APOCALYPSE DUDS: Clothing, Community & Culture

A European Geography Lesson, How He Got Hooked On Clothing, Ancestral Influences, The Tragedy of Business Casual, Sweating Bullets Over Climate Change, Team No Undershirt, Visual Diary of Fit Pics, and more! 

On this week’s episode we had the pleasure of hosting Style and Direction’s @ethanmwong. What does the M stand for? We talked about his clothing origin story, how to dress when it’s hotter than hell, Inspector Gadget’s trench coat, gatekeeping, “Dapper Day” at Disneyland, cinematic dressing, being a podcasting OG, being addicted to getting stuff done, and a whooole lot more.

In an interview close to the original thrust of the show, we speak with Baltimore knife artist, Henry Hyde, on the meandering path from making toys out of sticks as a kid to forging and smithing cutting-edge kitchen implements, most especially knives. We talk about imagination, his favorite building in Baltimore (it’s in Sandtown!) Instagram cooking videos, John Prine, importing his dream vehicle,...

Pulling back the curtain on one of Instagram’s most mysterious recluses: @fez. We secured a global exclusive, an hour-long interview with an inspiring, enigmatic creative. We go back and forth about writing, writing clothing, motorcycle gangs, thrifting abroad, Kalamazoo, hoarding and other compulsions, resellers, Steely Dan, and a gobble more…because Fez lives in Turkey…

This week, we checked in with our friend for his sequel episode, the Ramblin’ Man himself, Jim Parker. We talked about what’s been going on with his brand, @tazewellclothes, we learn the trials and tribulations of making clothes in the USA, the day-to-day life of a working musician, his signature guitar tone, music gear, the Solar Eclipse, making the perfect OCBD; and also talk a little shit about...

Another brick in the wall... "brick” meaning a guest, and “wall” meaning our show. One more oral history for the music—>clothing pipeline. Attorney-in-training, guitarist, wit, our next guest is THE Perfect Gentleman…but not precisely. Clea Carlier on her first suit, Pink Floyd, her “deep, deep” love of music, accents and language, learning from YouTube, how things should fit, and more. 

We are joined by yet another DIY disciple. We revisit the old hardcore/punk/subculture to clothing pipeline and collect, yet another, unbiased perspective for our undeniably scientific “research” (which only serves to deepen our already unflappable opinions). We chat about what’s in a name and the etymology of Wooden Sleepers, the notion of home, how workwear and Ivy feed off of each other, the ca...

Just like that, the number of Nobel  Prize winners who have appeared on our program has increased.  Prize aside, Colin has been to the ends of the Earth: sometimes providing life-or-death food, sometimes in hot pursuit of elite Jordan's.  We also talk about coffee, Renaissance graffiti, how to be and not to be a tourist, backpack evangelism, Tinker Hatfield, sneaker culture, hip-hop...

In studio, we are joined by Bryan Batt, triumphant triple threat. Bryan was on Broadway,  Bryan was in movies, Bryan was on The Simpsons (!!)  Bryan was on Mad Men, that’s what we will cover today, Bryan plays Salvatore Romano, closeted art director at an ad agency in 1960s New York City. Bryan described the the impetus for his love of clothing, and vibrant scenes from New Orleans, behin...

A marvelous and mostly mature roundtable discussion with a mob of Mad Men maniacs.   For part two of our Oral History of Mad Men, we hop in the way back machine to find out what our roundtable of guests were doing in and around the year 2007 (arguably, one of the last good years on Earth) and what initially drew them to the show. We explore the show’s cultural impact, social commentary, and t...

We’re thrilled to finally bring you a project close to our hearts, years in the making. For the first in our three part series, we’re joined by our friends and fellow clothing nerds, Zach DeLuca and Peter Zottolo. Each has a deep history with the show and with 1960's tailored clothing. We spoke with them about their menswear origins, the broader cultural context of the late aughts, the influence o...

Our annual year in review with the Apocalypse Duds’ Godfather, Renato Pagnani. We talk about our collective years in clothing, music, and life in general. We get into hockey (to Conor’s chagrin), Renato crosses a publication off his bucket list, we learn about an up-and-coming clothing brand in Connecticut, and his favorite concert of the year.

This week, a long and winding road of a chat with illustrator, Gnomecore Godfather, and jovial dude, Wesley Robinson. We talk about the 90’s English skate scene, Green Day, metal, skinheads (traditional, not racist assholes), growing up in a multicultural place, having your team around you, the creative process and loads more. 

What the hex?! Enter The Season of the Witch, with Z.G. Burnett, author, editor, menswear merchant, tastemaker, New England enthusiast, professional Instagram user, and more to be revealed! We talk about antiquing, the ubiquity of L.L. Bean, liking the old fashioned stuff, the heyday of GQ  , When Levi's came to Newbury Street, and a cauldron more! This week, on Apocalypse Duds! Photos by Ann...

This week on the show: Trad Dad, rakish entrepreneur, founder of Junior’s of Philadelphia fame, all around solid dude, Glenn Au. People love him, fish fear him. Our convo gave insights into the formulation of Junior’s and what it’s like to dive in head first, learning through experience, taking a stance and believing in it, living in your clothes, exclusively wearing brown suede shoes, and many mo...

This week, we interview our first Eagle Scout! Milk musings, inadvertent sobriety, the positive effects of the online menswear community, the social power of clothing, trying to be approachable, embracing your genetic destiny and many other tangents. Link in bio.

We are joined by political powerhouse and 3500 Club Member, James Darley, @blazers_and_buttondowns. We separate the literal from the figurative, talk Glengarry Glen Ross, how to stand out in a private school uniform, trying to project an image, how to make your life suck less, hiking, snowshoes, and many other tangents.

Long time friend of the show, true OG (of many things), Suburban Dad, and Instagram’s Sexiest Man 2023, @threadbareandrumpled. First, we celebrate the triumphant 44th birthday of the one and only Peter Toatley. A raucous episode, we discuss The Bush Years (Not Gavin Rossdale) and the current echoes, Matt is Born Again by Peter’s retelling of seeing Fugazi live. Helly Hansen gets a mention, and abo...

Join us for an extremely wholesome and illuminating conversation with genuine Canadian, Jamie Ferguson. We discuss BEING A REDHEAD, the Stan Ray Painter Pant, Intramural sports, Trial and Error, Bucket List Items, Imposter Syndrome, and “Bob’s Your Uncle,” this time on Apocalypse Duds!

An action-packed (and potentially venomous) episode with genuine Aussie illustrator, Richard “Dick” Carroll: The New York Bagel Situation, The Pitfalls of Masculinity, Dressing Up For the Punk Show, What’s In a Name, On The Observational Cartoonist,The Validity of Australian Stereotypes “AccaDacca,” Silverchair (again?!) Turning Yourself Into a Cartoon, and heaps more!

This week, we have the privilege and honor of hosting the brilliant Stace Santiago Pisani: an emergent novelist, a maestro of musicality, a compassionate veterinary nurse, and an old hand at looking extremely cool. Get ready as we dive deep into their fraught journey of gender expression through clothing, explore the vivid soundscape of Brit Pop, look behind the scenes of writing a book, unravel t...

The Return of The Undisputed Heavyweight Overcoat Champion of the World, Shane Curry, on brands at the thrift that make him say “Motherfucker!”, Tips and Tricks for the Novice Picker, the perks of being a regular, fusing knowledge with experience, forming relationships and building community, The Thrifting Olympics™, looking at things from a buyer’s perspective, and a dossier full of classified in...

Walking Before We Could Crowley: A Charming and Funny Conversation with Sean Crowley, founder of Crowley Vintage. We cover much ground this week, but, ironically, we were having so much fun, we never talked about the shop! Sean regales us with stories of Ralph, Star Wars, his many teachers and mentors, and much more

This week, on another illuminating episode of Apocalypse Duds, journalist and budding politico, Ebrima Sanneh. Your Dynamic Duo chew the political fat with the young buck, we see the sausage being made, we talk political clothing styles, experiences gleaned from travel, embracing identity, what it’s like buying your first suit, Ralph Lauren (duh),and loads more.

This week, the amazing Sam Rockwell! We talk deeply about vintage, Indie Sleaze, union work, the merits of reproduction fashion, Beauty and The Beast, 1940's pin-ups, Y2K fashion, 1980's Chuck Taylors, rats, the Satanic Panic, and, as ever, much much more.