Six fashion podcasts to seek this week

Chanel Connects
The latest audio offering from fashion’s most esteemed maison launched last week with seven episodes, each featuring a conversation between creatives. Musician Pharrell Williams and stage designer Es Devlin discuss technology and the need to elevate black entrepreneurs; Tilda Swinton, Edward Enninful and National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan debate the nature of celebrity and the future of cinema; artist Arthur Jafa, painter Jennifer Packer and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist examine the meaning of success, while Keira Knightley, Lulu Wang and Diane Solway talk comedy and the need for strong women on both sides of the camera. Expect future musings on the future of the creative industries and candid reflections on the past year, all set against an uplifting jazzy soundtrack by Bakar. Chanel Connects is available on the Chanel podcast 3.55 through Spotify, Apple and chanel.com

The Cutting Room Floor
Hosted by designer Recho Omondi, The Cutting Room Floor is a no-holds-barred, honest examination of the fashion industry, from an insider’s perspective. Who’s initiating real change for racial equality in the industry? What does Vogue really believe in? What happens to our clothes when we throw them away? Omondi unpicks these important questions with the help of esteemed guests such as former Wall Street Journal fashion reporter Teri Agins; Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, the duo behind irreverent fashion Instagram account Diet Prada; and writer and editor Lynette Nylander. The Cutting Room Floor is available on Spotify and Apple podcasts

Gucci Podcast
Gucci is well known for its collaborations. This podcast from the Italian fashion house spotlights the creatives at the heart of the brand’s collabs. Recent episodes have seen soul musician Curtis Harding discuss her ‘Gucci Gig’ with art critic Antwaun Sargent, artist and director Jenn Nkiru talk about her recent project for the “Second Summer of Love” film series hosted by Gucci and Frieze, and singer Florence Welch discuss her new poetry book, which features a cover designed by Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele. Gucci Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud

The Business of Fashion Podcast
For industry insights, The Business of Fashion podcast is an invaluable source. Lately, show host and BoF founder and CEO Imran Amed has been looking at how Joe Biden’s presidency will affect the fashion industry, whether Covid will be the end of experiential retail, and how the budding fashion industry in Lebanon is recovering from the blast that devastated Beirut last August. His guests have included Dries Van Noten, Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Emanuele Farneti and photographer Tyler Mitchell. The Business of Fashion Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Business of Fashion

Desert Island Discs
Peppered through the extensive archives of Desert Island Discs (episodes go all the way back to 1942) these are some of the best standalone interviews with fashion industry insiders – and frequently a source of unexpected gossip and delight. Stand-out episodes find Vivienne Westwood revealing her love of classical music, Celia Birtwell explaining why she wants Elton John and Handel on her desert island, and disability rights activist and fashion writer Sinead Burke opt for Lizzo, Madonna’s “Vogue” and Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell on You”. Episodes with sustainable fashion pioneer Stella McCartney, fashion journalist Felicity Green, makeup artist Pat McGrath, and designer Zandra Rhodes are also well worth a listen. Desert Island Discs is available on Spotify and Apple podcasts and on bbc.co.uk

And for something a little different...

Audemars Piguet 180
For 180 (after the 180 seconds which make up the average length of a song), the new miniseries of music-centred films from haute watchmaker Audemars Piguet, five groups of up-and-coming artists were set a challenge to create one soundtrack which blended their styles. The first episode followed the story of French model Cindy Bruna and the electronic artist Tchako as they created an ethereal dance track overlaid with Bruna reciting spoken-word poetry. The newest episode sees Canadian pop singer Betta Lemme collaborate with hip hop group THe Lyonz. “I thought it would be interesting to put two total strangers, two artists in a room and see what they came up with, like a fascinating social experiment, if you will,” Lemme said of the experience. “And that's exactly what it was”.  Audemars Piguet 180 is available at audemarspiguet.com