POPULUXE

Every legacy brand has an ideology, James Ferragamo tells us. He is talking of course about his family business, the legendary luxury brand started by his grandfather, Salvatore Ferragamo, the shoemaker. Or was it dream maker? That ideology keeps the brand in place so that nothing ever changes--and yet, James makes sure that everything changes. As the Chief Transformation Officer, he oversees and executes on the evolution of the brand so that it continues to deliver dreams that are relevant, beautiful, and magical. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Founding partner of CookFox, Rick Cook visited Populuxe recently to share his "object of desire" with our listeners. As it happens, Rick's training, practice as well as his own curious and empathic constitution create the perfect backdrop against which  a nuanced discussion about luxury unfolded. From a Ferrari V12 engine to a sunlit café in Florence to the new Armani tower in New York City, Rick has a lot to add to the discussion of luxury and desire. Rick Cook is a Founding Partner of COOKFOX Architects. He has built a reputation for innovative, award-winning architectural design. In 2003, Rick joined with Bob Fox to form COOKFOX Architects based on a transformative vision: beautiful design guided by high standards of sustainability, and a commitment to excellence enriched by the collaborative process. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Writing in verses comes easily to Monte Packham, author of children's books, who started his career as an art critic. His work evolved into the deliciously playful rhymes that he puts together for young audiences after first having taken a detour into art historical writing. Whether documents of art or illustrated childrens' books, Monte's work is for the committed. His words fall into place as if the story they tell had always existed. Such is the timelessness of his wordsmithing that it inspired an animated conversation about reading and luxury. Monte Packham is the author of books including Rooms for Dessert, The Blueberry Machine, Rhyme Time, ABC Photography, Concentric Circles as well as Living with Matisse, Picasso and Christo: Theodor Ahrenberg and His Collections (2018), Book of the Year at the 2019 Collector's Awards, and Photo Adventures (2019). Born in Sydney in 1981, he holds degrees in art history and law from the University of Sydney.  ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Dates, almond oil, persimmon, pomegranate... These recipe ingredients that have given Persian women their legendary beauty from the inside out are also the core pillars of hair brand 14th Night, founded by Negar Mohammadi. Sun-kissed, athletic, and curious, Negar mastered the technical aspects of business as a young professional working for a major consulting firm in Paris--yes, like Emily in Paris but with real work involved.  Armed with fluency in French and a sense of true luxury, Negar returned to New York and rose up the corporate ladder in the city's competitive fashion industry. Her last corporate post was with VOGUE. Listen to her story to get all the sensorial details that define Negar's journey in hair beauty and learn how she  bottled them all in a series of divine natural formulas that are good for the hair and, mainly, for the soul. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Get ready for a new year filled with exciting conversations and inspiring guests.  Season Four coming soon! ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

A passionate explorer of nature, a committed adventurer, a tech entrepreneur whose mission is to create a sustainable and equitable travel industry for all, Håvard Utheim moves from idea to idea and from start-up to start-up. He is the type who has vision, sets the mission, and culls the right people to populate the new business. In doing so, he is also working on ensuring that the beneficiaries are many as opposed to the usual select few. Listen to this episode to find out what his connection to Succession is. Håvard Utheim is an entrepreneur. He founded several companies, including: The Transparency Company, a database and a practical tool to manage, document and communicate social and environmental responsibility; Travelopment, a company that provides education for those in the travel industry; Re-Treats, a system of mobile high-end hotel rooms built with used materials; and Nanook,  a company that matches travelers with more sustainable travel options. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Her impeccable foresight and vision of market trends, along with her passion for haute couture and luxury leather goods make Diane D’Amato a true force in the luxury market. She is as sharp in business as she is warm and empathetic in her relationships.  In charge of the luxury accessories categories at Heritage Auctions, Diane brings unique pieces to auction and regularly buys and sells entire collections privately. She is the pulse of the luxury world.   ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Hats, authentic jewelry from Africa, mainly Senegal and Ghana, as well as tie-dye shirts and other accessories are Fallou's Wadje's street hustle in Harlem.  Her life's calling is creativity. Her purpose is the creation of objects that give luxury a new definition: 'twixt the physical and the spiritual.  A vessel of energy herself, Fallou the artist finds daily inspiration in Central Park where she observes and absorbs all that nature has to offer.  Listen to Fallou's radiant voice that resonates with the knowing that creation originates in belief and practice. Fallou is BaayFall Fashion’s CEO, designer, and stylist. After emigrating to the US from Senegal in 2013, she launched Baayfall Fashion with $192 and a single vendor table, selling customized hats, original screen-printed t-shirts, and one-f-a-kind garments and accessories on 125th street in Harlem. Baayfall Fashion quickly grew from one table to six, then to a brick-and-mortar storefront. That led to numerous editorial features, and a 2022 presentation at Harlem Fashion Week. Today, Fallou’s Harlem atelier creates custom clothing, screen printing, hand-painted garmets, and unique accessories for celebrities, activists, and everyday people across New York City and around the world. Baayfall Fashion is fashion that uplifts, reminding those who choose to wear it how powerful they are as human beings. As Fallou herself says: “If you can make the outside look royal, you certainly have it inside you.” ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

A century-old Cape Cod wooden house seems to be the point of departure for interiors architect Robert Finger's journeys into desire.  At first I thought of it very similar to a juicy and delicious piece of candy that releases a range of magical sensations when you bite into it. But after we spent some time chatting, it became clear that that little house is a marvelous container of unique and intense experiences that have shaped the lives of all those who have spent time in it. It is the house that allows its tenants to open up, release, and practice their singular sense of desire. One with nature, the house is a launchpad for creativity.   A founding partner of Fogarty Finger, Robert Finger leads firm interior projects. Graduating from Syracuse University, Robert developed a passion for design at the venerable architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), where he oversaw several international projects. In 2003, he and fellow SOM collaborator, Chris Fogarty, started architecture and interiors firm, Fogarty Finger.  Robert brings a unique approach to commercial interiors, a devotion to 20th-century modernism, and a love of historic preservation that emerged from childhood summers on Cape Cod. Through design work, he translates idealism and politics of the modern age into living in contemporary society. He is also passionate about textiles, ranging from historic Persian and Peruvian fabrics to the work of modern designers such as Hella Jongerius. In addition, he takes inspiration from movies and the representation of reality captured in interiors, architecture and landscapes that communicate time, place, and mood. With a breadth of experience in luxury residential design, Robert’s emphasis on scale and materials brings refinement and detail to commercial projects. Robert has designed award-winning, corporate office interiors in New York and the Northeast for major clients including: BXP, Rockefeller Group, Rudin Management, Tishman Speyer, and Vornado Realty Trust.     ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

There is so much activity underwater. Reefing takes attention, concentration, and a small dose of obsession. The feat is rewarding and illustrates how our climate works and what preserves life in our oceans. Listen to this captivating episode, in which Adam Simon explains the ins and outs of reefing and how to start collecting live coral.   Adam Simon is a Buy Side Analyst currently pursuing his MBA through NYU Stern's Langone Program. During the pandemic, he chose to take up reef aquaculture as a new hobby similar to his past of keeping saltwater fish only tanks.  ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Find out why I decided to own a silk scarf by Hermès and why my collection keeps growing. What moved you to buy one of your prized possessions? Was it its qualities? Its aesthetic merit? Are your purchases based on emotional associations or simply fashion trends and peer pressure? I invite you to email me at populuxepod@gmail.com and let me know. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Mathias Rosenzweig is one of the most talented creative persons I have met. You have probably read his work through the pages of V Magazine, an authority voice in fashion. Mathias started as a writer covering the music scene for Interview Magazine and quickly rose to an editor's role covering fashion shows all over the world. His portfolio includes directing and hosting the podcast V Wanna Know (backed by V Magazine), in which famous students are connected to world renowned experts to explore the student's topic of interest in depth. An avid traveler, people observer, and creative soul, Mathias is also producing his own creative writing and working on a special full-length project. Mathias Rosenzweig is a writer splitting his time between Brooklyn, New York and Lisbon, Portugal. Upon graduating from New York University, he became the Senior Music Editor of BlackBook Magazine, as well as a regular contributor to Paper Magazine, Galore, Noisey, i-D, V Magazine, Malibu Magazine, and Interview Magazine. Today, he is the fashion editor at V Magazine while also exploring other creative projects. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Deeply steeped in design, both by training and in practice, Tami Hausman could write a book about a seemingly humble object: A three-legged wooden chair with a molded seat and curved back of sticks. This is no ordinary chair. It is the Mira chair designed by American woodworker George Nakashima and has been in Tami’s life since she can remember. Listen to this episode of Populuxe to explore the connections between the essentialism of modern design, the economy of paired down aesthetics, and the passion for the integrity mid-century modern designers contributed to our culture. Tami Hausman is a communications strategist, facilitator, and expert advisor who collaborates with international architects, designers and building industry professionals to amplify their influence. Additionally, she writes articles and books about key trends in architecture and urban planning. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Semiotics-French from Brown University and a Master of Arts and PhD in Art History from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

When it comes to identifying the best bag for any job, Adam Brodowski, industrial and UX designer, has a range of criteria to assess his options. Owning more than 25 bags, Adam is always thinking about how to perfect the utility of each item and how new materials may contribute to an elevated experience. Luxury for Adam goes beyond functionality. Luxury is joy. Listen to this episode and gain insights into how modern men think about their every day existence. Adam Brodowski is a design and research consultant who loves working through early stage ideas with all sorts of start ups. He is co-founder of Superliminal, a brand and product design studio based in NYC. Outside of the studio he teaches digital product design to grad students at NYU Stern and The New School. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Carol Altieri's passion is to bring big, shiny and well designed objects into your life. She does so through Bob's Watches, an online marketplace she co-owns with her husband Paul. Yes, Paul, no, not Bob. In addition to buying and selling for her customers, Carol has amassed an impressive collection of vintage watches part of which she is bringing to market through a private sale in collaboration with Goop. To tease us, she brought with her a Rolex Day-Date President with a Black Onyx Dial, a piece she acquired many years ago as she became more and more invested in the secondary market for prestige watches. It turns out design watches tell more than the time. They tell personal stories, style stories, and even war stories. You can find Carol online or in one of the two locations Bob's Watches operates, one in Newport Beach, CA and the other in Naples, FL. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

A sculptural extravagance in blue silk, a dress by fashion designer Mohamed Benchellal made Jenn's heart skip a beat.  She, in turn, chose the words to describe it with nuance and precision on Populuxe today. Pay close attention to her voice as it carries us back to Jenn's early music education in a household of musicians, in a memory-making family, and a culturally rich career filled with the aroma of coffee. Jenn Rugolo is an editor and product manager focused on print and digital communications in specialty coffee, a comfortable role found after years of chasing varied interests down various rabbit holes. An ex-academic and recovering musician, Jenn holds both a Bachelors of Music Ad Hoc (Northwestern University) and a Masters of Arts in Ethnomusicology (University College Cork) as well as a Diploma in Irish Traditional Music (University College Cork).  ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Intrigued by the scent of a Dior red lipstick? Attracted to the texture of red by Guerlain? What's at the root of this intergenerational obsession with red lipstick that resonates with people across cultures, ages, and genders? I had to turn to the expert. Correction! THE expert, Rachel Felder, author of Red Lipstick: An Ode to A Beauty Icon to dig a little deeper and find out what motivates our desire to apply red on our lips and why this private indulgence is as much about confidence as it is about mysticism. How delightful to begin a new season of Populuxe with one of the most prolific and well versed writers who see beauty for what it truly is: a cultural tenet of our humanity. Rachel treats the subject with respect and finds the fun in it too! Rachel Felder is an author and journalist who writes about style, art and trends for many outlets. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, The Financial Times, Women’s Wear Daily, and many other publications. She has written five books. The most recent, Red Lipstick: An Ode to a Beauty Icon (HarperCollins), examines the enduring appeal, glamour, and history of the makeup’s most beloved staple. She commutes between New York and Miami. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

A digital media publication with close to two million users, ablogtowatch founded by Ariel Adams, educates, helps, and guides consumers in their decision to buy watches and to build their collections. In the 20 years that Ariel has been in the watch collecting space both as an enthusiast and a professional, things appear to have changed and social media have played a big role making watch buying more accessible. Not all is what it seems though. Ariel explains to us why the watch industry is filled with options that far exceed the few norms perpetuated by social media platforms and that severely limit people's taste and behavior. Ariel Adams is based in Los Angeles, California and travels abroad and domestically to connect with watch brands and watch enthusiasts about the art of watch collecting. As a luxury brand communications expert, Ariel writes and talks about watches, luxury, and marketing. He also produces a podcast on the subject called Superlative. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

Allow me to interrupt the regular format with an episode about one of my objects of desire... and yes, I do have many! This one is special: A small book with 100 Letters by Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti (1891-1979) gifted to me by my friend Christine Singer who knew Ponti well through her husband's company, M. Singer & Sons Furniture. Ponti produced some of the most exquisite mid-century modern  pieces through  M. Singer & Sons  Furniture. Today, most of Ponti's furniture  remains in private collections and in the collections of mostly European museums. In the US you can find a few  pieces at the Museum of Modern Art and  the Metropolitan Museum of Art while they occasionally come up at auctions. In memoriam: Christine Singer (1929-2022), scientist, architectural historian, and excellent cook. ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï

What are your feelings about receiving luxury objects as gifts? Do you take pleasure in these possessions or new experiences? Do they define new rituals that organize your day differently than before? And when have you felt compelled to give an object of great value as a gift to someone else? These are some of the ideas I will tackle today with my guest, historian and curator Pat Cooke who is based in Dublin, Ireland as he opens a bottle of fine and very rare Irish Whiskey, a Midleton from 1996. Pat has been instrumental in shaping the modern Irish experience around cultural events. Among other roles, he was the curator of Kilmainham Gaol Museum and the Pearce Museum. Warning! Chatting with someone so deeply steeped in Irish history brings up a lot of stories about wars, and jails, and prisoners. For two thirds of his career Pat Cooke was a museum curator in Ireland, caring for sites and collections associated with Ireland's struggle for independence from British rule (Kilmainham Gaol and the Pearse Museum). He spent the last third as director of the Master program in Cultural Policy and Arts Management at University College Dublin, retiring in 2020. In 2021 his book The Politics and Polemics of Culture in Ireland, 1800-2010  was published by Routledge.  ****************************** Did you enjoy this episode? Consider subscribing to this podcast! It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate to one object of desire at a time. You can find more information about the podcast on its website. You can also follow me, your host, Thomaï Serdari for additional content and insights relating to luxury and the creative industries. If you retain one thing, please remember this: I made this podcast for you and everyone who considers beauty an action word that helps spread kindness. Love, Thomaï