StyleZeitgeist Podcast

We are back with the journalist and critic Philippe Pourhashemi to review the Fall / Winter 2025 men's season. We discuss the Setchu runway debut at Pitti Uomo in Florence, and touch upon the meaning of and the need to put on a fashion show, Peter Copping's debut at Lanvin, the new direction at Dries Van Noten, and the shows of Auralee, Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens, and more. We talk about the continuous grotesquery at LVMH, as well as our surprise reactions to the latest collections from Kim Jones and Prada.Support the show

On this episode, we speak with Ana Andjelic, the strategic branding mastermind who knows her Bs from "Brand" to "Baudrillard," author of the Sociology of Business Substack and of the new book Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture. We discuss how the luxury industry went off rails through over-expansion, the difference between the luxury and fashion mentality and the luxury and commodity thinking, and what it will take to turn things around. We discuss how fashion trends are really created and why everything looks interchangeable. We finish the episode with a surprising marketing case-study!Support the show

Astrid Wendlandt, a veteran journalist and founder of Miss Tweed, dives into the cutthroat world of luxury fashion reporting. She shares tales of her early career at the Moscow Times and her transition to fashion news. Wendlandt recounts the challenges of maintaining journalistic integrity amidst powerful industry players, like LVMH's Bernard Arnault. The conversation touches on the ethical dilemmas in fashion journalism, the toxicity within some luxury brands, and the vital role of independent media in an era of consolidation.

Eugene Rabkin is back with Philippe Pourhashemi to discuss the Spring / Summer 2005 women's shows in Paris and Milan. They talked about Alessandro Michele's debut at Valentino, the need for change at Rick Owens, their different takeaways from the Dries Van Noten without Dries debut, the stagnant and bland luxury market, why Haider Ackermann is a brilliant choice for Tom Ford and what it means to hire a real designer at the helm of a big brand, and much more.Support the show

On this episode we speak with the London-based fashion and interior design journalist and photographer Mark C. O'Flaherty. Mark is the author of The Narrative Thread, a book about the relationship of fashion collectors to their clothes, and a regular contributor to the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, the World of Interiors, among others.We talked about the early '90s London club and queer culture and how it influenced London's fashion scene, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's enduring sway over it, his work with Alexander McQueen, about the now forgotten London fashion heroes Body Map. We discuss Mark's almost accidental career, the difference between writing about and shooting fashion and interiors, and frustrations about doing genuine journalism today.Support the show

So, you want to get a job in fashion? But how? Or are you curious about what goes on behind the scenes of creative director musical chairs? On this episode we speak with Alice Bouleau, Partner at Sterling International, a premier executive search agency. Alice places creative directors and high level executives all over the world in some of the most prestigious fashion houses. We dive deep into how the fashion recruitment process works, examine why some designers actually don't want creative director positions, the blunders that happen along the way of recruitment, the current creative director musical chairs environment, why you have not gotten a response to your resume by applying via LinkedIn and Indeed, common mistakes applicants make, and qualities Alice looks for in a candidate. Last but not least, Alice gives Eugene some career advice.Support the show

So, you want to launch a brand? But do you know how it all actually works? For this episode we invited our old friend Joseph Keefer, who has had a long career in fashion on all fronts; retail, production, merchandising, and design, and who has launched his brand JKEEFER in 2020 in New York City. Joey is one of us, he grew up in the skate, punk, and hardcore scenes in Washington, DC. He started in retail as a teenager, and has moved from gig to gig, slowly learning the ropes. On this episode we go through Joey's journey that has included gigs at Odin, the pioneering menswear store in New York, and SSENSE, among others. We talk about the golden age of New York City's men's fashion in the mid aughts, in which Joey has participated, working closely with designers Robert Geller and Siki Im, the nuts and bolts of merchandising and production, and how his various roles have informed his design practice. Support the show

We are back with Philippe Pourhashemi to discuss this past menswear season. We talk about the shows at Pitti Uomo, Milan, and Paris, from the strange department-store-bound debut of Marine Serre at Pitti Uomo, and an unexpectedly joyful show of Pierre-Louis Mascia, about how bad the Milan shows were this season, the gimmicks at J.W. Anderson, the impotence at Prada, about the grotesque spectacles that Pharrell puts on at Louis Vuitton, and how Japanese designers like Undercover, Sacai, Kolor, and the newcomers like Masu and Taakk continue to make Paris look creative. We go in depth about Dries Van Noten’s last bow, the show itself, and Van Noten’s legacy. We discuss the spectacle of the Rick Owens show, asking when is spectacle good and when is it not enough? And much, much more. Support the show

Derek Guy, a renowned writer and fashion commentator, dives deep into the changing landscape of menswear. He reflects on the nostalgia of fashion forums versus today's social media chaos. The conversation uncovers the roots of masculine shame in fashion, critiques the cost of fast fashion, and champions vintage clothing as a powerful form of self-expression. Derek emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship over consumerism, urging a return to considered consumption and the revival of tailoring and DIY repair to combat modern fashion woes.

On this episode we speak with Lorenzo Osti, the son of Massimo Osti, about the life and legacy of his father, the pioneer of modern men’s fashion. We talk about Osti’s design ethos, work methods, and innovations, and how the newly established brand Massimo Osti Studio carries on Osti’s legacy today.Support the show