Fashion
The Future of Fashion by Vogue Business
Cutting deeper than the latest runway trend and designer wear, The Future Of Fashion by Vogue Business is a podcast that lends a macro-view on the fashion industry at large. Featuring consumer analysis, perspectives on sustainability and technology as well as commentary from the key industry players, Vogue Business’ essential digest provides a look into fashion’s unprecedented future.
What Were You Thinking by Henry Holland
Fashion designer Henry Holland has launched his first podcast ‘What Were You Thinking’ in partnership with luxury resale site Vestiaire Collective. In 10 episodes, celebrity guests including Alexa Chung, Sir Paul Smith and Beth Ditto share the secrets behind their wardrobes, and the looks and pieces that have informed their life stories. ‘Fashion’s so much more than what you wear to stop yourself getting arrested for public indecency. Every single one of us makes choices day in, day out about what we put on our backs and in turn how we want to be seen by the rest of the world,’ the designer says. ‘The clothes we wear really do help to tell the story of our lives.’
The Faubourg of Dreams by Hermès
The storied French fashion house recently launched a podcast series that weaves anachronistic tales from its flagship Parisian store. Comprised of eight episodes in English and nine in French, The Faubourg of Dreams features key figures at Hermès describing their day-to-day and the career path that has led them there, in the process providing a fascinating look at the inner workings of the maison.
Culture
The award-winning podcast features Slate culture critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from the highbrow to pop. Conversations are fun and witty, but also thoughtful and smart, as they travel through film, celebrity, music and art — they invite outside guests to each episode who are experts in their field.
Three NPR arts critics chat about the latest movies, television, books, and music. Arts commentator and novelist Linda Holmes leads the discussions, while music writer Stephen Thompson and arts writer Glen Weldon contribute from their expertise, leaving the fourth chair for a guest contributor.
From the self-proclaimed ‘highbrow, lowbrow’ world of NYMag, The Cut is a podcast that truly covers all bases – the perils of burnout culture, reflections on race and identity politics, and an added dose of unmediated fluff on all things TV and Internet-related.
Stories
The New Yorker Fiction Podcast by New York Magazine
Each week, an acclaimed writer, from Jhumpa Lahiri and Salman Rushdie to Junot Diaz, chooses a story to read. Fiction editor Deborah Treisman speaks to the writers about their choice, among other subjects.
Find weekly stories delivered soundly to your ears – all harrowing tales about everyday lives led by everyday people. Having been on the air for 25 years now, This American Life hosted by veteran producer Ira Glass continues to offer offbeat non-fiction tales that shed light on the lives of ‘oddballs, antiheroes and just plain folk who quietly fade into [America’s] homogenous national landscape.’
Relationships
Modern Love: The Podcast by NPR
Readings from the New York Times’s popular column Modern Love are done by notable personalities that include Jake Gyllenhaal, Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Jameela Jamil and Daisy Edgar-Jones, discussing topics that range from true stories of love, loss, and redemption.
Millennial Love by The Independent
Hosted by The Independent lifestyle editors Rachel Hosie and Olivia Petter, Millennial Love is a comprehensive, banter-rich look at dating in the fickle age of social media and dating apps. Topics discussed include everything from ghosting to casual sex and mental wellness, offering an honest look at the often confusing state of modern dating, accompanied with plenty of laughs along the way.
News
The Briefing by Monocle 24
Every weekday, Monocle magazine’s podcast channel provides a 30-minute roundup of the biggest news stories of the previous day. With incisive reporting and opinions from a wide field of experts, The Briefing will leave you with an all-rounded understanding of current world affairs.
The Daily by The New York Times
This 20-minute news podcast is shrewdly edited for your commute, taking a deep dive into the most important stories of the day. It’s hosted by Michael Barbaro who interviews his fellow New York Times journalists, and has more than two million listeners and is one of the most-downloaded new shows on Apple Podcasts.
Today in Focus by The Guardian
Another popular news podcast is Today in Focus hosted by British journalist and former newsreader Anushka Asthana. It combines insightful analysis with in depth storytelling to explore everything from racism in British football to the protests in Hong Kong — all the biggest news stories with a personal angle.
Social Issues
About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
The author of the bestselling book Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, hosts a podcast that invites key voices from the last few decades of anti-racist activism, including Guardian columnist Owen Jones and musicians Akala and Billy Bragg, to critique structural racism.
Trivia
It’s difficult to categorise this long-running podcast helmed by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, but at a stretch it can be described as a podcast about curiosity. Combining excellent sound design with the hosts’ charismatic banter and an unpredictable scope that has investigated everything from gene-editing to flash mobs and altruism, Radiolab will leave you with a yearning to learn more.
Crime
No listing of podcasts is complete without a mention of Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer’s path-breaking podcast, Serial. The third season is a departure from the first two, following several smaller cases in Cleveland.
The bodies of four females were discovered between 1985 and 2000 in Bear Brook State Farm in New Hampshire, USA. They were believed to have been killed between 1977 and 1985. Over seven episodes, reporter Jason Moon reopens the case.
Personal Improvement
Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations
One more way to listen to Oprah Winfrey’s words of wisdom—she talks to health and wellness experts as well as best-selling authors to help us navigate through the world we live in, and find deeper meaning.
Originally written by Gavin Yeung
Editor
Vogue Hong KongCredit
Header image: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images