From Rihanna’s Right Hand to Diesel Sport’s Creative Director - Meet Melissa Battifarano
Fashion Conversations
Melissa Battifarano was once known as “Rihanna’s right hand.” That’s how Vogue has described her work helping to establish Fenty Corp. as a fashion player with Rihanna. On the episode, Melissa unpacks how she created Fenty X Puma and Savage X Fenty with the diamond-drenched performer. She talks about how rising through the ranks of labels like Sean John, Champion and Tory Sport, she worked with the teams that merged athletic garb with fashion and created athleisure and sport luxury. The downtown New York designer shares how she now balances her work producing Tony 1923, her own...
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My Breakfasts With André
Fashion Conversations
Timothy Han, the London-based Canadian founder of Timothy Han / Edition, reveals how his passion for literature, and his time assisting one of fashion’s greatest storytellers, John Galliano, inspired him to build his brand. To commemorate the passing of André Leon Talley, Tim harks back to a special moment during his Galliano days when he spent six weeks assisting American Vogue’s legendary editor-at-large. The pandemic prompted Tim to expand his brand to include fashion and considering this, he explains how his training at the Architectural Association School of Architecture...
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Escape From Kyiv
Fashion Conversations
Anastasia Ivchenko and Eugenia Skibina, founders of the boutique PR agency, Public Kitchen, explain how they helped to establish their city, Kyiv, as the most vibrant fashion capital in Eastern Europe. From Latvia’s capital Riga, where they are temporarily settled, they also share their heartbreaking story of escaping Ukraine in late March, a few days after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of their country.
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Patricia Treib on Valentino Des Ateliers Haute Couture A/W ‘21
Fashion Conversations
The Brooklyn-based artist, Patricia Treib, talks about her experience contributing to Valentino Des Ateliers Haute Couture. This is the critically acclaimed autumn/winter 2021 couture collection produced as a cultural exchange by Valentino's Creative Director, Paolo Piccioli, his Rome atelier and 17 international contemporary artists, including Patricia. The conversation begins by exploring Patricia’s background. She explains why she pursued painting, after growing up in a small town in Michigan. She then reveals the creative process of working with Piccioli and his studio. She delves...
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Alexander Fury's Front Row Viewpoint
Fashion Conversations
Alexander Fury is the men's fashion critic of the Financial Times newspaper and the fashion features director of AnOther magazine. He comes back on the show to discuss being front row at what he describes as the “first big return of physical fashion shows.” That is, the live presentations showcasing the Spring/Summer 2022 men’s ready-to-wear collections and the Autumn/Winter ‘21 Paris couture. Alex offers a rare insight to the critically acclaimed debut of Azzedine Alaïa’s creative director, Pieter Mulier, and also the extraordinary reveal of Demna Gvasalia’s inaugural...
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Karam Gill on Ice Cold: The Untold Story of Hip Hop Jewelry
Fashion Conversations
The film director Karam Gill talks about spending four years making Ice Cold: The Untold Story of Hip Hop Jewelry. This is the first ever TV series exploring the culture and importance of jewelry in the world of Hip Hop music. It premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and it is airing now on Youtube Originals as well as the Youtube channel of the hip hop trio, Migos. Karam explains how Ice Cold contextualizes the culture of hip hop jewelry by delving into the deeper meaning and purpose of fine jewelry and how the hip hop community forged their own identity in the world of luxury and...
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Mary Katrantzou on Collaborating with Bulgari
Fashion Conversations
The London-based women's wear designer, Mary Katrantzou, discusses her recent collaboration with the Italian luxury brand Bulgari. She explains how her work with Bulgari began by pairing Bulgari high jewelry with her Spring/Summer 2020 collection which she presented in October 2019 at the Temple of Poseidon. Mary references this grand scale fashion presentation throughout the conversation. Staging it amidst the awe-inspiring backdrop of the ancient Athens landmark, she celebrated the heritage, history and culture of her homeland, Greece, and also the 30th anniversary of the Association of...
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Fashion Auctioneer Kerry Taylor Discusses the L’Wren Scott Collection
Fashion Conversations
Kerry Taylor explains how she set up the world’s leading auction house specializing in vintage fashion. She reveals how she revived the profession of auctioning one-of-a-kind garments initially for Sotheby’s and then how, after striking out on her own, she set auction records and generated headlines by selling couture worn by the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana as well as a slip dress by Charlotte Todd which a 20something Kate Middleton flaunted on a student fashion runway. Discussing a recent project, The L’Wren Scott Collection, Kerry explains how she helped to orchestrate...
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Jeriana San Juan on Costume Designing Halston
Fashion Conversations
Jeriana San Juan takes a deep dive into her magnificent work costume designing the Netflix miniseries Halston. Starring Ewan McGregor, Halston portrays the untold story of the sensational rise and tragic downfall of the pioneering fashion designer, Roy Halston Frowick. Jeriana reveals the intricacies of dressing Ewan McGregor to portray the title character. She also explains how she worked as a consultant to McGregor so he could authentically portray Halston’s technical genius. She sheds light on crafting the screen wardrobe for Krysta Rodriguez’s Liza Minnelli and Rebecca Dayan’s...
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Best Of: Erdem Moralioglu Commemorates 15 Years in Fashion
Fashion Conversations
A few days ago Erdem Moralioglu presented his resort collection for 2022. Because it commemorates the 15th anniversary of his fashion house, we are listening back to a recent interview during which he reflected on his life and work. Erdem explains how his fascination with fashion began at school in suburban Montreal. He talks about realizing his dream to study fashion at London’s Royal College of Art and establishing his business in Hackney. He explains harnessing technology to modernize the age-old floral print and also admits how his signature florals once made him an outlier on the London...
info_outlineFrom his design studio in Antwerp, Belgium, Christian Wijnants explains how working in isolation on his Spring/Summer 2021 collection, In Pursuit of Happiness, prompted him to imbue it with memories of his upbringing in Brussels. He revisits his childhood and reveals how his decision to pursue a fashion career was prompted by an exhibition showcasing the work of the Antwerp Six. This group of virtuosic designers garnered international attention after staging a guerilla-style show at London Fashion Week in 1986. As Christian tells it, living his dream - and studying at their alma mater - Belgium’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts - proved daunting.
He considers his postgraduate years working for Dries Van Noten and Angelo Tarlazzi. Reflecting on receiving the most sought-after fashion prizes - the Swiss Textile Award, the ANDAM Prize, the European Woolmark Prize and International Woolmark Prize - Christian shares his belief that the fashion industry needs more awards to support tomorrow’s generation of independent designers.