What's Contemporary Now?
Designed for curious minds, "What's Contemporary Now?" engages various thought leaders across cultural industries taking in their broad, compelling perspectives and unveiling their common threads. Hosted by Christopher Michael Produced by Shayan Asadi
Episodes
March 25, 2024 • 1 min
While another season has now ended, we've already started working on the next. We want to hear from you, our listeners, who you'd like us to have on and what deeper dives you'd love to see taken. If you're listening on Spotify, you can simply reply to the question here in the app, DM us on Instagram, or email us at info@whatscontemporary.com. If you’ve enjoyed the show, leave us a review, and we’ll be back soon with more episod...
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February 26, 2024 • 33 mins
Hanan Besovic, the content creator and fashion commentator behind @ideservecouture, shares his unconventional journey and outsider perspective into the fashion world. Moving from Croatia to the US, Besovic garnered a significant following on his platform during the COVID lockdown, using it to channel and convey his perspective on fashion—which he comes by through sheer obsessive passion. His honest and timely critiques often challe...
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February 19, 2024 • 23 mins
French photographer Robin Galiegue has carved a distinctive niche in the world of contemporary photography, captivating audiences with a refreshing vision of beauty, style, and attitude. Galiegue's early experimentation with makeup, styling, and photography laid the foundation for a career marked by raw energy and a timeless aesthetic. Seamlessly blending fashion, portraiture, and reportage, his notable projects include a recently ...
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February 12, 2024 • 22 mins
Gill Linton is the cofounder and curatorial persona behind Byronesque, a digital boutique department store that uniquely merges editorial content with a focus on contemporary vintage fashion. As editor-in-chief, Linton is a thought leader in the realm of editorial-based e-commerce and has long been a go-to brand strategist well-versed in the subculture of vintage fashion. Hailing from London, Linton divides her time between Paris a...
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February 5, 2024 • 31 mins
Writer, editor, and creative director Thom Bettridge navigates the realms of storytelling, experience curation, and audience expansion with seasoned expertise. From editorial leader at 032c, Highsnobiety, and Interview to Head of Creative and Content at SSENSE, Bettridge has come a long way since his beginnings as a student of philosophy in New York City. His series of compelling statements showcase an impressive grasp of worldbuil...
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January 29, 2024 • 26 mins
Renowned photographer of the Antwerp Six, Willy Vanderperre is a Belgian-born image-maker best known for his campaigns for Prada, Dior, and Jil Sander, as well as publications like i-D, Another, or W. Longstanding creative collaborations with fashion icons like Raf Simons, Olivier Rizzo, and Peter Philips have informed his creative output over the decades and renewed his lasting interest in what youth cultures have to continually o...
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January 22, 2024 • 37 mins
Derek Blasberg, a dynamic force in the worlds of fashion and media, boasts a multifaceted career as a writer, editor, and a New York Times bestselling author. Previously YouTube’s head of fashion and beauty and director of public figures, Blasberg transformed the platform, earning praise from industry luminaries like Tom Ford. His influence extends to the Gagosian Gallery, where he spearheaded the relaunch of Gagosian Quarterly and...
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January 15, 2024 • 30 mins
Creative consultant and iconic figure Amanda Harlech has played a key role in fashion for decades. Harlech is recognized for her insightful, ultra-collaborative approach, her influential work with brilliant designers, and her mentorship of young designers. She initially joined forces with John Galliano in the ’80s and ’90s before later joining Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel. For her, creative sensitivity and a willingness to work are fac...
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January 8, 2024 • 31 mins
Trailblazing South African fashion designer Lukhanyo Mdingi's brand story is as distinct and vibrant as the fashion he creates. From early influences of pop culture in the Eastern Cape to the launch of his post-graduate show, Mdingi's journey is a testament to the power of visibility and mentorship in the fashion industry. Winning the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2021 and the Amiri Prize in 2023 bolstered his eponymous label's glob...
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January 2, 2024 • 38 mins
Brendon Babenzien offers a look into his trajectory from a skateboarder immersed in the alternative music scene between Long Island and New York City to the forefront of fashion. His journey is a testament to his unique cultural access and entrepreneurial spirit. Inspired by the convergence of hip-hop, punk, new wave, and rave cultures during his teenage years, Babenzien recognized early on that the future lay outside mainstream cu...
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December 25, 2023 • 27 mins
Movement director Pat Boguslawski reflects on his journey in this latest episode, citing a unique artistic trajectory. Boguslawski has always been sure of his career as an artist throughout his upbringing in Łódź, Poland, fueled by pop culture, film, and fashion shows. Coming to dance—which he immediately perceived to be the most expressive art form he could pursue—and then moving to London to find an outlet for that passion, Bogus...
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December 18, 2023 • 31 mins
Ruba Abu-Nimah is a graphic designer at the vanguard of creative directing—even as the title of that role has become, she says, completely devalued. She’s put her creative skills to work directing brands like Elle US, Shiseido, Revlon, Tiffany & CO., and most recently Balenciaga. In this episode, Abu-Nimah offers her take on the value of formal education and travel, the balance to be struck between digital and analog craftsmanship,...
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December 11, 2023 • 28 mins
Gordon von Steiner is a force of youthful creativity and talent in the world of fashion film. In this episode, Christopher Michael sits down with von Steiner to discuss how the recent Grammy nominee—for directing Troye Sivan’s showstopping music video “Rush”—honed his passions into a creative practice from a young age and evolved as an artist in tandem with changes to the fashion, art, and culture industries. Raised in Toronto on c...
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December 4, 2023 • 30 mins
Editor-in-chief of Interview magazine, Mel Ottenberg, wants to maintain a sense of fun in an atmosphere rife with fear. Previously creative director at 032c, he’s collaborated with an impressive roster of stars, high-profile clients, and photographers. In this episode, he shares his take on where we are in this cultural moment and how fashion, beauty, and style can be powerful vehicles for communication and social transformation. H...
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November 27, 2023 • 42 mins
Quil Lemons is a photographer and artist renowned for his innovative contributions to commercial and fine arts spaces. As a Black queer creative force, he defies labels and uses his work to authentically represent the multifaceted aspects of his identity. The youngest photographer to capture Vanity Fair’s cover (featuring Billie Eilish), Lemons is featured in The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion, as well as i...
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November 20, 2023 • 30 mins
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic at The New York Times since 2014. Her lauded insight as a critic balances both the courage to speak to reality and a responsibility to inform her readers. Working at the intersection of culture and news journalism, Friedman has seen the landscape of the fashion industry change dramatically in the last decade. In this episode, she gives an honest and authoritati...
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November 13, 2023 • 53 mins
London-born photographer and SHOWstudio founder Nick Knight has remained at the forefront of what’s contemporary since his emergence into the fashion photography scene in the 1970s. Over the course of an illustrious career, Knight has worked closely with the likes of Alexander McQueen, Lady Gaga, Bjork and John Galliano, as well as with fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton, and Yves Saint Laurent, among ma...
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November 6, 2023 • 56 secs
When we first asked the question, “What is contemporary now?” we thought it made sense to explore the makings of culture by tapping into the varied perspectives of creatives whose work has helped shape the contemporary landscape. This season sees that dream continue, having the chance to speak to a master on the intersection of technology and image making and a brilliant young artist on the recontextualization of queer black cultur...
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June 26, 2023 • 26 mins
British makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench has been challenging our perceptions of beauty and creativity for the past decade. She attributes her unconventional approach to beauty, one that escapes commonality and mainstream aesthetics and paves the way for bold innovation, to her family’s background in engineering and problem-solving. Spurred by a face painting side hustle, her nontraditional rise in the industry saw her take on pivotal...
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June 19, 2023 • 37 mins
Fashion journalist, writer, and broadcaster Tim Blanks has had a front-row seat to many defining, pivotal moments in the fashion industry since 1985. Throughout his prolific career, he has witnessed countless transformational trends, with his byline appearing in international magazines and newspapers, including Vogue, GQ, Financial Times, Fantastic Man, and Interview. Previously, host of the globally syndicated television show Fash...
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