StyleZeitgeist Podcast

Our guest is the award-winning Dutch novelist Oscar van den Boogard, the author of The Six: The Untold Story of the Antwerp Six, an oral history of the origin of one of the most enduring myths of contemporary fashion. Through many hours of conversations with the six legendary Belgian designers, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkimbergs, Dirk Van Saene, and Marina Yee, as well as the contemporaries who helped The Six along the way. Tracing biographical and personal arcs of the six designers from their childhoods to their entrance to the fashion department of the Royal Academy in Antwerp, to their fateful London debut and beyond, the book engages with each designer on a personal level, exploring their fruitful and fraught relationships that have shaped each of them and of their elusive contemporary, Martin Margiela. The English version of the book will be out this fall, and is available for preorder now on all major book-selling platforms. Support the show

We are back with fashion journalist and critic Philippe Pourhashemi to review the Spring / Summer 2027 men’s season at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Milan Fashion Week(end), and Paris Fashion Week. We talk about why many big fashion houses are starting to look like Acne Studios, our most and least favorite shows, why Lemaire is an exemplary world builder, and conversely why there are so few designers left who built a coherent aesthetic universe. Also, find out why Philippe is starting to sound like Eugene (hint, it’s the Japanese brands, obviously), and why the fashion calendar needs a change. Support the show

On this episode we host the American artist Banks Violette. While this is not an episode about fashion per se, Violette and StyleZeitgeist have much in common culturally. He has been working for over two decades at the intersection of fine art and youth culture, making compelling work that deals with the dark side of the American society and the counterculture it produces. We talk about growing up in Reagan's America, channeling teenage rage, the New York City of the early 2000s and Violette's – and his compatriots, that included Dash Snow and Dan Colen – problematic relationship with sudden fame, his retreat from the art scene and his return, a collaboration with Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme and Celine, and much more. Support the show

This special episode of the StyleZeitgeist podcast was recorded live at MoMu, Fashion Museum Antwerp, as part of the opening weekend program for The Antwerp Six exhibition on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their first collective showcase. Just like for many fashion enthusiasts, The Antwerp Six loom large in Eugene’s and Philippe’s imagination. On this sprawling episode they talk about how the Six have influenced their understanding of fashion, about their role in expanding the boundaries of the fashion system, their spirit of independence, innovation, but also pragmatism and professionalism, and the indelible imprint the group has left on fashion. Eugene and Philippe touch upon both the personal and the professional views on the work of the Six, the importance of fashion retail as a support system that has allowed the group to flourish, and the significance of forming a collective even if its members have distinct styles. The Antwerp Six exhibition is on view at MoMu through January 17th, 2027. We encourage you to visit it. Support the show

We are back with the fashion critic and writer Philippe Pourhashemi to review the Fall / Winter 2026 women’s season. Eugene and Philippe discuss Demna’s runway debut at Gucci, the sophomore outings of Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, J.W. Anderson at Dior, Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford, Sarah Burton at Givenchy, and much more. We talk about the killer collection Daniel Lee presented at Burberry, and offer differing takes on Prada, as well. Support the show

On this episode we speak with Jeppe Ugelvig, the editor of Viscose journal, and a scholar, writer, and curator who works at the intersection of fashion and art. We talk about the fall of the fashion media and why independent media and criticism are paramount if we are to have a thriving fashion ecosystem, the problematic relationship between luxury fashion and its clients, the no less problematic relationship between fashion and art, and the surprisingly upbeat prognosis about where the next wave of creativity and authenticity will come from, because it must. Support the show

On this episode we discuss the Fall / Winter 2026 season with the journalist Philippe Pourhashemi. We talk about nice clothes versus fashion, the trio of shows at Pitti Uomo, the increasing irrelevance of Milan, about auteurs like Rick Owens and Rei Kawakubo, who all delivered strong collections, why Sacai keeps going from strength to strength, why Dior and Louis Vuitton continue to disappoint, and much more. Eugene and Philippe offer contrasting opinions on Prada Saint Laurent, and Dries Van Noten, and also discuss the continuing appeal of smaller brands they saw at the showrooms in Paris; Mordecai being the standout for both. Support the show

Intern Pierre (not his real name) is a professional investor who runs an eponymous Substack where he deftly dissects the smoke and mirrors put up by the luxury sector. His specialty is sharing access to privileged, investment grade information that lay people are usually not privy to. On his first ever podcast appearance we discuss the importance of reading a financial statement, on the insolvable paradox of exclusivity and constant growth, on the unraveling of the luxury fashion narrative, and much more. Support the show

In this two-part episode Eugene Rabkin and Philippe Pourhashemi discuss this past season of many debuts, whether the so-called "great reset" was successful, and address two main narratives that are gripping the fashion media, the power and tact (or lack thereof) of the sideline fashion commentariat, and whether designers are out of touch with the needs of modern women. In episode one Eugene and Philippe discuss New York, London, and Milan, the debuts of Demna at Gucci, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, Simone Belotti at Jil Sander, and Dario Vitale at Versace (pronounced, Ver-says) and the democratization of fashion commentary. In episode two they talk about J.W. Anderson's first outing at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Duran Lantink at Gaultier, Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela, Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler, and sophomore efforts by Michael Rider at Celine and Sarah Burton at Givenchy, among other shows. They also discuss the alleged misogyny on part of some designers. It's a lot, hence why we broke up this podcast into two episodes. Substack and Patreon subscribers will have access to both parts early and at once. Consider becoming a paid subscriber; your contribution supports independent fashion journalism, or you can read another article about Kylie Jenner. Support the show

In this two-part episode Eugene Rabkin and Philippe Pourhashemi discuss this past season of many debuts, whether the so-called "great reset" was successful, and address two main narratives that are gripping the fashion media, the power and tact (or lack thereof) of the sideline fashion commentariat, and whether designers are out of touch with the needs of modern women. In episode one Eugene and Philippe discuss New York, London, and Milan, the debuts of Demna at Gucci, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, Simone Belotti at Jil Sander, and Dario Vitale at Versace (pronounced, Ver-says) and the democratization of fashion commentary. In episode two they talk about J.W. Anderson's first outing at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Duran Lantink at Gaultier, Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela, Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler, and sophomore efforts by Michael Rider at Celine and Sarah Burton at Givenchy, among other shows. They also discuss the alleged misogyny on part of some designers. It's a lot, hence why we broke up this podcast into two episodes. Substack and Patreon subscribers will have access to both parts early and at once. Consider becoming a paid subscriber; your contribution supports independent fashion journalism, or you can read another article about Kylie Jenner. Support the show

Our guest on this episode is Gene Pressman, of the great retail family that made Barneys into a New York fashion institution that has become part of the city lore and that has left an indelible mark on fashion itself. Barneys was a trailblazer, a temple for true fashion cognoscenti. Gene's new book, out September 2nd is called "They All Came to Barneys: A Personal History of the World's Greatest Store." We see no lies; Barneys was the world's greatest store, and we all came there. Gene walks us through the ark of his career, through the changes he has witnessed in the store and in New York City since the '60s and through the '90s. He talks about the seismic changes in fashion he has witnessed firsthand, such as the rise of Giorgio Armani, the ascendance of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo, the wonder of the Antwerp Six, and his long-lasting friendship with Azzedine Alaia. We also discuss the current state of fashion and retail, and much, much more. Support the show

Our guest is Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe, one of the most talented Belgian designers you have probably never heard of. We speak about his career arc, from assisting Josephus Thimister at Balenciaga to building out the womenswear at Jil Sander with Raf Simons, to the short but brilliant life of his own brand, why he quite the fashion rat race and has quietly worked behind the scenes at houses like Loewe, and why the current fashion system is broken. Support the show

The Turkish Cypriot designer Hussein Chalayan burst onto the London fashion scene with a brilliant 1993 graduate show Tangent Flows. With work that blended philosophy, science, technology, history and fashion, Chalayan became the pinnacle of conceptual fashion. Today, Chalayan designs and makes art, teaches at HTW in Berlin, and is a mentor at Forecast Mentorship Program 2025. In this wide-ranging episode Chalayan we discuss his career arc and the spirit of intellectual inquiry that has driven him to create some of the most memorable collections in the history of contemporary fashion. Support the show

We are back with the fashion journalist Philippe Pourhashemi to reflect on the Spring / Summer 2026 menswear season. We discuss many collections, starting at Pitti Uomo in Florence and ending with Paris. We dissect J.W. Anderson's debut at Dior, including the new ad campaign, Julian Klaussner's runway debut at Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens's moment of grandeur, Craig Green's return to the Paris catwalk, how the Japanese continue to make Paris look good, what we saw at the showroom and why the best clothes are coming from small brands, and much more. Support the show

On this episode we speak with the German fashion designer Lutz Huelle, who has built a brand with a cult following from scratch. Lutz tells us about growing up in a small German town in the '80s, his friendship with the photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, the dream world of the '90s London youth culture and Central Saint-Martins, how he ended up designing the Artisanal and knitwear lines during the golden years of Martin Margiela, and eventually launching his own line in Paris. We discuss the challenges of the fashion system and his teaching job, and speak about why it's important to remain kind in the industry that often isn't. Support the show

Apologies for the hiatus, but we are back with a bang! On this episode we speak with Patrick Scallon, Paris-based communication consultant who was the head of communications at Maison Martin Margiela from 1993 to 2008 and at Dries Van Noten from 2008 to 2023. In the fashion world Patrick is a legend, having helped shape two of the most iconic independent brands. He was awarded the Chevaliers des Arts et des Lettrés by the French ministry of Culture for his contribution to fashion in 2019. We get into the weeds (hence the feature length of this episode!) of his years at Margiela, discussing how the brand was molded, how it communicated its values, how much creativity was spurred by the lack of resources, how Scallon had to turn down the supermodel Claudia Schiffer, Margiela's biggest market (you will never guess), and the dangers of the current Margiela fetish. Plus, we finally get the truth about whether you were supposed to cut off that infamous label from the garments (the answer may surprise you). We also chat about Patrick's time at Dries Van Noten, what made Dries special, how the brand grew during his tenure, the immense work of putting together Van Noten's brilliant 2014 exhibit, and some of the brand's most memorable shows. Lastly, we speak about what it's like to work in communications, the pressures of the job, how the industry has changed over Patrick's tenure, and what the fashion press could do better. Support the show

On this episode we speak with Robert Williams, Luxury Editor at the Business of Fashion. We start with Robert's unique career journey as an American student in Paris (it wasn't like Emily's), before going on to discuss the challenges of maintaining independence in fashion journalism. We explore the evolving landscape of the fashion industry over the past decade, discussing the intersection of fashion and marketing, the challenges faced by the fashion media, and the impact of consumer behavior on luxury fashion. We examine why heritage brands want to be luxury fashion brands, and the pricing dilemmas that have emerged as brands strive to maintain their luxury status while appealing to a mass audience. In the end Robert turns tables and asks Eugene about his upcoming book and for fashion reading recommendations. Support the show

On this episode we speak with Emily Segal, the founder of the brand strategy agency Nemesis, publishing house Deluge, and the author of the novel Mercury Retrograde. Emily came to fame in the 2010s as the co-founder of the collective K-Hole, which coined the term "normcore." She went on to work with everyone from Prada to Supreme, and learned a few things along the way, some of which we discuss in this episode. We mostly concentrate on two pieces of her writing, the Umami Theory of Value and B for Balenciaga, a brand case study. We discuss why the current culture feels like a postmodernist, meaningless, made-for-Instagram slop, or as Emily writes, "Umami is what you got when you did not get anything," why Balenciaga is a cultural apex predator, a vortex that sucks in cultural artifacts and spits them out as memes, why Demna's irony is hollow, whether he will succeed at Gucci, and much more besides. Support the show

We are back with Philippe Pourhashemi to review the women’s Fall / Winter 2025 season. We discuss the debuts of Veronica Leoni at Calvin Klein, Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford, Sarah Burton at Givenchy, and Julian Klausner at Dries Van Noten. We also give our impressions of what is likely to be the last collection of Daniel Lee at Burberry, and dive into the shows of Undercover, Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons and more. Support the show

Natasha Degen, the chair of Art Market Studies at Fashion Institute of Technology and the author of Merchants of Style: Art and Fashion after Andy Warhol, is back on the podcast to discuss the ever more insidious relationship between fashion and art. We discuss her concept of Art Pop, which are commercial ventures that are given an air of an art project, what the second rounds of collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama signify, and why fashion is increasingly getting into film, TV, and books and literature. Support the show