ODDA Conversations

Director Garrett Bradley is one of those rare conversationalists who are comfortable with silence. She pauses before answering each question, carefully considering it before responding in a thoughtful, measured fashion. This sensibility carries over into her work as a documentary filmmaker. Her first feature, “Time,” is similarly careful, shot in velvety black-and-white, and interspersed with home...

Long-distance soul sisters actress Andie MacDowell and acclaimed author Anne Lamott connect online for a powerful and heartfelt conversation. Where they share openly and freely about their experiences of co-dependent childhoods caring for alcoholic parents and how they have used their artistic voices to work through the pain of the past. How spirituality and a connection to nature and animals have...

South African artist Zandile Tshabalala reflects on the evolution of African art, the impact of strong female role models in her life, and her first solo art exhibition, titled “ Enter Paradise” which will shortly be underway at the ADA \ contemporary art gallery in Ghana.

The British-born and New York-based ceramic artist, Jesse Wine, has been on quite a roll recently, with two solo exhibitions at the SculptureCentre and Simone Subal Gallery in New York in just the past six months. Wine’s work with contorted limbs as well as abstract objects that combine color, shape, and form in unique ways intuitively show that they have been cleverly informed by the works of his...

The public has an idea of fashion people being chilly and aloof. Talk to Steven Kolb for even a few minutes and you’ll find that that isn’t so. Dapper and stylish to be sure, there is no hint of Miranda Priestly-style frostiness in his demeanor. Kolb is warm, engaging, and light. And it’s immediately clear that he cares deeply about his role in promoting not only American fashion as the CEO of the...

Blacktag is bringing the core of Black culture to the center stage. Described as a global content platform, production company, and connector between Black creators and brands, it serves to help content-focused Black innovators across the African diaspora monetize the culture they are known to originate. The startup dreams to serve as both a hub for alternative Black artists, and a social-entertai...

Harvey Mason Jr. has had a pretty wild ride as Interim CEO and President of the Recording Academy. He was tapped for the top post just days before the Grammys took place in January 2020. He then spent the rest of the year helping musicians make it through the pandemic via the Academy’s MusiCares initiative, responded to the social justice movement by launching the Black Music Collective project, a...

Designer Danielle Hirsch is expanding the concept behind her bridal brand Danielle Frankel with her fall 2021 collection. She is dipping her toe into the world of ready-to-wear. Albeit it’s a ready-to-wear that is clearly earmarked for event dressing, be that a wedding, a future gala or red carpet moment. In conversation with  Jessica Michault Original Music by Valerio Parrotta Edited by Domi...

Visual storyteller Alexandre de Betak, who has produced some of the most unforgettable fashion shows, exhibitions and events of the past 30 years weighs in on the transformation of the industry into a fully digital narrative this season. He also examines, a year after he debuted his company’s “10 Commandments” of sustainability, how the business has fared so far and where he thinks fashion will be...

Actor, musician, and ever stylish Darrell Britt-Gibson is no stranger to a set. Starring in series like “Barry”, “Shameless”, and “The Wire”, Britt-Gibson is known to support many stories and visions on their way to becoming hit television shows. Though he loves and treats all roles equally, the star is allowing a higher-leveled sense of alignment to come to his current and future work as he plots...

Ninamounah Langestraat, the creative director and designer behind the Ninamounah brand talks about melding clashing and contrasting design ideas into new shapes that are extremely masucline, extremely feminine and everything in between. Her goal is to turn fashion into a powerful tool that can be wielded beyond its traditional disciplinary field.

Jewelry designer Gaia Repossi talks about how she is trying to connect with people in a positive way digitally this season. Doing it in a way that is respectful, with intelligence and sensitivity to the times we are currently living through. Acknowledging the impact that our isolation has had on our collective psyche and how this past year has been a time of reflection for an industry that has alw...

Tom Bateman is quickly establishing himself as one of Britain’s leading actors. Having learned his craft on the stage, his work in film and television have led him across a variety of genres and collaborations. Case in point, his latest role in the just released Netflix’s series “Behind Her Eyes.” A psychological thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Other scene stealing turns i...

Designer Antonio Vattev discusses his inspiration for his latest FW21 collection. A lineup that is a mix of 70s rock music, futurism, and joy.

While Zhuo Chen has been focusing on his Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins, he has also amassed plenty of fascinating and varied experiences both as a model and a content creator. He has worked with the likes of Goomheo, Goetze, and Diesel, while also contributing to Balenciaga through modeling and photography.

Photographer and model Arnaud Lin grew up between Paris, France, and Beijing, China. Existing in between these worlds while studying graphic design at Central Saint Martins drove the photographer to express what it means to have a presence in multiple worlds.

Annie Lai, a Chinese fashion photographer from London captures depth and evolving moments of intimacy while incorporating Asian and western themes throughout her work. Annie talks with us, discussing the importance of connection, her sense of belonging, and more. Annie Lai是一位常驻伦敦的中国时尚摄影师，毕业于伦敦艺术大学中伦敦时装学院。由于她中西方混合的文化背景，她的作品兼具了亚洲和西方美学，达...

Actor Spence Moore turned to his good friend and co-star in the HBO television series “We Are Who We Are” Faith Alabi to discuss their time together on set. The duo talk about everything from how they got into their respective characters, working with the famed Italian director Luca Guadagnino and what pulled them both into the world of acting in the first place. What is crystal clear about their...

The up-and-coming actors Katherine McNamara, Henry Zaga and Owen Teague Katherine McNamara are part of the impressive ensemble cast, which includes heavyweights like Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard, and James Marsden, that star in the new television series “The Stand”. The series is based on the iconic 1978 novel by Steven King with the same name and it is the story of the world in ruins afte...

Drag Queen extraordinaire Violet Chachki is at the pinnacle of her performance game. She has worked with Dita Von Tesse, Won RuPaul’s Drag Race, and in 2019 she was the first Drag Queen to attend the famed Met Gala. Here she reflects on 2020, what it taught her about herself and how she continued to contribute artistically even in a lockdown. The past year has helped her focus on living in the mom...

In this podcast Levi Palmer and Matthew Harding, the designer duo behind the brand palmer//harding, discuss how they are rethinking their business model to adapt to the new normal of production cycles during the current COVID economy. How step by step, they are making their independent brand more sustainable and why giving back has become central to their business model. They also give us the movi...

Harikrishnan believes in a new way of seeing. The emerging and experimental designer caused a sensation in February at London Fashion Week when, as one of the 10 graduates of the London College of Fashion , he presented a genderless collection that featured items like inflatable latex pants and artisanally beaded tops. A combination of high tech and traditional techniques that spoke to his fascina...

Iouri Podladtchikov has been a die-hard snowboarder for most of his life. He is a Russian-born Swiss goofy stance boarder and he has been competing in the sport since the year 2000. In 2014 he took the top spot at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, taking home the gold medal for his skill on the halfpipe. Here ODDA discovered which sport Iouri would have attempted if he competed in the Summer Olympics,...

Andrew Westermann (AKA Andreww) has been writing music since the tender age of 13. His fascination with the medium never wavered even as his career as a male model skyrocketed and for over a decade he traveled the globe working for some of the biggest brands in the industry. That time collaborating with Dior, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Valentino, and Marc Jacobs (just to name a few) expanded Andreww’...

Roksanda Ilinčić , the UK-based fashion designer from Belgrade, Serbia, has woven a myriad of different aspects of her unique identity into her namesake brand over the past 15 years. Her melange of volume, color, and her own heritage with silhouettes and fabrics that telegraph grace and delicacy—distinguish her as an exceptional, invaluable talent. For Roksanda , the importance of mining her own l...