On The Air

Music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy stops by the Culture Crush studio to talk about her new book, Fashion Killa: How Hip Hop Revolutionized High Fashion. In conversation with CC founder and French and Italian Vogue veteran Debra Scherer, the discussion traces Sowmya's trip through the music blogging era and the never-ending cycle of gatekeeping, the powers that be, and those in the culture whose passion and innate style broke down those doors and claimed both the front row and eventually the backstage so completely, fashion will never be the same again.

Culture Crush founder Debra Scherer and photojournalist Sofie Vasquez in the studio with New York City beauty retail impresario Ricky Kenig discussing the cultural landscape of downtown NYC in the '80's and the curiosity that guided him throughout his inventive career. 

We're back in the Culture Crush studio after a long hiatus with photographer Sofie Vasquez. Talking about new projects and Sofie's work overall with subcultures and the characters she documents for us in our latest beauty zine—exploring the indie wrestling scene, Mexican superstar Cassandro, breaking kayfabe, Lin Manuel Miranda, Cameron Crowe, and her dream of photographing the cast of Cats.

Steven Mark Klein is kind of hard to describe. You might call him a conceptual artist, some say he’s more of a cultural critic. For the the last several years, SMK has been practicing the art of remaining invisible. Taking cues from 1960’s conceptual artist Seth Siegelaub, he uses these techniques to examine how large societal structures control people’s lives.

On this episode, Ytasha Womack joins us to discuss the history and philosophy behind the movement that is on everyone’s mind: Afrofuturism. Womack is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, and the author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, and she helps us explore the meanings behind the aesthetic blend of high technology and African cosmology. So pull the veil aside and step through the portal, because Space is the Place.

Award winning journalist, author, and brand consultant Constance White joined us in the Culture Crush Studio to discuss her new book How to Slay: Inspiration From the Queens and Kings of Black Style. A lavishly illustrated overview of 20th century African-American style, How to Slay served as the jumping off point for a deep conversation between Constance, Debra, and Brandon on the effect that African-American style has had on culture. From cultural appropriation and Dapper Dan to Black Fashion’s African roots and Nicki Minaj, this episode of the Culture Crush podcast leaves no topic untouched.

As New York Fashion Week began, publicist, author, and CEO of People’s Revolution, Kelly Cutrone joined Debra in the Culture Crush studio to discuss all things fashion and culture. Their conversation begins with Debra telling the origin story of The Culture Crush, and the role that her experiences at Italian Vogue played in its development. Then they discuss their history in the fashion industry and how the landscape has changed over the past few decades. Finally, Kelly explains her views on the role that shopping plays in women’s lives, propaganda, Voodoo, and how social media is changing, or ruining, the fashion industry.

A quick stop down in Jacksonville Florida to talk southern street photography with Malcolm Jackson, while he was preparing to work on a project for the tenth issue of the Culture Crush print edition. We discussed the peculiar cultural history and the beauty of documenting life in the largest city in the United States.