Within the past few years there has been a massive rise in the popularity of podcasts. They appeal to individuals because they allow them to listen to content on their own time, whether they are driving, working out, etc. Individuals can easily fit a podcast into their daily routines and it can feel like catching up with a friend. It feels so much less formal than reading a traditional magazine or piece online.
What's so special about this space is how easy it is for people to make their own podcasts. All someone needs to create their own podcast is a phone or computer and a voice. This has made the space very accessible, which is a contrast to what can be an exclusive industry. It's also interesting to note that in an industry so focused on visuals that podcasts are performing well because they show personalities.
One popular fashion podcast is The Fashion Victims Podcast by Luke Meagher and Darnell Jamal. Luke Meagher is a fashion critic that primarily posts content on his Youtube channel Haute Le Mode, which has over 500k followers. Darnell Jamal is a fashion historian and journalist. His work can be seen featured at Time, Teen Vogue, i-D, and more. What makes this podcast so successful is not only the pair's extensive knowledge on the industry, but also their captivating personalities. Every episode is full of not only great commentary on fashion, but also gossip, laughs, and personal anecdotes.
I created my own podcast with a focus on the fashion industry in October of 2020. I produce episodes of The Fashion Files Podcast every other Monday that take a deep dive into the intricacies of the industry. Past episodes have included the history of famous it bags like the Fendi Baguette bag, fashion recap of 2020, weekly fashion news recaps, and reflecting on personal experiences like visiting the Louis Vuitton museum in Paris, France. Episodes range from five to twenty minutes long. The episodes can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Youtube, Google Podcasts and everywhere else podcasts are listened to.
It was important for me to keep the episodes in shorter formats. I want each episode to feel like we are opening a small file that is a part of the fashion industry. The episodes are meant to be easily digestible for the listeners and allow them to learn about the industry and brands. The industry can seem so intimidating and inaccessible, but it is my hope that listeners feel that we are learning about the industry together. So even if the listener only has fifteen minutes of their day to spare they can spend it with me and feel as though they learned something new.
The growth I've seen the podcast have over the past few months has been steady. It takes time to develop an audience and allow them to get to know the content and the host. It has also taken a few months for the podcast to become more accessible on all platforms. In early February of this year the podcast was approved to go on Apple Podcasts. Since then I have seen a lot of growth in new listeners. My audience so far is primarily females ages eighteen to twenty seven living in the United States, Greece, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
It is my hope that the podcast will follow me after my graduation from Webster University, and will follow along as I look for and find a job in the fashion industry. I look forward to continuing to work on building my audience and watching how podcasts take a larger role in fashion media over the next few years.
Although the space does allow for individuals to create their own content, brands and media companies have also made their way into the podcasting space. Two of the biggest fashion media companies Vogue and The Business of Fashion have branched out into the podcast space recently. Their podcasts have allowed them to further build their empires in the fashion media space.
Vogue has quite a few fashion podcasts that they produce. Their podcasts include VOGUE Stories, In VOGUE: The 1990s, and The Future of Fashion. VOGUE Stories is a podcast where articles from the publication are put into audio form. In VOGUE: The 1990s takes experts from the publication and takes a look at moments and trends from the 90s and why these are still relevant to today. The Future of Fashion focuses on the ever changing industry and what brands are doing to keep up.
The Business of Fashion has their own three podcasts. These are The Business of Fashion Podcast, Drive from The Business of Fashion, and Retail Reborn from the Business of Fashion. Retail Reborn looks at the constantly changing consumer preferences and retail environment. Drive features interviews with entrepreneurs in the fashion industry. The Business of Fashion Podcast provides new insights into the industry along with interviews with major players in the fashion industry, like Virgil Abloh.
I see the future of the space moving a bit away from the heavily produced podcasts and more towards podcasts produced by individuals. What people love about podcasts is how informal it feels. It feels like you're listening to a friend speak and they're with you on your commute, in your workout, etc. Moving forward I see these fashion commentators and other podcasts not produced by big media companies becoming more successful. People want more of an opinion and to not only love the content of the show, but also the personality behind the show. With that being said these podcasts like The Business of Fashion will still remain popular because they bring in fresh takes and incredible interviews. As these podcasts produced by individuals grow more it will be interesting to see if they will be able to bring in strong guests for interviews as well.
Comentarios