Podcast appearances and mentions of Tim Blanks

Today's guest is Penélope Silva Miranda but you might know her by her social media name @documoda.The Documoda account is one of the most well thought out fashion history accounts anywhere on the internet. Penélope doesn't just spout opinions or react to current issues; she is someone who truly knows the value of research and has a genuine love for the deep dive and sharing it with her growing army of followers on TikTok and Instagram.In this episode Penélope is open on a wide range of subjects, from the danger of the trad wife trend to how having a child changed her life as well as her experiences growing up in Latin America, feeding her fashion appetite watching the iconic Tim Blanks on Fashion Files.Note:In the final five minutes segment near the end of the show we discuss forgiveness and second chances as the conversation turns to two problematic men: John Galliano and Kanye West.We do not support any kind of hate speech or antisemitism on this show, but if you don't want to hear anything at all pertaining to these two, please feel free to end your listening there.LinksWHERE TO FIND MESubstack: https://beautymenotes.substack.comThreads: https://www.threads.net/@charisse_kenion/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charisse_kenion/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charissekenionCheck me out on ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/beautyme Business inquiries: info@charissekenion.com 

This fashion month was all about looking ahead. At several major brands, newly-appointed creative directors ushered in a new era, including Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen, Adrian Appiolaza at Moschino and Chemena Kamali at Chloé. But beyond the creative director premieres, recurring motifs of technology and the pared down everyday reflected the current state of the world — and what's to come. “Early on, I detected this rather peculiar strain of sci-fi,” says Tim Blanks, BoF's editor-at-large. “There is that incipient sense of apocalypse lurking and I think if you step back and take a really long view of what was happening, you could feel that kind of anxiety,” says Tim Blanks, BoF's editor-at-large. Following the conclusion of the Autumn/Winter 2024 shows, Blanks sits down with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss the highlights of fashion month.Key InsightsAt Louis Vuitton, Phillippe Parreno's immersive set design and Nicolas Ghesquière's futuristic garments left lasting impressions. “There was a lot of white and a lot of reflection, a lot of shiny stuff. They could have been heading off to a space station. And the sound was insane. The sound makes you want to go home and open a nightclub in your living room,” says Blanks. Undercover's Jun Takahashi featured a poem about a single mother raising her eight year old child, written by German filmmaker and playwright Wim Wenders. “Every detail is just so beautiful and evocative and then Jun Takahashi showed the collection to go with that; everyday clothes, but completely transmogrified by his insane ingenuity,” recalls Blanks. At Alexander McQueen, Seán McGirr's first show displayed his energetic direction for the house following Sarah Burton's departure. “I think that as a creative director debuting at a house, it's much harder to create new energy than it is to create merchandisable clothes. And I think that's what he succeeded in doing; he created a new energy around that brand,” says Amed.Following the sudden passing of David Renne, Moschino welcomed new creative director Adrian Appiolaza, who looked to the roots of the brand for his first show. “If you detail Franco Moschino's iconography, Adrian Appiolaza went down the list and ticked every box. I think that that was probably the most joyful show of the whole season. … I think he celebrated the work of [Franco Moschino], in such a way that I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does next,” says Blanks. At Chloé, Chemena Kamali's charisma shone through on the runway. “You could see her really embodying the new Chloé and being that kind of ambassador for Chloé in a way that maybe some of the more recent creative directors never were really able to do,” says Amed.Additional resources:Paris Fashion Week Says ‘So Long, Farewell' With Chanel, Miu Miu and Louis VuittonImran Amed and Tim Blanks Go Backstage at Milan Fashion WeekBackstage Pass | Rick Owens' Life Mission: Inclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the world of high fashion, few names have commanded as much attention — and controversy — as John Galliano. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, his sensual designs and runway theatrics earned him worldwide acclaim.But Galliano's career imploded in 2011 when a video of him emerged using antisemitic slurs. In a new documentary, “High & Low: John Galliano,” BAFTA-winning director Kevin Macdonald examines Galliano's meteoric rise, scandalous downfall, and the role of forgiveness and redemption.“If there's one thing that people could take away from the film, it is [that] things are never that simple. The grey predominates in life and in morality,” says Macdonald.This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks sits down with McDonald to discuss the phenomenon of cancellation and his own feelings about Galliano after completing the documentary. Key InsightsAlongside archive footage and interviews with industry insiders, the film features extensive conversations with Galliano himself. Macdonald says Galliano seemed to forget the series of events and antisemitic remarks he said. “I think he genuinely blotted that out. I don't think he's pretending not to remember. I think that it's a sign of him creating a story for himself about things that have happened … to get by,” Macdonald says.According to Macdonald, Galliano does not expect total forgiveness but hopes for understanding. “He knows some people will never forgive him for the antisemitic comments he made, but he wants people to understand who he is and where that came from and what part it had in the way it played in his life.” Macdonald attributes the attention the film has received prior to its release to nostalgia for a bygone era. “I think there's a romance about this past where people were misbehaving and being creative geniuses and led to crash and burn and didn't have to answer to HR,” he says.High & Low – John Galliano opens in cinemas on 8th March 2024.Additional resourcesJohn Galliano: ‘I Feel Much Freer'John Galliano: Fashion's Greatest Showman Turns Ciné-AuteurA Penitent John Galliano Talks to Charlie Rose About Childhood, Addiction and McQueen's Suicide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat Boguslawski is setting the fashion world in motion. The Polish movement director at Maison Margiela is the creative mastermind behind some of fashion's most memorable runway moments. From German model Leon Dame's viral runway stomp in 2020 to the seductive strides of corseted characters in John Galliano's triumphant 2024 Maison Margiela couture show, Boguslawski is redefining the role of the model and bringing back the spectacle of the show. “I always tell the models that it's better to give more than to give less,” he told BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks, on this week's podcast.Key InsightsGrowing up in Poland in the nineties, Boguslawski devoured fashion content on TV and in print. But as he watched everything turn into a product, he felt the storytelling essence of fashion diminish. “I started doing my job because I got bored. I just didn't like the direction we were going towards. … I promised myself that I'm gonna start bringing that energy back to fashion and create major runway moments.”Boguslawski is a multi-faceted creative. He started training as a dancer at age 15, transitioned to modelling and also studied drama and acting for four years before shifting to movement direction. “I'm so grateful that I was so curious because now I kind of use everything that I did in the past at my job,” he says. Directing the movement for the 2024 Maison Margiela couture show, Boguslawski encouraged the tightly-corseted models to channel their pain and discomfort into their characters. "I remember saying, 'Use that pain, use that suffering in your character. Just use whatever you're feeling right now. … Don't try to be perfect. Just let me see the suffering,'" he recalls.For Boguslawski, a connection with the audience is a key part of the show. “I like when the audience feels intimidated. It's exciting and I love the adrenaline that comes with it.” He recalls the impact of his direction during a rehearsal before the show. “I remember we were watching the main rehearsal and they were wearing their own clothes and the corsets. The whole rehearsal got a standing ovation by everyone who was in the room.”Additional resourcesDifferent Takes on Future Perfect at Fendi and Maison MargielaA Dream of Defiance at Margiela Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthieu Blazy has been a quiet but powerful force in the fashion industry for years, having worked under powerhouse designers like Raf Simons and Phoebe Philo. But in 2021, he earned that status on his own when he was named the creative director of Bottega Veneta. Since then, he's developed a reputation for pushing creative boundaries; BoF editors named his carnivalesque Autumn/Winter 2023 collection, which featured tank tops and jeans made of leather, as their favourite show of the season. “I was very interested in this idea of boring clothes. How can we push it so it really becomes something precious and luxurious?” Blazy says.This week on The BoF Podcast, Blazy sits down with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks at BoF VOICES 2023, where he opened up about his creative processes and work at Bottega Veneta. Key insights:For Blazy, collaboration and a close connection with his teams are paramount for creativity. Before taking the creative helm of Bottega Veneta, Blazy spent four years at Maison Martin Margiela. “The way I work with the team is quite emotional. … When I arrived at Margiela I took my office out of the studio and I put it inside the atelier. It was nice because it was not just me thinking on my own. We were actually making it together,” he shares.Whilst Blazy recognises the power of technology in fashion, at Bottega Veneta, he still puts the emphasis on craftsmanship first. “When you make something by hand, it will always have a little mistake, which is not a mistake, which is part of the process. … so when you go to the store, you won't find twice the same product. You have the idea of a theory, of course, but it's never the same. One artisan cannot finish the work of another artisan.”As a global brand, Blazy hopes customers around the world will be able to see themselves in Bottega Veneta under his creative direction. “Fundamentally I want [global customers] to also find something where they also recognize themselves in the story that is not just Italian.” Additional resources: Who Is Matthieu Blazy, Bottega Veneta's New Creative Director?Bottega Veneta: Everything Old Is New AgainBottega Veneta's Everything, Everywhere Essence Strikes Fashion Gold Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The delicate dance between artistic integrity and commercial viability is a challenge Dan Levy and Jonathan Anderson know well. Levy's Emmy Award-winning Netflix show Schitt's Creek harmonises creative brilliance with mainstream appeal, while at the luxury label Loewe, Anderson's refreshingly original designs have earned him both critical acclaim and commercial success. What unites their work is a real commitment to personal vision.“I can't think of something more heartbreaking than starting with an idea that I loved, allowing people to change it to the point where it loses its DNA, then it goes out into the world and either succeeds or fails, and I have to look at that and say, ‘Well, that's not me,'” says Levy. “You can never get that back. The fight to protect that [idea] is so important.” This week on The BoF Podcast, Levy and Anderson speak with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about how they balance creativity and commerce in a conversation from BoF VOICES 2023. Key Insights: "Schitt's Creek" began as a bare-bones-budget Canadian production and became a worldwide sensation during the pandemic. “We went and made something with absolutely no outside opinions, and because the stakes were so low, we were able to really kind of make the show for ourselves,” he says. “So what we made was quite pure.”Through his work at Loewe and his namesake label, Anderson has realised that designers can't be afraid of backlash. “Sometimes you have to make the decision that you may have to give the audience what they don't want to annoy them. Because there's nothing better when people are annoyed because then they think.”For both creatives, the pandemic was a watershed moment. Anderson recalls, “it destroyed every formula that there ever was,” whilst Levy explained, “it also gave the consumer or the audience the freedom to find what they liked.” To find creative success, Anderson puts it simply: “I think for something to be successful, you have to give everything you have.”Additional resources:At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson Thinks Outside the Box. Literally.How Loewe Became One of Fashion's Hottest BrandsThe Jonathan Anderson Experiment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The South Sudanese model reflects on her path from a Kenyan refugee camp to travelling the globe as an international top model.Background: South Sudanese model Adut Akech has made her mark on fashion, having appeared on countless international magazine covers and on the runway for brands including Chanel and Prada. But Akech's story begins worlds away from fashion shows and Vogue cover shoots: The model was born while her family was fleeing war in South Sudan and spent her early years in a Kenyan refugee camp."I will always be a refugee, because that's who I am," she told BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks on stage at BoF VOICES in 2018. "No amount of money or my status or how famous or whatever the case is... I'm always going to be a refugee and I'm proud of who I am."This week on The BoF Podcast, revisit Akech and Blanks' conversation, where they discuss Akech's childhood and journey to the fashion industry. Key Insights: Though she spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp, Akech recalls those years being mostly happy. “I didn't know I was in a refugee camp, I had cousins there, I had friends… some of the best memories are just running around and playing,” she says. Her first experience modelling was in a small fashion show put on by her aunt, who was a fashion designer. That moment made her realise she wanted to model professionally. “I just fell in love instantly," she says. "When I'm on the runway, I'm a whole different person."Growing up, Akech idolised Black models Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek. Now, she serves as a source of inspiration for the next generation of Black models. "I have people messaging me saying I inspired them to love their Black skin, that I inspired them to chase their dreams," she says.BoF VOICES, our annual gathering for big thinkers, returns from November 28 to November 30, 2023, uniting the movers, shakers and trailblazers of the fashion industry with the thought leaders, entrepreneurs and inspiring people shaping the wider world. The entire event will be livestreamed for BoF Professional All-Access members. Register now to join us.Additional Resources:Adut Akech, Top Model: On InclusivityDapper Dan, Adut Akech, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Chika Are Our #BoF500 Cover StarsHow Valentino Embraced Diversity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF's editor-at-large and founder and editor-in-chief look back at the key moments of fashion month, from Sabato de Sarno's debut at Gucci to Sarah Burton's farewell show for Alexander McQueen.Background: This season, fashion month saw several highly-anticipated debuts (Sabato de Sarno at Gucci, and Peter Hawkings at Tom Ford) as well as goodbyes (Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, Fabio Zambernardi at Prada and Miu Miu, and Gabriela Hearst at Chloé). But, beyond those headline-making moments, the highlights included the slyness and humour at Prada where models walked down a runway against a backdrop of dripping slime to an Alfred Hitchcock soundtrack, Dries Van Noten's and models at JW Anderson in plasticine-made hoodies..“The best shows make you think and make you feel a little uncomfortable or they evoke some kind of emotion — but they also make you want to shop,” says Imran Amed, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief. Following the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week, Amed sat down with BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks to discuss the highlights of the Spring/Summer 2024 season and the hallmarks of a great fashion show. Key Insights:Sabato de Sarno's much-anticipated debut at Gucci, which included a change of venue from the streets of Milan's Brera district to Gucci's headquarters forced by inclement weather. “If those girls had been walking on cobblestones just like people going somewhere, seeing those clothes in a real environment, it would have taken on a different kind of life,” says Blanks. Alexander McQueen said goodbye to Sarah Burton, who served as a steward for the brand for more than 10 years after the death of its namesake designer. ( “ She was so umbilically connected with [McQueen] that the brand ethos was sustained to a remarkable degree. I would hate to see McQueen now become one of those brands where no one really knows what to do with it and it's in play,” says Blanks. Rick Owens show featured plumes of coloured smoke and bursts of rose petals — and a collection full of thought-provoking statement pieces. “There is really no one like him in fashion, and I don't know if there has ever been anyone like him in fashion,” says Blanks. Blanks calls Undercover's Jun Takahashi one of the industry's most fascinating designers. This year, Takahashi showed a provocative collection that played with proportions and layering, with a finale that included “terrarium” skirts, filled with plants and live butterflies. “He makes clothes that … people might consider to be avant garde, but they're so beautiful and wearable as well,” says Blanks.Prada was the “show of the season.” A few years into Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons' collaboration as co-creative directors, the show's success was a convergence of elements beyond the collection itself — from the soundtrack (Alfred Hitchcok's “Vertigo”) to the set. “It reminded us of Prada in its full glory where there was that slyness and humour and perverse glamour,” says Blanks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of New York Fashion Week, The Washington Post's Rachel Tashjian speaks with BoF's founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed about how the industry is changing post-pandemic. Background:There's a good reason why New York Fashion Week isn't the all important agenda-setter it once was, according to Rachel Tashjian, a fashion writer for The Washington Post. US consumers, she says, now take their fashion cues from influencers and social media as much as they do the runway. “Some of the more interesting things happening in American fashion are just outside of fashion week,” says Tashjian. “I just wonder if American designers feel like, is this [New York Fashion Week] really worth it for me to be doing? Is this where my audience is?”This week on The BoF Podcast, Imran Amed, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief, sits down with Tashjian to discuss her perspective on the state of the fashion industry today and her expectations for the evolution of NYFW in a post-Covid world.Key Insights:As some established brands look beyond NYFW to connect with customers to showcase their designs, Tashjian believes this shift has opened up space for emerging designers. “These smaller or more emerging brands are dominating [NYFW] because we don't have a lot of the larger brands showing,” says Tashjian.That relationship will be seen up-close at NYFW this season, Tashjian predicts. Because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which leaves actors unable to promote their films, Tashjian says celebrities will dominate the front row. “This is going to be kind of an unprecedented season in terms of celebrity presence at fashion week because, with the strikes going on, these are things that celebrities can promote these relationships that they have with fashion brands,” she says.How celebrities embrace fashion can impact how the public perceives them, as well, says Tashjian. “Fashion has this really interesting ability to recontextualise someone we think we know really well,” she says. “Margot Robbie during the Barbie Press tour, wearing these fun, campy Schiaparelli [looks] and hot pink Chanel. All of a sudden we're thinking, ‘Oh, this is a woman who has a really fun and playful understanding of fashion.'”Tashjian believes the role of fashion criticism is different than it was in years past. “Perhaps because of the availability of fashion, we need critics more than ever before,” she says. “I think about my role as to provide an insider perspective or context. I was actually at this show and here's how it felt to be sitting in that room.”Tashjian is also known for her newsletter, Opulent Tips, which she began when she was working at GQ. In the newsletter she discussed womenswear, products and smaller brands she admired. “I felt like it could be kind of fun to have a little space where I can talk about those things and maybe introduce those brands to some people who maybe wouldn't come across them,” she says. Additional Resources:The BoF Podcast | Karl Lagerfeld at the Met: Designer, Polymath, Jigsaw Puzzle: Andrew Bolton's latest curatorial miracle celebrates the creative process of one of fashion's greatest icons. Bolton sits down with Tim Blanks for BoF's latest podcast.The Newsletter Fashion Insiders Can't Get Enough of: Rachel Tashjian, a Washington Post writer releases an exclusive newsletter each Sunday, with her take on fashion, culture and the industry at large. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fashion journalist, writer, and broadcaster Tim Blanks has had a front-row seat to many defining, pivotal moments in the fashion industry since 1985. Throughout his prolific career, he has witnessed countless transformational trends, with his byline appearing in international magazines and newspapers, including Vogue, GQ, Financial Times, Fantastic Man, and Interview. Previously, host of the globally syndicated television show Fashion File for a 20-year stint, he was as well editor-at-large at style.com. Today, he is editor-at-large of Business of Fashion and a celebrated author and contributor to various monographs and volumes on fashion royalty, such as Anna Sui, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, and Michael Roberts. In this lively conversation with Christopher Michael, he contextualizes trends related to everything from branding and sustainability to creative talents and human needs, which attract people to the art of fashion. Tim's insights reflect a unique perspective on the industry's evolution and a deep, intuitive understanding of the vulnerabilities and desire for validation that drive even the most successful industry icons. Although Tim celebrates the fault lines he sees redefining today's fashion landscape with new inclusive language and geographic diversity, he also spotlights global issues such as social and environmental justice, prompting a reckoning of sorts within the fashion industry—and the world at large. Ultimately, it's all about keeping creatives relevant in an era of turbocharged change and adaptation. Episode Highlights: Starting out: Starting university at age 15 helped him evade bullying and launched his experience of making “all those mistakes that change your life.” Connecting with fashion: Tim's limited exposure to fashion while coming into adulthood in New Zealand when he realized images had the power to shock or amaze. First rung: A detour into filmmaking in Canada eventually morphed into freelance writing and, ultimately, a full-time gig at a fashion magazine and a high-visibility role hosting the global TV show Fashion File. Staying fresh: Keeping something of an outsider's perspective has helped blunt any cynicism about the fashion industry. Inside-outsider: The curiosity—and an eye inspired by filmmaking—has defined Tim's unique approach to fashion's personalities and untold stories. Reflecting and projecting: Fashion has a dual role as a mirror of culture and a harbinger of social trends on the horizon. Community of misfits: Tim believes fashion has historically drawn outsiders, agitators, and visionaries into a tribe bound by creative energy. A circus. A roving family! Human longing: The “hole in our soul” Tim believes we are constantly trying to fill or offset with validation from our peers—an impulse at odds with how social media actually makes us feel. Stand-out moments: Witnessing an interview in which LouLou de la Falaise was the translator for a reluctant Yves St. Laurent; 90s runway shows that were cultural high points, including spectacular shows featuring Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Christian Lacroix; and getting the opportunity to talk to Helmut Lang for the first time. Assessing AI: Tim believes that ChatGPT and other machine learning could create informational bridges and—with good intent—positive, beneficial results. At odds: The challenge to reconcile environmentally wasteful “gigantism” and corporate sustainability in the billion-dollar corporate branding and production world. What's contemporary now? Simmering rage, confusion, chaos, fear, an urge to fight, and a puzzlingly benign (rather than punk) attitude in fashion in contrast to the climate crisis, political unrest, and pandemic fallout. What should be contemporary now? A revolutionary spirit to fuel change, even at great lengths. It's time for idealism coupled with pragmatism, expressing itself in action—with fashion playing a part.

In this episode Tim Blanks of the Business of Fashion shares how new food experiences can reveal parts of ourselves that we didn't know existed and how relationships can change our lives forever. In his story we learn about how his first encounter with a Japanese meal including sushi and tempura ignited a passionate love affair.

Ahead of the opening of “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition, the Costume Institute's head curator discusses the legendary designer's work and lasting impact.Background:Andrew Bolton, the head curator of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, first dreamed up the idea for a Karl Lagerfeld-centric show at Lagerfeld's 2019 memorial service.Next month, that vision will be realised with a new exhibition, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” focussed on the late Chanel and Fendi designer. With the exhibit, set to run from May 5 to July 18, Bolton's goal was to focus on the designer's prolific career rather than the man behind it.“We wanted to focus on the work rather than the words or the man because he was problematic,” said Bolton. “There were those things he said that were difficult … the one thing that was authentic, real and tangible was his creative output.”This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks sits down with Bolton to discuss the upcoming show and Lagerfeld's legacy in fashion and beyond. Key Insights:Lagerfeld was a trailblazer in fashion, helping to inspire countless designers who followed him, according to Bolton. “One of Karl's greatest legacies was creating the blueprint for the modern day fashion designer impresario,” said Bolton.His influence transcended fashion, too. “He was somebody who didn't restrict his creativity down to one outlet. He was an interior designer. He was a photographer, he was a writer, he was a theatrical designer as well as a designer,” said Bolton.Bolton said that Lagerfeld was “nostalgic and sentimental,” going as far to recreate his childhood bedroom in his home. That was often reflected in his work, and is examined in the exhibition. “For somebody who loved history so much and consumed history, he could not not look back, and you see those recurring motifs in his work.”Synonymous with Lagerfeld was his signature suit, which featured a severely tailored black jacket and crisp white shirt. Bolton saw that outfit as a simple ensemble not designed to draw attention. “To me, his greatest disguise was a black and white uniform; he created it because it deflected away from anything,” he said.While the exhibition focuses on his work, more of Lagerfeld's personal life and relationships with collaborators like Amanda Harlech and Patrick Hourcade are detailed in the book that accompanies the show. “I wanted that to be their relationship, their voice,” said Bolton. “They had very specific relationships with Karl, and they're illuminating, but I didn't want that to be infiltrating the thesis of the exhibition.”Additional Resources:Met Curator Andrew Bolton, Quiet Defender of Fashion as ArtKarl Lagerfeld: A Line of BeautyHere's Why People Are Angry About 2023's Met Gala Theme, Karl Lagerfeld: When the 2023 Met Gala theme was announced, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” the museum received some backlash due to Lagerfeld's problematic past. To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In advance of his first fashion show at The Hollywood Bowl on April 19, the founder of Fear of God shares his approach for designing subtle garments that allow customers a taste of luxury. Background: Jerry Lorenzo, the founder of Fear of God, wants to make his brand an aspirational-yet-attainable destination for consumers, and redefine what's regarded as luxury. Fashion, he said, should be “equally comfortable as it is elegant.”It's a mindset he translates across Fear of God's products, from its Essentials sub-brand, which sells items priced as low as $40, to the pieces that will appear on the runway on Apr. 19, when the brand is set to present its next collection in a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.This week on The BoF Podcast, Lorenzo speaks with BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks in a conversation at BoF VOICES 2022 about how the brand is pushing the boundaries of what's considered luxury today. “It's luxury in a sense that you can see yourself in it,” said Lorenzo. “It's aspirational in that sense, but it's not a fantasy that is out of reach.”Key Insights:Lorenzo said Fear of God was born out of his own sartorial desires. “When I started the brand, I was really just creating pieces that were missing from the marketplace that I selfishly wanted,” says Lorenzo. “I assumed that others felt the same way.”Even now, Lorenzo says that his life continues to provide direction for where he'll take Fear of God. Fear of God Essentials Kids, for example, was inspired by his own kids, and he created a women's line after seeing his wife steal his blazer. “Our brand is evolving authentically with… desires and envisions that I have,” he said. Ambience is hugely important for Lorenzo, which is reflected in the brand's new Los Angeles-based flagship store. “Our intention is that when you come into the environment, there's a shift that happens and we want to bring you into a space that's beyond just the environment,” he says. For Lorenzo, American luxury today is rooted in the idea of freedom. “It's having the freedom to wear what you want when you want to wear it, and having the freedom to put on something that frees you up mentally and spiritually so that you could be the best version of yourself.”The ultimate goal with Fear of God, Lorenzo said, is to build clothes that last and create style that transcends time. “We're hoping to build a brand that is sustainable in the sense that we'll always be around and that we're creating a product that you hold on to and that you want to keep, not a product that you want to sell or flip,” he said. Additional Resources:Fear of God to Open Next Chapter with Large-Scale Fashion Show for Fans: During BoF VOICES, Fear of God founder Jerry Lorenzo discusses the next steps for his luxury brand. You can catch up on all the videos from BoF VOICES on our YouTube channel, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visionary founder of @stylenotcom, Beka Gvishiani, grew up in the former Soviet republic of Georgia with little-to-no access to pop culture—or even basic electricity. In this episode, Beka shares his seemingly overnight success story in the fashion industry with Christopher Michael. However, his digital platform and unique voice are rooted in years of hands-on experience promoting up-and-coming international brands. With its distinctive blue and white all-caps format and its wittiness and substance, @stylenotcom instantly caught the eye of industry heavyweights; its posts reflect not only what's contemporary now but also the historical trends that have shaped fashion and culture. He still finds his stratospheric rise hard to believe, including the success of his creative agency, Ariel Bold, counting Colette co-founder Sarah Andelman and fashion editor Katie Grand among his champions, and co-creating his first Vogue covers featuring the Ukrainian flag. "I still sometimes feel it's a big dream that has happened to me." Episode Highlights: Turning Technicolor: Beka's life was turned upside down when his interest in pop culture and music collided with the revolution in his native Tbilisi, Georgia, and the “gold, shiny light” that went on the first time he saw a Vogue magazine cover. Beka built a platform for his passion first by becoming a regular on forums like The Fashion Spot and then launching the Glossy Newsstand blog on Tumblr in 2010. Faster than Light: The splash Beka made—and the attention he got—using social media tags to highlight insider information about magazine covers and content ahead of the pack. Beka's longtime collaboration with the celebrated magazine editor Katie Grand. Like a Dream: Beka's love of headlines scintillated and evolved into his distinctive, eye-catching @stylenotcom all caps, words-only title format in 2021—rapidly building a viral following, especially among industry insiders.  The Power of Formal Education: Beka doesn't attribute his success to the BA he earned in Finance and Business Administration so much as the early hands-on skills he acquired working with international brands in his native Georgia.   Arial Bold: The creative consulting agency Beka co-created based on his experience with every aspect of fashion design promotion, shoot production, and branding for up-and-coming labels. Hero Moments: Getting a hug from Tim Blanks at the Bottega Veneta show last year. One of only 200 invited to Saint Laurent's menswear show in the Marrakech Desert; being featured in a Business of Fashion article; doing his first Vogue cover; meeting many personal heroes and fashion icons.  Looking Ahead: No merchandise planned … yet! Additional content featured on extensions that build upon the Style Not Com brand and format. What Endures: Despite his digital fluency, Beka is a huge proponent of the traditional runway, media, and publications. (Hint: The physical feel, smell, and textures will never go out of style and are a snapshot in time.) Embracing the Romance: The past is a powerful inspiration for Beka, who believes without nostalgia—understanding the past—there is no future. The Fashion Icons Beka Still Dreams of Meeting: Karl Lagerfeld (unfortunately no longer a possibility), Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Kate Moss, and Miuccia Prada. What's Contemporary Now? Whatever comes authentically from the heart and mind currently but at the same time draws on and respects fashion's rich archival past.

Tim Blanks and Imran Amed discuss the highlights of the Autumn/Winter 2023 collections, including Daniel Lee's debut at Burberry, a transitional show at Gucci and Balenciaga's first brand statement in the wake of the advertising scandal.Background:This season was a “restart” for the global fashion industry, says Imran Amed, BoF's founder and editor-in-chief. The Autumn/Winter 2023 collections felt like the first return to normal after the pandemic — especially as Chinese fashion professionals were finally able to return to runway shows following extended Covid-related lockdowns that limited their international travel. A number of fashion's biggest brands used their shows as a way to start a new path. Burberry rolled out its first collection under its new creative director Daniel Lee, while Gucci unveiled its first collection since the departure of Alessandro Michele. At Balenciaga, Demna returned to a more subdued approach after the brand fell under intense criticism at the end of last year after it was accused of sexualising children in an ad campaign.But overall, fashion was still fixated on navigating all the uncertainty that prevails in the world, economic and otherwise. “If there's one thing we learned over the last few years — it's that anything can happen,” says Amed. “Everyone was preparing for the unknown, the uncertain.” Key Insights: Over the course of the season, designers, editors and enthusiasts were talking about how the purpose of fashion has evolved. “It wasn't just brands, it was individual designers who were processing what they're doing and what they need to do, because obviously the future looms very dark and very uncertain,” says Blanks.Gucci is in a transitional moment, with new creative director Sabato De Sarno's vision for the brand still to be unveiled. The brand's first post-Alessandro Michele show was all over the place, according to BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks. “It was chaos, but enjoyable chaos,” says Blanks. Daniel Lee put a strong emphasis on Britishness for his Burberry debut. Meanwhile, Matthieu Blazy's Bottega Veneta show was a cohesive parade of clothes that doubled down on craft and storytelling, says Blanks. Diesel's Glenn Martins is solidifying himself as a designer to watch with his work in today's vernacular of denim and celebratory sexuality. “It's a mark of genius, what he manages to do with things that are really familiar — that alchemy of fashion,” says Blanks. Martins put a mountain of 200,000 condoms at the middle of his runway. In his first collection since the brand came under fire for its controversial advertisements, Demna — known for his ironic stunts — focused on the clothes, a nod to the label's founder Cristóbal Balenciaga. Additional Resources:Top 10 Shows of the Season: BoF's editors pick the top ten shows of the Autumn/Winter 2023 season.At Paris Fashion Week, Less Was More: In an age of clickbait fashion, it was acts of reduction that, paradoxically, stood out most, reports Angelo Flaccavento.Want more from BoF? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The film director joins BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks to discuss how he uses his fashion and music roots to stage powerful experiences including from Abba Voyage and recent Dior Men and Fendi Couture shows. Background: Film and creative director Bailie Walsh cut his teeth working in London during the nineties and early aughts alongside talents like Boy George, Leigh Bowery and Alexander McQueen. While Walsh calls himself a film director, editor-at-large Tim Blanks, who hosts him on the latest BoF Podcast, describes him as more of a magician. He was behind the hologram of Kate Moss featured in McQueen's show “Widows of Culloden” in 2006 that went on to be showcased in both London's V&A Museum and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. More recently, he's captivated audiences with his immersive virtual concert, Abba Voyage, in London, and his work with Kim Jones, who tapped Walsh to help stage Dior Menswear and Fendi Couture shows in January. Walsh approaches his projects with the goal of completely immersing his audience — and often pushes the limits to do so. “What I love about being creative or having the opportunity to be creative is a challenge,” said Walsh. Key Insights: Walsh helped infuse Dior Menswear Fall/Winter 2023 runway with TS Eliot's poem “The Waste Land.” Models drifted past massive screens featuring Gwendoline Christie and Robert Pattinson reading the poem, spliced with music from composer Max Richter. Creatives need to live on the edge of fear, according to Walsh. “You have to be scared if you're a creative person … you're entering into a journey that you haven't before,” he said. “That's the point of doing it.” Music has been a thread throughout Walsh's career. He's made videos for Boy George, crafted Abba's hologram-filled Voyage concert but also used music as a source of inspiration for his Daniel Craig-fronted film “Flashbacks of a Fool.”Walsh spent over two years thinking about how to play with illusion and reality to create Abba Voyage. Throughout the display, there are costume changes, chatter between the artists and shadowy figures still present when the lights are out. Then, there's a moment the group suddenly disappears — a reminder the show was contrived. Want more from The Business of Fashion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Blanks sits down with Ziad Ahmed, chief executive of JUV Consulting and Stephanie Simon, the former head of community at Clubhouse to reflect on VOICES. BackgroundThe first three sessions at BoF VOICES 2022 tackled issues inside the fashion industry and far beyond. Speakers explored the climate crisis and accusations of corporate greenwashing; the potential of artificial intelligence and the associated ethical implications; the war in Ukraine and growing economic uncertainty and inequality across the globe and Gen-Z's rising anger over these issues and how to start to fix them.“At this event, fashion is often quite marginal,” said BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks during the live recording of “The Best of VOICES With Tim Blanks.” “It's in our minds, but what we're talking about are the world's big, definitive issues.Blanks was joined by VOICES speaker Ziad Ahmed, chief executive of JUV Consulting and Stephanie Simon, the former head of community at Clubhouse, to reflect on the highlights from the first two days of talks and panel discussions.Key InsightsThe climate crisis is the cloud that hangs over everything, from technology to the economy. But rather than waiting on private companies to create change, widespread regulations are essential, said Simon. “It seems much more straightforward to mandate the targets that we're going to need in order to ensure progress from a climate change perspective.”The potential of artificial intelligence is limitless, but humans can help control how the world of AI unfolds. “We teach AI by example,” said Blanks. “By being ethical, kind human beings, AI learns to be ethical and kind.” While the younger generation is interested in new technologies, there's also a trepidation about the companies and people creating these innovations and a desire to upend past practices. “There's often an assumption that Gen-Z is leading the charge towards innovation,” said Ahmed. “Broadly speaking, that's not really the case. A lot of young people are really sceptical and critical about our own relationships to technology.”To see change, today's stakeholders need to bring the next generation into the decision-making process — and begin to relinquish control. “The solutions to the problems that we are facing exist,” said Ahmed. “The question is if the people who currently have the reins will give them up.” Additional ResourcesBoF VOICES 2022: Finding Optimism in an Unsteady World: From the Ukraine War to the climate crisis to the legacy of the pandemic, speakers including CNN's Clarissa Ward, Mercy Corps' Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, Goldman Sachs' Tim Ingrassia and Google X's former chief business officer Mo Gawdat discussed the uncertainty gripping the world — and why there's cause for hope. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The period between the 1990s and 2010s is often referred to as the golden age of high fashion. A new documentary series on Sky explores the era and shows how – while the models might have been impeccably dressed – backstage, things were often unravelling at the seams. Robert Bound is joined by writer Dana Thomas, The Business of Fashion editor at large Tim Blanks, and head of fashion at ‘The Telegraph', Lisa Armstrong, to discuss the show and the era. 

Janaya Future Khan and Halima Aden joined BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks to share their learnings and reflections after a packed day at BoF VOICES 2021. Sign up to join us for this year's edition, free of charge.Background:From innovations changing fashion to navigating turmoil in the wider world, BoF VOICES, our annual gathering for big thinkers, is a platform to discussing the forces shaping the wider world. ”It was stimulating, it was educational, it was absolutely inspiring,” said BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks, reflecting on the highlights from day one of BoF VOICES 2021, along with Janaya Future Khan and Halima Aden who shared their own learnings and reflections from the days talks. On this week's episode of The BoF Podcast, we revisit Khan and Aden's conversation with Blanks about the evolution of community in the metaverse and representation in the fashion industry.Sign up to join the global livestream BoF VOICES 2022, free of charge here: https://businessoffashion.brandlive.com/VOICES-2022/enAdditional Resources: VOICES 2021: Navigating Turmoil in the Wider WorldVOICES 2021: The Fashion System's Push to EvolveVOICES 2021: Innovations Changing Fashion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the creators of a new docuseries speak to BoF's Tim Blanks about their new series which traces the formation of LVMH and Kering, and how designers like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen helped them build a ‘Kingdom of Dreams.' Background: A new fashion docuseries, “Kingdom of Dreams,” explores the luxury fashion industry's formation in the 1990s to the 2000s, examining some of fashion's most recognisable designers of that period — John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford — as well as executives like Kering's François Pinault and LVMH's Bernard Arnault. Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui highlight the tension between commerce and creativity, as well as the rivalries between luxury groups and their designers. “At the end of the day, we never said anything that hasn't been said or which is not sort of present,” said Bonhôte. “So the truth is very important. And we are… definitely not scandalous.” This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks speaks with Bonhôte and Ettedgui about understanding pressures of consumerism and what makes a fashion house business tick. Key Insights:The creators highlighted the gap between creativity “wizards” and business “emperors” within some of fashion's largest fashion houses, demonstrating the power of tycoons François Pinault and Bernard Arnault. “What we felt was the most interesting drama is there is this constant fight between commerce and creativity,” said Bonhôte. The series also highlights the pressures on designers to double the volume of collections and the impact of that growth on the planet. “It is disturbing to see the fallout and not just the fallout psychologically for the designers, but also for the planet as fashion speeds up,” said Ettedgui.While examining the industry the creators wanted the audience to gain a new understanding of fashion rather than the gated community it can be perceived as. “It's a very difficult industry for people to actually understand because I think the [understanding of] fashion is almost wrong,” said Bonhôte.Additional Resources: How Fashion Went Corporate: Creativity, Commerce and Collateral Damage: Tim Blanks talks to the creators of ‘Kingdom of Dreams,' a new documentary series on how the corporatisation of luxury fashion made superstars of designers John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs, and built gilded empires for bosses Bernard Arnault and François Pinault.To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks describes the designer and businessman's life, continuing impact on fashion, mysterious succession plans and newfound vulnerability. Over his decades-long career, Giorgio Armani has built one of fashion's most successful businesses. Known for his signature tailoring and functional glamour, at 88, he's retained his dominance in an ever-changing, hyper-competitive industry. Amid speculation about what's to come for the Armani fashion empire, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks met the titan at his garden in Milan for an intimate conversation about his life, business and future — including succession plans.  “He was a revolutionary in his own way. I can think of maybe five people in fashion who had the impact he had,” said Blanks.  Key Insights:  The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates Armani has a personal net worth of $9.5 billion. He still owns and runs his company and as Blanks says, may value his independence more than anything.  Rumours about Giorgio Armani's future after Armani include a potential takeover by Bernard Arnault's LVMH, the Agnelli family's Exor or Valentino parent Mayhoola. One thing people don't fully realise about Armani is he is an eccentric, said Blanks. Armani told Blanks his eccentricity lies in his radical approach to design, which is both streamlined and nuanced.  Armani's close relationship with partner Sergio Galeotti, who passed away in 1985, has helped fuel his ascent to status as fashion's most successful designer. Now, Armani, who has no children and doesn't claim many friends outside his family and his company, is leaning into a new kind of love and vulnerability, thanks to the presence of his collaborator's young daughter at the office.    Additional Resources: Giorgio Armani: Lion in Winter Follow The Debrief wherever you listen to podcasts. 

BoF's editor-in-chief and editor-at-large walk through the highlights and unforgettable moments of fashion weeks in Milan and Paris.  Background: Fashion's Spring/Summer 2023 season was jam-packed with debuts, returns and chatter-inducing moments. Alessandro Michele was inspired by his mother and identical twin sister for his “Twinsburg” Gucci presentation which featured 68 pairs of identical twins. Rick Owens drew a dress from a 700 million year-old jellyfish. Dior and Yves Saint Laurent crafted elaborate grotto and fountain backdrops for their collections, while Dries Van Noten staged his Paris comeback in lockstep with Japanese designers including Junya Watanabe, Noir Kei Ninomiya and Jun Takahashi for Undercover — BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks' favourite of the season.  “To me that felt like one of the best commentaries on the pandemic that we've had from fashion — of everything that's passed, everything that's lost, everything that's been lost,” said Blanks. “And then at the same time, the celebration with the fact that he's still there.” Key Insights: In Milan, four major houses — Ferragamo, Missoni, Etro and Bally — debuted the first collections from new designers, with hopes to replicate the success big names like Tom Ford and Alessando Michele have been able to create for Gucci, said Tim Blanks.  For Balenciaga, Demna staged a mud-drenched show with battered and bruised, hoodie-clad models that provoked an intense emotional reaction from the crowd, while Nicolas Ghesquière showed an energetic and future-looking collection for Louis Vuitton.  This fashion month, many catered to both in-person and online audiences to varying degrees of success. Valentino, for one, notably struggled with an element of the show just for cameras, another for people outside and an uber-long runway that saw a number of models take their shoes off.  Fashion traditionally provides a sense of escape, said Blanks, but it's increasingly harder to turn away from the real world. Economies are deteriorating, Russia's assault on the Ukraine continues and the artist formerly known as Kanye West put a shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter,” a phrase deployed by hate groups, on the runway.    Additional Resources:  https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/chanel-miu-miu-louis-vuitton-paris-fashion-week-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2023/ https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/sacai-thom-browne-kanye-west-paris-fashion-week-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2023/ https://www.businessoffashion.com/reviews/fashion-week/junya-wantanbe-noir-comme-des-garcons-paris-fashion-week-ready-to-wear-spring-summer-2023/ To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

The designer speaks with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about his first collection after 2020 and why he feels a sense of optimism following the pandemic.      Background:      At the start of 2021, Rick Owens wanted his next show to reflect the universal toll the pandemic had taken on the world. Held at Venice's Tempio Votivo, a shrine to the fallen soldiers of the two world wars, Owens centred the show around the sombre themes of “anger and darkness.” Despite this ominous outlook, Owens told BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks in January 2021 that a pivot in political circumstances with the inauguration of Joe Biden gave him a sense of optimism.     On this week's episode of the BoF Podcast, we revisit this thought provoking conversation with Owens about his Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, his reflections on lessons learned from the  pandemic and his renewed hope for society.      Key Insights:   For Owens, constraints can create fertile ground for creativity. “It has been quiet change and I like the idea of working within small boundaries,” says Owen. “I like the idea of doing the best with what you have got.” Owens created his collection when the world was facing  growing political uncertainty and instability but he  says “one of the most reassuring things [in this world] is that everything usually balances out. We have survived this long because there is just a tiny bit more of goodness than badness. Just enough to keep us surviving.”  Owen's men's shows in particular are deeply personal. “My men's runway shows are always about men's flaws and men's worst urges because they are auto-biographical,” he says. “When I am thinking about men I am thinking about my own experience and my own experience is very critical and I am always very conscious of my worst urges and where they are coming from.”      Additional Resources:      Rick Owens: Control and Abandon Tim Blanks' Top Fashion Shows of All-Time: Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2014, September 26, 2013 What Fashion Wants From a Biden Presidency

This week on The BoF Podcast, founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed sat down with editor-at-large Tim Blanks to reflect on the fashion month gone by. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began the day Prada showed in Milan, raised questions about whether it was appropriate for fashion week to go on amid the horror and how the industry should respond to the unfolding tragedy and loss of human life. 

What does fashion need? Advisor of Strategy and Vision Linda Loppa and Business Coordinator Eva Zimmerman e-met future Master in Fashion Critique and Curation students in an exclusive online talk. From developing a critical point of view on contemporary fashion to the importance of the written experience in this moment of change, the program aims to shape independent thinkers under the mentorship Tim Blanks, Editor-at-large of The Business of Fashion.

Up until a week ago, Jonathan Anderson was set to show his J.W. Anderson show in Milan, but Omicron has put paid to that, and Jonathan had to quickly change his plans and instead film a presentation at the Scala in Kings Cross London. BoF's editor at large, Tim Blanks, sat down with Jonathan to discuss his responses to the challenges presented by the pandemic. Jonathan has done everything from a show in a box to a show on a wall, and this time he has continued his optimism and enthusiasm in the face of the pandemic.  Read Tim Blanks' full article here.  Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

In November 2021, Massimiliano Giornetti and Linda Loppa headed to London and met up with Tim Blanks, the newest mentor of the Master in Fashion Critique and Curation. From fashion rebels to the weight of words, Blanks shared his thoughts on a variety of topics and talked about how he hopes to help students develop an independent voice. The Master in Fashion Critique and Curation aims to shape independent thinkers with an in-depth understanding of contemporary fashion culture who aren't afraid of questioning the current fashion system and driving change. Fashion is a conversation.

In this episode, Central Saint Martins student Ayo Ojo sits down with ‘Versace Catwalk' author Tim Blanks, offering an inside look at the world of Versace – from the house's opulent collections to its most iconic moments, and the brand's celebrity fans.

After the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week — the first in-person version of the event since the pandemic took hold in early 2020 — BoF's editor at large Tim Blanks sat down with BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed to discuss his reflections on fashion's return to the runway. Designers appeared to come out of lockdown with renewed energy, breathing new life and ideas into their collections. Highlights included Jonathan Anderson's Loewe collection, Extinction Rebellion's talked-about moment during Louis Vuitton and the week's finale, a tribute to the late Alber Elbaz. Still, Blanks said that he doesn't believe fashion has seen the full effects of the pandemic just yet. “I think in a sense everything changed and we haven't processed it yet,” he said. “It's going to take a long time.” On the latest episode of The BoF Podcast, Amed and Blanks explore what fashion learned from its break. Jonathan Anderson's Loewe show leaned on the surreal to expand upon the designer's previous pandemic-era collections and experimented with new themes. It also marked a departure from previous runway show set ups; this year's show was staged in a bare-bones space that highlighted Anderson's sculptural silhouettes. “Of all the designers that we've followed so closely, his response to the pandemic was perhaps the most creative,” said Blanks. “I think it was maybe his best show for Loewe.” The Simpsons' surprise appearance at Balenciaga also provided some levity to the week, with an abbreviated episode of the hit cartoon featuring characters walking in a Balenciaga show. Demna Gvasalia also explored themes of distance with a screening replacing a traditional runway show. Even without the Simpsons' star power, Demna showed a collection that excited buyers and critics alike, particularly in bags and accessories. Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion brought about what was perhaps the most talked-about moment of fashion week. During Louis Vuitton's runway show, an activist stormed the runway carrying a banner that read “Overconsumption = Extinction”, prompting a discussion on if the industry has changed at all during the pandemic. “Maybe the system hasn't changed, but the people who work in the system have been changed, and that's maybe going to change the way the industry interacts,” said Amed. Related Articles: In Paris, Back to Normal or Not? Demna Gvasalia: ‘Couture Is The Most Sustainable Way of Consuming' Fashion's Favourite-Ever Collaboration: Balenciaga and ‘The Simpsons' Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

The designer speaks with Tim Blanks about his journey to find his birth parents and the power of breaking boundaries in fashion.   Olivier Rousteing was named Balmain's creative director ten years ago, when he was still only in his mid-twenties. But Rousteing — who was adopted as a child and grew up believing he was of mixed-race parentage — says he always felt like he was performing a role to fit in amongst the French fashion elite. Recently, he decided to try and find his birth parents to give him a greater understanding of his identity, and allowed a documentary crew to film the process. In the process, Rousteing discovered his Somalian and Ethiopian heritage. The resulting film, “Wonder Boy,” came out last year, and arrived on Netflix in June. The experience has made him want to be more open about his identity. “You knew the designer for many years and now you are going to know the human being behind that,” he says. This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks speaks with Rousteing about connecting with his personal history, the power of community and why timelessness in fashion is vital today. Rousteing said he hopes his personal journey will help provide inspiration for young creatives from diverse backgrounds hoping to make it in fashion. “I think I am the new France,” says Rousteing. “I think this is the message that I am delivering to people… This is my mission to give some hope in breaking boundaries.” In his decade at the helm, Rousting has brought a new approach to Balmain's customers, too. “What I wanted to do during this decade is to make sure that there was awareness of the brand,” said Rousteing. “So, my first step was to create a strong community of people listening to the name of Balmain.” The pandemic has made Rousteing rethink his approach to design. “I think what is trendy is not cool anymore,” said Rousteing. “You want to buy values and you want to buy timeless [products] and you want to feel that what you get is something that will stay in time.” Related Articles: Olivier Rousteing Brings His Maximalism to Couture at Balmain At Balmain, Does a New Logo Signal New Opportunity? Balmain's High-Visibility Mega Mix Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

Marni's creative director reflects on the changes that must endure post-pandemic and the importance of emotion.   In retrospect, Francesco Risso's January 2020 menswear show for Marni seems prophetic. The collection took inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe's “The Masque of the Red Death,” which tells a story of plague and societal excess. These themes continue to resonate with the designer after 16 months living with the pandemic. On this week's episode of the BoF Podcast, Risso tells BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks why fashion's habits of over-production and lavish runways are now “redundant” and where he believes the industry should go from here. Risso has always looked back at brand archives for inspiration, but now he sees an opportunity to extend that habit to create more timeless designs. “Every season we take stuff from the old archives… and it's become Marni's prerogative, so every collection we have those heirlooms,” says Risso. “I'm very a big fan of trying to be responsible with design in that sense.” Risso reflects on the importance of simplicity. Refocusing on creating connections and celebrating the small things over the past year has been a key focus at Marni. “I think it really forced us to focus on the authenticity of our ideas and also to celebrate them at a certain point… we [celebrated] in a very light and primitive kind of way,” he says. Changes to runway shows during the pandemic must not be overturned, according to Risso, who calls for more permanent change to the industry's schedule by reducing the number of collections in a year. “I would love that whatever we have learnt right now is not just thrown off,” says Risso. Related Articles: The End of the (Fashion) World as We Know It At Marni, Hybrids of the Past A New Urgency at Marni   Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

BoF's Tim Blanks speaks with one half of the renowned duo Mert and Marcus about finding new creative avenues.   Renowned fashion photographer Mert Alas — one half of the renowned duo Mert and Marcus — has spent the last four years immersed in the world of gin. While pandemic pivots to new creative ventures have become commonplace, Alas was looking for a new creative outlet long before the current crisis. In crafting his new aromatic gin — named Seventy One after the number of nights it takes to rest the spirit in oak casks — he found many parallels with fashion's creative challenges. Just like in fashion, gin making has suffered from a focus on speed over quality. True craft requires patience and time, Alas says. On this week's BoF Podcast, Alas speaks with Tim Blanks about finding new creative avenues and resisting the pressure to produce more and more and more stuff. Alas approached his new gin like any other creative project as a “relentless journey for perfection.” He immersed himself in the process, learning about every step, from the drink's perfume basis to how many days were required to settle the alcohol. “It became this like a domino effect of ideas and in reality, an experience,” he says. As Alas thought about how he wanted to position his new brand, he spent a lot of time reflecting on the “selfish” nature of the fashion industry. During lockdown, he wanted to create “some kind of an artistic give back,” using Instagram to connect with young creative followers and give them feedback. Creatives should hold on to the time they had during the pandemic to focus on their craft, Alas says. “I was very much on a go, go, go [mentality] for the past 30 years… What I realised [during] the pandemic was that we also never stopped... I was doing a lot of quantity, but now I realise I missed craft.” Related Articles: Christopher Kane's Pandemic Pivot The Art of the Crisis Pivot – and the Brands Getting it Right How to Pivot Your Skill Set During Covid-19 Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

When the Covid-19 crisis struck, Karen Walker — known for her offbeat designs that have been worn by the likes of Meghan Markle and Michelle Obama, and carried by retailers such as Barneys and Harvey Nichols — found that she was propelled to shift the way she thought about her business, her mission as a designer and her community. Walker's home country, New Zealand, battled the Covid-19 pandemic with a swift hand — its citizens saw only five weeks of lockdowns before the virus disappeared from within its borders. Despite the relative brevity of the country's lockdowns, business owners and brands were still faced with the same existential crises and questions as the rest of the world. Now that people within the country have returned to something close to normal life (just without tourists), Walker notes several shifts in attitude: people want to treat themselves, but they also want to support the nation and local businesses that supported them. More generally, consumers have come out of lockdown more interested in buying products aligned with what they stand for. On this week's BoF Podcast, Walker joins Tim Blanks in a conversation about dealing with change, defining desire and life on the other side of the Covid crisis. When New Zealand's prime minister announced the country would go into lockdown in March, Walker had just finalised the next year's budget. Instead of being able to sit back and do business as usual, she was forced to rethink everything and ask existential questions about her business that would go on to have a lasting impact. “If this goes on for six months or a year, and I really have to fight for this, what am I fighting for? What will my audience miss? What's at stake? Why should I go into battle for this?” she said. After going through what Walker calls nature's “forced contemplation,” she stopped thinking of herself as primarily a designer, but rather, a retailer who serves the needs of her community. As part of that mindset shift, Walker abandoned the traditional fashion calendar, for one, because she realised it was more in her customer's interest to do so. Even though she sees the change as good, it was still unsettling. “Change is uncomfortable, alright, even if you know you have to do it — it's still an uncomfortable place.” Walker said. Walker has observed transformations in what consumers think about and look for when shopping. First, they want to know what retailers stand for and how it aligns with what they care about. Second, they want products that are both beautiful and functional. “They want it to be a good product, not necessarily a new product. That speaks to how it's made, how it's designed, how it functions, the cost of its making — the unseen costs on people and planet,” said Walker. “Those are very much in people's minds, and that's what motivates me too. I'm not interested in just making more and more stuff.” Related Articles: Stella McCartney on the Business of Sustainable Design The Year That Changed the World Vanessa Kingori on the Reinvention of British Vogue Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

En este episodio, Sandra Mathey García-Rada, Laura Beltrán-Rubio y Jeniffer Varela Rodríguez analizan una de las estrategias que consideramos clave para la descolonización de la industria de la moda: las colecciones sin temporada o, en inglés, seasonless. La idea para este episodio nació de un artículo que Sandra escribió con una amiga y colega, Deandra Green, justamente sobre este tema. El artículo fue bastante corto y apenas alcanzaron a mencionar que, en muchos países del mundo, las temporadas que propone el llamado “calendario internacional de la moda” no son las más apropiadas. Hoy expandimos en esta idea y exploramos el potencial de las colecciones sin temporada como una propuesta para descentralizar el sistema moda global desde Latinoamérica.Referencias:Deandra Green y Sandra Mathey García-Rada, “Seasonless Collections: An Unspoken Opportunity”, ITLook The Change Edition (2021), 36–37 acceso el 6 de junio de 2021, https://itl-group.com/download/ITLOOK_vol3_2021.pdf. Gill Stark, The Fashion Show: History, Theory and Practice (Londres: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018). Josué Rojas: @joshillustrates. Marina Valera, “El Cambio De Paradigma Que La Industria De La Moda Esperaba: El Fin De Las Tendencias”,  Vogue España, acceso el 20 de junio de 2021, https://www.vogue.es/moda/articulos/cambio-tendencias-ciclo-moda-compras-sostenibilida.Tim Blanks, Robin Givhan y Rachel Tashjian, “The Fate of the Physical Runway Show”,  The Business of Fashion Podcast,  audio de podcast, 10 de septiembre de 2020, https://www.businessoffashion.com/podcasts/fashion-week/the-bof-podcast-future-of-fashion-shows-robin-givhan-tim-blanks-rachel-tashjian. Robin Driver, “La Generación Z Apuesta Por El Consumo Consciente, La Sostenibilidad y La Autoexpresión”, FashionNetwork, 1 de junio 2021, acceso el 20 de junio de 2021, https://pe.fashionnetwork.com/news/La-generacion-z-apuesta-por-el-consumo-consciente-la-sostenibilidad-y-la-autoexpresion,1306690.html.Encuéntranos en: http://culturasdemoda.com/salon-de-moda/ @moda2_0 @culturasdemoda #SalonDeModa Agradecemos a Fair Cardinals (@faircardinals) por la música, a Jhon Jairo Varela Rodríguez por el diseño gráfico y a Maca Rubio por la edición del audio.

The Milan-based, American designer speaks with Tim Blanks about how he plans to introducing the cult brand's enduring values to a new global audience. When Lawrence Steele was named creative director at Aspesi in November, it was a home-coming of sorts. The American designer consulted for the Milan-based label for 13 years before departing in March 2017 to join Marni as associate creative director. Now, he's been tasked with introducing the cult label founded in 1969 by Alberto Aspesi to a new global audience, while remaining true to its distinctive identity and ethos which Steele says are suited for this moment of reflection and reset. On this week's episode of The BoF Podcast, Lawrence Steele speaks with editor-at-large Tim Blanks as he debuts his first collection for Aspesi: Steele is looking to technology to help Aspesi get big international traction, while retaining its niche insider vibe. The brand debuted on WeChat and Weibo in April, and expects to launch on Tmall in September. “I think today with the world, how it's opened up so vastly through technology, there's something quaint about [Aspesi] being a small brand, but there's something very exciting about taking the values of the brand out into the world.” When it comes to fashion, retaining an authentic brand identity can't mean standing still; it's a constant balance to honour traditions and remain relevant. “It's very easy if you step back and you think about the long run to see what lasts and to gauge what's happening,” said Steele. “But you have to have the culture of being able to look at it from above and not being caught up in the world of what fashion really is, which is change, because fashion by nature is change, it's the fashion of the moment.” Steele sees the pandemic as an opportunity to reset the fashion industry and do away with wasteful season cycles and excessive production. “My hope is that what we draw from this is that we have found other creative ways of communicating, of reaching each other, of creating through the technology that was around us all along.” Related Articles: Lawrence Steele, Master of the Long Run In Milan, a Return to Tradition #BoFLIVE: Engaging the Gen-Z Shopper Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

The Valentino creative director and London menswear designer discuss their process reimagining the Roman brand's signature rockstud. The Valentino rockstud has become a brand icon. To mark its tenth anniversary, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli teamed up with British menswear designer Craig Green to create a sneaker adorned with the Valentino symbol. It was a collaboration forged over Zoom during the pandemic, with Piccioli based in Rome and Green in East London. On this week's episode of The BoF Podcast, editor-at-large Tim Blanks speaks with Piccioli and Green about creative collaboration and reimagining design icons. When collaborating, designers' differences can often offer the best source of creative inspiration, says Green. “A collaboration works best when it's from two separate worlds coming together and seeing what can be born out of that.” Shifting meaning while upholding tradition has been Piccioli's mantra.  The new sneaker aims to honour Valentino's heritage and traditions, but also find the power in reinterpreting an established symbol. “I want to use the same objects, the same signs, but I want to give them a different meaning,” says Piccioli. Above all, collaboration is an education. “I think with every collaboration and with every person that you work with, especially working with someone like Pierpaolo, you learn a lot,” says Green. “You kind of inevitably change in the future what you plan to do.” Related Articles: Can Valentino Bring Radicalism to Its Romanticism? Valentino Delivered the Digital Experience the Industry Has Been Waiting For The BoF Podcast: Craig Green says, ‘Fashion Can Come From Anywhere' Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

Fashion designer Harris Reed speaks to Tim Blanks about dressing without gender boundaries, and how the reaction to the Harry Styles American Vogue cover is an example of how far the dial still needs to move. Reed also shares thoughts on the new wave of creatives leading the fashion industry, as well as how the future of the industry is playing out. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The highly respected talent agent talks to BoF’s Tim Blanks about how young creatives can develop their careers and have meaningful impact. CLM is one of the most influential management agencies in the industry. But after 35 years representing the likes of Juergen Teller and Tim Walker, last year’s upheaval reminded Camilla Lowther of how she got started: working at a small agency and building new networks. This year, she launched Fire, a creative talent agency focused on the new generation of talent. This week on The BoF Podcast, Lowther and editor-at-large Tim Blanks discuss opportunities to learn from and with young generations and why being true to yourself is still fundamental to a successful career as a creative. “Believe in what you do. Don’t try and do what you think other people want you to do, because, you know, the truth is really important. Even if it takes longer to get there, if you really believe in it, then other people will believe in it,” says Lowther. Creativity is best served when you’re open to sharing and learning, whatever stage of your career you’re at. “I think the one thing that’s really important for all of us who’ve been in the business for possibly a long time is to impart our knowledge and our narrative to [young people],” says Lowther. “And then then it’s up to them to take what they want to and also to teach us something new.” Lowther reflects on how persistence is an important quality in anyone starting out in their career and how remaining true to your vision is critical. “Don’t try and do what you think other people want,” she says. “Even if it takes longer to get there, if you really believe in it, then other people will believe in it.” Related Articles: End of the Model Agency as We Know It? Can Hollywood Super Agency Finally Crack Fashion? Building Great Bowery, Fashion’s Super-Agency Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

Creative director Angela Missoni reflects on life beyond Missoni as she steps down after 24 years in the role. Angela Missoni is stepping back from her role as creative director of Missoni. While she’ll stay on as president, the company will now be led by chief executive Livio Proli, who was appointed after the brand took on private equity funding from FSI Mid-Market Growth Equity Fund in 2018. This week on The BoF Podcast, Angela reflects on the family heritage and craftsmanship that still sit at the Italian luxury brand’s core in conversation with editor-at-large Tim Blanks. At its heart, Missoni has been a family business, drawing on the creative flare of three generations. “I think my parents invented a style,” said Missoni. “They invented a new language in fashion and then I think in the past 25 years I was able to expand the lexicon of this language.” The brand’s signature stripes are partly the result of technological limits when Missoni’s parents began creating knitwear; stripes were the only thing the machine they had could knit. “Missoni evolved through the evolution of technology, but the hand was always more relevant,” said Missoni. “People were asking my father if he designed on a computer. No, my father was designing on a little square of white paper.” The brand is well placed to move forward as Missoni steps back, the creative director said. “I will always give my support, [but] I’m confident in leaving the collections in the hands of my team… [Missoni is] perfectly fit to go forward in this moment.” Related Articles: Angela Missoni Exits Creative Director Role Missoni Sells Minority Stake to Private Equity Firm in €70 Million Deal 2020′s Top M&A Targets in Luxury The Missoni Matriarchs   Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.

Curated by Polimoda, this episode of Polimoda Duets, a series of documentary interviews involving some of the most outstanding cultural figures of our time, features The Business of Fashion's editor-at-large Tim Blanks.

The designer’s teacher turned close collaborator and friend, reflects on how Elbaz communicated his fashion dreams to the world.   Ever since the news of Alber Elbaz’s death broke last weekend, the fashion world has been in a collective state of mourning. Many have eulogised and memorialised the designer’s unique ability to make women feel empowered in the clothes designed. But few knew him better than Shelly Verthime, his close friend and collaborator, who first met him as his teacher at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Israel. This week on The BoF Podcast, editor-in-chief Imran Amed and editor-at-large Tim Blanks speak with Verthime and reflect on Elbaz’s influence, recounting the highs and lows of his career defining moments. From the beginning of his career, Verthime said Elbaz created a clear path for the steps he wished to take with the industry. “I knew that there was just something so special about him, it was so clear to me where he is going,” she said. “At the time I was his teacher but very, very soon he became my teacher, and then he became [the industry’s] teacher and mentor and friend.” Throughout his career, Elbaz exercised the power of communication as well as creativity. Elbaz was an “original creator, emotional creator but he was a fantastic communicator,” Verthime said. “He knew what works and what doesn’t work for him.” Elbaz was known for his efforts to empower women, dressing them suit to their needs and build their confidence. His close relationship to his mother facilitated his understanding of women as multifaceted. “What he wanted to do was that his clothes would enhance the personality, where you see the face… it was about the woman who would wear it,” said Verthime. “He wanted assertive women [and] he wanted women to love themselves.” Related Articles: Lessons for the Fashion Industry From Alber Elbaz’s Talk at VOICES 2018 Alber Elbaz on Making His Return to Fashion Inside Alber Elbaz’s Return to Fashion   To subscribe to The BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business. 

In the latest edition of the BoF podcast, Tim Blanks talks with the artist, designer and first American in over a decade to present at Paris haute couture week.   Even though he’s worked with Raf Simons at Calvin Klein and runs his own brand, SR. STUDIO. LA. CA., Sterling Ruby is perhaps still known primarily for his art: multidisciplinary work that often deals in dripping urethane sculptures, illusory canvases, and handmade ceramics. But on the heels of his Paris haute couture presentation in February over zoom, Ruby is becoming a force in the industry. So much so, that editor at large Tim Blanks asks him whether he would like to become a certifiable “fashion tycoon” in the near future.On the latest edition of the BoF podcast, Blanks sits down with Ruby to talk about fashion, Ruby’s future, and the blurred boundaries between his art and his clothes. Ruby’s work is distinctly American, drawing on the nation’s history of puritanism and violence, wickedness and hope. That was present in his work with Raf Simons at Calvin Klein, and still reverberates through it today. “I always walked away feeling like I’d seen an echo of Stephen king or something. It was a very particular view of America,” Blanks said. When asked to present at Paris haute couture week, Ruby and his team were skeptical about how they fit into the implied status, standards, and rules of couture. “We decided to kind of think about couture as our version of something made by hand.” Ruby said. “Maybe it was unique, maybe it was something that was strictly made in the studio, and that’s how it kind of came about. We justified it by kind of thinking that this is our version of couture.” Ruby’s interest in fashion traces back to his youth in the conservative town of New Freedom, Pennsylvania, where dressing became a form of both rebellion and therapy.“I was very obsessed with clothes when I was thirteen, and the kind of power of clothes, and interrogation you would get because you were wearing something very particular in an environment where you weren’t supposed to, and I love that,” Ruby said. “I just didn’t realise that’s probably what the heart of fashion is.” Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business. 

The Black model and entrepreneur speaks with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about paving the way for a more inclusive fashion industry — and the work that remains to be done.   Iman stands out as a trailblazer in the fashion industry. She was one of the first Black models to star on the catwalk and followed her modelling career with a successful cosmetics business designed for women of colour. While she helped pave the way for more representation, she also experienced first hand the racism and discrimination that persists within the industry today. In the latest episode of the BoF Podcast, Iman speaks with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about her experiences and the work that still needs to be done to address the problem. The supermodel credits her mother’s empowering vision of self-worth for enabling her to navigate a tricky industry. “[Self-worth] is what [my mother] heavily instilled in me to be able to walk away from anything that doesn’t serve you well regardless [of] how enticing it is,” she said. “Whether it’s a man or work or whatever it is … I would always make the right decision for myself if I had a sense of self-worth.” Iman has achieved stellar success and helped pave the way for greater representation throughout the industry, but throughout her career, she’s had to work harder than her peers to secure her place. “Most of the time makeup artists had no clue how to do our makeup,” says Iman. “Forget about hair, that is why most of the pictures you will see [Black women’s] hair is just pulled back because [stylists] didn’t know what to do with it.” Iman remains actively involved in efforts to tackle racism in the industry through The Black Girls Coalition, a pressure group she co-founded with close friend Bethann Hardison to highlight the lack of representation in the fashion industry. “It’s a learning experience because you just have to manoeuvre and find your place in this system [as a Black woman and model.]”   Related Articles: Secrets of the Supermodel Trade The BoF Podcast: Tackling Systemic Racism in the Fashion Industry Op-Ed | Racial Diversity on the Runway   To subscribe to The BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business. 

This week on The BoF Podcast, editor-in-chief Imran Amed speaks with Saul Nash, Stephen Jones and Roksanda Ilinčić about how to tell compelling fashion stories amid the pandemic. Another season of mostly virtual fashion weeks have helped fashion films to become an increasingly popular tool for designers to create an elaborate narrative out of their collections off the catwalk. These new, online-first presentations have forced designers to think creatively and push storytelling further in order to emotionally connect with audiences. But as with any emerging phenomenon, there’s still much to learn. In the latest episode of the BoF Podcast, designers Saul Nash, Stephen Jones and Roksanda Ilinčić, and BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks, delve into the dynamics of digital comunication and how to stand out with a meaningful story. To subscribe to The BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.  Related Articles: London’s Creativity Lights Up Dark Times Stephen Jones Says the Constant Quest for Perfection Often Kills Spontaneity Roksanda and Richard Quinn Bring Art to Their Fashion

The designer speaks with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about his latest collection, making change and the importance of elevating the next generation of fashion creatives.   When Virgil Abloh first broke into fashion he remembers feeling like a tourist. The designer began his career in architecture and says he struggled to find his place in an industry of insiders. But after three years at the helm of Louis Vuitton’s menswear division, the Off-White founder is now very much part of the establishment. In the latest episode of the BoF Podcast, Abloh speaks with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about his hopes of paving the way to a more democratic and inclusive industry for the younger generation and why he’s launched a TV station. The designer is increasingly focused on lifting up the next generation of young designers, conscious of his responsibility to open up the industry. Last year, he raised $1 million to launch the “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund for Black students.   Related Articles: Virgil Abloh: ‘You Have to Choose Your Message Wisely’ What’s Off-White Without Virgil? Virgil Abloh: ‘I Am Not a Designer’   To subscribe to The BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Join BoF Professional for the analysis and advice you need. Get 30 days for just $1 or explore group subscriptions for your business.   

The American designer speaks with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks about his latest collection, born from ‘anger and darkness,’ and why limitations often make way for creative ingenuity.   The location of Rick Owens latest show is a reflection of the ongoing sense of global loss as the death toll from Covid-19 continues to rise. The designer’s new men’s collection was presented at Tempio Votivo, a shrine to the fallen soldiers of the two world wars. The collection, Owens tells BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks, was born out of “anger and darkness,” despite a fresh sense of optimism brought about by Joe Biden’s recent inauguration.In the latest episode of The BoF Podcast, Owens and Blanks discuss the many references that informed the American designer’s new collection and why imperfection is central to his pursuit of creativity. The show, although full of music and models, was without a live audience, a move that turned the presentation into “personal ritual,” Owens said. “We are doing it for ourselves… Some of the people [I’m working with] have been with me for 18 years. For us to be able to nurture and develop the collection to this point together, we’ve never fully done that before. It’s been this great bonding exercise.” For Owens, lockdown life has not deviated far from his pre-pandemic routine. “I don’t participate or circulate in the world as much as most people do,” he said. But the social restrictions have reminded him that limitations can be central to creative ingenuity. “I like the idea of working within small boundaries,” he told Blanks. “I like the idea of doing the best with what you’ve got.” References for Owens’ work include the Bible, the Rocky Horror Show and S&M, as well as his own imperfections and personal experience of manhood. “My men’s runway shows are always about men’s flaws, and about men’s worst urges because they’re autobiographical,” he said. “When I’m thinking about men, I’m thinking about my own experience. And my own experience is very critical.” Related Articles:Rick Owens: Control and AbandonTim Blanks’ Top Fashion Shows of All-Time: Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2014, September 26, 2013What Fashion Wants From a Biden Presidency       To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions or speaker ideas please email podcast@businessoffashion.com.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.    

Amanda Harlech, creative consultant, writer, and long-time collaborator of John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld, connects with Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The conversation was led by Tim Blanks, Editor-at-Large at The Business of Fashion. They talk about the changing context of fashion, unearthing forgotten stories and perspectives from fashion history, and much more.

Amanda Harlech, creative consultant, writer, and long-time collaborator of John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld, connects with Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. The conversation was led by Tim Blanks, Editor-at-Large at The Business of Fashion. They talk about the changing context of fashion, unearthing forgotten stories and perspectives from fashion history, and much more.

When Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, editor-in-chief of 10, returned home after a whirlwind month zipping between shows in fashion’s capitals last March, she thought she’d come down with a case of the “fashion month flu.” What came next changed her perspective on both the industry and her life.    Beating Covid-19 was a battle as draining mentally as it was physically, 10 magazine editor Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou told BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks during BoF VOICES 2020. “It’s not just a physical assault on your body, it’s a mental assault as well,” she said. Neophitou-Apostolou contracted the disease and was admitted to hospital just after fashion month in March. She’s still recovering. The experience had made her  reconsider both how she lives her own life (being “COVID-safe,” she said, is her top priority) and the way the fashion industry operates. “It was a big wake-up call… we have to all of us contribute to things to change them.”   Find out more about #BoFVOICES  here.   To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions or speaker ideas please email podcast@businessoffashion.com.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

The American designer discusses the power of many businesses to be advocates for change.   The last few years have offered Tory Burch, founder of her namesake womenswear label, time to focus less on business and more on design, particularly since her husband Pierre-Yves Roussel took on the role of chief executive in 2018. Now, the pandemic is giving her even more time to focus on perfecting product, a rare silver lining of an otherwise challenging situation.   In the latest episode of the BoF Podcast, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks speaks with Burch about her activist-focused approach to business and how the last 10 months have shaped her fashion label.   Restriction is a crucial component of creativity. To Burch, the travel restrictions and social distancing measures have opened new avenues of creativity, fostering agility and resourcefulness. “One thing that’s happened because of lockdown is it makes you stand still,” said Burch. “To be able to be in one place has been really transformative on many levels.” Burch emphasises that what constitutes luxury needs to be reconsidered. “I really believe luxury isn’t about a price point, and I think that’s relatable particularly today,” she said. “How do you design beautiful things that are timeless and that will last? That’s what I’ve been thinking about,” she said, adding that having time to spend is the ultimate luxury. Through the Tory Burch Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to advancing women’s empowerment, Burch is finding new avenues through which to support women and help them weather the coronavirus crisis. “Its horrendous for women right now,” said Burch. “They are taking care of children at a much higher rate than men. We have had to help many women figure out how to take out PPP loans… We had to pivot to really be a resource for women.”   Related Articles:Tory Burch Names Pierre-Yves Roussel CEOIndependent Women Brought Hope to Fashion’s Virtual SpringVisual Metaphors at Tory Burch     Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here.   To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions or speaker ideas please email podcast@businessoffashion.com.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

The acclaimed photographer talks to Tim Blanks about his new autobiography and extraordinary career.   LONDON, United Kingdom — David Bailey has authored dozens of books, but “Look Again” is his first autobiography. As the title suggests, the photographer is less interested in reminiscing about the past, and more keen on pushing himself and others to look beyond first impressions.    The memoir delves into Bailey’s past and includes sometimes-scathing accounts of his relationships with heavyweights in the world of fashion, media, show business and politics — though he maintains he told the stories “in the nicest possible way.”    “Being a photographer, you have to know how to deal with anyone, from the bloke on the [street] corner to the Queen, so you have to behave,” he said.   Speaking in conversation with BoF Editor-at-Large Tim Blanks, the famed photographer shares anecdotes from his storied and colourful past.    Since he first burst onto the scene in 1960, photography has drastically changed alongside technology. “iPhones killed photography in a way, because everyone can take a picture,” he said, adding, “it’s made it into a kind of folk art,” which has its merits.   As Blanks notes, Bailey lost interest in fashion photography for a while in the 1970s, a period  Bailey blames on  his dislike of some editors and the grind of the fashion cycle. It was “another frock and another frock and another girl and another girl.” It took the emergence of Kate Moss — alongside ‘60s supermodel Jean Shrimpton one of Bailey’s top muses — to excite him again. “They’re both exceptional,… important people, much more important than people think.” While Bailey is not one for nostalgia, he can pinpoint one photograph that defines an era — and himself as a photographer. “I’ve got one picture that I feel sums up everything: [British actor] Michael Caine with an unlit cigarette,” he said. “I feel it sums up the ‘60s for me. Not a miniskirt but a close-up of Michael Caine.”   Related Articles: David Bailey Turns Editor for Citizens of Humanity 100 Years of British Vogue Will Covid-19 Change Fashion Photography? Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here.   To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions or speaker ideas please email podcast@businessoffashion.com.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

On this episode, Tim Blanks, fashion Journalist and editor-at-large for Business of Fashion, reminisces with Jeanne about the days when they were both hosting rival TV  shows. Tim and Jeanne commiserate about the challenges of fashion reporting for TV, and Tim recounts his experiences being front row and centre during fashion’s Golden Age. A must … Continue reading "A Walk Down Memory Lane With Tim Blanks"

The British designer tells Tim Blanks about his latest creative endeavour, a documentary about creating his first collection in two years.   LONDON, United Kingdom — Acclaimed designer Gareth Pugh showed his last collection in September 2018. Two years on, he has returned to the industry at a time of global tumult. Its effects are clearly reflected in “The Reconstruction,” a documentary made by Pugh, his husband Carson McColl and Showstudio director Nick Knight showcasing 13 new designs and the inspiration behind them.   “This project really has been born out of some insane historical moments,” said Pugh. “2020’s been a shitty year and so much has gone on,” he continued, and he would be remiss “not to look it in the face and acknowledge its presence.”   No stranger to the medium, Pugh has previously released films of his designs in lieu of a fashion show, and in 2019 made a documentary with McColl about the fight for LGBTQ+ rights across the UK. In the latest episode of The BoF Podcast, Pugh discussed what the current state of the industry means for young designers, and how he considers film to be a medium loaded with potential depth. The “new normal” can also mean opportunities. “The playing field is now level; you don’t have that established way of having to do things. like young designers being forced into this idea that ’we have to spend a load of money doing a show,’” said Pugh. “You never had to do that anyway, but now more than ever you really don’t.” For many designers, film has been the go-to medium in the absence of in-person fashion shows, but it presents its own challenges. “Once you have that physical exchange taken away, you have that hole, that vacuum that you need to fill,” said Pugh. That said, alternative art forms allow for a more profound exploration of themes. “In a [fashion] show context it’s very difficult to dig down deep… simply because you’ve got this tennis match-esque way of presenting things,” he added. “The Reconstruction” is a meditation on permanence, longevity and wider political significance as it pertains to creativity — from the “monumental” looks showcased in the film, to an entire section documenting the Black Lives Matter movement and activism of trans women of colour. “Wanting to build something really febrile and really temporal doesn’t sit with me,” said Pugh, admitting that he “never did very well with playing that commercial game” as a designer. “Fashion for me is part of the wider cultural conversation and does link to so many things we are part of… [It] doesn’t exist within a vacuum.”   Related Articles:Gareth Pugh's Fashion BattlefieldGareth Pugh's Macabre MovieA Life in Extreme Style: Michèle Lamy   Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here.   To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions or speaker ideas please email podcast@businessoffashion.com.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.    

Amed and Blanks reflect on this season’s collections, the shift to digital and the limitless potential power of creative collaboration.     LONDON, United Kingdom — This last fashion month has been unlike any other. After much of the year working under lockdowns, brands largely shifted to digital channels to showcase their newest collections. In the latest episode of the BoF podcast, BoF Founder and CEO Imran Amed and BoF Editor-at-Large Tim Blanks reflect on the season's most compelling moments and lasting impact. Virtual presentations haven’t always landed, but this season felt different, said Blanks. “There was so much thought and creativity and ingenuity applied to new ways of doing business and new ways [of showing work]... It was a very different ball game.” In London, Blanks was struck by female designers like Bianca Saunders, Ahluwalia and Supriya Lele who “did these super strong presentations that were provocative and affirmative and positive,” he said. Overall, London Fashion Week was defined by a joyful defiance during a time of crisis. In Milan and Paris, Blanks and Amed referenced Prada and Rick Owens as two of many shows that stood out to them. This season also made clear the power of strong partnerships. Through creative collaborations between designers and filmmakers, brands have managed to bring their collections to life to audiences the world over. “It changes the fundamental conception of fashion being about the designer, now we have a much more collaborative thing happening,” said Blanks. “That’s a shift, I think.” Related Articles: How Impactful Were the Digital Fashion Week Shows, Really? Who Will Win the Digital Fashion Week Battle? How to Make Digital Fashion Weeks Work   Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here. To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.  

The artistic director tells Tim Blanks about reigniting the surrealist maison, and why fashion doesn’t have to be ‘relevant’ right now.   LONDON, United Kingdom — Daniel Roseberry grew up in Texas, far from his current professional home at Elsa Schiaparelli’s Place Vendôme headquarters, but he always knew he wanted to work in fashion. “It was always something that I was interested in that no one else around me knew anything about,” he told BoF Editor-at-Large Tim Blanks in the latest episode of The BoF Podcast. “It was this idea of fantasy.” Appointed as Schiaparelli’s artistic director last year, Roseberry lifts the lid on his journey as a designer and his approach to honouring, but not replicating, the vision of the maison’s founder. Before Schiaparelli, Roseberry, spent more than 10 years at ready-to-wear label Thom Browne “There’s nowhere else I could have worked in New York that could have prepared me for the kind of hours that go into a garment… It was my only job before Schiaparelli in fashion and so that was my first foray into this kind of approach.” Despite having over a decade worth of experience, nothing could have prepared him for the challenges of being that “person that has to step out at the end of the show and wave.” Roseberry often wondered when his time would come and the journey has been a learning process. “I thought I knew what it was like to maintain a vision throughout the entire creative process… when there’s so many moving parts… that is the challenge… and it’s something that I’m getting better at.” When it comes to adding his stamp and reinventing the maison, Roseberry tries to “honour... and embody [Elsa Schiaparelli’s] ethos.” The maison shuttered in 1954 and only reopened six years ago. Roseberry is the third artistic director to take its helm. “Trying to replicate what [Schiaparelli] did, which also seemed to be so effortless and such a product of the time and place in which she lived, would be a very arrogant disaster,” he said. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the industry all but came to a halt and brands had to find ways to pivot to keep their heads above water. For Roseberry “fashion shows don’t have to be relevant right now. There’s so many other things that are more important and I wish that fashion people could allow themselves to sit with that discomfort.” When asked about the future of fashion, Roseberry, like many during this crisis, is unsure but believes that is ok. “Fashion is so obsessed with predicting itself and I think it’s because deep down we know how… not essential we are [right now]… and I think there is an insecurity there.”   Related Articles: Schiaparelli Goes Psycho-Chic A Psychedelic Fairy Tale at Schiaparelli ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Brands: Myth or Magic Formula?    Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here. To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter.   Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

Kate Moss e John Galliano, con una delle amicizie più longeve e più intense della storia della moda, sono i protagonisti del nuovo podcast della serie "Of Love and Style". “Permettendomi di disegnare quel vestito (l'abito da sposa per il matrimonio con Jamie Hince, n.d.r.) Kate mi ha salvato la vita. È stata il mio rehab creativo. Le devo tutto” dirà lo stilista riguardo quel meraviglioso abito che tutti ricordiamo. Proprio dall'abito di nozze di Kate Moss prende il via la narrazione di Raffaele Panizza nel raccontare la storia del couturier nato a Gibilterra e dell'iconica modella. Di Raffaele Panizza. A cura di Elisa Pervinca Bellini. - - - - Crediti:Kate Moss: It’s all in the details, videointervista per Vogue.com. 17 gennaio 2012.John Galliano: The first interview, intervista per il programma Charlie Rose, in onda sul network PBS e Bloomberg Television. Produttore e conduttore: Charlie Rose per PBS. 6 dicembre 2013.The South Bank Show, prodotto da London Weekend Television per ITV network. 8 marzo 1996BBC News, prodotto da British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 ottobre 2008Looking for Kate, prodotto da Emason Production e Electron Libre. Regista: Dominique Miceli. 12 gennaio 2014A conversation with David Baron, prodotto da Phoebe Bradford per WWD. 16 dicembre 2019Obsession, commercial per fragranza Calvin Klein. Regista: Mario Sorrenti. 1993Kate! Creating an icon, prodotto da Loanmedia. Regista: Nicola Graef. 3 marzo 2011Masters of style: John Galliano, scritto e condotto da Tim Blanks, prodotto e diretto da Madeleine Czigler. 2003Matrix, condotto da Enrico Mentana, prodotto per Canale 5 da Fininvest e Videonews. 12 settembre 2005.CNN, rullo di notizie, condotto da Hala Gorani. 1 marzo 2011John Galliano: The master of couture, intervista di Alexandra Shulman per The Vogue Festival. 27 aprile 2015

This week on Inside Fashion, the BoF tag team discuss the state of an industry in flux, digital pivots and the future of fashion shows.   LONDON, United Kingdom — The outbreak of Covid-19 signalled major disruptions across the global fashion supply chain, from the garment workers left destitute in India and Bangladesh after retailers in the West cancelled orders to businesses temporarily shuttering brick-and-mortar sites in order to curb the spread of the virus. “This pandemic is shaping up to be one of those collective experiences of complete change… It seems like [there has been] such a momentous shift in perception and [in] the way all of us are thinking about life,” said BoF Editor-in-Chief Imran Amed. For both Amed and BoF Editor-at-Large Tim Blanks, this period of uncertainty offered an opportunity for the industry to reassess the way it operates. “This industry is so important, it’s so big... and there’s so much of an opportunity to do things better,” Amed said.“We have a moral responsibility to do better as an industry.” Blanks first realised the enormity of the health crisis after returning from Paris Fashion Week. “March 3 [the last day of Paris Fashion Week] was the day that you could feel the storm clouds had well and truly gathered over fashion… there was this sense of some enormous, ominous force,” he said. Even as lockdown measures have eased and designers have set their sights on an iteration of September fashion shows, the feeling of uncertainty still looms. “September isn’t in our hands, we don’t know what is going to happen in September or in January… I think the situation is incredibly volatile,” Blanks added. Like many industries, the fashion sector has adopted digital tools in order to keep working in the age of social distancing, from virtual showrooms and live streaming to online-only fashion shows. For Blanks, the allure of sitting in the pews of an elaborate runway show, just inches away from visual masterpieces, can never be duplicated on screen. However, he also acknowledged that the brands and designers' response to the disruption of the fashion calendar using digital presentations “was really interesting, [especially seeing]... how so many different creative sensibilities approached the same challenge.” The pandemic and political unrest has accelerated the conversation around responsibility in the fashion industry. Now more than ever, brands are being called upon to address the lack of diversity and inclusion within their corporate structures. “This momentum for change cannot be diverted, it cannot be still. It must roll on and I think fashion has to be a part of… the solution not the problem,” Blanks said. “The most critical challenge facing the industry is inclusivity… it has to be more inclusive and embracing… Opportunity needs to be equal for everybody.”   Related Articles: A Year Without Fashion Shows Fashion’s New Outlook on 2020 Op-Ed | Fashion Is Part of the Race Problem Designers Lobby to ‘Fix’ the Fashion System. Will It Work?   Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here. To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

Russell & Robert meet legendary fashion writer Tim Blanks, Editor-at-large of Business Of Fashion and a passionate art fan/collector. We discuss growing up in New Zealand, hanging out in the late 70s with artist collective General Idea in New York, meeting Andy Warhol in Toronto, the influence of David Bowie, his love of The Photographer’s Gallery, collecting photography including Juergen Teller and a classic Horst photograph of Marlene Dietrich. We learn of his admiration for a new generation such as photographer Jack Davison, stylist Ib Kamara and designer Craig Green plus we hear his perspective on the future of art and fashion worlds after the Covid-19 pandemic.We reflect on successful art & fashion collaborations including Raf Simons & Sterling Ruby, Maria Grazia Chiuri & Judy Chicago and Kim Jones who has worked with artists throughout his career from KAWS to Raymond Pettibon to Jake & Dinos Chapman. We discuss his favourite contemporary artists including Lisa Brice, Jordan Casteel, Gregory Halpern, Trisha Donnelly, Kevin Beasley and AA Bronson, and his longterm friendship with Casey Kaplan, the leading NY gallerist who he’s also collected artworks from. We explore the history of Illustration in fashion from Erte and Yves Saint Laurent to more recent illustrators/artists such as Julie Verhoeven, Mats Gustafson, Clym Evernden and Howard Tangye. Finally we hear Tim sing a classic Velvet Underground song!Follow @TimBlanks on Instagram and @Tim_Blanks on Twitter. For images of all artworks discussed in this episode visit @TalkArt. We've just joined Twitter too @TalkArtPodcast. If you've enjoyed this episode PLEASE leave us your feedback and maybe 5 stars if we're worthy in the Apple Podcast store. Thank you for listening to Talk Art, we will be back very soon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a special birthday treat, we are incredibly proud to welcome Mr. @timblanks to the Fashion In Focus podcast. Today Showroom 22 turns 18, but our time in the industry is nothing compared to the decades Tim has spent reviewing shows, interviewing designers and trend setters and writing for the world’s most influential fashion media. After he left Auckland, Tim hosted CBC’s seminal fashion TV show Fashion File out of Canada for 17 years, before stints at Style.com and of course now as Editor-at-Large for The Business of Fashion.  In this episode, Tim recalls the people and brands who’ve set the tone for fashion as we know it, and he proposes some meaningful and mindful ways the fashion industry can come out of the Covid-19 lockdown with purpose.

As wildfires swept across Australia and the coronavirus spread across the globe, Imran Amed and Tim Blanks reflect on how the world’s uncertainties have informed the Autumn/Winter 2020 season. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2xNP5Rs, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

Samuel Ross sat down with Tim Blanks to discuss preparing his luxury streetwear brand for its next stage of growth, as he’s sharpening and humanizing his approach. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2xNP5Rs, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

With the ever evolving landscape of fashion media - from people buying fewer newspapers and magazines, to the changing role of advertising and reviews, to editors becoming influencers and vice versa, we discuss the direction that fashion journalism is taking in the age of digital and social media. In addition to writers Robin Givhan, Vanessa Friedman and Cathy Horyn mentioned in this episode, other personal favorites I (Henrietta) forgot to mention in the early morning moment is: Alexander Fury, Tim Blanks and Pam Boy - check them all out! As always we hope you enjoy the episode, subscribe, comment, rate (*****) and continue to DM us, we always love hearing what you have to say and very much appreciate your support :)

This week on Inside Fashion, BoF’s Imran Amed and Tim Blanks discuss the key themes and events that defined the global fashion industry in 2019.   Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2xNP5Rs, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

This week we sat down with self-created icon Peter Berlin on his recent trip to New York to promote his new book Peter Berlin: Icon, Artist, Photosexual. We laughed, we cried, and according to Berlin's definition of SEX, we may have HAD IT while recording. Im pretty sure this week we were guests on HIS show which is nice departure from us blah blah blabbin away. For more NOT REALLY head on over to patreon.com/notreally for premium episodes and follow us on insta at @notreallypod    Here a little more about Peters new book from Amazon: Peter Berlin was a self-created icon. With his trademark pageboy haircut and his skin-tight costumes that put every detail of his anatomy on display (designed and tailored by Berlin himself to accentuate his already naturally defined physique), he became a gay sex symbol and a walking work of art. Cruising was his career, and with a background in photography, Berlin began taking thousands of erotic self-portraits in the parks, train stations and streets of Berlin, Rome, Paris, New York and San Francisco, where he settled in the early 1970s. As Berlin put it, “One day I looked at a camera and said, ‘I have found my dream lover.’” Berlin’s ’70s and ’80s self-portrait photography graced the covers of gay magazines, defining a look and a reimagined masculinity in a changing gay male culture. Spotlighting Berlin’s significant body of work, Peter Berlin: Icon, Artist, Photosexual pays tribute to the man who revolutionized the landscape of gay male eroticism and became an international sensation. The book is designed by Omar Sosa, Creative Director of Apartamento magazine, and is edited by Michael Bullock, writer and publisher of BUTT, Pin-Up, Fantastic Man and Gentlewoman magazines. In addition to essays by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jonathan David Katz, Ted Stansfield and Evan Moffitt, the book includes original quotes about Berlin by Jeremy O Harris, Kembra Pfahler, Andre Leon Talley, Armistead Maupin, John Waters, Arca, Silvia Prada, AA Bronson, Jack Pierson, Simon Foxton, Chris Moukarbel, Telfar Clemens, Paul Sepuya, Tim Blanks, Mariah Garnett and Rick Castro. 

The acclaimed photographer sat down with Tim Blanks to discuss the ‘infinite objects of beauty’ that inspired his new V&A exhibition. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2xNP5Rs, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

La narrazione svela come è nata l'amicizia che ha trasformato Naomi nella regina delle passerelle e nell'ispirazione, per Gianni Versace, di alcune tra le sue più belle collezioni. -------Crediti: NBC NEWS TODAY, 17 luglio 1997.Fashion Filies, prodotto da Karen Morrison per CBC Television, condotto da Tim Blanks.Leading Women, di Sean Joell , Johnson e Crystal McCrary E Anthony per CentricTv (Viacom International Inc.)Model: Naomi Campbell, di Chris Sebastian per E intertainment.Designer Marathon, prodotto da Marlene Cardin per Videofashion (Fashion News World Inc.)Into the Jungle, words and music by Elton John. Che tempo che fa, di e con Fabio Fazio, prodotto da Endemol Shine e RaiSky News, 17 luglio 1997, (Sky Limited).The Oprah Winfrey Show, di Oprah Winfrey, prodotta da Harpo StudiosThe Tyra Banks Show, di e con Tyra Banks, prodotto da Bankable Productions, Handprint entertainment, Telepictures productions

Speaking with Tim Blanks, the designer reflects on his journey from a love of 'making things' to becoming a fixture of London's menswear scene. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2xNP5Rs, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

This week on Inside Fashion, BoF’s editor-at-large gives his verdict on the season, discusses his favourite shows and recounts Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris memorial. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

The makeup artist behind Rihanna's thin-eyebrowed British Vogue cover speaks to Tim Blanks about the curation of identity through makeup, and the rapidly changing face of beauty. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

Listen to fashion designer Giles Deacon - the imposing embodiment of modern couture - in conversation with Tim Blanks, one of the foremost voices in fashion and Editor at Large of the Business of Fashion. Deacon's designs express a very particular sensibility. Glamorous but dark. Sumptuous but slightly macabre. They are the kind of clothes that imbue their wearer with extraordinary character. But it tends to be extraordinary characters who are best equipped to wear them. Every dress tells a story. Therefore every wearer is a storyteller. Which makes Giles a master narrator of modern couture. Tim Blanks probes his psyche and finds out how and why Giles fits into contemporary fashion. Tim has written for Vogue, GQ, The Financial Times, Interview, Fantastic Man and Arena Homme Plus. In the 2013 CFDA Awards he was awarded the media award in honour Eugenia Sheppard, the premier industry award for fashion journalism.

Michèle Lamy defies categorisation and convention in all facets of her life, not least of all on stage at VOICES. She joined BoF’s Tim Blanks to discuss her open, nomadic approach to life, which has yielded some of the most fascinating creative collaborations in fashion in recent decades. To watch Michèle's conversation with Tim Blanks at VOICES 2018 click here.  Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

From living in a Kenyan refugee camp to travelling the globe as an international top model, the industry’s name to watch reveals her journey. To watch Adut's conversation with Tim Blanks at VOICES 2018 click here.  Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

In this week's episode of Inside Fashion, BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks sits down with Stephen Jones, the prolific hatter who has played a defining role in millinery for decades. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com. This episode of Inside Fashion is brought to you by Klarna.

BoF's editor-at-large sits down with Imran Amed to discuss the commercial potential of bourgeois style, Fendi and Chanel's emotional farewell to Karl Lagerfeld, and the cultural impact of fashion's reflection on social issues. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com. This episode of Inside Fashion is brought to you by Klarna.

In a special episode of The BoF Podcast, Tim Blanks and Imran Amed sit down to discuss their memories and reflections on the passing of the fashion icon who died in Paris on Tuesday. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

This week on Inside Fashion, BoF’s editor-at-large discusses menswear’s shift to tailoring and the new relevance of couture. Sign up for BoF’s Daily Digest newsletter here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews. Ready to become a BoF Professional? For a limited time, enjoy 25% discount on an annual membership, exclusively for podcast listeners. Simply, click here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the Annual Package and use code PODCASTPRO at the checkout. For comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail: podcast@businessoffashion.com.For all sponsorship enquiries, it’s: advertising@businessoffashion.com.

This week on Inside Fashion, BoF’s editor-at-large discusses Hedi Slimane’s Celine debut, his favourite shows of the season and fashion week in the #MeToo movement. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

After a menswear season that reached its crescendo with the debuts of Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton and Kim Jones at Dior Homme, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks discusses his take on the shows and what they mean for the future of men’s fashion. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

In the latest episode of Inside Fashion, the co-directors of the new Alexander McQueen documentary discuss Lee’s inner circle, their approach to filmmaking, and tackling the controversies with BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

IMG model Halima Aden and Carine Roitfeld, editor-in-chief of CR Fashion Book, discussed modest dressing as a cultural and political issue at #BoFVOICES 2017. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

Inspired by the rise of 'clicktivism,' the model launched Elbi, a charitable-giving app designed to democratise philanthropy. On stage at #BoFVOICES 2017, she questioned how technology can better serve local charities around the world.  To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com.   

Introducing BoF's new podcast series, 'Inside Fashion'. This series will feature original, weekly conversations with members of the BoF community, looking at the news and events from the week inside fashion. In this first episode, Imran Amed will be joined by none other than BoF's inimitable editor-at-large, Tim Blanks, to talk about what has been a very busy week in fashion news. Not only as Tim comes back from the men’s and couture shows, but there has also been a lot of breaking news this week, including the return of Hedi Slimane to Celine, the acquisition of YNAP by Richemont, and the controversy surrounded by the racist notes, and transphobic and homophobic videos that surfaced from Miroslava Duma. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten joined BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks on the #BoFVOICES 2017 stage to discuss the challenges of being a 'citizen of the world' amid rising critique of cultural appropriation. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

Dapper Dan and Leila Fataar joined BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks on the #BoFVOICES 2017 stage to discuss the power dynamics of appropriation and the legendary designer's historic partnership with Gucci. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

Master Haute Couturier John Galliano joined BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks on the #BoFVOICES 2016 stage, to discuss 'Creativity in the Digital Age.' To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

The New Role Model: Feeling Good is the New Looking Good - "My drug and alcohol use and abuse was not because of the fashion industry," said Amber Valletta, in a candid conversation last December at #BoFVOICES 2016 with BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

At #BoFVOICES 2016 Tim Blanks chaired a discussion on diversity and inclusion between president of IMG Models Ivan Bart, mixed-race model Joan Smalls and transgender American actress and model Hari Nef. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

We’ve seen an uptick in independent and branded small-scale publications—beautiful, limited-edition tomes often with a run that is only in the hundreds. It’s an upscale evolution of DIY zine culture, which saw the proliferation of niche publications like Cometbus, Factsheet Five, and Profane Existence—each one offering a unique perspective on alternative culture. But now brands and high-profile artists are getting in on the action. Kanye West released zines for his two previous Yeezy collections. Frank Ocean created a zine for his latest album, Boys Don’t Cry, which was packed in with a different edit of the record. Nike has made several strides with a slim, substantial tome called On Design, which was limited to just 500 copies and features essays by CEO Mark Parker and works from artist Maria Kalman. It was made to coincide with Milan Design Week. In addition to our own magazine, Highsnobiety recently published our first zine—the cheekily named “Short For Magazine,” featuring behind-the-scenes photos of the Yeezy Season 3 show from staffer Thomas Welch. The ongoing series is meant to be a limited-edition platform to highlight emerging artists, designers, and creatives in a more intimate way. On today’s show, we speak with David Hellqvist. He’s the fashion features editor at PORT magazine, freelance menswear editor, and the publisher of Document Studios. Document partners with brands like Timberland, Spiewak, and adidas to create brand magazines that focus on a unique narrative. The agency’s latest publication, The Gap Document, retells the Gap’s story through the eyes of people like prolific fashion writer Tim Blanks, NEIGHBORHOOD designer Shinsuke Takazawa, and menswear designer Christopher Raeburn, who crafted a one-of-one military jacket in collaboration with The Gap and Document Studios. Links in this story: David Hellqvist www.davidhellqvist.com Document Studios www.documentstudios.com PORT Magazine www.port-magazine.com Visit www.highsnobiety.com for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve seen an uptick in independent and branded small-scale publications—beautiful, limited-edition tomes often with a run that is only in the hundreds. It’s an upscale evolution of DIY zine culture, which saw the proliferation of niche publications like Cometbus, Factsheet Five, and Profane Existence—each one offering a unique perspective on alternative culture. But now brands and high-profile artists are getting in on the action. Kanye West released zines for his two previous Yeezy collections. Frank Ocean created a zine for his latest album, Boys Don’t Cry, which was packed in with a different edit of the record. Nike has made several strides with a slim, substantial tome called On Design, which was limited to just 500 copies and features essays by CEO Mark Parker and works from artist Maria Kalman. It was made to coincide with Milan Design Week. In addition to our own magazine, Highsnobiety recently published our first zine—the cheekily named “Short For Magazine,” featuring behind-the-scenes photos of the Yeezy Season 3 show from staffer Thomas Welch. The ongoing series is meant to be a limited-edition platform to highlight emerging artists, designers, and creatives in a more intimate way. On today’s show, we speak with David Hellqvist. He’s the fashion features editor at PORT magazine, freelance menswear editor, and the publisher of Document Studios. Document partners with brands like Timberland, Spiewak, and adidas to create brand magazines that focus on a unique narrative. The agency’s latest publication, The Gap Document, retells the Gap’s story through the eyes of people like prolific fashion writer Tim Blanks, NEIGHBORHOOD designer Shinsuke Takazawa, and menswear designer Christopher Raeburn, who crafted a one-of-one military jacket in collaboration with The Gap and Document Studios. Links in this story: David Hellqvist www.davidhellqvist.com Document Studios www.documentstudios.com PORT Magazine www.port-magazine.com Visit www.highsnobiety.com for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Watch our fashion film on ANNA BAUER "BACKSTAGE" photographer Anna Bauer's comprehensive portrait of the protagonists of fashion in the twenty-first century's first decade: not just the designers but the entire cast of PR agents, photographers, make-up artists, art directors, editors and, of course, the models. Featuring interviews with Tim Blanks and Fabien Baron. Anna Bauer's book "BACKSTAGE" is published by Angelika Books and is avaialable at Net-A-Porter. Filmed in Paris during Spring 2012 Fashion week. Executive Produced and Directed by Karen Morrison.

Fashion 411 -- In this episode Black Hollywood Live hosts Courtney Stewart, DJ Jesse J and Tiona Hobson discuss fashion for the week of August 7th. They open up with the 'Le Chaud' segment featuring Allure magazine’s Afro Controversy and supermodel Naomi Campbell does jail time. Beyonce, Queen B, drops $300K on shoes. They then discuss this week's "OOTW - Outfit of the Week": Jamie King. Next up is the "Beauty Beat" where they discuss Louboutin’s new lip collection. Then they discuss the "Style Scoop" with Caribana Style and actor, Idris Elba makes history by being on the cover of Maxim. Lastly, Tim Blanks joins Biz of Fashion website. Moving forward into "Haute/Haute Mess" where they decide who's Hot, and who's not. This week, on the board are Jennifer Hudson, Paula Abdul, and Lupita Nyongo . Moving on, to wrap things up with a "Style Watch" on Instagram Fashion guru Nini Nguyen , @ninistyle! All this and more on this week's Fashion 411!

Writer and fashion critic Tim Blanks interviewed by Lou Stoppard on 16 November 2012.

Hair stylist Sam McKnight interviewed by Tim Blanks on 20 May 2010.