Highsnobiety Podcasts

The art world is evolving, fast. What has long been considered one of the world’s most elitist societies, composed of high brow art dealers, collectors and artists, has slowly opened up. The digitization of art has not only changed the means in which art is experienced and sold, but it’s also evolved its aesthetic. Most of all, it’s democratized the playing field for a younger generation, one with its own curatorial taste and behaviors. Lucas Zwirner is highly aware of this shift, and it’s been this shift he’s been navigating through as head of content at David Zwirner gallery in New York, arguably one of the world’s most prestigious galleries that represents artists including everyone from Jeff Koons and Barbara Kruger to Raymond Pettibon and Jordan Wolfson. In his role, Lucas leads and creates a unified brand voice and editorial vision for the gallery, its publishing house, and its online platforms, deepening the conversation around the gallery’s artists, exhibitions, and projects through books, podcasts, v

After a couple of seasons that were kind of meh, Supreme’s latest offering contains a few bangers. Is the label officially back on its bullshit? From polarizing, troll-level pieces like the crossed-double-BOGO hoodies to instant bangers like the Mondrian fleece, we discuss the FW20 collection (and listeners weigh in with some spicy voicemails of their own) on the latest episode. In addition to the week in fire releases, we take a moment to bid goodbye to one of The Dropcast’s co-hosts. But don’t worry — the show will still go on! We also talk a bit about UNION’s latest anime promoting its upcoming Jordan collaboration. The four-minute episode of Reggieknow’s It Was A Good Day features a pair of the UNION x Jordan 4s and was animated by D’Art Shtaijo, a Black-owned anime studio in Tokyo. Peep the full video below. Relevant Links: END Clothing x New Balance Release a Crispy ‘Grey Gull’ 1500 Meet the Capsule of Cowboy Crocs No One Ever Asked For Together, Noah & adidas Are for the Oceans Worried About USPS?

Lenny McGurr, better known as the multidisciplinary artist Futura (fka Futura 2000) started in the world of graffiti before branching out to the world of fine art, street art, and beyond. A certified “old head,” he’s designed some of the most covetable sneakers to date (forget the Dunkles, all praises to the FLOMs) and during NYC streetwear’s late-’90s heyday, was behind labels like Project Dragon, Subware, and the seminal Nort/Recon outpost done with Stash. These days, he’s busier than ever. Supreme’s updating some of their collaborative work from the vault, Futura Laboratories is cooking up new products on a more consistent basis, and he’s got high-fashion collabs like last year’s Off-White™ collection and this year’s capsule with COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT. We took some time with the artist to discuss his breakout year, and his unexpected connection to the U.S. Postal Service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As creative director of his London-based namesake fashion label JW Anderson, and at Spanish luxury leather goods house Loewe, Jonathan Anderson has been on the front lines of the European fashion scene for over a decade. And unlike many of his peers, he’s been able to innovatively adapt to the ever changing landscape of luxury while keeping an ear out to the desires of the young, yet highly influential, generation of fashion shoppers that dictate the market today. Whether it’s sitting A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean and photographer Tyler Mitchell front row at his Loewe shows and strategically launching youthful sub lines Paula’s Ibiza and Eye/LOEWE/Nature, to rethinking the entire show concept with his ‘shows in a box’ for both his brands and curating an entire art exhibition, Anderson continuously pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a creative director at a fashion house today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yara Shahidi is legit one of the most intelligent beings on the planet. The 20-year-old actor, activist, and incredibly astute speaker (just listen to this episode as proof) stays civically engaged with her organization Eighteen x 18, which encourages young people to vote, and has famously interviewed former first lady Michelle Obama for Teen Vogue, among many other accomplishments. On this episode, she talks about making Hollywood a more inclusive place via her production company 7th Sun, which just signed a deal with ABC Studios to produce shows. While we’ve seen great strides in diverse casts and inclusive storytelling, there’s certainly so much further to go. She also talks about the importance of this election, how people who can’t vote can affect change, and how high the stakes are in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, hosts Jian DeLeon and Noah Thomas take a quick second to talk about the upcoming U.S. election, and the severity of what’s at stake. After discussing the nomination of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate, the conversation shifts to product-oriented fare, starting with sneakers tailor-made for the summer. There’s Aime Leon Dore’s crispy New Balance 1300 collab, with a rich green or dusty pink upper on top of a vintage-inspired sole, as well as Eric Emanuel’s clean Reebok Club C collaboration, combining a mostly white upper with a pop of color in the heel tab and inner lining. In style news, we discuss Virgil Abloh and Walter Van Beirendonck’s current beef, Futura’s fire CDG collab, and then discuss labels that were truly ahead of their time. Listen to the ep to find out who finally gets their roses. Relevant Links: Kanye West Gives Us a Look at Some Unreleased YEEZY Designs Aimé Leon Dore Teases Vintage-Inspired New Balance 1300 Collab Steph Curry Could Be Getting His Own Under

Lovecraft Country, a psychological horror series based on a novel by Matt Woodruff and developed by Misha Green, is Majors’ latest project to debut, and hits HBO this weekend. Executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, the eerie show depicts the parallels between foreboding Lovecraftian horror and the racism of the Jim Crow south, a dark legacy whose impact can still be felt today. Majors took some time from filming his latest project, The Harder They Fall, to talk about the persistence of racism, working with industry elder statesmen, and why not being active on social media is kind of a flex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There would be no mainstream dancehall as we know it today without Sean Paul. The Sean Paul who created chart toppers including ‘Get Busy’, ‘ Temperature’ and ‘Baby Boy’ with Beyonce. The Sean Paul, who has been nominated for 8 Grammy’s and won the award for Best Reggae Album with his legendary album ‘Dutty Rock’. And the Sean Paul who all of us continue to play at house parties and the club. I wanted to hear a different side from him, and that we got. Today he still lives in Kingston, Jamaica where he’s from and it’s where I called him up to discuss everything from evolving your public image to mentorship for the next generation, and paying back to the culture that made him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colm Dillane, better known as KidSuper, is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer who just threw one of the best digital fashion shows at Paris Fashion Week. Given the remote nature of this year’s proceedings, he hunkered down in the studio and cranked out a stop-motion fashion show featuring “celebrity” cameos and 1:6 scale versions of his gear. Some people succeed within the fashion system, and many succeed outside of it. KidSuper is the perfect example of the latter, and shares his own tips on building a universe, finding organic co-signs, and making the kind of world other people want to visit. Stay tuned for new episodes of Vibe Check every Tuesday and Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Noah Thomas and Jian DeLeon talk about one of the last sneaker stories that until now, hasn’t been retold via product. That of course is the Nike Air Ship, Michael Jordan’s original on-court shoe, and the one famously “banned” by the NBA. Somehow an Italian boutique finessed its way into re-releasing the classic. Speaking of sneakers, we asked Dropcast listeners to weigh in on today’s kick game. Has it simply become too hard to buy cool sneakers? The resounding answer was yes, from salty voicemails about SNKRS Ws turning to Ls when orders get canceled a week after they’re placed, to the endless hustle of raffle after raffle, to ultimately having to pay resale prices or figure out how bots work, it seems too many people are frustrated with the current state of the market. What needs to change? Listen to the episode and find out. Relevant Links: Michael Jordan’s Banned Air Ship Pro Is Coming to Europe Raheem Sterling Debuts BAPE x Clarks Wallabees & Desert Boots Balenciaga’s Popular Track Sneaker Is Tu

On today’s episode, Brendon Babenzien of Noah and Sam Lobban, SVP of Designer and New Concepts at Nordstrom, talk about their unlikely partnership and why small businesses and big businesses need to work more closely together. New Concepts @ Nordstrom 011: Noah launched today online and in select Nordstrom stores, but unlike previous iterations of Lobban’s New Concepts series (which has included labels like Dior and Thom Browne), the Noah partnership foregoes a physical installation for a digital one, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The accompanying lookbook was styled by Haley Wollens and features several exclusive pieces to Nordstrom, like paisley yellow chinos in brushed twill and a summer-ready white suit, alongside core offerings from Noah and a collaboration with famed new wave band The B-52s. Lobban and Babenzien discuss the inspiration behind the pieces, the importance of working with partners you trust, and the trick to pulling off paisley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.

What do Kanye West, Billie Eilish, Daniel Arsham, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Bobbito Garcia and Tom Sachs all have in common? Well, they’ve all been connected (either directly or indirectly) to the heads of large corporations by one man, John C Jay, who is currently the president of global creative at Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing. Over almost two decades at his previous job, as global executive creative director and partner at legendary American advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, Jay created some of Nike’s most iconic campaigns. Most of all, he’s spent almost forty years exploring what gives a brand meaning, its significance in communities, and especially what pushes it forward in culture. I remember meeting him in London last year at one of Uniqlo’s events where we spoke about everything from retail and sustainability to pop culture and what makes good design. And then the time ran out. But we had a lot more to discuss, so I called him to continue where we left off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

A few months ago Duckwrth dropped his song “Find A Way,” which became an anthem for people trying to push through amidst the pandemic and a resurgence in the fight for social justice. He followed that up with his new video “Coming Closer,” eventually leading up to the release of his album SuperGood later this month. The record is a long time coming. “That’s a project that I’ve had in my mind since 2013, but I never was able to act on it. So I’m stoked for that,” says Duckwrth on today’s episode of Vibe Check. We also discuss the unique energy of the modern Black Lives Matter movement, and why it’s important for high-profile allies like Billie Eilish to support the cause and influence the next generation of artists and creators. For more Duckwrth, check out his NTS radio show SuperGood Nights Presented By Duckwrth from 8pm-9pm PST until August 21. Tune in on NTS.live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Noah Thomas and Jian DeLeon discuss everything from crepe-sole wrapped Hender Scheme sneakers to the influence of late Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto. We also touch on some of the biggest reveals of the week — namely the Union x Jordan 4 leak and the news that Mercedes-Benz and Virgil Abloh are working on a collaboration. The German automaker has tapped the creative services of the Ghanaian-American multi-hyphenate to create a “limited-edition artwork” that will be revealed to the world on September 8. Fingers are crossed that it’s a fire take on the inimitable Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon. But no matter what the final product looks like, we’re certain of one thing — it’s gonna have an insane soundsystem. Relevant Links: Hender Scheme’s Latest Wrapped Runners Are Super Crepe-y A Wild New adidas YEEZY 451 Sample Has Surfaced Online Take Your Best Look Yet at the Sample Off-White™ x Nike Air Force 1 “MCA” Here’s Your First Look at the Union x Air Jordan 4 Virgil Abloh & Mercedes to Release Limited-Editio

Bobbito Garcia aka Kool Bob Love, aka DJ Cucumber Slice has long been a New York City icon. From his early days of hosting the legendary alternative hip hop show “The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show” throughout the 90s which aired unsigned artists, rarities and B-sides from commercial artists and played in-studio freestyles from then unsigned legends including Nas, The Notorious BIG, Jay Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Fugees and more, to his pioneering 2003 book on sneaker culture ‘Where’d You Get Those?’, Garcia hasn’t documented youth culture from afar, he was there. And there’s more. Over the past three decades he’s published magazines on streetball, hosted podcasts on NPR and brought sneaker culture to ESPN. He’s produced documentaries, worked with Nike, adidas and Puma on sneakers, and runs his own basketball tournament. A true gatekeeper of authority, and influence. And then some. In his New York residence we call him up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gabe Ricioppo served as the creative director of Need Supply Co. and Totokaelo for over two decades. The Virginia native was instrumental in building Need Supply Co.’s digital identity and helped usher it into an era of e-commerce prominence out of Richmond, Virginia. In 2016, he was similarly tasked with helping out Totokaelo when it was acquired by Need’s parent company. Currently Ricioppo lives in Los Angeles and runs a creative agency called Supergravity, which operates between Paris and LA and includes clients like MATCHESFASHION. We talk about the early days of Need Supply, the growing pains he faced along the way, and the moment he decided to step away from it all and focus on his family, himself, and create new dreams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We catch up with some of the guys behind Kinfolk, the recently shuttered club, café, store, and brand once headquartered in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The packed podcast includes former retail director Josh Ilyas, former creative director Jay Perie, former partner Keith Abrams, former communications manager and head of nightlife Felipe Delerme, and former general maanger Sam Sundos. Of course, the full cast of Kinfolk characters who were instrumental in cementing the venue’s legacy is far too vast to be contained in a single podcast, but we try to speak on how the Kinfolk brand surpassed a singular location, but really represented the creative zeitgeist of a decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode, there’s a ton of impending heat to talk about. Probably the hottest release is the Grateful Dead Dunk SBs, the furry lovechild of the Three Bears pack and the recent Deadhead trend that saw streetwear dudes copping a lot of tie-dye and emulating John Mayer. We talk about how whoever’s seeding pairs is doing a good job at getting the kicks on the feet of the right people who vibe with the shoe, and admit that it’s kind of cool the concept came together despite the polarizing execution. We also take our caps off and acknowledge the quiet perfection of Virgil Abloh’s latest Jordan 4 collab — essentially an off-white Off-White™ shoe that’s a chef’s kiss in subtle style. Listen to the full episode to hear voicemails in response to the Question of the Week, where Dropcast listeners weigh in on what brands they’re supporting these days and why. Relevant Links: Here’s Where & When to Buy the Grateful Dead Dunk Lows This Week Takashi Murakami’s Insane PORTER High-Top Returns in All Black Whe

Joseph Robinson — better known as JoeFreshGoods — is a longtime Chicago veteran of the game whose touring city pop-ups brought out crowds en masse. Recently his collaborations with everyone from New Balance to companies like Spotify and Snapple have put him and his Don’t Be Mad label in an even bigger spotlight. But don’t get it twisted: It’s a family affair. And Robinson describes the rest of his Fat Tiger Workshop crew as the apparel equivalent of the Wu-Tang Clan. These days people supporting their locals may be stronger than ever, but in our conversation Robinson talks about how he’s been on that wave for a long time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between all the fluff that is fashion, there is Robin Givhan. The American author and fashion critic of The Washington Post, whose cutting-edge journalism and objective reporting on the fashion industry stands out. It won her the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2006. She was the first ever fashion writer to receive it. Back then, the prize stated she won the award for “her witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism.” Givhan's writing for the Post is indeed refreshingly honest, she always cuts through the bs, and she makes the elusive world of fashion digestible for her reader. It's why I wanted to speak with Givhan about a wide range of topics around how influence is changing, especially at a time when the fashion industry, like all other sectors, is in flux. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices