Fashion has always been about the visuals. The designs, the colours, the finished looks - when it comes to style, a picture has always been worth a thousand words. But fashion has started to infiltrate the audio world, too.
Whether it’s the fascinating history of a luxury house, the story of how a trend came to be or an animated anecdote from one of the industry’s key players, fashion podcasts are opening up this exclusive world in a new way. Here are five style podcasts that we are currently enjoying.
American Fashion Podcast
A fashion show for fashion people, American Fashion Podcast has been running for four years and has more than 200 episodes in its archive. It offers a deep-dive into all elements of the industry, from the designing, making and selling of clothes, to long-form interviews with people from all corners of the fashion world.
The show’s hosts, Charles Beckwith and Cathy Schepis, have spoken with everyone from the chief executive of Brazil’s biggest shopping mall to designers who have been working in New York City for more than 30 years. Both Beckwith and Schepis have a particular interest in sustainability in fashion, which has prompted a number of thought-provoking and knowledgeable discussions. It has been described as the podcast for the “fashion nerds at heart”, and it really does offer insight into every aspect of the industry.
Bande à Part
This laid-back, entertaining and well-informed podcast lets us in on phone conversations between Rebecca Arnold and Beatrice Behlen. Arnold is a renowned fashion lecturer, while Behlen is a curator at the Museum of London.
In the weekly episodes, the pair discuss everything from individual designers, trends and their origins, to fashion weeks and popular culture’s impact on the industry. It’s a mature, educated and intellectual conversation around fashion that will keep you interested and make sure you come away with a head full of new information. Particularly interesting episodes include Dress & Autobiography, which looks at the ways in which fashion and personal stories intersect, while exploring the archives at the Museum of London, and Mail Order Fashion, an enlightening talk on the origin of ordering clothes from catalogues.
3.55 Chanel
As one of the most coveted creative houses in the world, Chanel holds a special appeal for fashion-lovers – and the label offers insight into its inner workings with its 3.55 podcast. Now in its seventh series, the show explores everything from the history of the brand and the stories behind its latest collections, to the memories and experiences of some of its most famous collaborators and ambassadors.
The latest season, 3.55 Chanel à l’Opéra, was recorded at the Palais Garnier ahead of the opening of its dance season. Anne Berest, actress and author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are, explores the theme of creativity with choreographers, dancers and actresses. Guests include Kate Moran, Keira Knightley, Diana Vishneva and Ohad Naharin. A newly released episode features one of the last interviews ever given by Karl Lagerfeld.
The podcast is available in English and French, and has been translated into a number of other languages, including Chinese, Korean and Russian.
Gucci Podcast
The Florentine house launched its podcast in May 2018, although episodes have been released somewhat sporadically since then. Nevertheless, for fans of Gucci, there is a solid backlog of conversations to catch up on and plenty more planned throughout the year.
Each episode features the voice of one of the brand’s collaborators, speaking on topics ranging from scent creation and the creative direction of Alessandro Michele to the house’s relationship with music and some of its most memorable collections.
Stand-out episodes include Dapper Dan talking about his collaboration with Gucci and growing up in Harlem, and Elton John talking about his and Michele’s “artistic connection”. Other guests of note include singer Florence Welch and film producer Jenn Nkiru.
The Memory of … With John Galliano
Curious and at times a little surreal, John Galliano’s podcast series was launched as a way to explain his latest collections for Maison Margiela. For the listener, the bad news is there are only a handful of episodes. But the good news is they are highly entertaining, thanks to Galliano’s infamous eccentricities.
The 15-minute segments are released shortly after the designer debuts his collections. He narrates his inspiration and the creation process, and throws in some interesting anecdotes for good measure.
His signature British drawl is set against the backdrop of dramatic drumming as he deconstructs his Maison Margiela menswear collection, his artisanal women’s show and his spring/summer co-ed show.
