Creative Conversations with Suzy Menkes

Latest Episodes:

DIANE VON FÜRSTENBERG Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

For episode 6 of season 4, Suzy talks to Diane von Fürstenberg, wrap dress innovator, DvF founder, New York City philanthropist and supporter of the arts, about her life, work and current activities, including her latest book, Own It: the Secret to Life.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://suzymenkes.com

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ANYA HINDMARCH May 18, 2021

Show notes

This week I am joined by handbag designer Anya Hindmarch for episode 5 of season 4.

The witty, wise and tirelessly energetic Anya Hindmarch, always open-minded and willing to share her wide-open heart, talks to me about her latest amusement.

Anya has taken over a post-pandemic empty street in the Knightsbridge area of London - and transformed it into an Anya Village, offering the things she loves and believes in - from her famous handbags to products that are less harmful to the planet.

She has also just published a book, If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair, which is filled with advice on how to be happy. Her words are profound, defining the character of a woman whose life would be considered quite a challenge: she created a business at age 18, when she came back from Italy carrying a handbag that was to define her life.

Five children later - three inherited from her widowed husband and two of their own - Anya continues with her world-wide accessories business - and with dollops of fun and a CBE awarded by the Queen.

- The Anya Village on Pont Street London, SW1X opened on 17th May 2021.

- If In Doubt, Wash Your Hair: A Manual For Life, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://suzymenkes.com

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DRIES VAN NOTEN May 04, 2021

Show notes

Dries Van Noten talks to Suzy about his career spanning 30 years. He began his career in 1986 designing his own collection of menswear.

Since then he has flourished with sophisticated & poetic shows in Paris, marrying art and craft.

He discusses being part of the alumni of the “Antwerp Six” who graduated from the strong-minded school, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, between 1980–81 and managed, with the help of intellectual teacher Linda Loppa, to plant the seeds of style in the Belgian city.

Known for his vibrant prints and use of colour and flowers, Dries creates a balance of reality and dream.

When one aspect came forward - like the magnetic combination of the pragmatic Belgian realist and haute couture genius Christian Lacroix - the effect marked fashion history.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ALBER ELBAZ - in memoriam Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

Many of you heard the sad news of Suzy’s dear friend Alber Elbaz who passed away this weekend - another victim of Covid 19

Over the next few weeks - so much will be written about this THIS exceptional & thoughtful designer who loved & wanted to support women.

But as a TRIBUTE to Alber, and as a gesture to the remarkable person he was, we are re-issuing the podcast recorded nearly a year ago.

The best way to remember Alber will be to hear him speak - as when he talked it was such joyous company to be in.

Here are his words and his laughter.

Produced by Natasha Cowan.

Edited by Tim Thornton.

Music by @joergzuber.

Graphics by Paul Wallis.

Production Assistance by Lauren Sweeting.

Support for the Creative Conversations podcast comes from the Condé Nast Luxury Conference.

To find Suzy's articles visit vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MICHAEL KORS bonus re-issue Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Happy Birthday Michael Kors! Congratulations for celebrating 40 years in the fashion business!

Michael has so much to say - and it was such fun to talk with him about his 40 years in fashion that we are re-releasing the podcast as a bonus so that his wise and witty words can be heard again and his imagination, energy and lively spirit can be revealed. Having just had a preview across the pond of the special anniversary collection, I know that it features a specially curated selection of iconic pieces throughout the four decades of being in the industry. Plus we will be treated to a Broadway performance with award winning musician Rufus Wainwright. What a celebration for Michael, and a pleasure for us.

Michael Kors, whose American sportswear label is celebrating its 40th anniversary is marking the event with a thoughtful reappraisal of his past and future, where highs have included dressing stars from stage, screen and state, from Jennifer Lopez to Angelina Jolie to Michelle Obama, whose bared shoulders the designer brought to the fore.Michael talks to Suzy about building his own label in the 1980s and designing for Celine in Paris from 1998 to 2004, before expanding his brand in the US, and ultimately across the world.

Kors has not only built a fashion business but also a powerful luxury accessories empire, under the name Capri Holdings Limited. This conglomerate includes his own mighty label and also Jimmy Choo and Versace.The current pandemic brings a thoughtful response from Michael Kors, who is the first American designer to miss the September timetable of fashion week shows and move his own presentations to October/November. His insightful vision on reducing the speed and the amount of fashion in a post-Covid era is enlightening.

Here is a chance to hear the real Michael Kors, and to learn that feeding the hungry is as important to him as dressing the famous.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis.

Production Assistance by Lauren Sweeting.

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes ...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ORSOLA DE CASTRO- Sustainability expert Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the fourth series of Creative Conversations with Suzy Menkes where we are celebrating a year since I launched the first episode of my podcast: an interview with Maria Grazia Chiuri of Dior.

In the first episode of this new season, I am joined by Orsola de Castro who spearheaded the global movement for change within the fashion industry and now heads Fashion Revolution.

For Orsola de Castro, all you need is love. Love for fashion, and love for all beautiful things - that last. Talking now, in 2021, to the passionate founder of Fashion Revolution, is a lesson about lasting. Or, as she puts it: “Re-wearing your clothes can be a revolutionary act.”

Loved Clothes Last is the title of her new book, published by Penguin Random House - and a passionate ode to the rebirth of old friends, lurking in closets and stuffed into drawers.

Up-cycling is so much more than a fashionable trend. For Orsola, it was born of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh, where an eight story building, rammed with clothing workers, collapsed eight years ago in 2013, leaving a death toll of 1,134.

Instead of wringing her hands, like so many in the fashion business, Orsola asked herself WHY people demanded ever cheaper clothes - and what could be done to make a lasting difference.

It was then that Orsola founded fashion‘s largest global activism movement: 'Fashion Revolution’ . It was designed to change the way the industry works, and to bring cultural change in our attitude to clothes.

April 19th until 25th marks Fashion Revolution Week where over 100 countries will come together to take responsibility, remember the lives lost, and demand that no one should die for fashion.

In our conversation, Orsola’s urgent enthusiasm reminds us that we can all be fashion revolutionists. That our clothes deserve new lives, instead of being cast off and thrown away.

Her book is a mix of practical repair with thoughtful and passionate commitment to fabric and treatment that would prolong life.

The 8th Fashion Revolution week is happening across the world from the 19-25th April.

There are many ways in which you can participate, spread the word and educate yourself. Let’s believe that today’s fashion and textile industry CAN change, and evolve, and become more transparent.

Visit fashionrevolution.org to get involved.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HERMÈS, NADÈGE VANHEE-CYBULSKI Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

For episode 7 of season 3, our guest is the Hermès Creative Director - Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski.

Hermès has a deep history, founded on horse saddles, but now famous for its neckties, handbags and increasingly for its discreetly elegant clothes.

It is not just a mighty and classy brand, it is also a family business of six generations.

Co-chairs of Hermès today are two cousins: CEO Axel Dumas and Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Vice -President, Artistic Director and son of Jean-Louis Dumas, who revolutionised Hermès and grew it as an international luxury company.

The current designer has become part of the family. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski - whose name reflects the variety of her background - talks to Suzy about how she is developing the brand as “quiet luxury”. Call her a purist or a gentle spirit, the designer’s aim is to move the brand forward, with imagination and intelligence.

The artisanal roots have run deep in the house of Hermès since 1837, with over 20 artisan crafts workers now producing, as well as Ready To Wear, fine-jewellery, lipstick, furniture, perfume, watches and, of course, those famous handbags.

The company, known for their warm orange colour, which is not listed with Pantone, maintains a responsible ethos to the planet ensuring traceability, certification protecting and preservation. The Hermès artisans also work on ‘petit h’ - a concept which ingeniously transforms remnants of leather silk crystal, and porcelain, horsehair, buttons and metal, into brand new objects.

Hear Nadège talk about her timeless and witty design, and approach to colour and form, what Hermès stands for, and how its horsy history has always galloped ahead in fashion, making Nadège an exceptional designer for a famous brand.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

STERLING RUBY S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

For episode 6 of season 3, artist Sterling Ruby explains to Suzy why he was invited to take part in Paris Haute Couture with his label S.R. STUDIO. CA. LA. COUTURE and how he went from a construction site to constructing haute couture. Crossing the boundaries of art - by using fashion as an artistic medium of self expression.

Coming from a hippy and punk background, Sterling Ruby talks about the challenges he faces as an artist and designer in achieving an urban feel, working on the surface of materials with bleach, minerals and hand dying - pushing the boundaries between artistic mediums.

The artist first dipped his ‘brushes’ in the fashion world when Raf Simons and he met and forged a relationship, which took them to Dior and Calvin Klein and beyond on a route of ‘Americana’.

Hear from the artist himself, Sterling Ruby, on his approach to couture and his rise to fashion through the art world.

@sterlingruby

@srstudiolaca

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Photograph Courtesy of Melanie Schiff

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ESTÉE LAUDER'S LEONARD LAUDER Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

In episode 5 of season 3 Suzy is joined by Leonard Lauder - the chairman emeritus of Estée Lauder who is known around his company as "Chief Teaching Officer”. And for good reason.

As the brand turns 75, Leonard Lauder has written a book The Company I Keep : My Life in Beauty published by HarperCollins. Apart from discussing his latest volume, he will also reveal how much he learnt from his mother Estée Lauder herself - and how he built a special connection with philanthropy, and with the world of art.

Leonard Lauder, who lives with his photographer wife Judy, discusses how he made Estée Lauder the General Motors of the beauty business - with multiple brands, product lines and multinational distribution.

Does the current beauty boom in tough times have parallels with the earlier post-World War boom? Or is it technology which has encouraged us to buy make-up online whilst we are all stuck at home?

Leonard tells us from his own lips how Estée set the standard, and how he has taken it to the future.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PHILIP TREACY Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Behind the story of the little boy who sneaked over to use his mother’s sewing machine is a man who has had a profound effect on famous fashion houses: from Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel to Ralph Lauren, Valentino to Gianni Versace.

Making hats not just for his friends, like fashion lover Isabella Blow and designer Alexander McQueen, but also the Royal Family, plus all the clients he has across the world - some formal, others wild and wonderful - it is Philip who describes the hat as "not only an accessory, but a visual indicator."

The secret of Philip Treacy’s success is not his connection to fame - although well deserved - it is his extraordinary talent. This is all currently displayed in a large-scale exhibition of his hats at the Erarta Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which has people queuing round the block to see it.

Produced by Natasha Cowan @tashonfash

Edited by Tim Thornton @timwthornton

Music by @joergzuber

Graphics by Paul Wallis

To find Suzy's articles visit https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/suzy-menkes

...find Suzy on Instagram @suzymenkes and Twitter @thesuzymenkes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.