We're back! And excited to be kick off Series 12 with this fabulous interview with Copenhagen-based Moroccan Danish stylist, and excellent dresser, Samia Benchaou.

Clare and Samia met at fashion week when they got talking about the power of a great outfit. Can you relate? Bet you have a story of someone you met because of what they were wearing! (If so, tell us on Instagram).

Clothes speak before we do and fashion is a fun way to connect. But what we wear can also express our politics, culture and identity and belonging.

Themes up for discussion? First, confidence! How to get it, how to dress with it, and how it can set you free. We also talk about why you should give more complements to strangers, being a renegade, the influencer economy, and how much some people really get paid, while others miss out. Earnings, value, power imbalance, and how free clothes don't pay the bills. And we talk racism, why representation matters but it can't stop there, and why there aren't more Muslim prominent fashion influencers and stylists. Buckle up!

If you enjoy the Episode, please help us share it.

Find links and further reading at thewardrobecrisis.com

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Tell us what you think. Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Got recommendations? Hit us up!

And please leave us a rating / review in Spotify/ Apple & help us share these podcasts.

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

Construction! Proportion! Craft!

What lies behind the enduring power of the suit? Of great tailoring? How is that amplified when it’s bespoke? What makes a good suit? Does it still matter? Why? And how much should it cost? All these questions, and many more are on the (cutting) table this week, as Clare sits down with Savile Row tailor Dominic Sebag-Montefiore, creative director of iconic bespoke house, Edward Sexton.

Thank you for listening to Wardrobe Crisis Series 11! We'll be back soon with a new series of inspiring interviews from fashion's front lines.

Find links and further reading for this episode at thewardrobecrisis.com

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Tell us what you think. Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Got recommendations? Hit us up!

And please leave us a rating / review in Spotify/ Apple & help us share these podcasts.

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

This week's guest, Glen Rollason, describes pattern making as the architecture of fashion. It's the bones, the structure, the technical process that gives our clothes shape, moves them from the 2D to the 3D, and helps them fit. Pattern making is drafting, design, and highly skilled technical process - but it's also team work.

No pattern, no coat!

From the basics (what is it, where do you begin) to the artistry (fit, form, allure) through Raf Simons, bust darts and the crazy complexity of national sizing standards, we've got it all in this dynamic conversation about this essential fashion ingredient. Plus, why do we need to keep capacity on shore? How might small factories / design labs work in future? What's going on with apprenticeships, and what are we going to do about skilled people ageing out of the industry?

Scissors at the ready!

Thank you for listening to Wardrobe Crisis.

Find links and further reading for this episode at thewardrobecrisis.com

Read Clare's columns & support the show on Substack - wardrobecrisis.substack.com

Tell us what you think. Find Clare on Instagram @mrspress

Got recommendations? Hit us up!

And please leave us a rating / review in Spotify/ Apple & help us share these podcasts.

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