A Thread about the many faces of fashion month
Get to know the people who make fashion week happen
Fashion month ends tomorrow. Perhaps you’ve spent the past few weeks glued to your phone, digesting every new collection and all the associated content. Maybe you’re confused about who these people are and what the fuss is about. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, here’s a round-up of Threads of Conversation podcasts and pieces from the archive to help you get to know all the different characters.
Some housekeeping: You can also listen to podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This email might get cut off in your inbox, so click ‘view in browser’ at the bottom - or read on the website or Substack app.
Next week, I’ll have a special guest on the podcast - someone who’s been to all the shows and can tell us first hand about what went down in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
Don’t forget to subscribe for more Threads of Conversation, and follow on Instagram and TikTok.
Reporters!
The ones who write about the clothes.
Lauren Sherman has the fastest intel and the juiciest gossip. Mentions in her newsletter Line Sheet are both feared and revered.
Emilia Petrarca of Shop Rat (formerly senior fashion writer at New York Magazine) always has the wittiest takes.
Social media stars!
The ones who make the clothes go viral.
Lyas’ TikTok is full of the sharpest reviews and the funniest celebrity run ins - and now he’s fashion correspondent for Interview magazine, too.
If you haven’t heard of monochrome multi-hyphenate Brenda Hashtag where have you even been now’s your chance to get to know her!
Models!
The ones who wear the clothes.
A potted history of yours truly.
Alva Claire is set to be a huge star. So far this season she’s walked for 16Arlington, KNWLS and Burberry and sat front row at Acne Studios.
Editors!
The ones who decide which clothes will get coverage.
Dara is the Fashion Director of Interview magazine (and Hunter Schafer’s stylist). She’s the tastemaker of now.
Lynette Nylander was the Executive Editorial Director at Dazed when I interviewed her back in 2022. Now she’s Executive Digital Director at Harper’s Bazaar (and one of the best dressed women in New York.)
Designers!
The ones who design the clothes.
One of my favourite shows at London Fashion Week this season was Lueder (by Marie Lueder), who staged her first show as part of the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN cohort - a prestigious sponsorship award for young designers.
Bianca Saunders shows on the menswear schedule - those shows happen in January and June. Here, she discusses showing in Paris for the first time and dressing Usher for the Met Gala.
Photographers!
The ones who take pictures of the clothes.
Cris Fragkou travels to each of the four cities, taking beautiful pictures backstage and shooting street style for The Cut. Here, she picks a few of her favourite photos from her archive.
Producers!
The ones who make all it all happen.
Claire Burman is the founder of CEBE, the production company behind some of fashion’s most exciting shoots and shows. So far this season they’ve produced a party for Off-White in New York, the legendary Fashion East show in London, a show for Skepta’s brand MAINS and the recent Vivienne Westwood show in Paris.
Threads of the week
A new way to take pics with my phone strap. Top is from Total Luxury Spa, jeans from Dries van Noten (via Depop), loafers are Weejuns from GH Bass. Socks were bought to break a banknote to pay for a banged up rental car on a Greek island for a few hours last year.
Loose Threads
(see above) did an incredible job cataloguing the recent history of online fashion media. A fascinating read and an intoxicating dose of nostalgia.More flowers for my guests - congratulations to Dara and Lyas (above, again) who were both inducted into the Business of Fashion’s BOF 500 (“the definitive index of the people shaping the global fashion industry”).
The downside of wearing Vibram FiveFingers.
Reading this in preparation for my trip to Japan.
Telfar just launched a new leather collection at the Selfridges Corner Shop. The pop-up includes a chance to appear on Telfar TV and a rotation of DJs from NTS.
Start your own Thread
What have you all been up to? What are you into at the moment? Let me know in the comments.
Love that you're engaging with people from all the key roles in the industry. One group I'd love to hear more from is the buyers, as they are deciding what clothes will make their way to retail. Excited to see what’s next!
I feel like I read a Crash Course in fashion and I love it. Maybe because I don't know much, but would love to read more about, fashion, I find this article super interactive and informative. Who knew there were so many people behind the works! Thank you, I look forward to learning more :)