Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud

Nick Knight is among the world's most influential and visionary image makers and the founder and director of award-winning fashion film website SHOWstudio.com. He has consistently challenged conventional notions of beauty and is fêted for his groundbreaking creative collaborations with leading designers, including Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. Nick Knight has produced advertising campaigns for clients including Burberry, Chanel, Fendi, Christian Dior, Lancôme, Swarovski, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein and Yves Saint Laurent. He has longstanding and ongoing creative relationships with various musicians, producing award-winning music videos for Björk, Lady Gaga and Kanye West.  His first book of photographs, Skinheads, was published in 1982, winning a DandAD award in 1996. He has since produced a twelve-year retrospective titled Nicknight, Flora, a series of pressed flowers and plants from the Natural History Museum, and Nick Knight, a retrospective monograph published by Harper Collins in 2009.  His work has been exhibited worldwide at various prestigious institutions, including Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, MoMA, Gagosian Gallery and Albion Barn. In 1993, Knight produced a permanent installation, Plant Power, for the Natural History Museum in London, subsequently on display for 15 years.  Nick Knight launched SHOWstudio in 2000, with an aim of showing the entire creative process from conception to completion. SHOWstudio has pioneered fashion film and is now recognised as the leading force behind this medium. Since its inception, SHOWstudio has worked with the world's most sought-after filmmakers, writers and influential cultural figures to create visionary online content resulting in the moving image, illustration, photography and the written word. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Nick Knight discuss sharing a pair of silver Doc Martens with school friends, how Lo-Fi can show the cracks and the beauty in photography, and how failure is an essential part of success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Joe AKA Mia Khalifa is a Lebanese-American media personality, activist, and entrepreneur, known for her charismatic presence online and her bold advocacy work. She first rose to public attention in 2014 aged 21 when she was involved for just 3 months in the adult film industry. She has since transformed her platform into a powerful voice for body autonomy, immigrant rights, and breaking stigma around personal reinvention. Born in Beirut and raised in the U.S., Mia Khalifa brings a unique perspective shaped by her Middle Eastern roots and Western upbringing. Mia has been vocal about reclaiming her narrative, using her experiences to speak out against exploitation, online harassment, and the complexities of fame. Today, she’s built a strong presence on social media where she engages millions with her unfiltered commentary, humour, and insight. Mia is a businesswoman herself, founding her jewellery brand Sheytan in 2023. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and redefining success on her own terms.  In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Bella Freud and Mia Khalifa discuss curiosity versus desire, reading the dictionary at night, and how fashion can be a liberation from body shame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beth Ditto is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her hugely popular Indie rock band Gossip and her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Her voice has been compared to that of Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. She is a much loved and respected figure in the fashion world, who has walked for Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier and appeared on the covers of numerous high fashion magazines including POP and LOVE.  In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Beth Ditto discuss how to cope with a compliment, being taught how to strike a pose by Kate Moss, and the authoritative wisdom of Rick Rubin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alessandro Michele, creative director of Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer. He is widely regarded as one of the most visionary and transformative figures in contemporary fashion. He came to prominence with his groundbreaking tenure as Creative Director of Gucci from 2015 to 2022, redefining the brand with his romantic, and gender-fluid aesthetic. Blending poetic historical references with radical reinvention, his designs both seduced and challenged conventional notions of beauty and luxury, making Gucci a symbol of artistic freedom and cultural commentary. Born in Rome in the 70's, he spent time at Fendi under Karl Lagerfeld and the Fendi sisters, and later at Gucci, where he worked for over a decade before taking the helm. Under his leadership, Gucci saw unprecedented creative and commercial success, sparking a new era of expressive, maximalist fashion. Beyond clothing, Alessandro Michele's impact extended into art, film, and social commentary, using fashion as a platform for self-expression and expanding horizons. His designs often explore identity, queerness, and beauty, earning him global acclaim as one of the most important designers of the 21st century. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Bella Freud and Alessandro Michele discuss going to the same fashion school in Rome, the chic in making a wrong choice, and meeting the best people in the loos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lorde is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is a Grammy-winning artist and cultural force, known for her genre-defying sound, introspective lyricism, and striking creative vision. She gained recognition at the age of 16 with her breakthrough album Pure Heroine and the hugely successful single 'Royals'. She has redefined the contours of modern pop - merging poetic storytelling with minimalist, emotionally resonant production. To date, she has amassed over 18 billion global streams and 18 million album sales worldwide. She is a thoughtful and impressive presence in the world of music, experimenting with all aspects of identity and creativity including what she wears - and why.  In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Bella Freud and Lorde discuss the purity of David Byrne, the guises of feeling feminine or masculine, a wearing matching Saint Laurent with Charli XCX. TW: This content may contain themes or material that some viewers may find sensitive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Haim is an American rock band made up of three sisters: Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim. Hailing from Los Angeles, the siblings grew up in a musical household, playing in a family band before forming HAIM in 2007. Their unique sound blends elements of classic rock, R&B, folk, and '90s pop, creating a genre-defying style that feels exciting, nostalgic and modern. The band gained major attention with their 2013 debut album Days Are Gone, and their album ‘Women in Music Pt. III’ (2020) was nominated for Album of the Year Grammy and compounded their status as one of the most innovative acts in contemporary music.  Known for their dynamic live performances and sibling chemistry, Haim has become a powerful presence in both indie and mainstream music scenes. They’ve collaborated with artists Taylor Swift, Kid Cudi, and Charli XCX. They have collaborated on 10 of their music videos with the legendary film director Paul Thomas Anderson; Alana Haim has also performed leading roles in two of his films. Their new album ‘I Quit’ launches on June 20th 2025. In this episode, Bella Freud and Haim discuss being obsessed with Phoebe Philo, the roles of sisterhood, and making music videos with Paul Thomas Anderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this conversation, Courtney Love, the iconic lead singer of Hole and a fierce advocate for female empowerment in rock, shares her journey of artistic rebellion and resilience. She discusses her experiences with pole dancing as a form of freedom from addiction and speaks candidly about the pressures of fame, including being influenced by David Bowie to change her music. The dialogue delves into the complexities of body image, vulnerability in performance, and the nostalgic ties between fashion and personal identity, making for a captivating listen.

Rachel Jones is a multidisciplinary artist working with painting, installation, sound and performance. Jones explores a sense of self as a visual and visceral experience, using motifs and abstraction to grapple with the intangible emotional and psychological truths of being. Jones completed her BA Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art in 2013 and an MA Fine Art at the Royal Academy Schools, London, in 2019. Recent solo exhibitions include the Museum of African Diaspora, San Francisco, (2024), the Long Museum, Shanghai, China (2023) and the Chisenhale Gallery, London (2022). She was included in Mixing It Up: Painting Today at the Hayward Gallery, London (2021), followed by other institutional group exhibitions at the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C., Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona (2022) and others. She was an artist in residence at The Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas in 2019 and the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art in 2016. Jones’s work is housed in prominent institutional collections, including those of the Long Museum, Shanghai; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; and Tate, London, where her piece 'lick your teeth, they so clutch' (2021) is currently on display as part of the Tate Britain's rehang. Alongside her painting and performance practice, Jones also designed the BRIT Awards 2024 trophy, which was presented to all winners. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Rachel Jones discuss Karaoke in art, the allure and threat of the colour red, and appearing in a Loewe campaign shot by Juergen Teller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Consani is an American model. She is also a social media star - performing brilliant and hilarious skits on tiktok, garnering her millions of followers and fans. A fearless advocate for trans visibility, Alex Consani is redefining beauty standards and electrifying the fashion industry. She burst onto the scene at just 12 years old and has since established herself as one of the top models in the world. She has walked for global fashion powerhouses including Tom Ford, Versace, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, and many others. In 2024, she made history as the first openly transgender woman to win the British Fashion Council’s Model of the Year award. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Alex Consani discuss being Trans in the fashion industry, what makes for an obsession, and great British slang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Graydon Carter is a celebrated Canadian journalist, editor, and cultural commentator best known for his 25 years as the Editor of Vanity Fair. Born in Toronto, Graydon Carter began his career in journalism in Canada where he co-founded Spy magazine in 1986. The satirical monthly became famous for its sharp, irreverent take on media, politics, and celebrity culture, establishing him as a critical voice in American media. In 1992, Graydon Carter became the editor at Vanity Fair, transforming the magazine into a powerhouse of long-form journalism, celebrity profiles, and cultural commentary. Under his leadership Vanity Fair became known for its investigative reporting - breaking a number of key political scandals; also the much anticipated photographic spreads and covers featuring Hollywood stars, shot by the legendary photographer Annie Liebovitz. Graydon Carter stepped down from Vanity Fair in 2017, founding Air Mail, a digital weekly aimed at worldly readers interested in culture, politics, and style. With his signature wit and curatorial flair, he has published his memoir 'When The Going Was Good' with author James Fox. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Graydon Carter discuss the joys of ironing, creating desirable trinkets for people to 'take home' from the Vanity Fair party, and whether it was Aerosmith's Steve Tyler, or Kate Moss who actually said 'nothing tastes like skinny feels.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices