Annie Leibovitz is one of the most influential contemporary American photographers. Born in Connecticut, Leibovitz moved frequently in her childhood due to father’s position in the US Air Force. She took her first photos in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. After studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, Leibovitz began working at Rolling Stone magazine, and after three years was named their Chief Photographer. She photographed every major band of the era, and famously took photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, hours before Lennon was murdered. In the 1980s Leibovitz moved to Vanity Fair, and has since had a hugely successful career in fashion and celebrity photography and portraiture, photographing influential figures including Queen Elizabeth II, Demi Moore, Kate Moss, Barack Obama and George Clooney. She has exhibited in major galleries and museums, including MoMA and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and has published several monographs of her work, including WOMEN, a 2025 re-edition of the original 1999 book alongside a new volume, published by Phaidon. She was designated a Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and in March 2024 Leibovitz was inducted into the Académie des Beaux-Arts. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Annie Leibovitz discuss Susan Sontag, the magic of dance, and the Rolling Stones. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Russell is a record producer, musician, and the owner of XL Recordings. Richard joined XL as an A&R Scout in 1991, and in 1992 released the single The Bouncer with XL co-founder Nick Halkes, which was featured on Top of the Pops and led to a record deal. Russell pursued a career at XL, and by the mid-1990s was co-owner and chairman of the company. He has worked with artists including Gil Scott Heron, whose final album he produced, Radiohead, Jamie xx, FKA twigs, M.I.A, and Adele, who Richard discovered in the 2000s.  Since 2018, Russell has released Mercury Prize nominated albums under Everything Is Recorded, a project that has collaborated with artists including Florence Welch, Sampha, and Giggs. He is also half of the duo Sam Morton, with Samantha Morton, who released their debut album Daffodils and Dirt in 2024. In 2021, Richard published his autobiography Liberation Through Hearing, which details his sudden diagnosis with the rare auto-immune disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome in 2013.  Celebrated for his instinctive, human approach to sound and collaboration, Russell received the 2025 Music Producers Guild Inspiration Awards in recognition of his "fearless approach to creativity and unwavering commitment to artistic freedom.” In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Richard Russell discuss getting to know Gil Scott Heron through writing to each other, business and creativity, and freedom through music. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

IB Kamara is a stylist, journalist, musician, and creative director. Born in Sierra Leone, IB moved to The Gambia as a child to escape from civil war, settling in London aged sixteen. Kamara studied Fashion & Communication at Central St Martins, where he began interning with legendary Buffalo stylist Barry Kamen. In 2016, IB curated an exhibition titled 2026 at Somerset House, exploring the concept of a utopia of Black Masculinity. As a stylist, he has worked with fashion houses including Chanel, Burberry, Stella McCartney, and Commes Des Garcons, who he designed hats for. In 2021, Kamara became Editor-in-Chief of Dazed and Confused magazine, editing the publication with a focus on including contributors from underrepresented areas of the fashion industry. Since 2024, he has been Creative Director of Virgil Abloh’s brand Off White. In October 2025, IB released his debut EP Pop Romance, inspired by Off White’s SS26 collection. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and IB Kamara discuss liberation through fashion, making great porridge, and the joy of dressing others. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rosalía is a Grammy award winning Spanish singer-songwriter. Her work transcends genre, blending folk, avant-pop, hip-hop, jazz, reggaeton, and traditional flamenco. Born and raised in Catalonia, Rosalía has a degree in Flamenco Interpretation from the Catalonia College of Music, basing her second album El Mal Querer on her thesis, inspired by a 13th century Occitan poem. Her third album Motomami was released in 2022 to widespread critical and popular acclaim, and was her second album to win a Latin Grammy. Rosalía’s newest album, Lux, was released in November 2025, exploring themes of feminine mystique and transformation, and includes songs in 14 different languages. Rosalía made her acting debut in Pedro Almodovar’s 2019 film Dolor y Gloria (Pain and Glory), and will star in the upcoming third season of Euphoria. Her album covers and music videos are influenced by historical and religious artistic imagery. She is known for her love of fashion which aligns with the themes and aesthetics of her music. Rosalía has won 11 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammys, four MTV Music Video Awards, and three UK Music Video Awards. She is widely considered one of the most successful and influential Spanish singers of all time. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Rosalía discuss the art of flamenco, supermodels, being naked, and Chloë Sevigny. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alexa Chung is a presenter, writer, model, and photographer. A muse to many in the creative industry, Alexa is globally recognised for her impact on fashion and culture. After modelling in her teenage years, Alexa went on to host the Channel 4 music show Popworld, with a signature satirical humour that has made her hugely popular. She has since hosted TV programmes for MTV, BBC, and Netflix. After her sellout capsule collection with M&S in 2016, she launched her own brand Alexachung in 2017, earning the Breakthrough Designer Award from Harper’s Bazaar. She has collaborated with other brands including Madewell and Barbour, and has a Mulberry bag named after her.Alexa Chung is a three-time recipient of the Fashion Icon Award and has appeared on the covers of Vogue, ELLE, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has written regular columns for The Independent, British Vogue, and in 2013 published her book It. She is currently a writer for the Financial Times fashion. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Alexa Chung discuss what makes an ‘It’ girl, her admiration for Mrs Prada, and her escape from the 2004 Thailand tsunami. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Arthur Jafa is an American artist. Raised in Mississippi, he studied architecture and film at Howard University, and has been working as a filmmaker and artist for over four decades. He has had a successful career as a cinematographer, working on films including his ex-wife Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust, Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, and Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. Jafa has also directed music videos for musicians including Solange and Jay-Z. In 2005, Jafa stepped away from the art world for a while, re-emerging in 2016 with his spectacular work of video art Love Is The Message, The Message Is Death, which combined and edited disparate found and original footage documenting the Black experience in America. Other notable video works include The White Album from 2018, which won the Golden Lion for best artist at the Venice Biennale. Arthur Jafa’s extended practice is widely considered to be at the forefront of contemporary art, independent film and cultural theory today. Witnessing, celebrating and cataloguing the deep soul of Black life through images, Jafa has forged a groundbreaking trail in the rich terrain of Black representation. In his show at Sadie Coles HQ Gallery, Kingly St in London, on until December, Jafa exhibits new paintings and collage, alongside two new video works. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Arthur Jafa discuss checking Instagram first thing in the morning, wanting to frown like Roy Rogers, and the universal influence of James Brown. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tessa Thompson is an American actor. Her father is the musician Marc Antony Thompson who founded the musical collective Chocolate Genius Inc. She was raised between New York and Los Angeles, making her stage debut as Ariel in the Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company production of The Tempest. Tessa has been nominated for two BAFTAs and a Primetime Emmy for her work in the 2021 film Passing directed by Rebecca Hall, and the 2020 film Sylvie’s Love. She is also known for her role as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok and as Bianca in the Creed franchise. Thompson founded her own production company Viva Maude in 2021, which has produced Hedda, the new adaptation of Hedda Gabler directed by Nia DaCosta, in which she plays the lead. Her fashion-forward style and elegance is the subject of much interest, and she is a muse to the American designer brand Rodarte. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Tessa Thompson discuss playing male roles, tidying up the house in a heel, and fashion not being armour. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American author, poet, and professor. Born in Vietnam, Ocean Vuong came to America aged two and was raised in Hartford, Connecticut, working in his mother’s nail salon from an early age. He received his BA in Nineteenth Century American Literature from Brooklyn College, and an MFA in Poetry from NYU, where he is now a Professor of Creative Writing. Vuong became an international literary sensation with his 2019 debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, which was based in part on his familial history. His second novel, The Emperor of Gladness, was published this year to further acclaim. Vuong is known for his distinctive elegiac prose and his heart and mind-expanding interrogation of the English language through his poems, essays, and novels. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Book Award, the Mark Twain Award, the T.S. Eliot Prize and the MacArthur “Genius” Grant. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Ocean Vuong discuss the obsession of style as a brand, how self adornment can be a medicine, and the dopamine effect of a good sentence. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Cronenberg is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Credited with creating the body horror genre, Cronenberg has written and directed over twenty feature films including Videodrome, Dead Ringers, and Rabid, with his 1996 film Crash winning the Special Jury Prize at Cannes for “originality, for daring and for audacity.” In 2006 he was awarded the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award. Many of his films have become major cult classics, including his 1986 film The Fly, in which Jeff Goldblum plays a scientist who turns into a human-fly hybrid. David Cronenberg has appeared as an actor in cameo roles including in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For and Into the Night. In 2014 he published his first novel, Consumed. Whether his films are about body horror, or period drama like A Dangerous Method, a story about Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, his works always raise deep thoughts and feelings; he has the ability to be funny while also exploring extreme and disturbing subject matter. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and David Cronenberg discuss dressing like Christopher Walken, adoring Sigmund Freud, and feeling good about being naked. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dame Zandra Rhodes is an English fashion designer. She originally became famous for her beautiful, wildly coloured textile prints, going on to design her first collection in 1969. She started experimenting with her own look, shaving her eyebrows and dying her hair bold colours until she settled on pink as her signature hue. She became a sensation in New York when Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor of American Vogue, fell in love with her creations and immediately had her dresses photographed for the magazine, also calling up the top boutiques to demand they stock her collections. Rhodes became known as the ‘Princess of Punk’ when she designed a dress adorned with tiny safety pins which is now one of the most sought after dresses on the vintage market. She has dressed numerous celebrities including Diana Ross, Freddie Mercury, and Princess Diana. Zandra Rhodes founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in London in 2003, which hosts fashion exhibitions and textiles workshops. She was made a Dame in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to British fashion and textiles. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Zandra Rhodes discuss being an introvert while looking like an extrovert, her friendship with the cult actor and star of John Waters’ films Divine, and the charm of pink hair. Watch the full video episode on our Youtube and Substack, links in bio. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kojey Radical is a British musician and visual artist. Born and raised in East London, Kojey - real name Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah - studied Fashion Illustration at the London College of Fashion and has been described as UK Rap’s ‘Renaissance Man’ in reference to his love of fashion and the disarming and dazzling way he wears clothes. He co-hosted the British Fashion Awards in 2023 and 2024. Throughout his teenage years he participated in poetry slams and spoken word events, releasing his first musical project Dear Daisy: Opium in 201. Kojey Radical’s first album Reason to Smile was nominated for multiple awards including the Mercury Prize. ‘Don’t Look Down’ is his newest album. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Kojey Radical discuss the empowering force of Mother Love, how a fish finger sandwich can be passive aggressive, and the awfulness of an Ugg boot with a lean. Watch the full video episode on our Youtube and Substack, links in bio. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Kushner is an American author and essayist. The daughter of two beatnik scientists, Kushner began her Bachelor’s degree in political economy at the University of California aged 16, and then moved to San Francisco and worked in nightclubs. After an MFA at Columbia, studying under Jonathan Franzen, Rachel Kushner published her first book, Telex from Cuba, in 2008, and has since published four novels, a short story collection, and a book of essays describing diverse subjects including her participation in an illegal motorbike race across Mexico and California. She has twice been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the Prix Médicis for her 2018 book The Mars Room. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Rachel Kushner discuss the evolution of their friendship over email, Don DeLillo's cool sideburns, and aspiring to manifest the life lessons of Dolly Parton. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amelia Dimoldenberg is an English comedian, writer, and the creator and presenter of her sensational Youtube series Chicken Shop Date. Chicken Shop Date began as a column in a youth club magazine, originally focusing on Amelia interviewing British grime artists in chicken shops around London. It has since expanded to one of the most popular series on Youtube, with Amelia interviewing some of the world’s most high profile actors, models, and musicians. Known for her dry, deadpan humour, Dimoldenberg has in recent years begun interviewing celebrities on red carpets, including at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Brit Awards. Her production company Dimz Inc. recently launched Dimz Inc. Academy, a week-long programme for young people interested in working in the creative industries. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Amelia Dimoldenberg discuss The Devil Wears Prada, the appeal of an awkward silence, and how sexy is embarrassing. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Malkovich is an award-winning American film star, theatre actor and director. After ten years in Chicago as an original member of the legendary Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Malkovich made his Broadway debut in 1984 as Biff in Death of a Salesman. He appeared in many highly acclaimed films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, gaining widespread attention and admiration in his compelling performance as Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. In 1999, he starred as a surreal version of himself in Spike Jonze’s brilliant directorial debut Being John Malkovich which became an international sensation. Malkovich directed The Dancer Upstairs which was released in 2002. He won the Milton Schulman Award for the best director in 2016, after a multi-year run of his adaptation of the play Good Canary. He also wrote and directed three short films in collaboration with Bella Freud - Strap Hanging, Lady Behave, and Hideous Man. In 2002, John launched his own fashion brand Mr Mudd, with its debut menswear line “Uncle Kimono”. He has been repeatedly recognised as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and continues to maintain an idiosyncratic artistic output across film, theatre, television, and fashion. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and John Malkovich discuss his grandfathers obsession with Lassie, the inspiration behind the name of his fashion brand Mr Mudd, and the making of Being John Malkovich. Full video episode available to watch on Youtube now. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Mashup I have pulled out some of my favourite moments with the fascinating guests who have graced the couch. I hope you enjoy. Please keep subscribing and liking if you can. See you in September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nick Knight is among the world's most influential and visionary image makers and the founder and director of award-winning fashion film website SHOWstudio.com. He has consistently challenged conventional notions of beauty and is fêted for his groundbreaking creative collaborations with leading designers, including Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. Nick Knight has produced advertising campaigns for clients including Burberry, Chanel, Fendi, Christian Dior, Lancôme, Swarovski, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein and Yves Saint Laurent. He has longstanding and ongoing creative relationships with various musicians, producing award-winning music videos for Björk, Lady Gaga and Kanye West.  His first book of photographs, Skinheads, was published in 1982, winning a DandAD award in 1996. He has since produced a twelve-year retrospective titled Nicknight, Flora, a series of pressed flowers and plants from the Natural History Museum, and Nick Knight, a retrospective monograph published by Harper Collins in 2009.  His work has been exhibited worldwide at various prestigious institutions, including Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, MoMA, Gagosian Gallery and Albion Barn. In 1993, Knight produced a permanent installation, Plant Power, for the Natural History Museum in London, subsequently on display for 15 years.  Nick Knight launched SHOWstudio in 2000, with an aim of showing the entire creative process from conception to completion. SHOWstudio has pioneered fashion film and is now recognised as the leading force behind this medium. Since its inception, SHOWstudio has worked with the world's most sought-after filmmakers, writers and influential cultural figures to create visionary online content resulting in the moving image, illustration, photography and the written word. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Nick Knight discuss sharing a pair of silver Doc Martens with school friends, how Lo-Fi can show the cracks and the beauty in photography, and how failure is an essential part of success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Joe AKA Mia Khalifa is a Lebanese-American media personality, activist, and entrepreneur, known for her charismatic presence online and her bold advocacy work. She first rose to public attention in 2014 aged 21 when she was involved for just 3 months in the adult film industry. She has since transformed her platform into a powerful voice for body autonomy, immigrant rights, and breaking stigma around personal reinvention. Born in Beirut and raised in the U.S., Mia Khalifa brings a unique perspective shaped by her Middle Eastern roots and Western upbringing. Mia has been vocal about reclaiming her narrative, using her experiences to speak out against exploitation, online harassment, and the complexities of fame. Today, she’s built a strong presence on social media where she engages millions with her unfiltered commentary, humour, and insight. Mia is a businesswoman herself, founding her jewellery brand Sheytan in 2023. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and redefining success on her own terms.  In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Bella Freud and Mia Khalifa discuss curiosity versus desire, reading the dictionary at night, and how fashion can be a liberation from body shame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beth Ditto is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her hugely popular Indie rock band Gossip and her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Her voice has been compared to that of Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. She is a much loved and respected figure in the fashion world, who has walked for Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier and appeared on the covers of numerous high fashion magazines including POP and LOVE.  In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Beth Ditto discuss how to cope with a compliment, being taught how to strike a pose by Kate Moss, and the authoritative wisdom of Rick Rubin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alessandro Michele, creative director of Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer. He is widely regarded as one of the most visionary and transformative figures in contemporary fashion. He came to prominence with his groundbreaking tenure as Creative Director of Gucci from 2015 to 2022, redefining the brand with his romantic, and gender-fluid aesthetic. Blending poetic historical references with radical reinvention, his designs both seduced and challenged conventional notions of beauty and luxury, making Gucci a symbol of artistic freedom and cultural commentary. Born in Rome in the 70's, he spent time at Fendi under Karl Lagerfeld and the Fendi sisters, and later at Gucci, where he worked for over a decade before taking the helm. Under his leadership, Gucci saw unprecedented creative and commercial success, sparking a new era of expressive, maximalist fashion. Beyond clothing, Alessandro Michele's impact extended into art, film, and social commentary, using fashion as a platform for self-expression and expanding horizons. His designs often explore identity, queerness, and beauty, earning him global acclaim as one of the most important designers of the 21st century. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Bella Freud and Alessandro Michele discuss going to the same fashion school in Rome, the chic in making a wrong choice, and meeting the best people in the loos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lorde is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is a Grammy-winning artist and cultural force, known for her genre-defying sound, introspective lyricism, and striking creative vision. She gained recognition at the age of 16 with her breakthrough album Pure Heroine and the hugely successful single 'Royals'. She has redefined the contours of modern pop - merging poetic storytelling with minimalist, emotionally resonant production. To date, she has amassed over 18 billion global streams and 18 million album sales worldwide. She is a thoughtful and impressive presence in the world of music, experimenting with all aspects of identity and creativity including what she wears - and why.  In this episode of Fashion Neurosis Bella Freud and Lorde discuss the purity of David Byrne, the guises of feeling feminine or masculine, a wearing matching Saint Laurent with Charli XCX. TW: This content may contain themes or material that some viewers may find sensitive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices