What's Contemporary Now?

• Editing Creative Culture with System Magazine’s Jonathan Wingfield

  In recent years, it’s become harder to tell whether fashion can still stand on its own, without leaning on the scaffolding of sport, film, or whatever cultural tentpole happens to be in rotation. But with the sustained relevance of System and the sharp ambition behind its latest expansion, Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Wingfield offers a clear answer: yes—fashion can still trade on itself. It is a business, unquestionably—but a beautifully complex one, in constant dialogue with culture. And in that dialogue, the currency of creativity proves more stable than gold. Unlike so many aspects of contemporary life, its role is inimitable, its value evergreen. In this conversation, Wingfield traces his own route—from suburban teenage boredom and record sleeves to the visual literacy that would come to define his work. We talk about System’s origins, the logic behind System Collections, and what gets lost when coverage is dictated by algorithms rather than curiosity. “The most interesting commentary on a film often came from the costume designer, not the star. That logic applies to fashion too.” - Jonathan Wingfield Episode Highlights: From suburban boredom to fashion curiosity - Wingfield traces his creative awakening to the disconnect between small-town life and the cultural energy of nearby London—music, record sleeves, and magazines were his early portals. The record sleeve as first editorial influence - A Peter Saville–designed cover for New Order’s True Faith becomes an entry point into the world of typography, photography, and image-making. A formative mentorship on the road - A months-long carpool with UK publishing legend Alan Lewis becomes a crash course in magazine craft—headline writing, storytelling, and editorial voice. Why editing is about the final decisions - For Wingfield, the joy of putting a magazine together isn’t in the interviews—it’s in the final details: captions, pull quotes, and headlines that shape meaning. System’s founding as a response to access fatigue - Frustrated by increasingly hollow interviews with celebrities, Wingfield wanted a space for deeper, more sustained conversations—System was his answer. Virgil Abloh as a cultural inflection point - A cover story featuring Virgil becomes a turning point for System, bridging industry credibility and outsider influence, and reframing who the magazine is for. The slow reveal: System’s relationship to time - Wingfield shares why the magazine resists real-time commentary and favors longer arcs—interviewing designers after the noise has died down. The launch of System Collections - He introduces System’s newest project: a seasonal, time-capsule-style publication that offers deep visual and editorial takes on fashion month. On interviewing well—and waiting for silence - One of his top tips: don’t rush to fill silences. Real answers often follow the pause. What’s contemporary now? Swerve the algorithm - Wingfield’s closing reflection: avoid being trapped in feedback loops. Discovery, intuition, and counterintuitive creativity are what truly move culture forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Where Optimism Meets Realism with Carlos Nazario

  It’s easy to repeat oneself in fashion. Certain truths return again and again, not because we lack imagination, but because they remain unresolved. One of them is this—authenticity isn’t rare because people are unwilling to be real, but because many still don’t know who they are. Carlos Nazario does. And more than that, he shows up as himself, without spectacle and without self-mythologizing. What makes this conversation compelling isn’t only his perspective on fashion or culture. It’s the way he holds space for complexity—the exhaustion and the joy, the disenchantment and the deep love for the work. There’s a calm clarity in how he speaks about image-making, identity, and the creative life. Not as fixed roles, but as evolving practices. For anyone feeling unmoored by the state of the industry or uncertain about how to keep creating in a time that feels increasingly TBD, this episode offers something more valuable than certainty. It offers perspective, and the steady presence of someone who has figured out how to move forward without losing himself along the way. “I love fashion. I don’t always love the fashion industry.” - Carlos Nazario  Episode Highlights: Redefining Exhaustion in Creative Work - Carlos discusses the mental and emotional toll of fashion’s nonstop pace—and why he refuses to glorify burnout, emphasizing presence, boundaries, and creative sustainability. Loving Fashion vs. Loving the Industry - He unpacks the tension between a deep love for fashion itself and disillusionment with the political performance of the industry. The Power and Limits of the Internet in Fashion - Carlos reflects on the democratization of commentary online, and how the resulting noise makes it harder to sift out meaningful, resonant work. Image as a Tool for Transformation - A powerful meditation on imagemaking as a vehicle for cultural change, generational thought, and emotional resonance. Resisting Small Talk, Embracing Realness - He shares his discomfort with surface-level conversations in industry spaces, and his craving for meaningful, emotionally honest exchanges. Retreat, Identity & Reclaiming the Self - A story about a therapeutic retreat—where he wasn’t allowed to share his profession or last name—leads to a conversation about selfhood outside of industry labels. Critique vs. Cruelty - Carlos addresses the rise of snarky, anonymous fashion criticism, drawing a distinction between valuable critique and performative cruelty. The Weight of Representation - He speaks candidly about his experience as a Black, Afro-Latino stylist—and how resilience, optimism, and responsibility continue to shape his point of view. Time, Mortality & Legacy - A moving reflection on life’s brevity, what it means to step away, and how true impact often comes from stillness and intentionality. What’s Contemporary Now - Looking within. Carlos defines contemporaneity as self-awareness, intention, and resisting herd mentality in favor of independent thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Met Ball Monday

  It is Monday, but not just any Monday. It's the first Monday in May queue. The flash bulbs, the group chats, the live tweets, the MET Gala is here, and with it, the annual flood of speculation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• How Lyas Built a Career by Staying Unapologetically Untamed

  Describing Lyas as a "fashion narrator" rather than a critic or commentator feels curiously apt in a moment when fashion could use a little more imagination and a little less judgment. Storytelling, after all, is what he does best — with a kind of honesty that carries weight without ever feeling heavy. Unlike many of his peers, Lyas is as much a creator as he is a commentator, sculpting himself into a living performance while quietly building a world behind the scenes with two films already in the works. His energy moves through the industry like a weather system — sometimes wild, but never without purpose — electrifying the air it passes through. He learned early that the worst thing anyone could do was ask him to tame himself, and it is precisely this refusal that has shaped his path. Fired from every traditional job he attempted, Lyas carved out a future that runs on instinct, imagination, and just the right measure of delusion. In an industry that often rewards conformity, he is a reminder that sometimes it is the unruliest forces that end up remaking the landscape. "I couldn’t be normal. My normal is crazy." - Lyas  Episode Highlights: Growing up in Rouen - Lyas reflects on his early years in a city steeped in history but devoid of contemporary culture — and how moving to Paris unlocked his sense of identity and creative belonging. The Power of Performance - How 11 years of drama school shaped Lyas’s relationship to fashion, storytelling, and self-expression — and why performance is an essential part of his daily life. Feeling the Most Tamed — and the Most Lost - A candid look at how being "tamed" or asked to tone down his personality deeply affected Lyas’s sense of self-worth — and why authenticity became non-negotiable. Building a Career Without a Blueprint: - Lyas shares how unconventional paths, personal resilience, and creative hunger shaped a career that defies traditional expectations — and why doing things his own way became the only option. Living Rent-Free in Paris (and Building a Dream) - The surreal stretch of living rent-free during COVID — and how it gave Lyas the time and space to develop the projects that would launch his digital career. Making Fashion Critique Accessible - Why Lyas believes fashion commentary should be democratized — speaking to real people, not just insiders — and how he uses humor and storytelling to break down barriers. Choosing Integrity Over Industry Pressure - The moment Lyas chose honesty over maintaining industry relationships, after attending a disappointing show and refusing to stay silent. The Future of Fashion (and the Role of Excitement) - How Lyas manages to stay genuinely excited about fashion, especially by championing young designers, despite the industry's increasingly commercial pressures. Writing Stories, Not Just Reviews - Lyas shares his passion for screenwriting, the difference between writing scripts versus essays, and the films he hopes will challenge and change culture. What’s Contemporary Now? Hatred — and Hope - Lyas’s unexpectedly profound answer to the show's namesake question — that hatred feels contemporary today, but so does the community-building needed to fight it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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  33:31
• Icons of the Edit: Paul Cavaco and Tonne Goodman

  In fashion, there are stylists—and then there are image-makers. As the “C” in KCD and one of the first male editors to define women’s fashion editorial, Paul Cavaco helped shape the modern visual vocabulary of the 1990s, styling everything from Harper’s Bazaar under Liz Tilberis to Madonna’s era-defining Sex book with Steven Meisel and Fabien Baron. Tonne Goodman, whose early days included modeling for Richard Avedon and assisting Diana Vreeland, brought that same instinct for clarity and cultural intuition to her longstanding role as the American fashion editor of Vogue. In a moment when the function—and future—of the fashion editor is being reexamined, hearing from two of its originals felt not only timely, but essential. Their conversation is a reminder that while fashion constantly reinvents itself, the value of vision and integrity never goes out of style. "I grew up in the Bronx. There was no fashion in my house. What we had was music, grit, and individuality." - Paul Cavaco  "Everything really does happen for a reason. Even the catastrophic moments usually lead to something better." - Tonne Goodman  Episode Highlights: The Bronx Meets the Upper East Side - Paul and Tonne reflect on their wildly different upbringings—his gritty childhood in the Bronx, hers in a cultured Manhattan household—and how those contrasting backgrounds shaped their approach to fashion and image-making. Modeling Missteps and Vreeland’s Memo - Tonne shares how her short-lived modeling career ended with a memorable memo from Diana Vreeland describing her as “not pretty,” but still worth investing in—an early lesson in resilience and reinvention. From the Streets to the Studio - Paul shares how growing up in the Bronx and discovering style through music and street culture gave him a grounded, real-world approach to fashion—one rooted not in fantasy, but in everyday grit and individuality. The Madonna Sex Book and the Power of Play - Paul shares behind-the-scenes stories from the making of Madonna’s Sex book, revealing how humor, trust, and improvisation drove one of pop culture’s most provocative moments. Working Under Vreeland, Liz Tilberis, and Anna Wintour - Both editors reflect on their experiences working under three of fashion's most legendary editor-in-chiefs, and how those women shaped the way they understood vision, authority, and trust. Amber in Poughkeepsie - Tonne recounts a story of a shoot gone wrong—turned right—thanks to a vintage car parade and quick thinking. A reminder of how the best images often come from the unexpected. What a Fashion Editor Actually Does - They unpack the evolving role of the fashion editor—from doing everything themselves in the early days to navigating the micromanagement of today’s content-saturated shoots. The Value of Niceness - In an industry known for egos and elitism, both credit their long-term success to gratitude, empathy, and kindness—and explain why being “nice” is often an underrated superpower. On Creative Longevity and Staying Awake - The key to keeping ideas fresh? Staying alive to the world. For Paul, it’s about visual curiosity. For Tonne, it’s emotional connection. For both, it’s a refusal to become calcified. What’s Contemporary Now - Tonne cites empathy and mutual care as the defining principles of the present, while Paul reflects on how enduring values—rather than trends—shape what really matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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