Carrie sits down with Alex to talk about her unconventional path from early Pinterest pioneer to brand leader, what it takes to stand out in a crowded retail marketplace, and why great branding goes far beyond a great-looking product.

They get into consumer insight, storytelling, creativity, career reinvention—and what happens when you're willing to follow an opportunity before there's a playbook for it.

🎧Watch the full conversation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0DrPU38YAQ

Elisa Lane Bad Birdie

08/31/2026

Speed requires more than a shorter timeline. It requires rethinking how brands and manufacturers work together.

After delivering her keynote at the VESTEX Strategic Sourcing Forum in Guatemala, Anna Kenney is bringing the conversation to a broader audience.

Join us on September 9 for Speed to Market: Rethinking Brand-Manufacturer Partnerships, where Anna will share her keynote, The Connected Supply Chain: Redefining Great Brand-Manufacturer Partnerships for Speed.

Drawing on her experience building a nine-day speed model at Victoria’s Secret PINK, Anna will challenge how brands think about speed—and explore what to look for in manufacturing partners who can truly help create it.

If you’re rethinking go-to-market, sourcing, or how to build greater speed into your business, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss!

📅 September 9
⏰ 11:00 AM ET

Register here: f352fbfa-f69c-4c1b-9a0b-7792659c8964@4a7b5b01-ac87-4314-a87f-920f644939e3" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/f352fbfa-f69c-4c1b-9a0b-7792659c8964@4a7b5b01-ac87-4314-a87f-920f644939e3

08/27/2026

Years ago, Anna was part of a team at Victoria’s Secret PINK that built a nine-day speed model—taking product from concept to store in just nine days.

Going into it, they assumed achieving that kind of speed would largely be a manufacturing challenge.

What they discovered changed the way Anna thought about speed—and about the relationship between retailers and manufacturers.

Today, that lesson feels more relevant than ever.

💡 What if creating greater speed isn’t just about what your manufacturing partners can do, but how you work together?

In our latest article, Anna shares what that experience taught her about rethinking brand-manufacturer partnerships for speed.

https://threadadvisorygroup.com/rethinking-brand-manufacturer-partnerships-for-speed/

Brand-manufacturer partnerships can create greater speed, flexibility and better decisions through shared context, trust and collaboration.

08/20/2026

Creating memorable customer experiences takes more than a great concept. It takes leaders who can bring that vision to life.

Experiential retail asks more of store teams than ever before. Associates aren't just completing transactions—they're building relationships, facilitating experiences, solving problems, and creating moments customers can't find online.

That requires more than a new store design. It requires leaders who can create the conditions for their teams to succeed.

The best leaders understand there isn't one "right" way to lead. They recognize their natural leadership style, adapt to the needs of their teams, and create an environment where people can perform at their best.

Because an experiential retail operating model isn't powered by processes alone. It's powered by people.

Is your organization developing leaders who can deliver the customer experience your brand promises?

08/19/2026

Day 1 at VESTEX 🧵✨

Connecting, exchanging ideas, and finding lots of inspiration from Guatemala’s apparel and textile community!

08/18/2026

Creating an experiential store is one thing. Operating it is another.

Retailers are investing heavily in experiences that bring customers into their stores—from cafés and workshops to community events and immersive brand activations.

But creating the experience is only the beginning.

The bigger question is:

Can your organization deliver that experience consistently, every single day?

Experiential retail isn't just changing what happens in stores. It's changing how retailers need to operate.

It requires new leadership capabilities, different labor models, cross-functional collaboration, and success metrics that go beyond traditional retail KPIs.

That's why we believe experiential retail isn't simply a store design strategy.

It's an operating model.

In our latest newsletter, we explore:
✔️ Why store leadership roles are evolving
✔️ The operational challenges retailers often underestimate
✔️ How leading brands are rethinking ownership, labor, and performance to deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale

There’s more behind a great experience than what happens in the store. We take a closer look at what it requires from the organization behind it in the full article below.

https://threadadvisorygroup.com/experiential-retail-operating-model/

At Thread, we help retailers build experiential retail operating models that align people, processes, and technology to enable customer experiences that are consistent, scalable, and built to last. If your organization is rethinking how customer experiences are delivered—not just designed—we'd love to talk.

Experiential retail goes beyond store design. The right operating model helps retailers deliver consistent, scalable customer experiences.

08/17/2026

We’re officially podcasters. 🎙️

Behind the Thread is where Thread Advisory Group gets to go beyond the strategy and talk with some of the incredible people shaping retail, leadership, business—and everything that happens behind the scenes.

Expect real stories. Smart perspectives. Plenty of laughs. And conversations that might make you look at retail and leadership a little differently.

We’re just getting started, and we have some amazing guests and conversations coming your way.

🎧 Behind the Thread https://www.youtube.com/
Hosted by Thread Co-Founders Carrie Habel + Anna Kenney

Pull up a chair. We’re taking you Behind the Thread.

Thread Advisory Group is a modern retail consulting firm that transforms strategy into measurable results. We partner with growth-minded brands to align people, processes, and priorities for lasting change. Our team works shoulder to should to bring clarity, capability, and a curated network of expe...

08/17/2026

The role of the store is changing. Has your organization changed with it?

For years, retailers have competed on speed, convenience, and frictionless shopping. Today, those aren't differentiators—they're simply the cost of doing business.

The question retail leaders should be asking isn't:

"How do we make shopping easier?"

It's:

"What can we offer that customers can't get anywhere else?"

That might be community. Education. Hospitality. Inspiration.

Or simply creating an experience customers can't replicate online.

They'll be the ones that create meaningful reasons for customers to visit, engage, and come back.

But creating memorable customer experiences is only the beginning.

Delivering those experiences consistently requires more than great ideas. It requires strong leadership, operational discipline, and the ability to execute consistently across every store.

That's not a seasonal initiative. It's an organizational capability.

Because the busiest seasons don't create great retailers. They reveal the capabilities they've already built.

If you're thinking about how to build these capabilities across your organization, let's connect.

08/17/2026

Our latest Behind the Thread podcast got us thinking about the evolving role of the physical store.

Consumers can buy almost anything online. That means physical retail has to compete on something more valuable than convenience—it has to give people a reason to spend their time.

We're seeing leading brands rethink the role of the store through hospitality, education, community, entertainment, and wellness. But while most conversations focus on the customer experience, there's a bigger question retailers need to answer:

What does it take operationally to deliver these experiences consistently?

Destination retail isn't just a design strategy.

It's an entirely different operating model.

In our latest newsletter, we explore:
✔️ Five destination retail models gaining momentum
✔️ Why experiential retail requires new ways of thinking about operations, merchandising, and leadership
✔️ The organizational shifts retailers should be preparing for now

If the role of the physical store is evolving, the way we lead and operate stores must evolve with it.

Read the full article below, then tell us—which brands do you think are creating experiences that customers genuinely want to come back for?

Retail speed to market used to be a competitive advantage. What happened to speed models—and how can retailers rebuild them today?

06/21/2026

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, father figures, and mentors who lead with strength, humility, and heart 💙.

Today, we're especially grateful for our own fathers, whose work ethic, resilience, integrity, and unwavering support helped shape who we are as people and as leaders.

The lessons they taught us continue to show up in how we lead, serve our clients, and build Thread every day.

Happy Father's Day to all who lead by example. Your legacy lives on through the people you inspire.