Articles of Interest

Articles of Interest
Presentation
GenreDocumentary
Format
  • Audio
Created byAvery Trufelman
LanguageEnglish
Length30–60 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Production
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes39
Publication
Original releaseSeptember 25, 2018 (September 25, 2018)
ProviderRadiotopia
Related
Websitewww.articlesofinterest.co

Articles of Interest is a podcast about the social history of clothing and fashion. Created by producer Avery Trufelman, the show originated in 2018 as a mini-series for 99% Invisible and became an independent member of Radiotopia in 2021.[1]

History

Trufelman told the Daily Front Row her interest in fashion was sparked by childhood visits to San Francisco in which she went thrifting on Haight Street, in addition to learning about Vivienne Westwood at the De Young Museum.[2] She became inspired to report on fashion from a design perspective as a 99% Invisible intern.[3]

The first season of Articles of Interest, reported by Trufelman and edited by Joe Rosenberg, featured six short episodes exploring topics ranging from denim and pockets to punk fashion and the Hawaiian shirt, with commentary on their significance as viewed through the lens of capitalism, identity and aesthetics.[4] The second season, released in 2020, focused on luxury items, including perfume, diamonds, and wedding dresses.[5][6]

In 2021, 99% Invisible host and creator Roman Mars sold the show to Sirius XM and spun off ownership of Articles of Interest to Trufelman.[7][8]

Departing from its previous episodic format, the show's third season, released in 2022, was a serialized history of Ivy style and the preppy subculture. Titled "American Ivy", the seven-part season documented the origins of prep at Princeton University, then Japan, as driven by the 1965 book Take Ivy. It returned to the United States to explore the rise of Ralph Lauren, J.Crew, and the publication of The Official Preppy Handbook, tracing the trend to current day.[9][10]

The show's fourth season returned to an individual-episode format in 2023, with stories on factory labor conditions, ballet shoes, and the Black Fashion Museum.[11]

Reception

Articles of Interest received critical acclaim beginning with its first season and continuing through its transition to independent production. The original six-part series was named a best podcast of 2018 by The New Yorker, The Globe and Mail, and the BBC.[12][13][14] Vulture's Nicholas Quah praised it as a "picture-perfect starting point for those who need an introduction" to the cultural significance of clothing.[4] "American Ivy" was named a best podcast of 2022 by The New York Times and The Atlantic.[15][16]

Seasons

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 6 September 25, 2018 (2018-09-25) October 12, 2018 (2018-10-12)
2 6 May 12, 2020 (2020-05-12) June 9, 2020 (2020-06-09)
3 7 October 26, 2022 (2022-10-26) December 7, 2022 (2022-12-07)
4 16 March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29) November 8, 2023 (2023-11-08)
5 TBD March 20, 2024 (2024-03-20) TBD

References

  1. ^ "Avery Trufelman". The Business of Fashion. 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Drohan, Freya (August 20, 2020). "Avery Trufelman is the Fashion-Obsessed Host of The Cut's New Podcast". Daily Front Row. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Amed, Imran (March 1, 2024). "Avery Trufelman on the Meaning Behind the Clothes We Wear". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Quah, Nicholas (October 24, 2018). "Articles of Interest Is a Fashion Podcast About Capitalism and Power". Vulture. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Larson, Sarah (May 15, 2020). "Articles of Interest". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Greene, Steve (July 17, 2020). "'Articles of Interest': Avery Trufelman Can Help You Rethink What You Wear". IndieWire. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Ugwu, Reggie (April 26, 2021). "SiriusXM Is Buying '99% Invisible,' and Street Cred in Podcasting". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Mars, Roman [@romanmars] (April 26, 2021). "BTW, before we sold, I broke off Articles of Interest and gave it to @trufelman. She's the captain now" (Tweet). Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Madden, Amelia (February 6, 2023). "A Fabulous Podcast That Breaks Down the History of Preppy Style". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  10. ^ Lamb, Anna (October 13, 2023). "Avery Trufelman unpacks preppy style in Harvard talk". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  11. ^ ""Articles of Interest" from Avery Trufelman Returns with New Episodes on an Ongoing Basis and "Normal Gossip" from Kelsey McKinney, Alex Sujong Laughlin, and Defector Media Begins a New Season as Part of Radiotopia from PRX". PRX. Medium. April 5, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Larson, Sarah (December 5, 2018). "The Best Podcasts of 2018". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  13. ^ Thompson, Caitlin (December 25, 2018). "The 10 best podcasts of 2018". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Charles, Amy (December 17, 2018). "The 10 best culture podcasts of 2018". BBC. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Ugwu, Reggie (December 8, 2022). "Best Podcasts of 2022". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Standley, Laura Jane; McQuade, Eric (December 30, 2022). "The 35 Best Podcasts of 2022". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 26, 2024.