Norma Kamali on What Happens When You Ask For Help

9 to 5ish with theSkimm

theSkimm

Business, Entrepreneurship, Careers

4.7 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Norma Kamali started her career when women were expected to type memos in Mad Men-esque offices, not build their own empires. She came of age in 1960s New York City and since then, Norma's become one of the most influential names in fashion. Norma is responsible for iconic looks like Farrah Fawcett’s red swimsuit, the sleeping bag coat, and some of the earliest activewear, before “athleisure” was ever a thing. At 80-years-old, she’s showing no signs of stopping. In this episode of 9 to 5ish, Norma also shares: How a $29 flight and a basement boutique kicked off her career What it took to walk away from a toxic business – and marriage Why she took her brand to Walmart, even when people told her not to How learning to ask for help changed her life Why AI gives her a bigger creative high than anything else Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Have you ever wondered what a sandwich sounds like?
0:04.0	Not much to it is there?
0:06.0	Unless of course it's a Walker's sandwich.
0:11.0	Mmm, that is good.
0:13.0	Now that's what Asani should sound like.
0:15.0	Go all crisp in with walkers.
0:18.0	Delicious.
0:20.0	If you need help, talk to people about with walkers. Delicious.
0:28.2	If you need help, talk to people about it because there's somebody that can help you.
0:36.2	Keeping it to yourself, even if the situation you're in is humiliating and awful, is not going to help you.
0:39.9	I'm Carly Zakin, and I'm Danielle Weisberg.
0:42.3	Welcome to 9 to 5-ish with the skin.
0:49.2	We've run into so many questions over the years and had so many moments where we needed advice,
0:52.3	and we got it from women who'd been there.
0:54.6	And that's what we're bringing you at this show.
0:57.8	Each week, we're helping you get what you want out of your career by talking to the smartest leaders we know.
1:00.4	Because we know your work life is a lot more than nine to five.
1:05.1	All right, let's get into it.
1:09.6	Hi, everyone.
1:10.7	Today's guest is designer Norma Kamali. Norma came of age in 1960s New York City, a time when most women were expected to be secretaries, not business owners.
1:22.5	After studying fashion illustration at FIT, Norma landed a job at an airline and used flight perks to travel to
1:29.7	London nearly every weekend. She'd come back with a suitcase full of clothes, which she started
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from theSkimm, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of theSkimm and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.