“Fashion weeks were falling out of sync with the world around us. They were celebrating fashion in a bubble, while everything else was changing.”

CEO Cecilie Thorsmark 

“What feels contemporary now to me is generosity.”

COO Isabella Rose Davey

Episode Highlights:

• A reflection on Copenhagen Fashion Week’s evolution from a regional showcase into a global platform with cultural and economic impact over its 20-year history.
  

• Insight into how Cecilie Thorsmark redefined the purpose of a fashion week, shifting it from celebration alone to a system that engages with responsibility, progress, and accountability.
  

• A candid discussion about implementing binding sustainability requirements, including the real challenges of enforcement, support, and industry resistance.
  

• An exploration of why sustainability works best as infrastructure rather than storytelling, and how Copenhagen embedded it into participation itself.
  

• A deep dive into CPHFW NEWTALENT and what emerging designers actually need today, beyond visibility, including mentoring, financial literacy, and long-term business support.
  

• A reframing of the term “emerging designer,” challenging age-based definitions and highlighting reinvention, experience, and second chapters.
  

• A conversation about the advantages of being small, agile, and human, and why Copenhagen’s scale allows for experimentation and intimacy that larger fashion weeks often lose.
  

• A thoughtful examination of why brands should be allowed to end, evolve, or transform without stigma, and how creative energy changes form rather than disappears.
  

• Cultural insight into why Copenhagen feels different, touching on quality of life, generosity, openness, and the city’s ability to foster genuine connection during fashion week.
  

• A closing reflection on what feels contemporary now, distilled into two values that define the platform’s ethos moving forward: responsibility and generosity.

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Episode Highlights:

A childhood shaped by movement and solitudeGrowing up between Korea, Hawaii, California, and Seattle, Yoon reflects on how constant relocation fostered independence, imagination, and an ability to adapt quickly to new environments.

Solitude as a creative advantageTime spent alone became a space for imagination rather than isolation, laying the groundwork for curiosity, inner confidence, and long-term creative resilience.

Subculture as a formative educationFrom Seattle’s grunge era to Tokyo’s club scene, Yoon describes how underground culture, music, and nightlife taught her more about identity and community than any formal training.

Discovering design through curiosity, not strategyHer path into graphic design and later fashion emerged organically through interests in magazines, presentation, and visual storytelling, rather than a predefined career plan.

Being paid to learn as a philosophyYoon frames early jobs, including PR and corporate design work, as opportunities to learn on someone else’s dime, reinforcing her belief that no experience is wasted.

AMBUSH as an organic unfoldingWhat began as jewelry made for friends evolved naturally into a brand, then into a platform, driven by experimentation, relationships, and responding to real demand rather than market forecasting.

Tokyo as a creative accelerantMoving to Japan exposed Yoon to layered subcultures, cross-pollination between music and fashion, and a culture open to hybridity, shaping AMBUSH’s DNA.

Fashion as communication, not productYoon describes fashion as a visual language for expressing identity and connection, rather than simply clothing or commercial output.

AI as a tool, not a replacementShe speaks openly about embracing AI as a powerful assistant that can accelerate research and execution, while insisting that creative intent and thinking cannot be outsourced.

What feels contemporary nowFor Yoon, being contemporary today means fearlessly pursuing who you are, resisting algorithmic pressure, and staying grounded in humanity, curiosity, and purpose rather than chasing scale.

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Grounded in his background in architectural history and editorial leadership, Asad speaks to why design is never neutral, how interiors hold narrative and emotional weight, and why aspiration today feels less about status than self-knowledge. As attention splinters and taste is increasingly mediated by screens rather than experience, the conversation returns to what endures: craft, context, and the human touch as the most contemporary forces shaping how we live now.

“If you like it, I love it. I’d rather a space reflect real engagement with the self than something copied from Instagram.” - Asad Syrkett

Episode Highlights:

• Living in Milan versus passing through itAsad reflects on the shift from visiting Milan for work to truly living there, and how permanence deepens relationships, curiosity, and cultural exchange beyond the churn of Salone and design week.
  

• A childhood shaped by environments, not fashionGrowing up in Harlem and New York City, Asad became attuned early to how homes, retail spaces, and objects reflect identity, class, and aspiration, long before he had the language for design.
  

• The built world is never neutralFrom department stores to shop windows, he describes how cities teach us, early on, that design encodes power, values, and social difference.
  

• Curiosity as a lifelong engineRaised by a family deeply invested in culture, music, books, and dance, Asad traces how being encouraged to ask questions shaped his editorial and intellectual instincts.
  

• Why architectural history unlocked everythingStudying architectural history at Columbia gave him context and language for instincts formed in childhood, connecting design to authority, religion, economics, and social structures.
  

• A career guided by sustainability of curiosityMoving between journalism, design studios, digital media, and business wasn’t about restlessness, but about building an intellectually sustainable life around design.
  

• Context over aestheticsAs an editor, Asad emphasizes that interiors don’t exist in a vacuum, they are social, political, and emotional artifacts shaped by history, access, and intention.
  

• Access versus upward mobilityHe challenges the idea that design is about “upward mobility,” reframing it instead as access, self-knowledge, and environments that reflect inner growth rather than status alone.
  

• Italy as a culture of makersLiving in Milan has sharpened his appreciation for Italian design’s deep respect for craft, family-run production, and material knowledge passed down through generations.

• What’s contemporary now: the human touchIn a digital, accelerated world, Asad argues that the most contemporary thing is work shaped by human skill, physical effort, and deep commitment to craft, things technology cannot replicate.

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“A lot of my success came from haphazard decision-making based on instinct, not some grand plan. I followed the moment and figured it out later.” - Kyle Hagler

“Native Son was never about nightlife or crisis. It was about creating space where we could see ourselves reflected with dignity.” - Emil Wilbekin

Episode Highlights:

• Beginnings that explain everythingEmil reflects on being adopted at birth and raised by radically cultured, spiritually grounded Black parents, while Kyle traces the imprint of a brilliant young mother who negotiated her way through systems not built for her and brought him along for the ride.
  

• Strong women as original architectureNot a theme, a fact. Both credit women with shaping their confidence, ethics, ambition, and emotional literacy long before any career took form.
  

• The professional pivot, demystifiedReinvention is not indulgence, it is survival. Emil maps his evolution across media, teaching, faith, and founding Native Son. Kyle frames adaptability as the only real form of security.
  

• Safety, redefinedKyle’s assertion lands quietly but firmly: safety does not live in institutions or titles, it lives in your ability to navigate turbulence and keep moving.
  

• Spirituality as infrastructure, not ornamentEmil speaks to prayer and meditation as daily practice and social responsibility. Kyle shares a later awakening forged through loss, illness, and uncertainty, arriving at calm through surrender.
  

• A very New York origin storyThe Octagon in the 90s, Helmut Lang uniforms, early shade, and worlds colliding. Friendship eventually sealed not by proximity, but by shared obsession, precision, and care.
  

• Doing the work before knowing the impactEmil reflects on Vibe as cultural moment-making understood only in hindsight. Kyle recalls realizing his influence only once others named it, while he was simply doing the job.
  

• The birth of Native SonAn India retreat, a voice, Baldwin on a bookshelf. A mission emerges to create space for Black gay, queer, and gender nonconforming lives beyond nightlife, crisis, or erasure.
  

• Progress and backlash, side by sideVisibility expands while political resistance hardens. Both argue that representation without ownership is fragile, and that DEI without equity is noise.

• What feels contemporary now Fearless self-definition. Living in nuance. Building community that can hold contradiction, accountability, and becoming, without waiting for permission.

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We discuss the formative power of self-doubt, the responsibility of the critic in an era shaped by branding and algorithms, and why genuine surprise has become fashion’s rarest commodity. Angelo reflects on taste as a lifelong education, the tension between fantasy and reality, and the importance of staying fluid rather than defined in a moment obsessed with categorization.

“I’m a dreamer, but not an escapist. Fantasy has to somehow crash to the ground in order to become reality.” - Angelo Flaccavento 

Episode Highlights:

• A Sicilian childhood shaped by boutiques and early fashion literacy Angelo grew up in Ragusa surrounded by family-run boutiques at the height of Italy’s fashion boom. Magazines, Versace dresses, Guy Bourdin images, and the glamour of the early ’80s became his first education in style and visual culture.
  

• Discovering i-D and turning Ragusa into his personal London Getting a subscription to i-D as a teenager becomes a defining moment. He reads each issue obsessively, treating it as a window into a world he hasn’t yet reached — the foundation of his sharp, culturally attuned eye.
  

• From aspiring designer to critic: finding the right medium Though he once dreamed of being a designer, he realized he was more drawn to ideas, imagery, and interpretation. Writing became his path, encouraged by teachers who sensed his voice before he did.
  

• A voice that evolves rather than settles Angelo talks about tone and style as living entities — shaped by constraints, sharpened by editors, and never fixed in place. He values clarity, concision, and atmosphere, always pushing himself toward more precision.
  

• Doubt as a creative engine He sees doubt not as insecurity but as momentum, calling it “the essence of progress.” Self-questioning keeps him open, curious, and resistant to stagnation.
  

• Criticism as decoding, not destruction For Angelo, the critic’s role is to cut through PR storytelling and help readers understand what they’re actually seeing. He believes in honesty delivered with generosity — critique as illumination, not cruelty.
  

• Maintaining integrity in a political, PR-driven industry He speaks openly about the emotional and professional navigation required each season, from access issues to difficult conversations, and why seeing shows live is essential to telling the truth.
  

• Fashion’s power to surprise Angelo celebrates the rare, electric moments when a show shifts the mood of the entire industry — reminders of why fashion still matters and how a collection can rewire the cultural conversation.
  

• Taste as instinct refined over a lifetime For him, taste is a mix of instinct and education — shaped by art history, architecture, vertical lines, trial and error, and everything one has ever seen. Taste is biography turned into perspective.
  

• What is contemporary now: resisting definition Angelo concludes that the most contemporary stance is fluidity — refusing to let algorithms, labels, or nostalgia define us, and staying open enough to see the world anew.

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She reflects on the value of frivolity in an anxious age, the necessity of surrounding oneself with challengers rather than cheerleaders, and the quiet radicalism of returning Pucci’s prints to hand-drawn imperfection. The picture that emerges is of a creative director who treats joy not as escapism, but as a practiced, precise way of making a brand — and a life — feel vividly alive.

“We didn’t come to this planet to suffer. I’m here to enjoy, even if there are stressed days. You have to laugh sometimes.” - Camille Miceli

Episode Highlights:

• An upbringing steeped in art and fashionCamille grows up between an art-world father and a fashion-world mother, surrounded by New Realists, Guy Bourdin shoots, and Azzedine Alaïa at the dinner table — early immersion in glamour, image, and attitude.
  

• Alaïa as her first tough teacherAt sixteen she interns for Azzedine Alaïa, who is lovingly ruthless about precision. The “traumatic” rigor of placing rocks every ten centimeters becomes the root of her perfectionism and obsession with detail.
  

• Chanel and Karl as excess and foresight schoolAt Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld, she encounters fashion as total universe — decor, invitations, product, marketing — and learns to think several moves ahead, like the “Chanel forever” bag response to a critical article.
  

• Marc Jacobs and the power of generosity and teamsAt Louis Vuitton, Marc pulls her fully into the creative side, asks her to design earrings, and kick-starts her jewelry career. She absorbs his generosity, his habit of crediting collaborators, and his refusal to work with “yes people” — a model she now applies as a creative director.
  

• Dior, Raf, and the dialogue with art and designAt Dior under John Galliano and then Raf Simons, she deepens her passion for art, design, and couture, finding common ground with Raf through shared references and visual obsessions.
  

• How all those experiences prepare her for PucciYears in fittings, communication, and collaborations give her a 360-degree approach: she thinks about clothes, image, stores, and storytelling as a single ecosystem, which she now applies to Pucci’s collections and retail spaces.
  

• Pucci as art, joy, and imperfectionShe sees Pucci prints as psychedelic artworks and immediately brings hand-drawing back to restore “imperfection as perfection.” The wobbly lines and pressure marks make the prints human, charming, and alive.
  

• Using print as logo and rethinking heritage codesRather than drowning everything in pattern, she treats the print as a signature — a button, a jacquard, a matte-and-shine texture — so a black jacket can still read Pucci. She evolves the codes instead of changing them seasonally.
  

• A modern stance on fashion systems and wasteShe pushes see-now-buy-now because she hates the lag between image and product, especially in an age of instant gratification. Pucci runs only two collections a year, staggered like intelligent “drops,” which lets her reduce waste and think deeply instead of chasing volume.
  

• Collaborations, culture, and what’s contemporary nowShe favors collaborations that bring true know-how (technical skiwear, for example) over hype, and considers the Art Basel entrance carpet a proud moment of print as art rather than logo spam. When asked what is contemporary now, she lands on sharing, respect for others, and radical care for the planet — especially water — and dreams of self-sufficiency as the ultimate luxury.

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We explore the politics that slip in through lived experience rather than declarations, the power of small stories to illuminate larger truths, and the editor’s craft as an exercise in restraint as much as vision. For Whitehouse, what’s contemporary is whatever you’re excited enough to run toward — a simple, infectious creed that shapes every page he oversees.

“I’m not interested in the future. I’m interested in now — in documenting what it feels like to be alive in this exact moment.” - Matthew Whitehouse

Episode Highlights:

• Growing up in Morecambe and dreaming of escape Born in a rainy seaside town that felt “far” from where he was meant to be, Matthew talks about music as his first love and his imagined ticket out, from The Beatles and Oasis to Springsteen.
  

• The ice cream man with a band and big plans While friends went to university, he stayed behind in Morecambe, working as an ice cream man and waiting for his kicked out bandmates to finish college so they could take music seriously.
  

• Dropping out for The Heartbreaks and accidental fame in Japan He leaves university just before the fee deadline, signs a publishing deal days later, tours with his band The Heartbreaks, tastes pop-star treatment in Japan, then ends up back home working in a meat packing factory.
  

• Band life, Burberry campaigns and the old fear of selling out Alongside the band, he appears in a Burberry campaign and editorials for i-D and Dazed, remembering how brand work once felt like “selling out” in a way that feels almost quaint now.
  

• From factory freezer to i-D and the grind of becoming a writer While cutting lamb shanks at 5 a.m., he pitches free pieces to small music sites, builds a portfolio, lands a short research job at i-D’s video team, and eventually pivots into editorial because he knows he has to write.
  

• The fast leap from editorial assistant to editor of The Face In about three years he moves from editorial assistant at i-D to editor of The Face, initially thinking the relaunch is a bad idea before realizing the opportunity of a clean slate with a legendary masthead.
  

• Legacy, fragmentation and making a magazine about the now Everyone remembers a different “version” of The Face, so he sees himself as a guardian trying not to ruin something beloved while making it feel true to 2025, balancing global pop stars with niche local figures.
  

• Politics in the margins rather than as a banner He describes issues where politics is felt rather than announced, like an edition that quietly became about the cost of living crisis through its voices and stories rather than an explicit think piece.
  

• When timing lands and small stories carry big themes He relishes moments where covers hit the perfect moment, like Jenna Ortega on the day Wednesday drops, and stories like a Manchester record label piece that opens up into class, race and regional inequality.
  

• What makes a good editor and what is contemporary now He likens editing to jazz, knowing which notes not to play, trusting his team, staying in conversation with young people, and defines what is contemporary now as whatever you are genuinely excited enough to run toward.

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She moves fluidly between roles: moderating conversations, appearing on other platforms, or steering her own interviews with a mix of composure and quiet provocation. There is an unmistakable steadiness to her presence, never loud, yet impossible to misread.

Raised by a single Kenyan father, the youngest of three, and shaped equally by the American Midwest and a constellation of international cities, her education was as experiential as it was academic. Unbothered by imposter syndrome, assured in unfamiliar rooms, and pragmatic about a future she believes has no fixed ceiling, Recho isn’t one to ask for anyone’s permission.

The goal with her work is to encourage people to think for themselves — to trust instinct, interrogate what is handed to them, and question the comfortable consensus wherever it appears.

“There’s never been a room I didn’t feel worthy of. Every room I’ve ever been in, I’ve thought, ‘Oh, finally.’” - Recho Omondi 

Episode Highlights:

• A childhood of dual worlds: Recho grew up in small Midwest towns while spending every summer traveling through Europe and Kenya, giving her a uniquely global perspective from a young age.
  

• Raised by a single Kenyan father with big expectations: Her dad — an afropolitan ER doctor — emphasized reading, travel, ballet, theater, and intellectual curiosity, shaping her worldview and ambition.
  

• Independence born from the absence of a mother: Without a maternal figure at home, she learned self-sufficiency, adaptability, and emotional self-navigation — traits that now show up in her confidence and presence.
  

• The pre-med years and the turning point into fashion: Initially on a pre-med path, she realized fashion was her true calling after immersing herself in magazines and secretly visiting SCAD during spring break.
  

• Her fashion label as a crash course in business: Running her own brand for seven years taught her everything — production, trademarks, operations — a real-world business school built through trial and error.
  

• The Cutting Room Floor’s origin story: The podcast was born from frustration with how designers were misunderstood and siloed. She created the space she wished existed — honest conversations with the people themselves.
  

• Her stance on confidence and imposter syndrome: She has never experienced imposter syndrome; every room she’s entered has felt right. Her self-assurance stems from upbringing, birth order, and early exposure to diverse worlds.
  

• The recurring themes she sees across all conversations: Capitalism’s exhaustion, the tension between humanity and technology, and the truth that fashion is really about culture — not clothes.
  

• Her critique of fashion media and Vogue today: Recho believes American Vogue has lost its edge and that Anna Wintour should have passed the baton around 2010 — while global editions and independent magazines remain strong.
  

• What’s contemporary now: Kindness — not niceness. In a world overwhelmed by speed, noise, and digital disconnection, genuine empathy and presence feel modern, radical, and necessary.

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We explore queerness, visibility, and the tension between intimacy and scale as his label grows, along with how travel, community, and personal history shape his work. He's a designer committed to beauty, honesty, and the freedom to define oneself.

If you want to understand the world of LDSS—its sensuality, vulnerability, and conviction—this episode is the essential entry point.

“Being contemporary now is being recognized for your uniqueness and cultivating it with audacity and strength, with a community around you that helps you build the message.” - Ludovic de Saint Sernin

PS His collection for Zara is available in stores today.

Episode Highlights:

• On names and identity The full name is a mouthful, even in French. LDSS exists so the world can say and recognize it easily while still honoring who he is.

• On an itinerant childhood Born in Brussels, raised in Abidjan, then dropped into Paris’s 16th where labels mattered. It was the shock that taught him how clothes define presentation and power.

• On finding fashion From sketching landscapes and Disney to sketching clothes in Paris. A mother who spotted the obsession early and sent him to draw, paint, and sew.

• On family and those legendary road trips Seven siblings across three marriages, languages braided together, summers packed into a car from Brussels to Portugal. A chaotic joy that shaped his sense of community.

• On travel as fuel Travel began as risk and escape and became a network. Work trips are less sightseeing than people finding. Inspiration now comes from the community he builds city to city.

• On launching the brand Leaving Balmain, making a first collection alone, putting a diary on the runway, and discovering a business on the fly when buyers immediately placed orders.

• On message and responsibility Autobiography became brand DNA. The work mirrors his story and holds up a mirror to queer life today, insisting on visibility without losing grace.

• On Mapplethorpe and making it personal A full circle collaboration treated like a six-month devotion, with hand work by Ludovic himself and the show in New York to honor the photographer’s city and spirit.

• On the designer as muse He steps in front of the camera when the story is intimate and the image needs his body to make sense. Be your own muse as liberation, not vanity.

• On what is contemporary now Visibility, audacity, community. Cultivating uniqueness with confidence and surrounding yourself with people who help you build the message.

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In this conversation, we talk about the evolution of fashion criticism, the rebirth of men’s style, and why GQ’s “new new masculinity” reflects more than just trend but a cultural recalibration. Hine shares his thoughts on writing as both love and labor, the designers moving fashion forward with integrity over hype, and what he calls a quiet “masculine renaissance” where men might not all be okay, but at least they’re dressing the part.

“I never thought of being visible or outward-facing as a strategy. I just always felt that being out in the world—seeing what people are wearing, what they’re talking about—is part of the job. It’s not just a role you perform, it’s a person you become.” - Samuel Hine 

Episode Highlights:

• Finding identity through clothes — Growing up as an identical twin in Chicago’s North Shore, Samuel used clothing to differentiate himself, from refusing blue jeans to obsessing over Oxford shirts and shaggy sweaters.
  

• From Chinese and history to fashion — A self-described reader before writer, he majored in Chinese and history, then realized fashion could be his intellectual project as much as his personal style.
  

• Early media spark — Running his high school radio station and interviewing Liz Phair showed him media could be a passport into worlds far from his suburban life.
  

• Studying men’s fashion criticism — An independent study traced men’s fashion writing from Oscar Wilde to Tumblr, convincing him there was space to take menswear as seriously as he did.
  

• The GQ break — A friend of his grandmother connected him to Will Welch; he started as Welch’s assistant, then grew with the brand across print, web, social, and events.
  

• What the global correspondent does — “Go where the action is.” He covers the men’s and co-ed weeks worldwide, files features and fast leads, collaborates with 13 GQ markets, and lives between planes and pages.
  

• Show Notes and niche obsession — His GQ newsletter lets him cover the hyper-specific: show reviews, underground designers, and off-runway lore, building a direct pipe to readers beyond SEO.
  

• Who’s winning now — He praises Ralph Lauren for steady world-building over clout-chasing, and singles out Dario Vitale’s Versace debut for feeling genuinely fresh, young, and wearable.
  

• Who would matter without hype — Designers who would make clothes regardless of money or press: Eckhaus Latta, Kiko Kostadinov, Telfar. Purpose and compulsion over noise.
  

• What’s contemporary now — Print. As an antidote to algorithmic brain-rot, magazines channel human taste and help readers develop their own; the medium feels newly vital.

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In this episode, Ball reflects on her path from a D.C. household stacked with newspapers to leading a magazine that continues to grow in both influence and revenue. She speaks about the art of editing in an age of speed, the new language of luxury journalism, and the enduring power of a story told with precision and care.

““I loved beautiful glossy fashion and style media, but I also loved very tart writing about style and fashionable people — that eyebrow-raised, gimlet-eyed, social scorecard kind of writing that mixed elegance and critique.” - Sarah Ball 

Episode Highlights:

• On Growing Up Surrounded by Media — Raised in a Washington, D.C. household that received five newspapers a day, Sarah describes an early life shaped by constant conversation, curiosity, and the sound of pages turning.
  

• On the Early Spark — Between Capitol Hill’s newsroom corridors and stacks of Vogue and Vanity Fair, she found herself drawn to storytelling that combined politics, aesthetics, and human behavior.
  

• On Robin Givhan’s Influence — She credits Givhan’s fashion criticism for teaching her that clothing could be language — a way to read power, politics, and cultural change.
  

• On the London Years — A summer at the Associated Press covering the highs and lows of early-aughts London — from Kate Moss’s tabloid saga to art auctions and nightlife — cemented her love for culture writing.
  

• On the Golden Age of Vanity Fair — She recalls the thrill of that newsroom under Graydon Carter: “You don’t know you’re in a golden age until the golden age is over.”
  

• On Quality Over Quantity — Ball resists the speed-at-all-costs mentality of digital publishing: “If what you’re serving is reheated garbage, are you really going to keep that reader?”
  

• On The WSJ. Audience — She describes WSJ. Magazine as a luxury product with a discerning readership: “They pay a lot to access our content, therefore they expect a lot.”
  

• On Visual Storytelling — A cover, she says, must surprise: “It has to show you someone in a new light — a story and an image that feel like an experience you can’t get anywhere else.”
  

• On Video and the Future of Formats — Ball sees video — particularly conversational formats like podcasts on camera — as one of the most powerful frontiers in media: “The informality of the video podcast is replacing entire swaths of traditional television. These conversations now shape culture in real time.”
  

• On What’s Contemporary Now — For Ball, it’s humor. “A playful and unself-serious sense of humor feels most contemporary — people laughing together again, not at each other.”

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Whether you know her from her work as a writer, her time in front of the camera or on the runway, or simply as a familiar face at all the right parties, she’s one to watch for anyone curious about culture and the people shaping it. In a conversation that spans her early experiences with loss and grief, the chaos of her intern years, and a recent visit to a trauma retreat in America, this episode has a little something for everyone.

“When I wrote that piece called I’m an intern, not an idiot and someone from upstairs came running in to tell me to take it down, that’s when I realized your words actually matter, that they can shake something even if the system doesn’t want them to.” - Tish Weinstock 

Episode Highlights:

• On early influences Tish grew up in London in a traditional home marked by early loss, gravitating to darker, sardonic heroines and art that felt surreal, spooky, and sincere.
  

• On first contact with fashion She obsessed over ad campaigns on her bedroom wall and later realized that what drew her in was storytelling through images as much as clothes.
  

• On finding the door in A chance encounter at a friend’s house led to internships at Tank and Garage where she learned the grind and took her first steps into writing.
  

• On writing as power At i-D she published I’m an intern, not an idiot and learned that words move systems even when the system pushes back.
  

• On becoming a beauty writer by accident She did not care about products at first and then noticed beauty as identity and language in a new wave of body positivity, drag, and Instagram natives.
  

• On Isamaya French and Dazed Beauty Collaborating there showed her how beauty can merge subculture, technology, and art long before the wider culture caught up.
  

• On creativity and authenticity The work sings when the obsession is real and it falls flat when the topic is traffic bait that she does not care about.
  

• On writing today Substack rekindled her love of writing as a living diary where immediacy and imperfection feel more honest than highly polished feeds.
  

• On wellness and the mind A week without a phone at a trauma program helped her reframe negative thoughts and confirmed that presence is a practice not an arrival.
  

• On what is contemporary now Radical honesty feels most alive today since culture is saturated with performance and curation and audiences are hungry for what is real.

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This isn’t a conversation about lingerie or spectacle, it’s more about connection, leadership, and the power of joy as a design principle. Adam spoke about collaboration as communion—how designing with rather than for transforms the room—and how lessons from Rihanna, his “School of Rihanna,” continue to inform how he leads and creates today.

He also shared what it means to step away and return stronger, finding the space between Adam the man and Adam the brand, and discovering how quiet became his greatest teacher. 

“I think joy is contemporary now. Feeling is contemporary now. Celebration is really what it’s all about.” — Adam Selman

Episode Highlights:

On The Morning After the Show — Recorded just hours after his Victoria’s Secret debut, Adam reflects on the calm, joy, and sense of unity that defined the show’s atmosphere.

On Full-Circle Moments — Opening with Jasmine Tookes, who walked his first-ever show when he had his own brand, marked a personal and poetic return to where it all began.

On Collaboration Over Command — Rather than dictating looks, Adam co-created them alongside the models, inviting input and feedback to build genuine creative connection.

On Working with Carlyne Cerf — He calls their partnership effortless, built on laughter and instinct. “She finishes my sentences,” he says.

On Diversity with Intention — Rejecting tokenism, he focused on authenticity: “We’re all sick of ticking boxes.” Casting was rooted in real conversation, relationships, and shared respect.

On Joy as Practice — For Adam, joy isn’t decorative—it’s foundational. He sees joy as the most contemporary expression of creativity and leadership.

On Learning from Rihanna — He calls his years designing with her “the School of Rihanna,” a masterclass in courage, collaboration, and cultural fluency.

On Stepping Back to Move Forward — Time away from his brand gave him space to recalibrate. Through meditation and reflection, he found peace between Adam the man and Adam the brand.

On The Maker’s Mindset — A lifelong builder, he’s never afraid to fix what breaks. “You can’t be afraid of it. You have to own it, make it, fix it.”

On What’s Contemporary Now — For Adam, it’s joy, connection, and the courage to redefine beauty through authenticity rather than perfection.

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In this episode he speaks about balancing fantasy with function, leadership through empathy, and optimism as a deliberate practice rather than an accident of temperament. To Aburn, what’s contemporary now is simple and human, defined by less ego, more honesty, and the courage to describe what you actually see.

Episode Highlights:

• On Early Fascination with Fashion — Watching CNN Style with his mother shaped his early understanding of fashion as something serious, creative, and meaningful.

• On Working at Prada During School — Balancing full-time retail work at Prada with his studies at Central Saint Martins taught him discipline and grounded his creativity in reality.

• On Failure as a Delayed Education — His experience with Louise Wilson became what he now calls a “delayed education,” showing him that self-management is the foundation of all creative longevity.

• On Observation and Duality — Moving between Prada’s commercial world and St. Martins’ creative chaos made him both participant and observer, sharpening his sense of perspective.

• On Learning from Mentors — From Tom Ford he learned the beauty of discipline and real clothes, and from Demna the importance of reduction and authenticity.

• On Leadership and Empathy — As creative director at AREA, he sees leadership as both creative and emotional, centered on clarity, inspiration, and shared enthusiasm.

• On Wearability and Fantasy — He views AREA’s identity as a balance between product and performance, believing that real clothes and theatricality can coexist.

• On Introversion as Creative Strength — A self-professed introvert, he finds energy and perspective in solitude, designing through observation rather than noise.

• On Optimism as Practice — He treats optimism not as naivety but as a skill that fuels creativity, curiosity, and resilience.

• On What’s Contemporary Now — For Aburn, it’s simple and human — less ego, more honesty, and the courage to describe what you actually see.

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Episode Highlights:

• On Early Lessons in Presentation — Growing up as a person of color in different communities taught him that how you present yourself carries weight, shaping both identity and access.
  

• On Faith as Foundation — He describes his father’s spiritual approach to leadership and how faith became the anchor of his own creative and business philosophy.
  

• On Purpose Over Product — For Lorenzo, design begins with intention — clothing as a means to help people feel grounded, confident, and closer to their best selves.
  

• On Fear and Freedom — He reframes “Fear of God” as reverence, explaining that true freedom begins where fear ends — a guiding principle for both life and brand.
  

• On Conviction and Calling — He believes success lies in answering the unique call on one’s life, rather than seeking approval or validation from the outside world.
  

• On Women’s Wear — The decision to expand into women’s fashion stemmed from a sense of absence — creating what he felt was missing for women just as he had for men.
  

• On Sobriety and Clarity — Sobriety gave him the ability to be fully himself in every space — a kind of freedom and constancy that fuels his creativity and peace.
  

• On Building a World, Not Just a Brand - Fear of God is less a label than a language. Its universe extends beyond clothes into values — presence, reverence, and belief.

• On Fashion’s State of Flux — Lorenzo sees fashion as a mirror of the times — reactive, often performative, and more about perception than truth.
  

• On Success and Stillness — Twelve years after founding Fear of God, he measures success not by scale or revenue, but by peace, integrity, and the ability to keep going.

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Because happiness, like relevance, is never fixed. It slips just out of reach the moment it seems secured, requiring constant reexamination and reinvention. The same holds true for the people and industries we cover: what feels urgent today risks redundancy tomorrow. That cycle of fulfillment, exhaustion, and reinvention, is the rhythm of both creativity and life. And in that rhythm lies the story of what it means to be contemporary now.

New episodes begin Monday, October 6th.

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Whether through personal narrative or collective observation, there is no shortage of terrain. The world, in all its instability and invention, continues to offer more questions than answers. That feels like the right place to begin.

We will be back this fall with a new season!

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It is a business, unquestionably—but a beautifully complex one, in constant dialogue with culture. And in that dialogue, the currency of creativity proves more stable than gold. Unlike so many aspects of contemporary life, its role is inimitable, its value evergreen.

In this conversation, Wingfield traces his own route—from suburban teenage boredom and record sleeves to the visual literacy that would come to define his work. We talk about System’s origins, the logic behind System Collections, and what gets lost when coverage is dictated by algorithms rather than curiosity.

“The most interesting commentary on a film often came from the costume designer, not the star. That logic applies to fashion too.” - Jonathan Wingfield

Episode Highlights:

• From suburban boredom to fashion curiosity - Wingfield traces his creative awakening to the disconnect between small-town life and the cultural energy of nearby London—music, record sleeves, and magazines were his early portals.
  

• The record sleeve as first editorial influence - A Peter Saville–designed cover for New Order’s True Faith becomes an entry point into the world of typography, photography, and image-making.
  

• A formative mentorship on the road - A months-long carpool with UK publishing legend Alan Lewis becomes a crash course in magazine craft—headline writing, storytelling, and editorial voice.
  

• Why editing is about the final decisions - For Wingfield, the joy of putting a magazine together isn’t in the interviews—it’s in the final details: captions, pull quotes, and headlines that shape meaning.
  

• System’s founding as a response to access fatigue - Frustrated by increasingly hollow interviews with celebrities, Wingfield wanted a space for deeper, more sustained conversations—System was his answer.
  

• Virgil Abloh as a cultural inflection point - A cover story featuring Virgil becomes a turning point for System, bridging industry credibility and outsider influence, and reframing who the magazine is for.
  

• The slow reveal: System’s relationship to time - Wingfield shares why the magazine resists real-time commentary and favors longer arcs—interviewing designers after the noise has died down.
  

• The launch of System Collections - He introduces System’s newest project: a seasonal, time-capsule-style publication that offers deep visual and editorial takes on fashion month.
  

• On interviewing well—and waiting for silence - One of his top tips: don’t rush to fill silences. Real answers often follow the pause.
  

• What’s contemporary now? Swerve the algorithm - Wingfield’s closing reflection: avoid being trapped in feedback loops. Discovery, intuition, and counterintuitive creativity are what truly move culture forward.

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What makes this conversation compelling isn’t only his perspective on fashion or culture. It’s the way he holds space for complexity—the exhaustion and the joy, the disenchantment and the deep love for the work. There’s a calm clarity in how he speaks about image-making, identity, and the creative life. Not as fixed roles, but as evolving practices.

For anyone feeling unmoored by the state of the industry or uncertain about how to keep creating in a time that feels increasingly TBD, this episode offers something more valuable than certainty. It offers perspective, and the steady presence of someone who has figured out how to move forward without losing himself along the way.

“I love fashion. I don’t always love the fashion industry.” - Carlos Nazario 

Episode Highlights:

• Redefining Exhaustion in Creative Work - Carlos discusses the mental and emotional toll of fashion’s nonstop pace—and why he refuses to glorify burnout, emphasizing presence, boundaries, and creative sustainability.

• Loving Fashion vs. Loving the Industry - He unpacks the tension between a deep love for fashion itself and disillusionment with the political performance of the industry.

• The Power and Limits of the Internet in Fashion - Carlos reflects on the democratization of commentary online, and how the resulting noise makes it harder to sift out meaningful, resonant work.

• Image as a Tool for Transformation - A powerful meditation on imagemaking as a vehicle for cultural change, generational thought, and emotional resonance.

• Resisting Small Talk, Embracing Realness - He shares his discomfort with surface-level conversations in industry spaces, and his craving for meaningful, emotionally honest exchanges.

• Retreat, Identity & Reclaiming the Self - A story about a therapeutic retreat—where he wasn’t allowed to share his profession or last name—leads to a conversation about selfhood outside of industry labels.

• Critique vs. Cruelty - Carlos addresses the rise of snarky, anonymous fashion criticism, drawing a distinction between valuable critique and performative cruelty.

• The Weight of Representation - He speaks candidly about his experience as a Black, Afro-Latino stylist—and how resilience, optimism, and responsibility continue to shape his point of view.

• Time, Mortality & Legacy - A moving reflection on life’s brevity, what it means to step away, and how true impact often comes from stillness and intentionality.

• What’s Contemporary Now - Looking within. Carlos defines contemporaneity as self-awareness, intention, and resisting herd mentality in favor of independent thought.

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"I couldn’t be normal. My normal is crazy." - Lyas 

Episode Highlights:

• Growing up in Rouen - Lyas reflects on his early years in a city steeped in history but devoid of contemporary culture — and how moving to Paris unlocked his sense of identity and creative belonging.

• The Power of Performance - How 11 years of drama school shaped Lyas’s relationship to fashion, storytelling, and self-expression — and why performance is an essential part of his daily life.

• Feeling the Most Tamed — and the Most Lost - A candid look at how being "tamed" or asked to tone down his personality deeply affected Lyas’s sense of self-worth — and why authenticity became non-negotiable.

• Building a Career Without a Blueprint: - Lyas shares how unconventional paths, personal resilience, and creative hunger shaped a career that defies traditional expectations — and why doing things his own way became the only option.

• Living Rent-Free in Paris (and Building a Dream) - The surreal stretch of living rent-free during COVID — and how it gave Lyas the time and space to develop the projects that would launch his digital career.

• Making Fashion Critique Accessible - Why Lyas believes fashion commentary should be democratized — speaking to real people, not just insiders — and how he uses humor and storytelling to break down barriers.

• Choosing Integrity Over Industry Pressure - The moment Lyas chose honesty over maintaining industry relationships, after attending a disappointing show and refusing to stay silent.

• The Future of Fashion (and the Role of Excitement) - How Lyas manages to stay genuinely excited about fashion, especially by championing young designers, despite the industry's increasingly commercial pressures.

• Writing Stories, Not Just Reviews - Lyas shares his passion for screenwriting, the difference between writing scripts versus essays, and the films he hopes will challenge and change culture.

• What’s Contemporary Now? Hatred — and Hope - Lyas’s unexpectedly profound answer to the show's namesake question — that hatred feels contemporary today, but so does the community-building needed to fight it.

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"I grew up in the Bronx. There was no fashion in my house. What we had was music, grit, and individuality." - Paul Cavaco 

"Everything really does happen for a reason. Even the catastrophic moments usually lead to something better." - Tonne Goodman 

Episode Highlights:

• The Bronx Meets the Upper East Side - Paul and Tonne reflect on their wildly different upbringings—his gritty childhood in the Bronx, hers in a cultured Manhattan household—and how those contrasting backgrounds shaped their approach to fashion and image-making.
• Modeling Missteps and Vreeland’s Memo - Tonne shares how her short-lived modeling career ended with a memorable memo from Diana Vreeland describing her as “not pretty,” but still worth investing in—an early lesson in resilience and reinvention.
• From the Streets to the Studio - Paul shares how growing up in the Bronx and discovering style through music and street culture gave him a grounded, real-world approach to fashion—one rooted not in fantasy, but in everyday grit and individuality.
• The Madonna Sex Book and the Power of Play - Paul shares behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Madonna’s Sex book, revealing how humor, trust, and improvisation drove one of pop culture’s most provocative moments.
• Working Under Vreeland, Liz Tilberis, and Anna Wintour - Both editors reflect on their experiences working under three of fashion's most legendary editor-in-chiefs, and how those women shaped the way they understood vision, authority, and trust.
• Amber in Poughkeepsie - Tonne recounts a story of a shoot gone wrong—turned right—thanks to a vintage car parade and quick thinking. A reminder of how the best images often come from the unexpected.
• What a Fashion Editor Actually Does - They unpack the evolving role of the fashion editor—from doing everything themselves in the early days to navigating the micromanagement of today’s content-saturated shoots.
• The Value of Niceness - In an industry known for egos and elitism, both credit their long-term success to gratitude, empathy, and kindness—and explain why being “nice” is often an underrated superpower.
• On Creative Longevity and Staying Awake - The key to keeping ideas fresh? Staying alive to the world. For Paul, it’s about visual curiosity. For Tonne, it’s emotional connection. For both, it’s a refusal to become calcified.
• What’s Contemporary Now - Tonne cites empathy and mutual care as the defining principles of the present, while Paul reflects on how enduring values—rather than trends—shape what really matters.

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DM us on Instagram or email us at info@whatscontemporary.com. If you've enjoyed the show, leave us a review and we'll be back soon with more episodes answering the insatiable question, what is contemporary now?

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“Even if you don’t agree with me, I’d rather build something that reflects a clear point of view. I think people are craving that right now.” - Sarah Richardson

Episode Highlights:

• Sketching in the Halls of the V&A - Sarah reflects on her early creative instincts, growing up in central London and spending weekends sketching historical costumes in museums with her culture-loving mother.
• Fashion Through Film and Family - Watching old movies with her stylish grandmother becomes one of her earliest memories of fashion, setting the tone for a lifelong love of cinematic style and storytelling.
• From Window Dressing to Styling - Her time at Joseph and Browns led her from visual merchandising to understanding styling as a career path—guided by early encounters with Venetia Scott and a pivotal comment from her father.
• The Subcultures of London Past - Sarah shares how London’s subcultural richness shaped her worldview and speaks to the shift of that visible diversity in today’s more commercial fashion landscape.
• Bridging New York and London - With offices in both cities, Sarah discusses the cultural tension and creative energy between New York’s optimism and London’s rebelliousness—and how Beyond Noise brings the best of both worlds together.
• The Birth of Beyond Noise -  After years of experience across fashion, retail, and publishing, Sarah speaks about her desire to build a platform that reflects her vision and gives space to other creatives.
• Why Two Volumes Not One - She unpacks the decision to split Beyond Noise into two distinct volumes—Beyond as a purely visual experience, and Noise as a place for culture, commentary, and deeper reading.
• Editorial Freedom and Artist Trust - Sarah emphasizes the importance of giving creatives true freedom and explains why the magazine avoids the tight constraints often found in traditional publishing models.
• Sustainability Versus Technology - She responds to the tension between environmental responsibility and technological advancement, expressing optimism about innovation and the belief that embracing progress is key to finding solutions.
• What’s Contemporary Now - Sarah shares her view on what defines the moment with reflections on social awareness, technological change, and a growing connection to the environment—all anchored by a deep belief in creative optimism.

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“I’ve always had this instinct to follow the work, not the title. If something felt aligned creatively, I went toward it—even if it didn’t make perfect sense on paper.” - Claire Thomson-Jonville

Episode Highlights:

• From Law to Parisian Culture - Claire shares her unexpected path from studying law at the University of Edinburgh to discovering her creative instincts while studying French cinema and literature at the Sorbonne.
• A Childhood of Sneakers and Style - Growing up with a father in sports retail and a love for magazines, Claire reflects on how early exposure to both Nike culture and glossy pages shaped her creative lens.
• Landing in Paris at the Right Time - Her arrival in Paris during a golden cultural era led to part-time work for Time Out, early encounters with the Colette circle, and an immersion in the city’s creative pulse.
• The Self Service Years - Working with Ezra Petronio and Suzanne Koller at Self Service taught Claire the discipline of image-making, the rigors of independent publishing, and the foundations of her visual language.
• Freelance Freedom and the Rise of Instagram - Embracing the early days of Instagram, Claire turned consistency and curation into a visual brand—one that foreshadowed her future role at Vogue France.
• Redefining French Vogue - Claire discusses what it means to inherit a legacy brand in a global digital age, and why feeling like an insider-outsider has helped her lead with authenticity.
• Realness in Luxury - From vintage-inspired minimalism to publishing knickers on a full page, Claire explores how today’s luxury is less about logos and more about time, space, and storytelling.
• Wellness as Editorial Philosophy - Claire opens up about her wellness routines, Hyrox training, and the upcoming Vogue France wellness retreat—redefining what modern leadership and luxury can look like.
• Creative Partnership with Alastair McKimm - Her longtime collaboration with Alastair, from i-D to Vogue, reflects a deep trust and shared vision—built on mutual respect and a belief in timeless French fashion codes.
• What’s Contemporary Now? - Claire answers the episode’s signature question: “Knowing yourself and following your instincts.” A fitting closing thought from someone who’s done exactly that throughout her career.

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We talk about the magazine’s evolution—from its roots in print to its growing influence across art, fashion, and design—and why events were always central to the brand’s DNA. She reflects on building access without elitism, maintaining integrity in a metrics-driven world, and what feels truly contemporary now.

“People think I’m very social, but I’m actually most comfortable standing quietly in a room, observing. That’s how I learned—watching how people move, how power shifts, how conversations unfold. I think that shaped my sense of how to tell stories.” - Sarah Harrelson 

Episode Highlights:

• The Discipline of Beauty - Sarah’s early life as a competitive equestrian instilled a love of visual precision, self-discipline, and independence—elements that continue to shape her editorial eye.
• From Politics to Publishing - With a college focus on the politics of poverty, Sarah originally envisioned a career in public service. That political awareness now informs her coverage of art, fashion, and the underdog stories that drive CULTURED.
• Shyness as Superpower - Once a shy child, Sarah reveals how observing from the sidelines helped her understand power dynamics, refine her instincts, and eventually find her editorial voice.
• Why She Built CULTURED Around Events - Events have been a core pillar of CULTURED since its inception—intimate, thoughtful gatherings that bring creative disciplines together and foster unexpected connections.
• The Anti-Algorithmic Editorial Approach - Sarah is unapologetic about choosing stories based on meaning rather than metrics, spotlighting talent before the industry catches on—even if it means fewer clicks.
• The Art of Cross-Pollination - Long before it became standard, Sarah was curating spaces where fashion designers, artists, architects, and tech figures could genuinely connect—not network, but engage.
• Rejecting Editorial Rigidity - In response to legacy media’s narrow guidelines, Sarah launched CULTURED with a rebellious spirit—including two blank pages in the first issue to make a statement about creative freedom.
• The Power of Staying Grounded - With three kids and a close-knit personal circle, Sarah prioritizes time, presence, and humility. “I don't like cliques,” she says. “I'm interested in being inclusive.”
• Cultured VIP & Democratizing Access - Through the CULTURED VIP program, she’s opening doors to readers who don’t always have access—offering things like museum tours, studio visits, and meaningful cultural experiences.
• What’s Contemporary Now? - For Sarah, contemporaneity isn’t about what’s trending—it’s about authenticity, curiosity, and kindness. A genuine lens, she says, is the most powerful tool any cultural voice can have.

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In this episode, Sauvé reflects on the golden era of editorial freedom, the founding of her own magazine, Mastermind, and why true innovation demands risk. She also shares how yoga sharpens her creative discipline, why she gravitates toward brands in need of reinvention, and what she believes is fashion’s biggest challenge today.

A rare glimpse into the mind of one of the industry's most influential yet elusive figures.

"Mastermind isn’t just about fashion. It’s about cinema, architecture, politics—because if you only look at fashion, you miss the bigger picture." - Marie-Amélie Sauvé

Episode Highlights:

• Growing up with fashion in France – Fashion was as much a part of daily life as literature and gastronomy in her upbringing, shaping her early perspective.
• Landing an internship at French Vogue – Her mother’s love for fashion led to an opportunity at Vogue Paris, where she was first exposed to industry legends like André Leon Talley, Helmut Newton, and Guy Bourdin.
• The golden era of French Vogue – Describes the unparalleled creative freedom of the magazine at the time, where editors and photographers could push boundaries without advertiser interference.
• Why she left Vogue to go freelance – She wanted a deeper understanding of how clothes were made and how designers shaped the industry, rather than just styling full looks in editorials.
• How yoga shapes her creative process – She practices Iyengar yoga daily, valuing its emphasis on precision and discipline, which mirrors her approach to fashion and creative direction.
• Why she created Mastermind – She wanted a magazine that balanced fashion with architecture, politics, cinema, and philosophy, giving equal weight to journalism and imagery.
• The longstanding creative relationship with Nicolas Ghesquière – She and Nicolas "grew up together" in the industry, sharing an obsession with research, reinvention, and pushing creative boundaries.
• Why true innovation requires risk – She reflects on how the most memorable fashion moments come from pushing boundaries, rather than playing it safe within industry expectations.
• Fashion’s democratic shift – Acknowledges that while fashion is now more accessible, standing out requires an even stronger creative perspective and sense of individuality.
• What’s contemporary now? – Time. In an era of constant acceleration, she believes the most valuable thing is having enough time to slow down, focus, and create with intention.

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In this episode, Kuryshchuk unpacks why magazine editors are shifting to brand consulting, how ageism shapes studio culture, and why true innovation isn’t about aesthetics but structure, sustainability, and survival. With characteristic candor, she lays bare fashion’s broken pipeline, the illusion of overnight success, and what it actually takes to build a lasting career today.

"What’s contemporary now? Long-term thinking. Creating with intention. The industry is obsessed with speed, but the future belongs to those who build for longevity." - Olya Kuryshchuk

Episode Highlights:

• The Birth of 1Granary – What started as a student project at Central Saint Martins became a global fashion education platform.
• The Reality of Fashion Education – A degree from a top school doesn’t guarantee success—80% of graduates don’t find jobs in the industry.
• Acting as a Designer Union – 1Granary advocates for young designers, exposing industry flaws and providing career guidance.
• The Power of Community – Success in fashion isn’t just about talent; strategic relationships and collaborations shape careers.
• Why Editors Are Moving to Brand Consulting – Traditional media salaries are low, while brands offer better pay and creative freedom.
• Ageism in Fashion – Studios are filled with designers under 30, and career paths for women over 40 are nearly nonexistent.
• The Industry’s Broken Pipeline – Young designers either join big brands or struggle to launch their own—a middle path is missing.
• The Harsh Truth About Fashion’s Business Model – Many emerging designers can’t sustain their brands, despite industry hype.
• Fashion’s Double Standard on Sustainability – Big brands have the power to create real change, but it’s indie designers who often lead the charge.
• What’s Contemporary Now? – Long-term thinking—in an industry obsessed with speed, real impact comes from sustainability and intention.

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Today, with "earned media value" driving the industry, the role of the celebrity stylist has become central, crafting moments that break through the algorithmic noise and recall an era when culture felt more unified. Few understand this better than Jahleel Weaver, whose work with Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Taylor Russell has positioned him as a defining force at the intersection of fashion, music, and celebrity.

In this episode, we move beyond the spectacle to discuss why the work matters more than how it’s received, the power of staying present, and the creative force of surprise. For Weaver, influence is a byproduct, not the goal.

"Love doing this podcast stuff, but you know, in general, I would love for the work to just speak for itself and not have to say anything." - Jahleel Weaver

Episode Highlights:

• From Maryland to the Global Stage – Jahleel Weaver reflects on being the first American-born member of his Panamanian-Jamaican family, growing up without creative role models, and how music, film, and fashion shaped his path.
• The Icons That Shaped His Eye – Madonna’s reinvention, Tom Ford’s world-building, and hip-hop’s lyrical name-dropping all played a role in defining Weaver’s early understanding of style and cultural impact.
• The Leap Into Styling – A post-recession moment of clarity led him to take styling seriously, which led to an introduction to Mel Ottenberg—a meeting that would change everything.
• Building Rihanna’s Visual Legacy – Since 2011, Weaver has been a key force behind Rihanna’s evolving image, from styling to creative direction, launching Fenty Corp, and ultimately leading to his role as deputy creative director at LVMH’s Fenty Maison.
• The Art of Storytelling Through Style – The difference between styling an individual and shaping an entire brand’s creative vision, and why research is at the heart of it all.
• Mistakes, Learning, and the Internet’s Watchful Eye – Why failure is essential to growth, even in an era where everything is recorded, and how staying true to his instincts became a guiding principle.
• Music and Fashion: A Lifelong Dialogue – Hip-hop was his first introduction to luxury fashion, serving as both a cultural educator and a gateway to brands that would later become part of his work.
• Launching His Own Studio – After a decade with Rihanna, Weaver added a new role, creating a studio where he could expand his creative vision across music, film, and fashion.
• Has Fashion Become Too Popular for Its Own Good? – Weaver discusses how fashion’s explosion in accessibility has blurred the line between admiration and true passion for the industry.
• What is Contemporary Now? – For Weaver, it’s about being fully present. With so much focus on nostalgia and the future, he sees contemporaneity as fully inhabiting the now.

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Today's guest is a serial entrepreneur and self-described "forever intern" who co-founded Basic.Space, which later acquired Design Miami, where he now serves as chairman. Up next is Design.Space, a project that explores the power of quality curation within an IRL/URL retail experience while bringing together the worlds of design, art, and fashion.

In a culture where the concept of community has been co-opted by big business and marketing teams, Jesse Lee shares a different approach that, for this conversation, we’ll call a club. Whether or not you're familiar with the burgeoning world of design and its evolving role in communicating status the way a highly coveted watch or luxury fashion once did, Jesse’s mindset is one to emulate. His perspective is especially valuable for those seeking their own point of convergence where passion and purpose meet in a way that is both meaningful and profitable.

"It's not just about the work ethic, but also about wanting to learn. If it wasn't for that mindset, I don't think I'd be able to learn from music, fashion, technology, art, design, culinary—whatever it is. That's sort of been the mantra since day one." - Jesse Lee 

Design.Space will showcase a curated selection of archival and contemporary pieces from top artists, designers, galleries, and brands, including:

Alexander May, AMEN, Archived, Avery Wheless, Brett Robinson, Brian Thoreen, Cadogan Tate, David Kelley, Enorme, Ettore Sottsass, Found Objects, George Davies, GUFRAM, Guido, Jahlil Nzinga, Jean Pigozzi, Jeffrey Deitch, Jess Hannah, Jeaux de Peau by Purienne, Justin Reed, Keiko Moriuchi, Laura Sattin, Leyla Fisher, Lily Clark, Marcin Rusak, Marquel Williams, Marta, Max Lamb, Memphis, Meritalia, Michelle Jane Lee, niceworkshop, Nick Thomm, Nike, NM3, NO GA, Paulin Paulin Paulin, Period Correct, Puck, Raiffe Glass, Roham Shamekh, Sabine Marcelis, Sam Klemick, Same Old/BASA Vintage, Sasha December, Spaceless Gallery, Stephanie Ketty, Stickymonger, Studio Ker, The Future Perfect, The Pink Lemonade, Tokio., Tristan Marsh, Tsu Lange Yor, USM, Verre d'Onge, Wexler Gallery, Willo Perron, Yung Jake & more to be announced soon.

Episode Highlights:

• Jesse Lee’s Journey from Intern to Industry Leader – How his relentless curiosity and willingness to do any job led to his success in music, fashion, and design.
• The Birth of Basic.Space – Why Jesse created Basic.Space as a curated platform for creatives, and how it evolved into an ecosystem connecting sellers, collectors, and brands.
• The Acquisition of Design Miami – The strategic move behind Basic.Space acquiring Design Miami, and how the two entities complement each other.
• The Concept Behind Design.Space – How Jesse is bridging digital and physical retail by creating a hybrid shopping experience that blends the best of Basic.Space and Design Miami.
• The Shift from Fashion to Design – Why luxury consumers are now more interested in furniture, objects, and design than traditional status-driven fashion.
• The Strategy Behind Invitation-Only Shopping – Why Basic.Space is moving to a membership-based model and limiting access to its most engaged customers.
• Curation as the Key to Modern Luxury – How brands and platforms must focus on thoughtful selection rather than mass availability to stay relevant.
• The Role of Physical Events in a Digital World – Why Jesse believes creating real-world moments is critical, and how Design.Space will redefine the shopping experience.
• The Importance of Intersectionality in Business – Jesse’s belief that success comes from mastering multiple industries—fashion, music, technology, art, and design—rather than specializing in just one.
• Why Push Marketing Is Over – Jesse’s philosophy that the best brands don’t chase customers but create experiences that naturally pull the right people in.

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"You can't bend and shape yourself to meet other people's expectations. It's absolutely impossible. And what each of us has is completely unique to us. How we see the world is completely unique to us. I think there's no limit to what we can do if we're inspired."

- Fran Burns

Episode Highlights:

• Fran’s career in fashion first began in music when she assisted the creative director for Kylie Minogue. 
• Finding her way into the fashion side more officially, Fran started working in PR, where she discovered that styling and magazines were what really lit her up.
• Prolific stylists such as Joe McKenna, Alex White, and Jonathan Kaye were among those Fran assisted as she came up in the industry.
• After deciding that the format of most magazines felt ripe for change, Fran, along with her friend and collaborator Christopher Simmonds, decided it was time to start their own project, PRINT.
• Emphasizing the importance of viewing the necessary changes around sustainability as an evolution rather than a revolution, Fran reminds us to focus on progress rather than perfection as we all work together to achieve lasting and meaningful change.
• Deciding to study nutrition, Fran discovered the holistic approach to life as something that went beyond personal routines and lifestyle choices, eventually qualifying as a transformational coach.
• Refusing to be relegated to any one role, Fran is a stylist, consultant, creative director, publisher, and mentor, viewing this variety of creative outputs as an integral part of who she is.
• Working with both individuals and brand clients, Fran’s coaching has provided her with a way to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to go, helping people realize they have the capacity to take the necessary steps toward achieving their goals.
• Fran points out that it’s impossible to shape and bend ourselves to the expectations of others, suggesting instead that we should lean into whatever lights us up, even if it’s outside of the industry we’ve chosen. If it’s feeding us, it’s also opening up our point of view even more.
• Leaving us with a simple yet powerful message, Fran believes that there is no limit to what we can do as long as we are inspired.

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"Letting go of any kind of visualized destination, any kind of idea of what was—what was the right way to do things—and just being kind of fluid and, you know, brave in a way that didn’t come naturally to me. But it sort of enforced this new counter-nature, where I had to survive. So I did." - Daniel Arnold 

Episode Highlights:

• As the oldest of six kids, Daniel Arnold understood by the age of 11 or 12 that he would need to create his own world, entertaining himself while concealing his struggles and ambitions. He chose to only share fully formed ideas, appearing effortless and free from struggle.
• At just 23, the Milwaukee native arrived in New York City where he found a job writing for Viacom.
• Having grown up in a big family, he understood the value of fleeting moments captured through photography and found himself as a storyteller and a keeper of life’s precious and hilarious moments.
• Living off toast while navigating the waves of poverty that almost every young and new artist seems to endure at some point, Daniel's early years as a freelancer were no stranger to the learning opportunities found in struggle.
• With a growing body of work, the inspirational highs and lows of discovering the next great image that has always fueled him can sometimes prove even more challenging.
• Recognizing that we've all been trained to seek entertainment in this culture of distraction, Daniel believes we all have the ability to tune into a frequency where we can see life as a source of entertainment, rather than as a means of validation or proof of our own value.
• Like anyone who has battled imposter syndrome, Daniel says he’s been scared enough times to know to trust the process.
• A master of metaphor, Daniel compares digital photography to a conversation with success, while film is one with failure, simply because each frame is a risk without any guiding screen or preview.
• According to Arnold, we've become thirstier for control and perfection than ever before, and as a result, it's imperfection that has become more gorgeous and human than ever.

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"I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're a celebrity. I don't care where you come from—if you're from the hood—I treat everyone the same. And I think you can see that at my show." - Raul Lopez

Episode Highlights:

• A New York native of Dominican descent, Raul Lopez first came onto the fashion scene by launching the brand Hood by Air with Shayne Oliver in 2006 before going on to launch his own brand, LUAR, in 2011.  
• After leaving HBA, Raul spent time living in the Dominican Republic while seeking to connect with his cultural roots beyond being part of the diaspora.  
• Raul has always found sanctuary in visits to his grandmother’s home, where she has an entire room set up as an altar. He still goes there before his shows every season to this day. Spirituality, rather than religion, remains one of the cornerstones of his creative process.  
• Growing up in Brooklyn, Raul’s creative inspirations have been drawn from an array of cultural reference points and figures, ranging from Hasidic Jews to the sex workers he often saw on the streets as a kid.  
• Initially naming his brand LUAR as a strategic move to avoid preconceived notions associated with a Latino name, Raul eventually decided it was time to embrace being Raul—not just LUAR—leaning into the wealth of creativity and culture he grew up in rather than shying away from it.  
• Culture is currency, and learning to live as your true, authentic self becomes currency. Raul has built his brand with this mindset.  
• After spending too much time trying to prove himself—designing despite never having received a formal education—Raul realized he had become depressed and no longer wanted to be in fashion. During this time away, living in the Cayman Islands, he discovered the powerful force of self-love and returned with a renewed perspective.  
• Raul views his brand as a platform—not just for himself but for others—seeing his designs as catalysts that help people discover their own truths.  
• Encouraging his team to step away when needed, Raul emphasizes the importance of learning who you are, loving who you are, and letting go of the fear that taking a break means being forgotten.

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Where most brand events aim for maximum visibility and the optics of adjacency to “the right people,” Mytheresa takes a different route. Their gatherings are a masterclass in exclusivity, designed with their fiercely loyal repeat customers in mind—a rarefied echo chamber that isn’t trying to be everything to everyone, but everything to the few who matter most when it comes to their bottom line.

"You need to define your audience and then be as good as you can to serve them and to stay close. Again, it's this dichotomy of they are looking for inspiration, but they're not willing to scroll through 500 depictions of products" - Michael Kliger 

Episode Highlights:

• The son of two entrepreneurs, Michael Kliger decided to study business and initially pursued consulting while being unsure of which sector or function he was ready to fully commit to.
• After spending 12 years in retail, but never in digital, he made the move from McKinsey to eBay to gain a deeper understanding of the marketplace that was rapidly becoming the present and future of commerce.
• Michael recognized early on that the customer experience is the cornerstone of a company’s success, whether in digital or brick-and-mortar environments. Rather than tell them what they wanted, he first asked.
• While more complex designs and customer experiences emerge with the expansion of technology and its capabilities, Michael committed early on to having their content strategy guided by a deliberate simplicity.
• Understanding that their customer had significant buying power but a limited budget when it came to time, he quickly learned that their role was to inspire while curating a thoughtful, edited selection that met their customers' unique needs. Ultimately putting forward a smaller, yet more targeted, offering than their competitors.
• Like many others in the luxury sector, they have recognized and began catering to the growing demand for new categories, particularly in home and decor.
• Partnering with brands like Dries Van Noten and Valentino, part of their distinctive offering includes frequent capsule collections or exclusive product drops.
• Despite the platform’s ongoing and impressive success, Kliger describes their strategies as being in a constant state of evolution, likening it to a snake shedding its skin.
• A firm believer in the importance of consuming data points—whether through personal anecdotes, customer feedback, or other sources—Michael highlights how new ideas often emerge when different pieces of information suddenly connect.
• Michael also discusses the acquisition of Net-a-Porter and its implications for the future of both companies' respective businesses.

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In this episode, Lauren shares her personal journey while helping us dissect the cultural moment we’re navigating—a world fractured into countless niches yet searching for universal connections.

From the evolving role of journalism in an oversaturated media landscape to the rise of authenticity as a cultural currency, Lauren offers a compelling look at what it takes to thrive in a world that rewards staying true to yourself.

“There's no need to compare yourself to other people because everybody is coming from a different perspective. And so, I don't believe in objectivity in any way. I think that people who claim it exists should strive for it, but you also have to know that it's not a real thing.” - Lauren Sherman

Episode Highlights:

• Lauren knew at a young age that she was interested in journalism, specifically fashion, but somehow ended up studying computer programming first.
• Her two biggest influences early on were Liz Tilberis and Jane Pratt, who were the editors of Harper’s Bazaar and Sassy, respectively.
• The business aspect of her career in journalism was not planned, but it was the first way she found to get into the industry.
• Having come up during the time when conglomerates like Kering and LVMH were first taking shape, and the industry was rapidly becoming big business, she learned early on how important the business aspect of the fashion conversation actually was.
• Joining Fashionista during the heyday of blogging, Lauren was suddenly expected to churn out several pieces a day. It was there she learned to write without having time to pick up the phone to sources and instead relied more exclusively on her own perspective about the topics she was writing about.
• Despite being rooted in fashion, both The Line Sheet and Fashion People speak to broader cultural issues, from Ozempic to musical chairs with creative directors at major fashion houses.
• Lauren breaks down the reality behind the seismic shifts in the luxury sector and consumer behaviors shaping them.
• The impressive efficacy of certain creative choices is often beyond the reach of data farming and analytics platforms, and can end up getting overlooked by those who now exclusively let data govern their choices.
• Critical thinking is not taught in schools, and the impact of that missing link is evident in the cultural behaviors we often encounter today.
• According to Sherman, we live in such a fragmented culture that, to succeed, you must truly understand what’s right for you and do what’s right for you. Those who do that often achieve significant success.

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“I feel like there's always going to be those people who are going to want to be anonymous because not everyone wants to be in front of the camera.” - Boringnotcom

Episode Highlights:

• Boringnotcom is an avid YouTube user who once contemplated becoming a creator on the platform, only to ultimately realize they didn’t want to be in front of the camera.
• Originally inspired by content creator @stylenotcom, they were drawn to the catchy nature of the blue squares—while finding it a tad reductive—and believed they could do something better.
• Having found the fashion industry to be repressive and confining, especially when it comes to having an opinion and constantly considering advertisers, @boringnotcom was created as an opportunity to break free from those constraints and speak without filters.
• While the account offers plenty of personal opinion, much of its content resonates with others’ experiences, touching on topics like DEI and the challenges often faced in the industry.
• They remain 50/50 on whether this account, originally started for a bit of fun, will be shut down or continue, as demand for their content continues to grow.
• For @boringnotcom, Anna Wintour has done an incredible job, but fashion no longer allows for any one figurehead to dominate.
• When it comes to collectibility, they’ve never considered Self Service a magazine—after all, magazines, for them, are something you throw away.
• Luxury, for them, has had the creativity drained by the greed behind the machine. Today, one has to search extensively to find something truly different amidst the widely accepted codes of major houses.
• The conversation around DEI, sustainability, equal pay, and gender equality must continue—not just in fashion, but in the world at large.
• For @boringnotcom, being contemporary means practicing freedom of speech and fearless creativity.

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Born into a world of celebrity and culture in Los Angeles, Sara’s path to leadership was anything but handed to her. From high school internships to assisting legends like Sally Singer and Phyllis Posnick, she built her career with determination and a deep passion for the arts.

As W's first female editor-in-chief in its 53-year history, Sara has revitalized the brand, expanding its print cycle to meet the demands of its thriving digital audience. Today, W Magazine remains a collectible beacon of creativity, bridging the worlds of art, cinema, music, fashion, and celebrity.

Episode Highlights:

• Moonves grew up in Los Angeles, voraciously consuming arts and culture from a young age.
• While still in high school, Sara interned at Vogue and later assisted legends like Sally Singer and Phyllis Posnick before becoming a fashion editor herself.
• Upon inheriting a nearly defunct W Magazine as its new Editor-in-Chief, Sara had to convince reluctant advertisers that the brand was still a worthy investment.
• In March 2024, W debuted its first digital cover featuring Beyoncé, timed to the release of her album Renaissance. The most awarded artist in Grammys history generated over 3.5 billion press impressions and 348 million social impressions, sparking overwhelming demand for a print edition.
• While other print publications scaled back their number of print editions due to industry-wide reductions in readership and ad spend, W's print issues were so successful that the brand added another to its lineup in 2024.
• Overall, W Magazine saw double-digit revenue growth year-over-year in the first half of 2024, encompassing all three platforms: print, digital, and experiential.
• By bringing cultural icons like Steven Spielberg into the fashion fold for the first time, W’s brand world and content offerings are often more varied than many of its contemporaries.
• Sara became the first female Editor-in-Chief in the brand's 53-year history.
• Published by Rizzoli in 2022, W Magazine: 50 Years/50 Stories was the first of what Sara envisions as many brand extensions that leverage the magazine's storied history.
• For Sara, being contemporary means pushing boundaries, tuning out the noise, and always moving forward rather than backward.

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This season’s roster of editors-in-chief, designers, journalists, CEOs, creators, and talents invites us to ponder not just the answers they offer but the questions they compel us to ask ourselves. Join us as we embark on this journey—new episodes every Monday, starting January 6th.

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DM us on Instagram or email us at info@whatscontemporary.com. If you've enjoyed the show, leave us a review and we'll be back soon with more episodes answering the insatiable question, whats is contemporary now?

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Episode Highlights:

• Koller, who was born and raised in Vienna, feels “very Austrian.” She moved to Germany, and then to Switzerland, where she studied graphic design. She’s lived in France for over 30 years. 
• Knowing from her teen years that she wanted to be an art director, Koller saw the glamour of working for a magazine. She became an intern at Elle magazine in Paris before interning in graphic design at Glamour—where she was first introduced to the idea of working in fashion.
• As a consultant, stylist, and art director, Koller found it exciting to make her own way with Self Service and to change hats, working with smaller magazines to avoid creative constraints.
• Koller focuses less on fashion and more on individual subjects, orienting herself toward documenting women through time in collaborative projects. 
• Driven by long-standing obsessions, her current interest is finding emerging talent and working with a new generation of creatives.
• Keeping herself out of her comfort zone helps maintain her energy and curiosity even as she considers herself a workaholic. 
• Koller is not driven by nostalgia but more inspired by the now, whether in the supermarket perusing ingredients, going to a museum, people-watching, or taking a flight. She believes in the significance of “emptying [her] brain” periodically.
• In an age of over-engagement with social media, what’s contemporary to her now is staying true to oneself.

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Episode Highlights:

• Born into a family of tailors in Germany, Baumeister studied tailoring and fashion from an early age. 
• Zankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and arrived in the US at the age of nine. Growing very close to New York City in the ’90s, his first interactions with English and the West were mediated through MTV.
• Launching his own label in 2019, Zankov was interested in creating a recognizable visual language unique to his perspective after working as a consultant for years.
• To Baumeister, production difficulties are “finding the right people to work with; being so many positions in one, from the production manager to the pattern maker to handling sales; understanding even how wholesale and fashion is working.”
• Zankov speaks about the need to “reset” how we consume, living slower and more intentionally curated lifestyles.
• Regarding the tension between fantasy and commercial viability, Baumeister says her solution—at the intersection of artistry and sales—is “all in the fabric.”
• Zankov starts with a concept every season, aiming toward a curious customer with inner soulfulness and wisdom.
• Both designers cite the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund as an incredible support for their creative practice.
• Baumeister notes that wholesale gives more reach and territory, while direct-to-customer sales offer more constructive feedback and relationship-building opportunities. Zankov highlights the importance of using both, though DTC allows him to make more accessible garments.
• Zankov sees fashion’s ability to express intention as what’s contemporary now, while Baumeister sees “being concerned about the future” as the zeitgeist.

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Episode Highlights:

• Growing up in the British countryside in a modern sixties home, Heath remembers an upbringing spent outdoors, where she became intrigued with visions of scale; her mother’s crafts were also a deep influence. 
• She started her career in costume design and was moved to create a set from paper for Dazed, which turned into requests for shop windows and later collaborations with Tim Walker. 
• Heath’s creative process begins with words or an image, but usually, the former encourages original image-making and visualizing.
• She sees tools like AI as potentially good research tools but detrimental to her own particular craft; its use depends on the artist and their authenticity.
• She recommends working independently rather than starting as an assistant to an established artist, as then you know how to forge your own path first. 
• Though she used to feel that she experienced “excessive input” when doing a project, she now feels she can better communicate her vision and appease clients and collaborators up front. 
• She prefers the immediacy and direct access of working in photography to working on film sets; Heath remarks she wouldn’t be interested in doing a period piece that didn’t have an added element of creativity like Poor Things—a film she worked on with James Price, whose decades of film expertise Heath leaned on. 
• Fashion’s tendency for retro revisits and zeitgeist trends plays well into her work (as opposed to interior design, which she says has more of a lag time between trends and the trend’s appearance in the culture). 
• Her work on Poor Things won her an Academy Award for Best Production Design.

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Episode Highlights:

• Growing up in San Diego with a creative mother and a pop-culture-obsessed father, Allen recalls watching Disney movies, writing in cursive, immersing in arts and crafts, and wanting to be an animator.  
• She describes herself as a child being in her own “little world,” a feeling that contributed to her strong sense of self as an adult.
• With a level of conviction required for creative pursuits and an early interest in image-making, Allen cherishes the performative aspects of both modeling and styling.
• Her career in New York took off quickly, through connections to Candy magazine, the VAQUERA label, and stylist Ian Bradley. 
• Allen says the unique thing about her generation’s access to information—and noise—is “this real emphasis on understanding your history and the context and everything that kind of surrounds what we’re doing.” 
• Allen became fashion director at Interview magazine, thinking of the role as writing with clothes and writing with photos. 
• She recognizes a sense of absurdity in the fashion world and emphasizes the performative aspects of everyday life. 
• When asked what’s contemporary now, Allen says, “optimism; levity,” and speaks to enjoying even the challenging parts of the work, and fluidity. 

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Episode Highlights:

• Ghertner had a very imaginative childhood, where she learned the importance of positive, clear messaging. 
• Ghertner has partnered with Fee Steinvorth to create neoNutritions, a new vision of wellness rooted in spirituality and connection, with more of an interconnected focus on education compared to other health and beauty regimes.
• She sees what’s contemporary now as a sense of connectedness that resonates despite a modern overabundance of images. 
• Saying that photography and consumerism go hand in hand, Ghertner speaks to the struggle to achieve and sustain commercial success while also holding to the values deeply rooted in her work, such as unwavering attention to her subjects.
• Despite working with digital imagery and print media across personal projects and commercial collaborations, Ghertner says each effort informs another and that she’s a natural multihyphenate creator.
• Her first shooting of model Małgosia Bela was a breakthrough in “being able to work with someone with skills and ability.” She went through a phase of digging deeply into her subjects before garnering enough experience to represent that research and those conversations in the final imagery. 
• The support of women in the industry—such as Phoebe Philo, Miuccia Prada, Grace Wales Bonner, and Gabriella Hearst—has “allow[ed] me to grow and step into their worlds, which expands what my picture is about as well.” 
• Speaking to how images can traumatize or trigger elements of culture as a whole, Ghertner says her reaction to the male gaze and mental health advocacy are “a big part of the what and the why of how I’m making the pictures I make.”
• Having moved to warm and sunny California to experience a better quality of life, Ghertner experienced a shift in perspective akin to experiencing motherhood for the first time and creating a new body of work—and a new book. 

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Episode Highlights:

• He comes from a family of journalists who worked for Italian weekly “Panorama,” so he was “literally born within a newsroom” and has “childhood memories of the good old days of print media, where this group of talented journalists in their 30s, in the middle of the 70s were having a lot of fun playing poker and doing beautiful newspapers.” 
• Informed by a classical education, he studied law while training as a television and print media journalist, starting with sports before moving on to fashion.
• Known as “a true magazine maker,” Farneti knows the importance of working with a brand’s DNA, which he says can evolve but should remain true to itself. 
• Remembering Vogue Italia’s pandemic coverage, Farneti remarks that the ability to use fashion to address largerquestions and have a voice about what’s important is crucial. 
• As the director of D-la Repubblica, he’s adept at addressing a general audience with various and surprising topics united under the banner of good writing. 
• Focusing on making the most beautiful monthly-style, weekly-produced magazine possible, D sets itself apart for the quality and depth of its reporting in beauty, fashion, society, art, and lifestyle sections.
• The three limits of D as a print magazine: 1) it takes a long time to come together and is in circulation so briefly. 2) print quality and paper are low when working on a weekly basis. 3) there’s no international distribution. 
• One of the issues he’s more proud of came out last year and was completely dedicated to Afro-Italian or second-generation Italians, conceived, styled, and photographed by second-generation Italians themselves.
• The magazine is launching a men’s monthly on June 24. With D, Farneti oversees three different titles plus a newspaper covering the broader spectrum of fashion and beauty.
• When asked what’s contemporary, he says teamwork, and that his coworkers “are all bringing so many ideas, so many opportunities and such a good energy to the magazine.” 

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Episode Highlights:

• Risso’s early years were spent not talking in a hectic and blended family home in Genoa, where he communicated by making things with his hands.
• At 8 or 9 years old, he began making clothes, scavenging clothes from his grandmother’s closet to cut and sew.
• Studying the classics and art, Risso “escaped” from his loud family by moving to Florence, knowing he would make clothes. 
• He found in the dance, clubbing, and rave scenes a way to escape from the constrictive traditional forces in Italy at the time when he considered himself goth and an outsider.
• “Provocative, and visceral, and obsessive.”: Risso talks about how he accepts a darker side of his outlook as a complement to his lighter and romantic side.
• He notes one of his mentors, Louise Wilson at Central Saint Martins, taught him to base a world around a garment without using typical fashion references. 
• Risso read a Virginia Woolf piece in which she invites her friends to the countryside and tells them not to bring clothes, as to leave behind a kind of social structure, and this inspired him to lose reference points. 
• On the secret of merging creative freedom with commercial success, Risso champions trust, pleasure, and courage,and living in the moment rather than for the final product.
• Marni Jam is one example of interdisciplinary creativity that Risso works into the brand, expanding music into fashion.
• To Risso, what’s contemporary now is “sex and food”—two exchanges he finds beautiful in that they build community.

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Episode Highlights:

• Rougier grew up far from the front of culture, and though his interests in fashion were indirect at first until he moved to Bordeaux—a larger city—to study. 
• He started his work in fashion boxing Hermes products before moving to London, still employed at Hermes, learning English and partaking in ’80s gay club culture there.
• Yohji Yamamoto employed Rougier to work a PR position, giving him his first taste of serious work and long hours associated with the industry.
• Using his London connections, he opened his own PR firm as the Antwerp Six were coming into the spotlight, and worked under Martin Margiela for four years, until he felt that his aesthetic and vision were too overwhelmingly connected to that one house.
• Moving to New York, Rougier worked as communications director for a company that held brands like Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang, and Michael Kors.
• Rougier speaks on learning that the antithesis of what's trending is always on the precipice of an arrival.
• He says the conversations in fashion are less now about what designers like and more about what designers find that works, and is successful. 
• Before the internet, there were few photos of shows and most people waited to see items in stores to determine the zeitgeist; now, Rougier says, the urgency of marketing makes everything “extremely transactional.” 
• He says it’s fair to say that in fashion, elitism has trended out with a shift to exclusive community identities.

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Episode Highlights:

• Bennett grew up in LA, balancing two passions: masculine menswear magazines and hyper-feminine ballet practice.
• Talking about her early passion for vintage finds and retro styles, Bennett says experimenting with styling became another medium for her, “like writing.”
• She grew up reading publications like Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Nylon, and Dazed—publications she says understood young consumers and which she still keeps a few print copies. 
• Bennett moved up through various roles in the industry at a time when social media marketing was in its more raw, early stage.
• Her role at Highsnobiety gives her creative freedom in that it moves with the youth culture and its fast-paced, creative, adaptive, and reactive workplace environment.
• Bennett is ahead of the curve, balancing personal perspective with editorial consideration and curation.
• Her team at Highsnobiety pushes a particular and intentional editorial vision, championing designers and talent that they want to carve out a space for. 
• Some of Bennett’s favorite cover stars have been Billie Eilish, Andre 3000, and Pamela Anderson, though she felt strongly about the Dries Van Noten cover. 
• Bennett has spoken about forming real connections as a priority over solely professional relationships, despite how “transactional” the industry can be. 
• Under Bennett’s eye, Highsnobiety’s niche is to move in tandem with the zeitgeist instead of against it, never telling readers what to do or who to wear. 
• Bennett considers real-life events crucial to foundational community building, saying, “that to me is a way bigger metric of success than like any influencer with 16 million followers posting one slide that everyone’s going to skip over anyway.” 
• She’s published poetry collections benefitting The Audre Lorde Project for queer youth.  
• For Bennett, deleting social media is what’s contemporary now, surprisingly. 

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Episode Highlights:

• Growing up as an only child on a farm in the Swedish countryside, Torstensson remarks on the importance of boredom to his creative development and the necessity of simply finding something to do. 
• Slow-paced life didn’t suit him. He began to enjoy traveling, dancing, and skateboarding, which held both collaborative and independent creative potential.
• After working at interiors magazine Wallpaper, Torstensson helped launch Industrie and Man About Town magazines—the former had cover stars like Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, and Naomi Campbell. 
• Outside of quantitative efforts in brand identity, ad campaigns, and editorial work, Torstensson says, “It’s not really about you. It’s about who you work with, who you surround yourself with.” 
• FRAME was a community-led “passion project” stemming from Industrie. It was built not necessarily on denim but on the idea of perfecting any single product with a particular aesthetic in mind, in this case, “the FRAME woman.” 
• Working on a budget to produce and market FRAME’s aesthetic has led Torstensson to think out of the box.
• Torstensson discusses a brand’s life cycle and its different versions, from starting out as a hot newcomer to becoming more organized and productive to later cutting through the media landscape with more sensational marketing. 
• On the level of scale and production, AI gave Torstensson a great new tool he likens to Photoshop, making him quicker and more effective. 
• Having a strong team, a partnership with Jens Grede, and the luxury of slowing down have gone hand in hand with an increase in confidence in his work over the years.
• He foregrounds the importance of knowing your strengths and leaning into them, going with your personal passions—“Just do it.”
• Torstensson recommends reevaluating what’s contemporary and what will last every five years or so, not being afraid, and learning to evolve.

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Episode Highlights:

• Schlossman and Harris’s origin story of work and personal partnership was born of necessity and involved building a social calendar around whatever was available to them.
• They worked together at Complex, “failing upwards,” with a fashion video show that took off based on their dynamic before moving on to more strategic and brand partnerships roles.
• As they moved up the ladder, both felt creatively constricted by red tape and constrained by creating content that catered to advertising dollars. 
• Schlossman and Harris started their podcast in January 2020 with a sense of having zero stakes—and they say this mentality is what paid off. 
• Retaining their independence is important to them in a clinical media landscape; it keeps their listeners interested in their irreverence voice.  
• Now that they make their own designs and collaborate with their favorite brands, such as Our Legacy, Schlossman and Harris contrast their well-made designs with “guys who get dressed for the internet.” 
• Their audience is “incredibly enthusiastic and incredibly savvy and smart,” Harris says, and respects their underdog style and pursuits. 
• They cite a robust list of favorite brands, like Eckhaus Latta, Connor McKnight, Angelo Urrutia, Stoffa, Sunflower, and Our Legacy as references and masterful brands of the moment. 
• When asked what’s contemporary now, Harris offers “the fragmentation” and “the challenge of how people can eventually find their people,” while Schlossman says “motivation and doing things because they actually make you feel good,” which is inherent to his interest in dressing. 

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Episode Highlights:

• Talking about her childhood in Michigan, Givhan loved reading and writing and stumbled unintentionally into the fashion sector after writing about Detroit's techno scene.
• Covering menswear was "a very gentle entry point" into fashion and allowed her to focus on the details, quality, endurance, and longevity of garments.
• Describing her entry into womenswear as marked by gatekeepers—who were frankly mean—Givhan was stubbornly determined and interested in the fashion scene's character-driven nature rather than its more consumerist elements.
• Givhan is careful to distinguish between general interest reporting and the reviewing that is natural to "a fashion ecosystem." 
• Givhan notes that she doesn't necessarily have a stake in what's happening, which makes her a good critic.
• There is a difference between social media influencers, who are engaging, and actual historians, who can give information to journalists, and critics, who can "connect the dots" for the public at large while being held to higher standards. 
• The way people consume media is changing, though Givhan is optimistic that voracious readers will always exist.
• She sees significant progress in some political realms; the pendulum always swings, oscillates, and zigzags. 
• Givhan outlines sociopolitical fashion as a tool for education, a kind of shorthand for identity, and a means of representation.
• Is fashion dependent on anchors or hooks from the culture at large? To Givhan, it's engaging enough to stand on its own, while fashion as an industry tends to rely on mainstream media for support.
• Givhan contrasts companies like Dries Van Noten and Versace, which remain inside the fashion realm, to labels that use celebrities to inspire growth.
• What's contemporary now is being comfortable in the gray spaces. 

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Episode Highlights:

• Guinness says her formative years were a mixture of “art, stoicism, military thought, and surrealism.” 
• She’s interested in philosophy and the Stoics and calls herself happy to be an outcast. 
• As a child, she lived in a monastery in Spain with no other than Salvador Dali as a neighbor— “he put me up to make some of my best pranks as a child.”
• On the pre-1999 era of Daphne Guinness, she says she was never a society wife, only a mother, hermetic. 
• Her friendship with magazine editor Isabella Blow, her relative “in spirit,” exposed her to things and people most people would only ever dream of or see in a film.
• Guinness’s otherworldly aura and fantastical upbringing seems perfectly normal from her perspective. 
• She was mentored by David Bowie, who spotted her as a singer. She recently released “Hip Neck Spine,” which has a music video directed by the legendary Nick Knight. 
• Philanthropic efforts are crucial to her; Guinness sponsors a CSM scholarship every year. 
• She considers herself a pessimistic optimist, exhausted by putting her heart and soul into her art and music—she sees what’s contemporary as pessimism, but she’s “Team optimism.” 
• She sees the beauty in human error and process, saying, “I like to do things the old-fashioned way.”

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Episode Highlights:

• Grand is a marathon runner; she sees fitness and endurance as ways to expand her interests outside of fashion.
• She came into “nerdy” or “outsider” friendships in Birmingham, growing up ice skating and attending cultural events together; through this scene, she found out about publications like The Face and i-D.
• Her father brought her to London as a child to shop. 
• What’s kept her on the pulse of the fashion world—from social media revenue to the evolution of print magazines—has been following her instincts and respecting when she finds herself feeling bored with something.
• Grand talks about balancing the support of working under a big corporation with a need to collaborate with people who share her lack of rigidity and need for freedom.
• She discusses the difference between magazines like Dazed, The Face, and i-D, biannuals, and monthlies, and working on different production timelines. 
• Grand cites putting Beth Ditto on the cover of Love as something akin to putting Kendall Jenner on a Marc Jacobs runway, in that both changed the industry dramatically and immediately. 
• Highly invested in social media engagement and quantitative measures of viewership, Grand notes that the evolution of print has been toward more and more careful renderings of the medium, down to the investment in paper quality.
• Speaking about future generations in fashion, Grand remarks that she’s optimistic about their opportunities given social media’s reach but cautious and concerned about the use of AI cutting artists out of their work.
• When asked what’s contemporary now, Grand says, “AI.”

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Episode Highlights

• Born in Brooklyn and raised in suburban New Jersey, Krelenstein grew up visiting the city and eventually pursued a communications and media degree at NYU.
• As interested in celebrities on magazine covers as those working behind the scenes to produce the shoots, his first passion was not for the fashion world but for film and music.
• Krelenstein was the editorial director at Starworks for 14 years before opening gk-ld with partner Lisa Duckworth.
• He started in film publicity, working with niche magazines and organically growing his clientele to form gk-ld as an industry insider.  
• Krelenstein sets his ideas apart by taking chances and choosing collaborations, celebrities, and situations that represent something fresh within magazines developing unique identities.
• On maintaining decades-long obsessions with certain celebrities, Krelenstein remarks that past monocultures inscribe them in the collective mind, and that peoples’ current attention spans are so short that re-referencing and “comebacks” have social capital. 
• Krelenstein says he intends to create overall images as an image director rather than cater to trends. 
• At an auspicious age, Krelenstein can understand the importance and use of both print and digital operations. 
• Talking about his experience with the #mycalvins campaign, Krelenstein says the ads that you really remember are the ones that appear to be produced from a genuine creative mindset by the designers in the house—and that he’s excited by proximity to those productions.
• His metric for success is when talents experience their own organic growth, in addition to brand alignment; he calls himself both a psychiatrist to some talent and a kind of cultural anthropologist. 
• Emphasizing the importance of trusting his instincts, he states that what’s contemporary now is taking a moment to breathe and get a sense of “what feels right.” 

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Episode Highlights:

• Born in London and raised in California, Elsesser is of Chilean, Swiss, and African American descent to a family of thinkers and what she likes to call “punk” as well as spiritual.
• She was encouraged to lean into all of her interests, and now considers applying the curiosity she experienced in her childhood to her work. She studied psychology and literature in New York City.
• She was interested in mental health, substance abuse, literature, and writing, often writing and publishing her poetry throughout her adolescence. 
• Her writing for The Cut was profoundly personal and a cathartic opportunity to discuss representation. 
• Elsesser surrounds herself with a community (a “social diet” of people) who also prioritize her commitment to openness and advocacy, though she feels the language around and scope of cultural diversity is still limited. 
• She navigates the intersection of her voice and communicating the things that matter to her while also understanding the complexities of the commercial aspect of being a talent by pacing herself with slow change and being “obsessed with accountability.”
• Having stepped back momentarily from social media, Elsesser attempted to “navigate unfettered burnout” of microdramas, gaining confidence from conversations with Richie Shazam and Julia Fox.
• She’s chosen sobriety for 12 years and sees her lifestyle as a way of both avoiding pain and avoiding causing pain. 
• Joking that what’s contemporary now is Ozempic, she says what is always contemporary is curiosity.

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In our upcoming season, we've lined up extraordinary guests, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic, a brand founder who could give a masterclass on how to do it right and win at life, and award-winning designers, magazine editors, and cultural icons, both established and new.

Tune in for new episodes starting Monday, May 27 with Paloma Elsesser, Greg Krelenstein, Katie Grand, Robin Givhan, Dara, Suzanne Koller, Pierre Rougier, Zoe Ghertner, Willa Bennett, Erik Torstensson, Daphne Guinness, and many more. 

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Besovic details the evolving role of influencers, advocating for discernment in evaluating their contributions to fashion discourse. Expressing admiration for Gen Z’s assertiveness and knowledge, he navigates the industry with a focus on community-building and networking, while maintaining an authenticity that he sees as all too often lacking on social media. His overwhelming fashion insight gives him a unique perspective laced with nuance, allowing him to see what’s contemporary now as both the influence and image of businesswoman Kim Kardashian, as well as pervasive mediocrity that comes from the industry’s exclusivity and commercialism.

Episode Highlights:

• Serendipitous start: Introduced to fashion in 2010 after seeing a McQueen show, Besovic transitioned from hospitality to fashion after a move from Croatia to the US and following a layoff from hotel work during the pandemic.
• Following a passion: Though he treated fashion as a hobby, joking that he failed algebra because of his obsession with Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, he found a role in the scene during the COVID lockdown.
• Superfan: Citing Plato’s Atlantis and the Horn of Plenty, Leigh Bowery lips, and Dior silhouettes, Besovic recounts how McQueen’s show was “a perfect introduction to fashion because I got a history of fashion in 13 minutes.”
• Ending up on a panel for Show Studio, through which he had first been introduced to the fashion world, was a full-circle moment for Besovic.
• @ideservecouture: Having been called a content creator, a fashion critic, and an influencer, Besovic sees himself as a commentator, remarking on how the fashion world has changed to include more critiques like those pushing for body diversity. 
• On influencer culture: Besovic sees the importance of having a discerning view on social media, where unresearched or misinformed influencer opinions on fashion proliferate alongside those of influencers who have dug deeper into the contemporary moment and its historical roots.
• Gen Z: Likening the feeling of maintaining an outsider perspective among the insiders to those that look down on Gen Z, Besovic notes that he admires the younger generation’s activeness and knowledge of their value.
• Organic growth: Quoting a drag queen, Besovic says that “goals are preplanned disappointments” and prefers relying on organic personal—and social media—growth.
• Navigating the industry: Besovic’s advice to young designers is to work more toward networking and building community, as he does on his platform.
• “Nice, genuine, and down to earth”: Besovic’s contemporaries don’t have the same egos as most in the industry, and Besovic himself is happy to forgo sources of status, like physically attending the shows. 
• “I like to know the reality of the things.”: When asked whether the world needs the 24/7 dream or fantasy of fashion on social media, Besovic insists that the world needs to know instead that everything’s not as perfect as it looks.
• When clothes speak for themselves: Besovic says storytelling is crucial to a collection, except when garments are too good to need a narrative.
• Dream job: Besovic thinks he would be a good consultant for brands like Givenchy, which don’t understand their worth or history. 
• Polarities: For Besovic, the Kardashians are what’s contemporary now (still), because “no one can dispute how smart of a businesswoman she [Kim] is.” On the other hand, additionally, what is contemporary now is “mediocrity, it’s commercialism, it’s lack of creativity.” 

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Episode Highlights:

• Early ambitions: Born and raised in Lille, France, to artistic-minded parents, Robin Galiegue always had ambitions to move to a bigger city and first felt drawn to images and fashion at 14 in directing a photo shoot with his sister. 
• The big move: Dropping out of school at 16, Galiegue attended photography school in Paris, deciding over the course of five days. 
• Without reference: Coming to school with zero cultural exposure to photography, Galiegue gained technical expertise and was driven to work, though he knew little English and was not assisting. 
• Nerves: Even as a big name in the industry today, Galiegue is nervous about approaching collaborations, such as with legendary model Linda Evangelista.
• Hard to sit still: Being in Paris—or in large, bustling cities—incites Galiegue’s desire to work rather than relax; he sees them as villages that offer bursts of energy.
• “Shooting has to be fun”: Known in the industry as a kind presence, Galiegue has an intuitive understanding of when to be firm and when to prioritize kindness. 
• Merging visions: Galiegue enjoys working with brands, stylists, and collaborators with strong voices to make something exciting and new. 
• Finding inspiration and peace: Traveling, meeting new people, having friends not in the fashion industry, and discovering new cultures keep Galiegue engaged in his creative work after hours. 
• What’s contemporary now: Galiegue sees so many people playing roles on social media, so what’s contemporary or necessary now is being yourself. 
• Fear of AI: Galiegue is not interested in AI and is more scared of its potential to replace collaborators and artists.

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Episode Highlights:

• “The odd one out:” Born in London into a Scottish family, Linton got her start at M+C Saatchi, where she was able to pursue her passion for advertising, branding, and creating content.
• Serendipitous start: From her first job, she moved to BBC Radio 1, which was a state-run representation of youth culture. She was able to move into the fashion industry through a move to New York to work with the agency of entrepreneur Russell Simmons. 
• Brand evolution: Linton began in the fashion industry at a time when concepts like “brand heritage” weren’t considered in traditional marketing. 
• Bridging gaps: She cofounded Byronesque, set apart from traditional resale sites, to focus on “contemporary vintage” with a global network of vintage sellers and private collectors.
• Resale is the new fast fashion: increased volume and perpetuated ideas of buying and selling in the resale sector have led Linton, through Byronesque, to “encourage people to be a little bit more considered, slower, and to keep things for a long time.”
• Fighting flip culture: Byronesque believes the clothes it sells and stories it tells have more meaning than the mainstream gives them.
• Careful curation: Making Byronesque “a specialist environment” for vintage and “future vintage” of luxury brands, Linton has been authenticating, partnering with archive teams, and organizing concessions for luxury brands in an attempt to provide more agency and control over resale markets and brand image. 
• Reissuing vintage: Byronesque has reissued vintage finds from Helmut Lang, Vex Generation, Claude Montana, THREEASFOUR, and other brands that have been producing iconic items in decades past.
• Collector’s items in fashion: Her concern with keeping clothing as investment pieces drives a blockchain-based authentication process, and brings up the power of narrative and the importance of story.
• What’s contemporary now: Real talent, Linton says, and she hopes to see a resurgence of talent among a generation and in an evolved industry where that’s not always necessary.

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Episode Highlights:

• After becoming interested in art criticism via philosophy studies, Bettridge started an art space in Medellín, growing attracted to the fast-paced evolution of Colombian culture and society. 
• On interning and moving up through the ranks in New York: “That was my idea of hell. So I wanted to go somewhere where I could make more of an impact even if it was an uncertain terrain.” 
• Noting that “the only two things that were still alive and kicking when I finished school were fashion and, like, tabloids,” Bettridge explains how he came to fashion through his love of magazines and editing them. 
• The solitary nature of writing didn’t suit his personality, and Bettridge found he enjoyed editing more, with creative direction being an extension of that kind of collaboration.
• “360 control over how a story looks and appears”: Creative direction was never a target for Bettridge, who considers it more of a byproduct of writing and editing—what he was already doing—and born of necessity along the way.
• His first foray into magazine editing was at 032c, where he gained firsthand experience observing creative direction before moving on to Interview. 
• Considering philosophy as a way of creating and applying systems, Bettridge sees an analogy in being a storyteller adept at making connections. 
• Coming to SSENSE as the company was nearing its 20th anniversary, Bettridge leaned on the experiences of the people who had been at the company for a long time.
• Bettridge has a strong understanding of brand DNA, pushing the company further into its “anti-nostalgic, anti-heritage” heritage. 
• “Mind-share”: Bettridge’s creative process aligns naturally with SSENSE’s ability to tap into a young, digitally native generation, which communicates via social media.
• Using a metaphor of a hotel with a great coffee shop, Bettridge expresses the relationship between editorial content and e-commerce, where content regularizes exposure to a company and signals what it’s about. 
• To cater to a younger generation, Bettridge notes that youth culture demands that brands be good storytellers that tap into the current social and political moments. 
• Old-school print magazines tell stories through image placement (much like Instagram), but in a way, that decisively marks a certain zeitgeist, which Bettridge says somewhat outlasts the neverending inundation of social media.
• Bettridge remarks on learning that intuitively marked anchors within a magazine or brand’s vision create cohesion and that visual storytellers are the individuals most capable of creating brands with palpable foundations or clear identities. 
• What’s contemporary now? The potential for offline culture, a culture that “isn’t solipsistic or self-isolated.”

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Vanderperre has made himself an industry staple over the past twenty-plus years through his illustrious photography, which includes his project Naked Heartland and a book series that cleverly connects analog publishing to the new forms of media consumption. But his experience doesn’t make him feel old. In fact, he continues to tap in—in his life and in the contemporary conversation—into the energy that youthful voices bring to fashion in a creative and lifelong practice that mirrors how he approaches long-term industry collaborations and pervades his images: with a sense of renewal, expression, and movement. 

Episode Highlights:

• “A rather difficult place to be”: Growing up gay in Belgium to a hardworking family (and a father who was a butcher), Vanderperre felt the “smallness of the country” and says he was saved by art school and the sensitive people he came into contact with there. 
• Aspirational: Because of his upbringing, Vanderperre quickly found a drive to escape his origins. 
• An introverted country: Vanderperre sees Belgium’s history and small geography as drivers of the country’s production of artists and designers. 
• Looking differently at a garment: Vanderperre’s photographic work stands out among fashion images because of his preoccupation with and sensibility for capturing movement. 
• Normalcy: While a big-city feeling feeds a feeling of glamor, Vanderperre celebrates a sense of rootedness in his origins and having peers outside of the fashion realm, a situation of social solitude that he likens to COVID quarantining. 
• Contemporary publishing: Translating ephemeral social media into the “analog product” of a book, Vanderperre put his book together quickly, almost instantly, much like an Instagram post. 
• “The right thing to do”: His book on Instagram was driven by his love of youth culture—its accessibility, efficiency, and unpretentiousness.
• Vanderperre’s obsessions with youth, isolation, and the redemptive power of pop culture can be summed up by how impressed he is by outspoken young people disconnected and connected by expressive forms like music and movies in the internet age. 
• Never growing up: Vanderperre is one of the first modern generations to see themselves as having a different aging and cultural trajectory from their parents, and more able to choose whether they wanted to become “adults.” 
• Contemporary politics: Youth have positively shaped the world, particularly in the past five years, but Vanderperre has partnered with the Trevor Project to support LGBTQ+ rights.
• Long-term relationships: Close collaborations with Raf Simons, Olivier Rizzo, and Peter Philips have been challenging, presenting opportunities for growth. 
• Fluidity: While the industry has changed in the past 20 or 30 years, it doesn’t feel all that different to Vanderperre; he approaches it with new energy and different emotions and enjoys the influx of new voices.
• What’s contemporary now: “This conversation.”  

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Episode Highlights:

• Sweet nostalgia: Blasberg remembers his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri, as typical and all-American, but not one that facilitated a knowledge of fashion from the get-go.
• Surrounded by manuscripts: With a mother who was the managing editor of a medical journal, Blasberg had his first connection to documents and texts through medicine and later as a prolific note-passer at school. 
• Contrasts: “I had a fundamental lack of understanding or loose grasp of the fashion industry, as I now know it today,” Blasberg says.
• Beginnings: Being predigital but a natural extrovert, Blasberg found an agency and advocated for himself, with his first foray into the fashion world writing biographies for models, later working for Vogue and W magazines. 
• Hired and fired from Vogue: Blasberg calls it an educational process and experience, even though managing and assisting “was probably not the best fit for me.”
• The evolving role of the journalist: Though the traditional writer role doesn’t exist in the same form it did two decades ago, Blasberg sees the ability to express oneself in written language as more important than ever. 
• Do readers exist?: Regardless of form, people may not be reading but are still consuming content and “still curious what people have to say and what they have to write,” Blasberg notes.
• Bazaar Models: Blasberg’s books explore successful models and muses in a form that fuses literature, journalism, and sheer curiosity about the lives of talents.
• Man About Town: Blasberg has a unique freedom and independence in navigating the fashion industry, which he sees as a result of open-minded optimism. 
• Perspective as a “trader in culture”: Blasberg notes that live streams, online and resale marketplaces, and influencer culture are ways in which the fashion industry, in particular, has changed over the course of just the last few years. 
• Full-circle moment: A career highlight is the Paris centennial celebration of Richard Avedon, Blasberg’s childhood hero. 
• Driven by passion: Inspired by icons like Richard Avedon and Marilyn Monroe, Blasberg’s work at the Gagosian Gallery is unique in its capability to portray other elements of culture and history, such as the Civil Rights Movement. His enthusiasm for the subject matter shines through. 
• What’s contemporary now: For Blasberg, it’s never saying ‘no.’

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Episode Highlights:

• Creativity and make-believe: Harlech has vivid memories of being surrounded by storytelling and fashion, which were emphasized in her life from an early age by those around her.
• “It’s a way of navigating life:” Weaving fictions and working with fantasy is how Harlech has always sourced creative inspiration, from childhood collaging to designing gowns.
• Career trajectory: Harlech went from working at Harper’s Bazaar and The Face to working with Galliano, a collaboration she calls “so powerful.” 
• Collaboration rather than competition: Harlech found Galliano’s designs emotionally powerful, and their active collaboration is contrasted with a more passive one while working with Karl Lagerfeld for 27 years. She discusses collaborating with Andrew Bolton for the most recent Met Gala in celebration of Lagerfeld. 
• Collaborative evolution: While Lagerfeld, for instance, directed teams based on his genius, Harlech notes that contemporary labels tend to create entire creative communities wherein designers all bring something unique to the garments.
• Creative sensitivity: Harlech’s intuitive understanding of a collection’s intention and rhythm has propelled her throughout the years. 
• “I am this undefinable thing:” Surprisingly, Harlech says, “I’m not really a fashion person, although I love the whole creative process that goes into a collection.” She describes herself as a facilitator above all else, synthesizing creative energies among the many individuals any collection or shoot requires. 
• Other forms of collaboration: Enjoying how mentorship “switches the light on” in her head, Harlech brings her know-how to the energy and willingness of Central Saint Martins students.
• Progress and its countermovements: Discussing AI’s ever-increasing role in creative design, Harlech takes a positive stance, remarking on the emergence of support for and dialogue with the hands-on, artisanal work that goes into design. 
• What’s contemporary now: Harlech takes the question in a mythical direction with ancient myth and ritual, paying homage to “the old ways, the skill of making, craft.”

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