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…

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, acco…

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…

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 Simo…

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. *…

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…

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. Li…

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. L…

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 …

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,…

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 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 …

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. Po…

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 …

Curiosity and practice have allowed Lara Knutson to satisfy her dream of experiencing light. Her objects are either made of reflective materials that turn the material into immaterial or the other way around. Lara uses light as a material to create objects that both are and are not there and that still allow the viewer to interact with them. Her wo…

Whitney Jordan has an eye for the visual arts and a point of view about fashion, retail, and business. She is also someone with training and experience, not just opinions. Whitney's account of the merits of Stella McCartney's Falabella bag, an "It bag" that became iconic since it first launched in 2009, is filled with nostalgia. Her stories give ou…

Justin Partyka's life story sounds like a web of coincidences that place him in front of people or circumstances that relate to him via another path as well. A practicing photographer, Justin was trained as a folklorist and has a deep passion for and understanding of music. A remarkable multi-volume book of William Eggleston's Democratic Forrest pu…

Justin Partyka's life story sounds like a web of coincidences that place him in front of people or circumstances that relate to him via another path as well. A practicing photographer, Justin was trained as a folklorist and has a deep passion for and understanding of music. A remarkable multi-volume book of William Eggleston's Democratic Forrest pu…

Tobias Meinecke is a story teller. Critically acclaimed filmmaker, sought after film director of creative projects for luxury brands, writer, actor, and, most recently, book publisher, Tobias Meinecke is the co-founder of Love Child, a company that develops stories. Tobias studied in Munich first and then in New York City, at Columbia University, u…

A pair of Nike running sneakers and a flat screen TV were two of the objects that Chris Santa Maria presented to me as possible conversation starters. Well, that's not how this episode went... and admittedly, it is longer than usual. Do listen till the end of the whole 45 minutes because you will learn about the mighty power of a Princeton brush an…

For the most part, women have been left out of history regardless of the weight of their contributions to science, the arts, design and any related field. These forgotten creative minds need champions. Kathleen Guzman, a most accomplished auctioneer, happens to be a supporter of other women's work both historical and contemporary. Having spent her …

No matter what Matt Chu decides to do, he excels at it. Data analytics at Condé Nast? Check! Influencer account on Instagram ? Triple check! Corporate career at Bloomingdale's? Easy! A new path in technology? Why not? I have always admired Matt for his pragmatism and dedication to anything that catches his interest. But mostly, I am totally smitten…

Echo New York (originally Echo Design) is a family-run company founded in New York City in 1923 by two ambitious, hard working, young entrepreneurs who also happened to be husband and wife. Today, their great-grandchildren are still in charge of and growing the company with great commitment to the values of quality and creativity. Making people's l…

How does one get from admiring a glass object by sculptor Joe Cariati to discussing the merits of an exquisite cashmere sweater? Well, that's easy when you spend a few minutes with Steve Cardino, a former Macy's Vice President Home and Fashion Director, who currently represents the Fifth Avenue Association Business Improvement District in its relat…

Artists develop a personal discipline that includes daily rituals. It is that type of commitment that allows them to absorb details of materiality, focus on ideas, and resolve the challenge of combining it all in expressive form. This is precisely how some of the most exquisite luxury products resemble works of art. This is also why creatives find …

The girl who fell in love with Fluffy, her sourdough starter, is actually the woman who kneads stories in her kitchen. She is a filmmaker and her name is Marie. Marie possesses the type of elegance that allows her to transform the most humble vintage outfit into glamorous fashion. Her vivid imagination pushes her work beyond the boundaries of filmm…

Join me in this episode of Populuxe as I reconnect with my former student and now accomplished architectural photographer Artur Pretto Junqueira. Together, we explore French philosopher René Girard's work on human desire and some of the famous and emerging Brazilian architectural practitioners. And surprise, surprise! We end up talking about New Yo…

Legend has it that the Scofflaw, a classic Rye cocktail, was invented by the famous bartender Harry Craddock during the height of Prohibition at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in 1924. Daphne Howland, Senior Reporter at Retail Dive, discovered it in Portland, Maine where she lives with her family. A talented writer and accomplished photographer, Dap…

Globetrotting? Gratitude? Jaunts to the Global North? Aida Sykes has had the privilege to experience it all based on academic merit and opportunity. As an actively engaged young leader in her native Tanzania she doesn't take any of the aspects of luxury lightly. On the contrary, her own exposure to both the North and South, deep understanding of ex…

When Maxwell Gladwell wrote about the "ten-thousand-hour-rule" in his book Outliers, he incorporated earlier research by Herbert Simon and William Chase, who claimed that "there are no instant experts in chess—certainly no instant masters or grandmasters. [...] We would estimate, very roughly, that a master has spent perhaps 10,000 to 50,000 hours …

A company visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art to view the novel paintings of Toyin Ojih Odutola, the celebrated Nigerian--American visual artist whose work challenges the traditions of storytelling through portraiture, led Sarah LaFleur to an inner journey of desire and the meaning of narratives in forming one’s character. Popular fascinati…

Ask any 20 year old who loves sneaker culture what their "dream" job would be and most answers will resemble Brahm's actual job at Sotheby's, where he is Vice President, Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables. When Brahm was in my class, in the spring of 2019, I sensed he was cool. He knew a lot about brands, always wore interesting sneakers an…

Ambergris is a rare, precious, and quite expensive natural ingredient used in luxury perfume making. It was used much more frequently in the past by luxury brands like Chanel, Dior, and Guerlain, among others. The type of perfume produced with ambergris is considered to be an "animalic" fragrance. It is characterized by longevity, fullness, and bal…

A Zojirushi thermos may be the connector that allows Eric Darton, prolific author of fiction and nonfiction, to download ideas, inspiration and that ineffable jolt of energy that he knows how to transform into words. Follow our discussion to find out what luxury means to him, how he gets in the flow, and why a great quality saw comes only second to…

What is it like to be backstage at fashion shows? And which elements of the pre-social media era remain memorable to Sophie Panych from her early years as a beauty editor? An international expert and well-known beauty influencer, Sophie identifies any one of the four iconic camel hair coats by Max Mara as her object of desire. She tells us all abou…

If you love luxury, you will want to visit Populuxe once a week. Our guests are accomplished creatives from a variety of ages, cultures, and professions. Together, we discuss their object of desire, an object they cherish or one they aspire to acquire. Sometimes these are products by well known luxury brands but they can also be works of art or wel…