Welcome to our never-ending list of the podcasts that make us think, spark ideas, change the way we see things and listen to again and again (and again).
We've split the list into Making, Ideas, Business and Culture, and suggested favourite episodes to get started with. We'll add to the list monthly, so check back in for new listens. And if you'd like to get involved, you can add your own recommendations at the bottom of this page.
1. MAKING.
The Details by Mr Porter
We've been obsessed with the details since, well, forever. The care label in our jackets was a detail we'd included before the jacket itself was ready. So when Mr Porter created this series investigating details like buttons, stitching, collars and labels, we were hooked.
+ Start with this episode on Stitching with Emily Bode and Japanese sashiko collectors.
Material Matters
Grant Gibson interviews makers and designers across many more disciplines than fashion and textiles. You'll learn about woods, metals, clays, knitting, crochet, mending and more.
Face To Face by Dezeen
A series on people and process, featuring design legends like Tom Dixon, Roksanda Ilinčić and our favourite episode with Thomas Heatherwick.
+ Start with this episode with Thomas Heatherwick.
Relentless Podcast
A one-woman investigative series into cult brands, like Noah and Supreme, often through the lens of sustainability.
We'd suggest starting at the beginning of each series and listening on from there.
The Business of Fashion podcast
Imran Ahmed, founder of BoF interviews a wide spectrum of people who work across the fashion industry, from photographers to editors, designers and reporters. Although it's a tough listen, we'd highly recommend starting with a recent episode with Kalpona Akter, activist for garment worker safety and rights. In this episode, she talks about the effect that Covid-19 is having on the garment workers in India.
+ This Episode with Kalpona Akter
+ Or listen to all epidoes here.
Hand Cut Radio
Aleksander is a strategist, journalist and an expert in menswear. Think of this as the Desert Island Disks of Saville Row. He chooses fascinating guests with deep stories to tell, from unusual journeys of getting into what they do, to rifling through archives and talking about the most cherished items in a guest's wardrobe.
We'd suggest starting with these episodes: Parisian Vintage expert Gauthier Borsarello, founder Alice Walsh or Saville Row Creative Director Becky French
Blamo!
If you liked HandCut Radio, you'll love Blamo! It's hosted by Jeremy Kirkland in New York and features a range of guests, some working in the clothing industry, some not. Some are big names and others are more under the radar. Yet all have a genuine love of clothing which they discuss while meandering through tales of life and experience. We'd recommend starting with:
+ This episode with Brian Davies, founder of Wooden Sleepers New York.
2. IDEAS.
As Me by Sinéad Burke
Academic, TED speaker, and advocate Sinéad leads candid conversations to create a classroom in podcast form with diverse, notable guests, learning what it’s like to be them. In Sinead's own words, "How do we unlearn negativity and learn to love ourselves and each other? What’s the first step towards becoming more empathetic? Listening."
+ We especially loved listening to this episode with Riz Ahmed.
+ Or listen to any of the episodes, here.
Making Things Better, and Making Better Things
Mark Shayler's podcast sits in the business category, but we'd argue you'll learn as much about philosophy and life experience. Mark makes you feel good and his podcast brings out the best in people. It's hard to choose, but these are two favourite episodes to start with:
+ Listen to Ben, founder of Seedlip or our namesake, Andrew Paynter
Rev On Air Podcast
Co-founder of Rev En Vert, Cora explores the topic of sustainable living through discussions on air. We'd recommend starting with either of these two:
+ Creativity and Activism with Alexi Lubomirski.
+ Or hear about Sustainable Skincare with Haeckels founder Dom Bridges
Time Sensitive Podcast
This is a weekly podcast interviewing curious people who each have an unusual perspective on time. Whether it's living in the present, making things that stand the test of time, or looking at your life as chunks in time.
Start Here:
+ Hear about why designer Jesse Kamm finds the term 'global expansion' nauseating.
+ Or this episode with Stefan Sagmeister about the infamous sabbatical he takes every 7 years
The Sole Supplier Podcast
If you're into your footwear, you'll be into this. The Sole Supplier podcast is the UK's first sneaker focused podcast, but it's not just for the 'sneakerhead', founder George Sullivan talks business too, like how much it costs to run a shoe store in London, what is influencer marketing and what factors affect the cost of production.
+ We loved this episode with Leila Fataar.
+ And if you like what Leila has to say, we'd suggest listening to this to find out how she hustled her way into the industry.
Creative Lives
If you're a creative, you might remember how unhelpful 'careers education' was at school, and maybe even at uni. Speaking for myself, wanting to get into fashion, I thought the only role was as a designer. It wasn't until grafting that I found out how many roles keep our industry alive. If Creative Lives had been around then, maybe I'd have found out a bit sooner.
This is a podcast aimed at students and new graduates, sharing experiences of how guests got their jobs, and what they actually do on a day to day basis. Although I'm no longer job hunting, I still find Creative Lives fascinating.
3. BUSINESS.
Method in the Madness
We stumbled upon Method in the Madness after hearing about it through friends at Karma Cola, and we're so glad we did. Gregor who hosts us delves into the unlikely combination of design and personal development. Listen with a notepad because you're bound to get ideas.
+ Start with episode 21 with Aaron Draplin, founder of Draplin Design Co.
+ Or this episode with Karma Cola founder Simon Coley
Masters of Scale
Scale is quite a dirty word, but there's a lot we can learn, even if our intentions aren't being a big company. Masters of Scale is also the first American podcast to commit to gender balance for guests.
+ Learn to serve customers one by one with Brian Chesky of AirBnB
Courier Daily
When Covid-19 hit and the world turned on it's head, London based business magazine Courier decided to report daily, checking in with founders at home as they navigated what the upturn has meant for their business. Some have changed everything, some have dealt with a huge surge in demand, and others have been dealing with losing their team while business as usual is no longer.
+ We're on this episode, alongside Alex Bec, co-founder of It's Nice That. Listen here.
Start Up
Ok, so this is old. But it's gold. Whether you've heard of Gimlet Media or not, we'd highly recommend listening from the very first episode (it's a long scroll, so click the link below). You'll hear founder Alex from day 1 of setting up the business, and you'll hear everything. Yup, everything. The discussions with his wife as she financially supports the family, the cringe-worthy first investor pitches, finding a co-founder and working out how the hell to monetise his podcasting media company.
+ Start at the very beginning of Gimlet Media here.
How I Built This
It's likely you've already heard of this one. But we'd really like to point you in the direction of a particular episode with Glossier founder Emily Weiss.
+ We've listened to this episode with Emily Weiss at least 3 times.
...
Monocle Entrepreneurs
You may well be into this series already, but if you're not, you can start by choosing from 450+, sub 30 minute debriefs from business leaders globally. It's not all big business, and there's a real mix of industries. Although there isn't enough time to go deep, it's good for introducing you to new perspectives.
+ This episode with Patrick Grant, founder of Community Clothing is a great listen.
Wardrobe Crisis
Weekly interviews with guests about sustainability and activism in fashion businesses. Hosted by Clare Press, Vogue’s Sustainability Editor.
+ Start here to hear the founders of Ganni talking about sustainability
Noah Kagan Presents
Noah Kagan has a very strategic head, so he has no trouble talking to founders and CEOs about how they'd grow their business, all live on air. Listening feels like being a fly on the wall.
+ Listen in to Noah talking about how he'd grow Museum Hack
+ Or this episode with Ramit Sethi about money management strategies
4. CULTURE.
About Race
This podcast picks up from where Reni Eddo-Lodge's best seller 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' left off.
Learn about Britain's modern history through conversations about race throughout politics and media.
+ Start from the beginning. Listen Here.
Roam Schooled
Why is the world the way it is? As we grow up, we stop asking questions out of fear of asking the wrong one, or asking it in the wrong way. If only we could get kids to ask the difficult questions for us. There's a lot we can learn from kids. In Roam Schooled, Jim takes his twin daughters out in the Winnebago to answer questions they have about life, like why America has a gun problem, or why its annoying when someone invades your personal space.
+ Listen Here.
Reply All
Reply All is a series by Gimlet, the company you'll have heard all about if you've already listened to Start Up. The premise is 'a show about the internet' but it's more of a show about life. Every episode is a new topic, so start wherever you like, but we'd really recommend starting with The Case of the Missing Hit. This particular episode has been named as the best podcast episode ever made.
+ Listen to this - 'The Case of the Missing Hit'. It's incredible.
Today in Focus
This podcast from the Guardian tells the stories behind the headlines, for a deeper understanding of the news.
+ Listen to this episode reflecting on whether George Floyd's death could be a turning point in the history of police killings of Black Americans.
The Do Lectures Podcast
The idea of the Do Lectures is simple. To gather together the world’s Doers, disruptors and change makers, experts and pioneers, to share their stories, and encourage others to go and Do. It's where Huw and I met, so we're very thankful to Do. If you can't make it to the farm, there are 300+ talks on their website, and each one has been made into a podcast too. Here's where we'd start:
+ Giles Duley on Change, Growth & Resilience
+ Giulia Enders on our charming bowels. Yup. We recommend watching rather than listening.
+ Dominic Wilcox's hilarious talk about his journey to finding ideas. Also better to watch than listen.
The Modern House Podcast
When I start browsing The Modern House, I can't tear myself away. Although each article and home is a dream world, distant from reality, I'm drawn in by the combination of learning about architecture and design while snooping into a very stylish life. My favourite listens so far:
+ Cubitts founder Tom Broughton's obsession with the Bauhaus Isokon building
How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
I'm grateful to Molly Jeffery for recommending How To Fail. During every episode, the host Elizabeth Day asks guests to talk about three 'failures' in their lifetime. Together they unravel the stories and we often discover that failure isn't so bad after all.
ADD TO THE LIST.
We'd love to hear the podcasts that you've listened to again and again.
We'll do our best to listen to every one of them. Once we have, we'll let you know, and we might just add it to this list.
UP NEXT.
1619. About Race. BBC Earth. Cntrl. Alt Delete by Emma Gannon. Code Switch from NPR. Conscious Chatter. Creative Boom podcast. Disect. Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip. Green Dreamer. Grounded with Louis Theroux. The Happiness Lab. Heavyweight.
Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat. Industrial Revolutions Podcast. Influence Podcast. Intersectionality Matters! I’m Grand Mam. Longform podcast. Loose Threads. Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast. Monocle on Design. Neonyt. On Being. Pod For the Cause. Pod Save the People. Radiotopia Seeing White.
