Fashion podcasts to listen in 2022

TikTok's content pills or Instagram's short stories are not enough to tell the details, the past and the future of fashion houses that have a complex heritage full of interesting facts and nuances to tell. This is why more and more fashion brands are choosing podcasts as a means of talking to their community (and not only) about new projects and collaborations, but also to discover contaminations with other artists, secrets and everything that revolves around their universe. From Dior to Tommy Hilfiger, most players in the fashion industry have not been able to resist this format that allows them to be in-depth, cool and engaging. Many have created podcasts of various kinds, based on interviews, talks or in-depth analysis, during the lockdown to keep in touch and at the same time entertain their customers, but the first to realize its communicative potential was Chanel, which already in 2017 launched 3.55, a project of interviews carried out to coincide with the closure of the historic Parisian concept store Colette. Since then, experiments with this form of storytelling have multiplied: Gabriela Hearts has focused on sustainability; Dior has collected informal conversations with a wide range of guests exploring the fashion house's ties with art, culture, society and giving voice to the photographers who have collaborated with the brand; Gucci has chatted with friends, muses and collaborators such as creative director Alessandro Michele or Gucci Osteria chef Massimo Bottura; Cartier has told the story of its most iconic jewels. The great value of the medium lies in the possibility of delving into the topics in a more structured way and perhaps creating an entire series focused on a specific theme. The other advantages? According to Dana Schwartz, founder of The Hours Agency and The Business of Fashion, they are many: "They allow fashion brands to tell stories by exploring the content in depth. They allow them to expand the brand narrative with an investment of a few hundred euros for equipment and about 30-50 euros per month for online hosting". 

Here are some of the most interesting fashion podcasts to listen to right now.

 

Dior 

  "The Many Lives of Christian Dior" 

The new series traces the life of Monsieur Dior, narrated by Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon and French actor Lambert Wilson. In the eight episodes, available in streaming on all audio platforms, we discover details and episodes on the background of the inventor of the New Look, retracing the stages of a career that transformed him from gallery owner to fashion icon and, at the same time, traveling through the Belle Époque, the roaring 20s, the 30s and the post-war period. There are many stages, encounters and places that made Dior legendary and shaped his fashion, taking him from a small village in Normandy to 30 avenue Montaigne in Paris and from there to international fame. Thanks to the podcast we discover friends, muses and the beauty of a France in constant change between Belle Époque, cabarets, parties, post-war and Haussmann's modern architecture.

Saint Laurent

  "Smoking"

Officially launched on 13 April on multiple channels, with an episode released every week, the podcast is recorded in a "secret, smoky room" inside the Saint Laurent Rive Droite shop in Paris, 213 rue saint Honoré, where soft lighting creates the ideal atmosphere for guests to open up and reveal details of their lives while reflecting on the DNA of the Maison. Guest-starring in the first episode of Smoking is Catherine Deneuve, who was Yves Saint Laurent's muse and friend and has always been a brand ambassador for SL, so much so that she did not miss the front row of the Saint Laurent autumn/winter 2022 fashion show. After the French actress, the charming location will host the confidences of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Gaspar Noé, Laetitia Casta and Félix Maritaud.

 

Tommy Hilfiger 

  "The invisible seam: unsung stories of black culture and fashion"

Tommy Hilfiger's podcast traces in 5 episodes the role of black culture in the history of American fashion because as the US designer said "We are all responsible for shaping a future that is truly fair to BIPOC creatives. It's incredibly significant that some of the most important voices in fashion have come together to create this podcast. It's a necessary step to recognize, acknowledge, share and celebrate the contributions of black people in shaping modern fashion and culture." Beginning April 20 and continuing through May 18, each week, Kimberly Jenkins of Ryerson University in Toronto, founder of The Fashion and Race database, presents a new episode, enhanced by talks from designers, academics, fashion historians, museum curators, artists and stylists. Among them are designers Jeffrey Banks and Romeo Hunte, fashion historian and curator Darnell-Jamal Lisby and stylists Law Roach and Ade Samuel.

 

Balenciaga 

  "Playlist"

Apple is Balenciaga's preferred partner, at least in the music arena. Their relationship began in 2020 when Demna Gvasalia curated a playlist to accompany the "Hello, My Name Is Demna" merchandise and when in 2021 Rammstein and then RuPaul tried their hand at a special playlist for the brand. The House preferred the playlist format to that of the podcast, entrusting the latest selection of tracks to Aya Nakamura, a Malian singer naturalized French known for hits such as Djadja or Pookie. Also this time, to accompany the playlist, there is a limited-edition capsule of clothing and accessories in the traditional concert merch format called Balenciaga x Aya Nakamura. 

Listen here.

 

Gucci - "Alessandro Michele Reveals the Inspiration behind the Gucci Beloved Handbag Collections"

In Gucci Podcast, the fashion house talks about its philosophy and aesthetics through the voices of Alessandro Michele's collaborators and those who are part of the Gucci world, people like designer Dapper Dan, Elton John, Benedetta Barzini, Jared Leto, Massimo Bottura or Elle Fanning.  One of the most interesting recent episodes features special guest Alessandro Michele who, interviewed by Chiara Tagliaferri, reveals the inspirations behind the Gucci Beloved bags, but also his relationship with bags in general. The designer's love for this accessory, which he takes back to its no-gender origin, becomes the cue to retrace its history in general and within the Florentine brand, also offering moments linked to Michele's personal memories such as the one of his mother who kept her super chic bags crammed inside a secret closet.

"I'm obsessed with handbags, I consider them a divinatory object that allows me to take a little piece of home with me; (...) I put everything in them, for me it's a mysterious object. It's no coincidence that Mary Poppins has a bag as a narrative device". 

The Gucci creative director tells us in the podcast and also reveals how his friendship with Harry Styles began.

nss magazine x StockX

"The SneakerPod"

nssmagazine and StockX have joined forces to create the first Italian podcast where we talk about trainers, streetwear and everything that revolves around it, providing an insider's point of view on this world and its community. The SneakerPod features various guests who unveil the best collaborations, market dynamics, comment on future and past releases, talk about collecting, influences and trends, inclusivity, but also question the direction the world of streetwear and the trainer game is taking. 

 

Bottega Veneta x NTS 

  Bottega Veneta Radio

Bottega Veneta presents Bottega Radio, a new music project in partnership with NTS Radio, a favorite radio station of designers and uber-cool brands like Virgil Abloh, Carhartt WIP, and Slam Jam. Once a month, starting 7 April, the unprecedented pair will release a free streaming show that "opens up new conversations between NTS residents and guest stars through a series of collaboratively produced musical soundscapes". The result is a carefully crafted mix of tracks ranging from psychedelic rock to spiritual jazz. The first episode featured Tim Zha a.k.a Organ Tapes along with Jazmin, Latin music expert and resident host of the NTS show Como La Flor.