Stay ConnectedThe Fashion Your Seatbelt podcast gives its listeners the rare opportunity to hear from some of the leading voices working in the fashion industry today. Each podcast is an exclusive one-to-one conversation with a creative who is crafting the future of fashion. Hosted by the renowned and award-winning fashion journalist Jessica Michault, this podcast is designed to take its audience directly to the heart of fashion and discover what makes it tick.
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This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the governing body of Italian fashion. During that time the industry has gone through quite a lot of changes, but arguably no more so than in the last decade. Fashion shows have become far more than just an industry affair attracting editors and journalists, but a consumer-facing event that are powered by social networks and digital technology, which has helped democratize the industry. There has also been a growing self-awareness within the industry about its impact on the environment leading to the rise of more sustainable fashion. The blurring of sartorial gender lines and brands grouping their menswear and womenswear shows together have changed the landscape even further. All of this has transformed the way the world interacts with fashion.Helping The Camera, as insiders like to call it, weather these profound changes is its president Carlo Capasa. Appointed in April 2015, Capasa has, in the space less than three years jumpstarted to the way The Camera operates. Dusting off the institution and putting into overdrive new initiatives designed to build a global engagement with Milan as a fashion capital. His strategy has been to focus on three key areas:Promotion and supporting emerging Italian design talent with initiatives like MILANO MODA GRADUATE, which highlights the best young talents coming out of the most prestigious Italian fashion schools. The Green Carpet Awards, designed to underline the importance and wide reaching potential of sustainable fashion.And he introduced a new Digital strategy that saw The Camera’s website get a facelift, its social media platforms also became a priority and a powerful tool for promoting Italian fashion online. The Camera’s Instagram feed alone now counts more than 150 thousand followers.Capasa, who has a love of black perfecto biker jackets, has been a fixture on the Italian fashion scene for years, having spent the bulk of his career as the chief executive and co-creator of Costume National, a brand he founded with his brother — and the company’s designer — Ennio Capasa in 1986, until the brothers announced their resignation in March 2016. But here he talks about his plans for the future of The Camera in a fashion world that is more fluid, flexible and forward thinking than ever.
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There are some people who work in fashion that you could just listen to for hours. Their knowledge about the industry, both institutional and anecdotal make them treasured sources of information and education. And if there is one person working in fashion today who does this, pretty much better than anyone else its Stephen Jones.Stephen has been a milliner for 40 years and during that time he has become the go to hat maker for…well…just about everyone. From fashion designers and celebrities to rockstars and royalty, Stephen has created the finishing touch for thousands and thousands of outfits. Clients include everyone from Boy George, Mick Jagger and Madonna, to Beyoncé, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna. Not to mention all the royals who have donned one of his designs including Diana, Princess of Wales.But it is via his numerous collaboration with fashion designers that Stephen has been able to let his creative imagination really run wild. The hats he crafted for John Galliano during his Dior years, the headgear he has created for Thom Browne and headpieces he has concocted for Rei Kawakubo to complete her Comme des Garçons collections are the stuff of legends. They are often gravity defying designs that are objet d’art in their own right.Stephen’s talents have been recognized by Her Royal Highness, Queen Elisabeth II. She bestowed on him an OBE for his services to fashion, and his work has been the subject of fashion exhibitions around the world.But as extraordinary as all his hats are, Stephen himself has a very distinctive look. Yes he is always dapperly dressed, but it’s his balled head, which he started shaving back in the 1980s, that makes him instantly recognizable in a fashion crowd. Stephen decided to make this dramatic choice when he discovered that his head was the perfect stock size, which instantly made it easy to test out all of his hats…on himself.Getting to chat with Stephen about his life’s work as a milliner was such a treat for me. And I know you will be tipping your hat to him too by the end of this podcast.
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This year marks the 20th anniversary of Angela Missoni’s reign at the head of the family owned Missoni house. During those two decades she has proven over and over again that there is always room for creativity, even within the confines of a house that has such an iconic DNA. In the case of Missoni, the brand’s hallmark colorful knitwear, in zigzag shades, has been the upbeat foundation for countless collection. Each one a master class in color blending, knitwear innovation and feel good fashion.Speaking from first hand experience, having attended pretty much every single show that Angela Missoni has done over the past two decades, I can attest to the fact that she has been incredibly agile and adept at adapting the signature style of the house to the ever evolving fashion tastes. But what I appreciate even more is how this matriarchal house, founded by Angela’s mother and father Rosita and Ottavio, has flourished in her hands and how her own children have also joined the family company. Bringing with them the knowledge of a third generation that are digital natives and are helping bring the brand’s message to crop of consumers.Angela has also become something of an activist and has focused her energies on finding ways, including her own Missoni take on the Pussy Hat revolution, to empower women. Something that in today’s climate, is resonating even more profoundly than ever. I spoke with Angela at the Missoni headquarters in Milan as she was in full swing of preparing her commemorative 20th anniversary show. It was a time for reflection for the designer, where she took stalk of everything she has accomplished so far. But also a moment for making plans and getting clear about what she wants to do next.
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Belgian designer Cédric Charlier is about to celebrate two milestones in his life, the 5th anniversary of his brand and his 40th birthday. Both dates have kind of snuck up on him. This is because he is a designer who is so incredibly focused on the work. In fact, this has always been the case with Cedric, who studied at the famous La Cambre fashion school in Belgium and worked on the design teams at Celine during the reign of Michael Kors and perfected his craft alongside Alber Elbaz during his Lanvin years. From there he became the artistic director of Cacharel before the Italian fashion giant Aeffe came knocking at his door making him the dream offer to back the launch of his own signature brand. Since then Cedric has built up a name for himself not only for his beautifully cut garments in attractive graphic designs that made real world clothing look and feel special, but also the way in which he approaches the fashion system itself. He presents his menswear and womenswear together, and has made the conscious decision to only product two collections a year…instead of the endless slog of pre-collections, runway collections, capsule, cruise or resort collections that have filled up every waking hour of most modern designers’ lives. Instead he takes the time to be inspired, find interesting partnerships to build creative collaborations with, like his new t-shirt collaboration with Fruit of the Loom, and his choice shows his clothing in a presentation format so that buyers and journalists can have an up close and personal interaction with his work all underline that Cedric has his own elegantly understated approach to the business of fashion.I caught up with Cedric as his favorite French bistro to talk about his career, the choices he has made and why being a fashion designer might not be a lifelong pursuit.
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Designer Julie de Libran has breathed new life into the iconic French fashion house Sonia Rykiel since she became the creative director of the brand in 2014. Her ability to reinterpret the codes of the label for a new generation of empowered women has made her one of the few designers who is able to honor a house's past while blazing a bright path into the future. During this interview, Julie opens up about a childhood split between France and California, what she learned from working with designers like Gianni Versace, Marc Jacobs and Miuccia Prada, before joining Rykiel and what her goals are for the house.
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Leaf Greener is a fashion force of nature. To the ill-informed she might be seen as just another concrete catwalk celeb with a bright smile and bubbly personality who looks great in her eye catching outfits. But Leaf is so much more than this. After a six years as the senior fashion editor of Elle China She launched her digital magazine " LEAF", which she publishes on the leading Chinese platform WeChat. A move that helped transform her into one of China’s most influential independent fashion editors. She is endlessly being courted to consultant leading western luxury houses on how to work in China and has made a business out of educating her compatriots on the art of fashion while she continues to fight for more creative freedom in her home country. But what I like most about Leaf is how unabashedly frank she is. She speaks from the heart and says what she thinks…damn the consequences…which is a rare and refreshing thing in our industry. So get ready to experience a real fashion treat as, between puffs on her cigarette in her hotel room, Leaf lays down the law about what is working and not working in this industry that we both love.
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Joanne Palmaro is a budding actress of Italian and German descent who looks like a modern day boho version of Peggy Lipton with just a soupçon of Bridget Bardot. This twenty-something is in the ingénue phase of her career having had just a few acting roles under her belt in some short French films like "Errance" and the TV mini series "Addict". And she has been featured in short films for brands like Miu Miu, Armani, Jour/ne and H&M.But like any good contemporary feminist she is taking her future into her own hands. She has already written a short film called “Fille Dentaire” in which she stars and co-directs. And she has also started working on a new script for a full length film, where again she plans on playing the protagonist.We sat down to talk about her career, how fashion effects what she does and the impact her grandmother had on Joanne’s choice to become an actress.
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Marie Cabirou is the talented woman behind the fledgling French fine jewelry house Marie Mas. She has the pedigree and the skills to become a leader in luxury jewelry design. Cabirou studied at the prestigious École Duperré and the IFM (French Fashion Institute) in Paris. And you probably already love her work, if you took a shine to the artistic and asymmetrical jewelry that was a hallmark feature of the Dior shows during the reign of Raf Simons at the house.
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On the eve of the 85th anniversary of Lacoste, the company's creative director, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, talks about the special place Lacoste has within the fashion world, Novak Djokovic, the brand's new ambassador, and why he decided to close his signature label to focus all his energy on the renowned French house.
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Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, talks about his new collaboration designing costumes for the Paris Opera house, the debut of his make-up line with L'Oreal, his childhood, his friendship with Kim Kardashian and where he wants to take the Balmain brand.
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