Fashion Forensics

Very few designers can say that Beyoncé was their first ever client, and for Italian designer Francesco Murano that became the reality right after showcasing his very first debut collection in Milan, freshly out of university.

Starting out in ceramics, Murano graduated in 2019 from Istituto Europeo di Design, and his seductive body-sculpting designs immediately propelled him to become one of the most exciting young designers across fashion. Mere two weeks after showcasing his graduate collection, Beyoncé's stylist, Zerina Akers, got in touch with Murano and became his very first client, thrusting him into creating the roots of his made-to-measure business. 

Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, he shares how the past 5 years have propelled his brand, what it means to be an LVMH Prize finalist, and how his love for architecture is at the core of his creation. 

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

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Sara Sozzani Maino has had culture flowing through her veins her entire life. Rooted deep in her family, she has spent her life identifying the cross sectioning of fashion's influence on art and culture - a goal she set to pursue when she first founded Vogue Talents with Vogue Italia's Franca Sozzani back in 2009. 

Since then, Sozzani Maino has been integral in finding, nurturing and supporting emerging fashion designers, creatives and artists across the fashion scene through her role as the Creative Director of Fondazione Sozzani. With her support, the foundation has helped platform some of the most exciting new names across fashion - LVMH Prize winner Setchu, Luca Magliano, Francesco Murano and many others. 

Coming onto Fashion Forensics, she shares the imagery that kept inspiring her throughout her life - from her love for film director Michelangelo Antonioni, through Carlo Scarpa's architectural designs and Dr. Jane Goodall's message about our human nature. 

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

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@FashionForensics

Fashion designer Giuliano Calza grew up with the notions of the Neapolitan culture - having the space to explore the beauty of his surroundings from an early age, creating an imagination that always wanted more. His teenage years led him to become particularly interested in the Mandarin language, eventually moving to Shanghai where his identity began to reach its full form. 

After spending four years in China, Calza returned to create his own namesake label - GCDS - which now, ten years later, has become one of the fastest growing independent brands in fashion. Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, he takes us on his unconventional journey of finding himself through his own imagination, his first impressions seeing Alexander McQueen's shows and what it means to create pop culture.  

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

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Edward Buchanan calls himself 'a designer's designer' through and through. From the American Midwest all throughout 30 years of living in Milan, his career has been nothing short of a whirlwind. 

Born in Ohio, Buchanan quickly became enamoured with sketching, which led him to begin working in the industry as a window dresser, before dipping into New York's Club Kid scene in the 90s. A fateful meeting at Bottega Veneta saw him pack his bags in 1995, and move to Italy to become the brand's first ready-to-wear designer. Since then, he has worked across some of the biggest brands in the industry, and be part of some of fashion's biggest creative projects. 

Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, he dives into the imagery that defined his life - from being inspired by Nina Simone's artistry, all through taking his first bow at Bottega Veneta's very first runway show, coming full circle to starring in their SS25 campaign as one of the main talents. 

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

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@FashionForensics

For model and actress Deba Hekmat, fighting to make your own opportunities has been essential. Scouted into modelling at age 16, she came into the industry with a level-headedness and desire to learn and explore more on her own terms, only to keep reaping the rewards of authenticity by recently starring in multiple Gucci campaigns, as well as making her acting debut in Sasha Nathwani's latest film Last Swim. 

Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, Hekmat dives into her early years growing up between South London and Cardiff, and how she has taken her Kurdish identity into the melting pot of cultures she grew up with. From being mesmerised with the levels of production the K-POP scene had to offer, all throughout seeing Azalea Banks's '212' music video and wanting to work towards creating performance and art of her own, Deba has seized opportunities and expanded into new heights in fashion and film, opening doors for others to follow. 

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

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@FashionForensics

In the world of session hairstyling, Anthony Turner is one of the 'enfants terribles' in his gothic ways of deconstructing glamour. Front lining some of the biggest fashion shows in the face of Prada and JW Anderson, he has created deeply deconstructed worlds of his own references and life path, which has not been easy. 

Starting hairdressing as a form of survival, Turner quickly became Guido Palau's first assistant, diving straight into the editorial world of fashion and art - reaching an accolade that few can boast about. Coming onto Fashion Forensics, he talks about the difficult beginnings that led him to become who he is today, and how because of it, he cherishes the balance of life and work way more than ever. Turner also discusses his underground references in the face of Dracula, Ethel Cain and escaping into his own meticulously constructed world through creating his own drawings of what lives inside his head. 

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

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@FashionForensics

Conner Ives is someone who has had many home runs in his short career as a designer. After moving to London from Bedford, New York, he took on graduating from Central Saint Martins and putting all of his effort into building a fashion label that he has envisioned since he was seven years old. 

Since creating his eponymous label, he has achieved it all - dressing Adwoa Aboah for the Met Gala whilst being in his first year of university, attracting the attention of Rihanna and creating multiple custom looks for her [as well as working for her own label, Fenty], and later having his actual runway designs displayed within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibition - all whilst having an ethos of spotlighting and protecting the communities he cherishes, an example seen at the end of his AW25 show when he took his bow wearing a 'Protect The Dolls' t-shirt, advocating for the protection of trans people's rights - a cause that took culture by storm, raising over £900,000 thus far.

Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, the American designer talks about breaking the Internet with his 'Protect The Dolls' t-shirt, his first visual memories of wanting to be one with fashion, and how the support of his community is the reason for his success.

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

Join us for more on Instagram and TikTok. 

@FashionForensics

Standing Ground's Michael Stewart spent nearly 5 years trying to show people his craftsmanship talents before being given the stage to do so.

Known for his savoir-faire, his couture adjacent techniques in his work have propelled him to become one of the most exciting and special talents in the industry, however, this did not happen in peace. After spending almost 5 years gathering interest, the Irish-born designer made his debut under Lulu Kennedy's London-based talent incubator Fashion East and since then Stewart has built a world, full of sculptural perfectionism in everything he shows. 

Coming onto Fashion Forensics, he talks at length about his fascination with the celestial, outer-worldly folklore that informs us of our past and the interaction between Earth and the Cosmos, and how all of those elements have brought him to create a design world that feels unique.

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

Join us for more on Instagram and TikTok. 

@FashionForensics

When he first founded fashion retail space Machine-A in London, Stavros Karelis gave small and independent artists and designers a stage to express themselves upon.

Quickly, the conceptual boutique became more than just retail, but a cultural hub frequented by artists and creatives like Scissor Sisters, Lady Gaga, Anna Trevelyan, Nicola Formichetti and more. Since its inception in 2013, Karelis has turned it into a global experimental space where young and exciting designers sit firmly alongside established brands, launching the careers of many of the industry's greats through giving them creative freedom in how their designs interact.

Coming into the Fashion Forensics hot seat, he talks about his early British influences - from the cult classic Trainspotting all throughout The Prodigy, and how it all led him to pursue his ultimate goal of moving two steps ahead of the industry, and experiment. 

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

Join us for more on Instagram and TikTok. 

@FashionForensics

Designer and Creative Director Sandra Choi has devoted her life into building a global shoe empire, starting out by learning the craft in her uncle Jimmy Choo's London workshop. Since then, 29 years later, she is still the core nucleus driving forward one of the biggest fashion brands in the world. 

Coming onto Fashion Forensics, Choi recalls the memories that defined her life - from accepting Princess Diana's request to create custom pairs of shoes to match her dress, through kitting out Carrie Bradshaw's shoe closet, moments before uttering the iconic "I Lost My Choo!" line, all through collaborating with fashion visionaries like Virgil Abloh, Rihanna and Beyoncé, her sharp focus has led her to become one of the leaders in the fashion industry, championing constant evolution. 

As she sits in the hot seat this week, Choi looks back on 30 years of designing shoes, and the decision behind bringing some of our most beloved icons back for their second act.

Watch the full video episodes exclusively on YouTube every Tuesday. 

Subscribe to Fashion Forensics on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you get your podcasts.    

Join us for more on Instagram and TikTok. 

@FashionForensics