The Uninvited Podcast

Let's get past the velvet rope with… Patrick McDowell. A British designer who has built their own brand from the ground up, championing sustainability in an industry that often struggles to balance ethics and commercial reality. And yet, just months before being presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design by the Princess of Wales, Patrick was seriously considering shutting d...

After five decades capturing the people and scenes that shape culture from the inside, documentary photographer Derek Ridgers' idea of the ultimate party is simple: travel back in time, straight to the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream at Alexandra Palace in 1967. The legendary all-night psychedelic happening Derek attended firsthand, where Pink Floyd, The Soft Machine, and The Pretty Things played f...

Let's get past the velvet rope with… Derek Ridgers. A photographer whose images have defined some of the most iconic subcultures of the last five decades, from punk and skinheads to new romantics and the legendary clubs of 1980s London. And yet, as he told us from the very start, he has always felt a bit uninvited. In this episode, Derek shares how he became a photographer entirely by chance,...

Matteo's dream party needs no velvet rope, just the South of Italy, family, friends, and nothing that takes itself too seriously. Though if time travel were on the table, they'd have gate-crashed Paul Poiret's The Thousand and Two Nights in a heartbeat. Paris, 24th of June 1911. A Persian orchestra, parrots perched in trees wrapped in thousands of sparkling lights, pink ibis, multicolo...

Let's get past the velvet rope with… Matteo Augello. A fashion historian, curator, lecturer, and performer, Matteo has built a career at the intersection of academia and spectacle, where theory meets theatrics and the archive meets the stage. In this episode, we explore how a deep love of pop culture became the lens through which Matteo approaches fashion history — including using Britney Spears a...

Alessandro’s dream party is set in the legendary Area nightclub in New York City, a night as bold and theatrical as you’d expect, with Grace Jones, Divine and Amanda Lear topping the guest list. But not everyone’s getting past the door… a few designers are firmly banned, and if Satisfaction comes on, it’s time to leave immediately. From their ultimate party philosophy to the exact moment you shoul...

In this episode, photographer and founder of Coriandoli, Alessandro Merlo, shares a candid insight into the reality of building a career as an independent photographer. From shooting a Valentino campaign to navigating commissioned work, Alessandro discusses how to protect your visual identity while meeting client expectations, and how to find the right balance between artistic vision and collabora...

Life of the party and exactly the kind of guest everyone hopes will show up, celebrity makeup artist Florrie White shares her dream party: hosted at The Roses of Elagabalus with Alexa Chung and Sharon Stone on the guest list, and an exclusive performance by Vanessa Paradis and Lenny Kravitz. From feeling like a VIP while partying in Ibiza in the 90s to the Vivienne Westwood dress she has worn for...

Let’s get past the velvet rope with… Florrie White. A joyful, insightful, and refreshingly honest conversation about beauty, resilience, and the unexpected paths that shape a creative career. A celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Alexa Chung, Sharon Stone, Claudia Schiffer, and Rosamund Pike, among others, Florrie is renowned for her ability to enhance each person’s unique beauty. Her ap...

While we’re still waiting (impatiently) for our aristocrat(s)... we might as well have an After Party. In her own words, Charlie is “the least party girl”, and yet somehow she brings the fun wherever she goes. Find out what really happened at the Glamour Awards, which song instantly brings her to life, and who is definitely not making it onto her guest list.

Let’s get past the velvet rope with...Charlie Craggs. A fearless, funny, and unfiltered conversation about visibility, activism, and refusing to take up space without apology. A trans activist, author, and content creator, Charlie has redefined what activism can look like today, from founding Nail Transphobia to using humour, honesty, and community as tools for change. She is also the author of To...

Stacey Duguid stays with us for The After Party, a celebration that begins once the velvet rope has been crossed. We talk dream parties, unforgettable dance floors, and the moments you don’t hear about on the guest list. From a Tom Ford high-five with unexpected consequences to feeling decidedly uninvited inside Donatella Versace’s apartment, Stacey shares the stories that live somewhere between g...

In this first guest conversation of The UN/INVITED Podcast, Stacey Duguid traces a career that has moved from the glossy front row to the grit of honest writing, from corporate fashion to deeply personal essays, and now into the world of art. Through it all, she has remained raw, funny, emotionally fearless, and unmistakably herself. In this episode, we talk about unexpected turning points (includ...

In this pilot episode, I take you back to the night in Milan that inspired The UN/INVITED Podcast, a bold, uninvited moment that changed the course of my life. It was the beginning of a creative journey that had no map, no permission, and certainly no official invitation. This story shaped not only the theme of the podcast but also its structure. The velvet rope becomes the metaphor that ties ever...

The UN/INVITED Podcast Inspired by a true story. A few years ago, I found myself at a party in Milan where, let’s just say, I wasn’t exactly on the list. That night, I met a designer I’d always admired, and that unexpected encounter changed everything. What began as a bold, uninvited moment evolved into an opportunity that took me from being a fashion student to walking on the runway. That experie...