Blamo!

BONUS EPISODE! Leica is much more than cameras. This week I’m joined by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International , for a conversation about photography, memory, art, and why certain images stay with us. We talk about the emotional side of photography, why perfection isn’t the goal, how Leica thinks about galleries as places for community, what soc...

Jon Klassen makes children’s books, but this isn’t really a conversation about children’s books. Jon recently won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (one of the biggest honors in children’s literature), and we start there before getting into what makes his work so compelling in the first place. We talk about why he leaves space for readers instead of explaining everything, how kids are smarter tha...

Joe Wengert is a comedian, writer, and actor whose work spans Comedy Bang! Bang! , The Onion , and Big Mouth . But this conversation isn’t really about comedy. Joe joins me to talk about getting older, making new friends, becoming a parent, and the strange process of trying to hold onto who you are while continuing to grow. We discuss his new animated series Kevin , co-created with Aubrey Plaza, w...

Patreon Preview from Blamo! It's Die, Workwear! Derek and Peter take a break from their Wardrobe Series to chat with Matthew Gonzalez , a Southern California native who made his way from an alterations room in Irvine to London, Huntsman, and eventually his own bespoke tailoring business on Savile Row. Matthew’s work sits at a fascinating crossroads: classic American style, British tailoring tradit...

Singer-songwriter Alex Amen joins me to discuss his debut album, Sun of Amen . The first time I heard the record, I couldn’t believe how young he was. Not because the music sounds old, but because it carries a level of patience, craftsmanship, and emotional weight that feels increasingly rare (especially now!) Alex and I discuss the disappearing influence of regional culture, studying the great so...

Patreon Preview from Blamo! The Wardrobe Series continues, and this time the budget gets tight. With just $1,000 to spend, Derek and Peter attempt to rebuild a wardrobe from the ground up—making hard choices about what matters, what can wait, and where to stretch every dollar. The result is less about shopping and more about priorities. What are the pieces you actually need? Which ones earn their...

My guest this week is the actor Oliver Platt . You know him from The Bear , Chicago Med , The Three Musketeers , Beethoven , The West Wing , Frost/Nixon — honestly, the list goes on forever. He’s one of those rare actors who somehow exists in every lane at once: beloved by movie people, television people, theater people, and apparently menswear guys too. We talk about growing up as the son of a di...

My guest this week is Mickey Drexler . You probably know him as the guy behind Gap Inc., J.Crew, Old Navy, and now Chairman of Alex Mill — but this conversation turned into something much bigger than retail. Mickey thinks most modern fashion has lost its taste level. He thinks cars all look the same. He thinks corporate boards ruin creativity. He hates AI slop, overdesigned luxury, cheap packaging...

Hrishikesh Hirway — the creator and host of Song Exploder — joins me this week. We talk about the strange identity crisis of becoming known as “the Song Exploder guy” while still trying to reconnect with himself as a musician and songwriter. We also get into collaboration, writer’s block, vintage clothing, obsessive music listening, and the making of his beautiful new record, “In the Last Hour of...

Patreon Preview from Blamo! Welcome to the first installment of Die, Workwear!’s new series on building a wardrobe without taking out a second mortgage.    The premise is simple: if your closet disappeared tomorrow and you had $3,000 to rebuild it from scratch, what would you actually buy?   Not fantasy grails. Not “quiet luxury.” Real clothes Derek and Peter would genuinely wear themselves: sport...

This week on Blamo!, I’m joined by Kevin Morby. We talk about his new record Little Wide Open , out May 15, and how ideas of home and place show up in his songwriting. From writing in different cities to figuring out what “home” actually means, Kevin gets into the rhythms behind his work. We also talk life on the road—running, watching movies, and the routines that keep things steady—plus stage cl...

Wyatt Gilmore, founder of Grant Stone , joins me to talk about how the brand came together, what he learned spending years working in factories in China and Taiwan, and why quality footwear is about far more than country-of-origin clichés. We get into boots, loafers, suede, shell cordovan, and the realities of making shoes that feel good, age well, and actually earn their place in your closet. Plu...

Patreon Preview from Blamo! Derek and Peter get into how the internet shapes personal style—from the knowledge-to-flex pipeline to the limits of longform and the rise of walled gardens. They revisit early forums like r/malefashionadvice, make the case for globalization, and ask a simple question: how do you get dressed without looking like the algorithm did it for you? Plus—"Hey, Nice Pants!", new...

Virgil Nicholas of Vinny’s joins me this week, dialing in from Copenhagen—and we get into it! We talk about the origins of Vinny’s, his early days in the music industry, and how those experiences shaped the way he approaches building something today. There’s a real sense of intention behind what he’s doing, especially when it comes to keeping the focus on footwear. https://vinnysthevibe.com * Spon...

Derek Guy and Peter Zottolo are back for AMA #2, generously sponsored by our friends at Bezel! They get into the idea of “essentials,” dressing your age (or not), and how much stock to put in the usual menswear rules. There’s talk of slouchy fits (when they work, when they don’t), value brands, sneakers, vertical layering, and the ongoing debate of shopping online vs actually going into a store. P...

My guest this week is Hagop Kourounian , the mind behind Director Fits . What started as a Substack has grown into something much bigger — part moodboard, part shop, and soon, a full-on magazine. Hagop and I get into how Director Fits came to life, what it was like growing up in a deeply creative household, and why we’re just as interested in how artists present themselves as we are in the work th...

Patreon Preview from Blamo!   It was only a matter of time before AI reached the tailoring world. Daryn and Tim of Tailor’s Keep in San Francisco talk about clients arriving with AI-generated reference images, second-guessing fittings with ChatGPT, and what this shift means for bespoke. They also offer a practical guide to working with a tailor, including the small courtesies that make the process...

My guest this week is Uncle Paulie James, Paulie’s one of those guys who just gets it — big fits, big sandwiches, and a personal style that’s completely his own. What started with a love of streetwear and Japanese denim turned into a cult following for his merch… and somewhere along the way Travis Scott started wearing it too. Paulie and I talk about big fits, big sandwiches, slinging streetwear a...

This week on Blamo!, I’m joined by Greg Jackson, founder of Greg Laboratory . Greg’s path runs from growing up in D.C. to Detroit, from BAPE and Dunks to a serious run at Nike , where he learned firsthand what it takes to build product at the highest level. We talk about what he took from Nike (and why he left), launching Greg Laboratory, making things in New York, the art of refinement, and why a...

Patreon Preview from Blamo! Sometimes, the world of menswear can get niche, as people dive into different rabbit holes. There are sashiko field jackets, patchwork Ivy Style tweeds, and dark, artisanal styles that look like they'd be worn by a forger in 14th-century Europe. For guys who sometimes feel alienated from these things, is it OK to have a more boring style? Peter and Derek talk about how...

This week on Blamo ! , I’m joined by Ronnie Chiu, founder of Colhay’s . Ronnie and I get into how inheriting his father’s sweater shaped his relationship to clothing — and how that personal history informs everything he does at Colhay’s today. We talk about why knitwear doesn’t last like it used to, the importance of knit density, overwashing, handwashing, and why working with the same Scottish su...

My guest this week is Ben Stubbington , creative director of Arc’teryx Veilance . We talk about Ben’s journey through fashion and design, building the soul of a modern brand, the role of community in shaping culture, and how platforms like Substack are changing creative dialogue. Ben's Substack - Holding Hands with Strangers * Sponsored by Bezel - the trusted marketplace for buying and selling you...

My guest this week is a returning one: Jack Carlson Since his last appearance, Jack has taken on a major new role as President and Creative Director of J. Press — one of the most important names in American Ivy style. We talk about stewarding a 100+ year-old brand, what J. Press is changing (and refusing to change), department store lore, and what it really means to make clothing in America today....

Patreon Preview from Blamo! Harrison’s of Edinburgh has long been a trusted supplier for bespoke tailors, known for everything from W. Bill tweeds to Lumbs Golden Bale suiting and the Smith Woolens cloth behind Solaro. Peter and Derek talk with owner and director Mark Dunsford about how his family entered the fabric trade, how these mills came to define modern tailoring, and what really makes a gr...

My guest this week is Bijan Shavali , founder of Intramural. Bijan runs one of my favorite vintage shops, and we talk all things Intramural—building a vintage brand, working with Drake’s, why the T-shirt has become the modern tie, the pull of nostalgia in personal style, and a few practical ways to make your old shirts feel new again. https://www.intramuralshop.com * Sponsored by Bezel - the trust...