The Best Fashion Podcasts of 2024
Female founders! Sustainable fashion tech! Fashion industry news! And a podcasting fiction book that will knock your socks off.
I’m starting to enter the home stretch for my MBA program and have been heads down researching career next steps for when I graduate this spring. While I’ve enjoyed my time in fashion buying and site merchandising, I’m excited to make the shift to sustainable fashion tech when I graduate.
I’ve done a deep dive into digital wardrobing apps for my entrepreneurial class this semester, which included listening to founder interviews in different areas of the fashion industry. I absolutely loved this part of my research, so in the spirit of continuous learning I wanted to share the best fashion podcasts that I’ve listened to this year. Some on styling, some on startups, some on traditional fashion, all inspiring.
Speaking of School…
One final shameless plug for my MBA project survey. If you use a digital wardrobing app, would you be open to taking this short, totally anonymous survey on consumer usage? I’d love your feedback if you have a few minutes, or feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or DM me. A big thanks to everyone who has already taken this survey, your responses have been so insightful!
Onto the Podcasts
I do a lot of walking, mostly with my senior dog whose ideal day is spending four hours sniffing outside while walking at a top chihuahua speed of .001 mph. Which means that I live for a good podcast. I mix it up with a variety of topics, but the fashion industry is my forever top pick. The must-listen episodes that I’ve pulled out below are my favorites for the entire year. I hope that you love these as much as I do! I’ve linked all of the podcasts in their headers to Apple podcasts, but you should be able to find most of these on Spotify if Apple’s not your primary platform.
If You Want to Learn About Sustainable Fashion, Listen To:
Green Behavior
I’ve mentioned
the founder of the many times before but have to say yet again how riveting I find her podcast, an exploration of how consumers approach fashion, sustainability, and psychology. If you’re concerned about ultra-fast fashion, greenwashing, shopping hauls, and why everyone keeps buying Shein, then this is the podcast for you. I learn something new in every episode and recommend this one about Gen Z’s relationship to fast fashion and this one about the psychology of why we buy. Brittany’s Substack is also a fantastic read if you want to dive into the topic of what responsible brands can do to succeed in a traditional fashion world.Must-Listen Episode:
“Shame Won't Stop People from Buying Shein, But This Will” with
, Teleport founder and new Head of Social Commerce at ThredUp (this is very exciting news btw), discussing how shaming consumers doesn’t change behavior, how social media put fashion trends on warp speed, and what’s next for secondhand. Brittany and Danielle also talk about the strategies that responsible brands can take to compete with traditional fashion - lots of food for thought for fashion marketing teams.
If You Want to Learn About the Fashion Industry From an Insider POV, Listen To:
Fashion People
I think that we all listen to Lauren Sherman’s Fashion People, but I couldn’t not include this on a best podcast roundup. One day I’m going to splurge on a Puck subscription just for Line Sheet, but until then her podcast is a never-miss for me. There too many great episodes to count, but some standouts are “Sun Valley Fashion & Gen Z Brand Fetishes”, “Condéology”, “Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Style & ’90s Nostalgia”, and “The Cult of Ganni”*. I just started listening to “The Business of Shopping” with
and can already tell that this is going to be another favorite.*If you want to learn more about Ganni’s mission as a responsible fashion brand, check out my post here:
Must-Listen Episode:
“What Not to Wear” is an interview with
and hands down my favorite Fashion People episode. I will read and listen to anything that Allison puts out there and I’ve played this episode twice, the sign of a top notch podcast. Allison shares her career trajectory, finding confidence in creating content, and how she finds inspiration in styling sessions. Lauren and Allison also talk about how the collective Millennial obsession with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s style is rooted in nostalgia. The two things that resonated most in this episode are how Allison is building her career with a personal focus instead of trying to create a huge styling conglomerate (applaud staying true to what you want out of your career) and that she encourages a mindful wardrobe vs. shopping your way into style.Bonus: Allison’s YouTube channel is not to be missed, particularly her “Jacket Try On” and “Jeans (& Shoes) Try On” videos. And this 2022 video where Allison talks closet regulars with her friend Jayme Cyk - a genuine episode that looks at fashion as a form of wellness (I wholeheartedly believe in this concept).
If You Want to Learn About Entrepreneurship, Listen To:
Passion Project Pending
I came across this podcast in my research on digital wardrobing apps and it was honestly a highlight of my research. In addition to speaking with entrepreneurs across industries like tech, fashion, and fitness, host Rosemary Wilson talks about her own entrepreneurial journey, covering how she grew her social media, goal setting strategies, overcoming challenges, and her experience completing a Q1 review.
Must-Listen Episode:
“Conscious Consumerism, Sustainable Fashion and Digitizing Your Wardrobe” with co-founder of Indyx
is my top recommendation for anyone exploring a career as a fashion tech startup founder. I loved learning about how the Indyx team is creating community through a shared closet, their core value of sustainability, future plans to incorporate resale, and scaling the business. Devon also talked about navigating pitching, pre-seed rounds, and VC expectations - these insights are incredibly valuable for anyone considering the startup world. I take entrepreneurship classes in my MBA program and my current class is taught by a VC. It’s been fascinating to learn from his extensive background and what he looks for during the funding process, and I appreciated hearing about the flipside from Devon’s experience as a female founder. I’m so impressed by what the Indyx team has accomplished and my big goal over winter break is to catalog my closet so I can use the app daily and be a part of the community.
If You Want to Learn About Fashion Founders, Listen To:
Fashion & Founders
A huge reason I love Substack is because of the discovery element - I’ve found so many amazing fashion creators in my home feed. Case in point, I saw a post about the
podcast yesterday, was shocked that this has never surfaced in my (many) Apple Podcasts searches for fashion, and immediately subscribed. It felt particularly serendipitous to find Fashion & Founders hosted by Victoria Smith as I was writing this post. A quick scroll through the episodes includes interviews with innovative founders and leaders at Beni, Pickle, Remake, and Locker - all queued to play next.Must-Listen Episode:
“Fashion Tech Masterclass” interviews
, writer of the Substack, who worked at Bipty and Recurate before founding her own agency. She shares her background in fashion tech, tips for creating a portfolio as a student, and how to break into the industry. Mary and Victoria also discuss how fashion tech is a current and future driver of sustainability. Totally engrossing and extremely helpful for anyone looking for concrete ways to move into the tech side of fashion.If You Want to Learn About Fashion and Retail News, Listen To:
The Glossy Podcast
The Glossy Podcast is the best source for fashion and retail industry news. I listen to it every Friday when the Week in Review drops and now that I’m several years in, Jill, Danny, and Zofia feel like friends chatting about fashion. The pod also interviews fashion leaders every week and they’ve had so many interesting guests, like Tuckernuck’s CEO Jocelyn Gailliot, Rothy’s CMO Jamie Gersch (big rec for my SF friends), and Uniqlo’s creative director/former creative director at Chloé and Givenchy Clare Waight Keller.
Must-Listen Episode(s)*:
“Founder Jenny Bird: 'We're A Unicorn in the Consumer Space'“ was so good that I’ve relistened since it dropped in June to make sure that I didn’t miss anything the first time. A deep dive into how the brand grew their DTC channel during the pandemic using live shopping and community building, plus how Jenny’s philosophy on slow growth and being a category expert has steadily shaped them into a global brand today.
“Leigh Batnick Plessner on Brooklyn-Born Catbird's National Expansion” was another dream brand podcast listen. Most of my jewelry is from Catbird, so I clearly had to play this one twice, especially now that there’s a store in San Francisco. Catbird’s CCO Leigh talks about how the brand has expanded from their original store location to eight stores, with 10 more on the way in 2026. Jill and Leigh also discuss Catbird’s focus on sustainability, using recycled diamonds and gold, repair services, and making jewelry that lasts.
*As a former jewelry merchant, I couldn’t pick just one
Honorable Mention: Pop Fashion
Although Pop Fashion is no longer, it was my never-miss podcast from 2016 to 2023. Hosts Lisa and Kaarin branded themselves a “fashion news comedy podcast” and this is so spot on - it was the most fun way to find out what was happening in fashion and retail every week. There are still four-ish years of Pop Fashion on Apple where you can relive fashion news and the hilarious weekly Fashion Crimes and One Good Thing segments. You are greatly missed Lisa and Kaarin!
Bonus: The Book About Podcasts
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
So good that I gave it a five star rating on Goodreads (my version of a unicorn), this book centers on MC Alix who hosts a popular podcast interviewing successful women. She’s celebrating her 40th birthday when she meets Josie by chance and finds out they’re “birthday twins”. Josie schemes her way into being featured on Alix’s podcast and it all goes downhill from there. I don’t want to give away the plot, but it’s the definition of a page turner - I practically read this in one sitting.
That’s it for this week, thanks for reading! Please share your favorite podcasts or books about podcasts in the comments - I’m always looking for more.
I mentioned last week that I started a chat, which is me talking to myself about fashion memes, intriguing retail/fashion/consumer behavior articles, and things from The RealReal that need a good home. I’d be thrilled if you joined me :)
😳 I am embarrassed that I haven’t heard of more of these but I appreciate you being a kind teacher to usher me into this!
I'm blushing! Truly, thanks so much for including me here. These are all *excellent* suggestions if I do say so myself.