Thom Browne on Dressing Teyana Taylor, Uniform and Individuality, and Gray | Fashion Neurosis

Thom Browne is an American fashion designer, who is widely recognized for challenging and modernizing our contemporary uniform and tailoring. By questioning traditional proportions, Browne’s designs consistently convey a true American sensibility rooted in quality craftsmanship and precise tailoring. Browne began working in fashion in the late 1990s for brands including Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. In 2001, Browne began his eponymous label with five suits in a small “by appointment” shop in New York City’s West Village and, in the years following, expanded his business to include ready-to-wear, accessories and fragrance collections for men, women and children. Browne has dressed leading figures across culture, including Teyana Taylor, LeBron James, Diane Keaton, Janelle Monae, and Timothee Chalamet. Browne has also become known for his highly conceptual runway presentations which have gained global attention for their thought provoking and dramatic themes and settings. In 2023, Browne became the Chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and has been honored with the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award four times, the GQ Designer of the Year, the FIT Couture Council Award, and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award. His designs are recognized by museums around the world including the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Mode Museum Antwerpen. In this episode of Fashion Neurosis, Bella Freud and Thom Browne discuss how individuality is heightened by a uniform, long vs short runway shows, and how sadness can be uplifting. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:22 What are you wearing today? 00:01:40 Parisian fashion scene 00:06:55 School uniforms 00:07:32 Rules about clothing 00:11:03 Thom’s mother 00:12:30 The individuality of uniforms 00:14:25 Proportion 00:19:20 Insecurities 00:21:00 American sensibilities 00:24:00 Employee dress code 00:29:34 Runway shows 00:31:55 Short suits 00:34:45 Subversiveness in clothing 00:37:00 Intellectualism in Thom’s designs 00:40:00 Cinematic inspirations 00:41:35 Andrew Bolton 00:43:30 If you fancy someone… 00:44:15 Nudity 00:45:25 Dressing Teyana Taylor 00:49:25 Outro