With over 4.5 million podcasts worldwide and an audience increasingly turning to audio for their news consumption, podcasts are an undeniable part of the culture, including in the upcoming fashion year. FashionUnited has selected a number of leading shows that are here to stay.
Fashion neurosis
Designer Bella Freud broke away from the rigid setting of the classic podcast studio to explore the emotional weight of clothing. Well-known actors, designers and other creatives join her on the sofa for an intimate conversation about their personal relationship with style. This is not viewed as a sum of trends, but as an expression of personal desires and insecurities. Fashion becomes a form of self-analysis, with Freud taking on the role of therapist. This approach suits her prominent guests, such as Marina Abramović, a revolutionary in performative practice herself.
Chanel connects
Fashion can become incredibly intellectual when you let visionary artists, writers, performers and curators explain what it is all about. Chanel proved this with “Chanel Connects”. The fifth season takes place at La Pausa, the “ideal Mediterranean villa” on the French Riviera designed by Gabrielle Chanel herself. It is hosted by Yana Peel, president of arts, culture & heritage at the luxury brand. A special bonus episode was recorded live at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. In it, artists Sarah Sze and Julie Mehretu talk with Peel about creativity, abstraction and the role of art as a driving force for change.
Articles of interest
Avery Trufelman was born into a family of broadcasters. She has been a radio producer for years and gained recognition with Articles of Interest, a podcast about the peculiarities of the clothing industry, focusing specifically on the objects themselves. An hour-long conversation about zips is not dull when it evokes a narrative about shared history, culture, technology and identity. In 2025, Trufelman opened another relevant conversation with the miniseries Gear. It explores the influence of military design on everyday clothing choices, from field jackets to “gorpcore”.
Fashion people
Fashion People is an extension of Line Sheet, Lauren Sherman’s private newsletter in which she analyses what is happening in the fashion and beauty world. In the podcast version, she speaks with insiders from the multi-billion dollar industry to dig even deeper. Topics range from the hopeful strategies of creative directors to the fashion vision of former first lady Michelle Obama.
Dressed: the history of fashion
Historian Cassidy Zachary guides her listeners through fashion history by placing historical facts in a contemporary social context. What does the corset say about “me” and “us” now that it is returning to the wardrobes of Gen Z? Fitting for the new year is the episode with Tim Gunn from the American fashion TV show “Project Runway” about his original catchphrase, “Make it Work”. What makes fashion successful in 2026?
Manufactured
In another year full of scandals about unethical working practices in long, opaque fashion supply chains, Kim van der Weerd’s podcast Manufactured offers guidance. She worked in garment production for years, including as a factory manager in Cambodia. She now investigates fair trade practices for stakeholders at the end of the supply chain, through organisations like the Transformers Foundation and as co-founder of the Fashion Producer Collective. In the podcast, she gives a voice to unseen professionals with extensive knowledge, such as Bergson Wang (episode 100). He is a Chinese compliance expert who explains why audits are often unreliable.
Wardrobe crisis
Fashion journalist and sustainability expert Clare Press delves into the tensions between style, ethics and the environment in Wardrobe Crisis. She explores how cotton production threatens water resources in India, with input from designers and researchers. She also highlights how vintage retailers and data analysts quantify the phenomenon of “pre-loved fashion”. With a touch of wit, Press shows that fashion can be a business without passing the costs onto vulnerable parties in the global supply chain.
The cutting room floor
Designer Recho Omondi proves to be an excellent interviewer: honest, critical and unfiltered. In The Cutting Room Floor, she talks to designers, creative directors, CEOs and emerging talent about topics like phygital, marketing and branding. These conversations often intersect with other disciplines, such as food with Sue Chan or wellness with Gwyneth Paltrow, on which fashion comments in one way or another.
Brendawareness
Brenda Weischer (known as Brendahashtag on Instagram) records her podcast as you would expect from an influencer: simply at home, in her living room, with her phone. Her reports from fashion shows and red-carpet events are like a voice note to a good friend. It is precisely this intimate storytelling style that attracts so many listeners. Weischer is also an inspiration for young professionals through her insights on personal branding and image building, including the downside: being constantly online affects our well-being.
Fashion radio
SHOWstudio’s Fashion Radio, presented by DJ Fat Tony, explores the fusion of fashion and music. In each episode, industry leaders, from designers to stylists and models, discuss their creative process, career highlights and how music influences their work. The importance of such a personal rhythm becomes clear in the episode with model Debra Shaw, who embodies her goddess-like character on the catwalk thanks to the music.
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