Zandra Rhodes

Zandra Rhodes

Author: Bella Freud October 1, 2025 Duration: 49:42
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

In Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud, the iconic designer turns her studio into something closer to a therapist's office. Every episode, a guest settles in for a conversation that starts with the fabric of our lives-literally. Bella Freud guides discussions that pick apart why we wear what we do, treating a wardrobe choice not as a trivial concern but as a window into our deeper selves. These aren't typical interviews about trends; they're meandering, personal explorations. You’ll hear stories about the power of a specific scent, the armor of a well-cut jacket, or the nostalgia tied to a childhood uniform. Naturally, the dialogue in this podcast often spirals into much broader territory, touching on the anxieties, cultural shifts, and personal histories that shape us. Freud shares her own vivid anecdotes generously, creating a space where fashion becomes the starting point for talking about everything from love and politics to the very construction of identity. The result is a series of intimate, sometimes surprising dialogues that reveal how the things we put on our bodies are inextricably linked to what’s happening in our minds and in the world around us.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 68

Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud
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