The Uninvited Podcast

Let's get past the velvet rope with… Derek Ridgers.A photographer whose images have defined some of the most iconic subcultures of the last five decades, from punk and skinheads to new romantics and the legendary clubs of 1980s London. And yet, as he told us from the very start, he has always felt a bit uninvited.In this episode, Derek shares how he became a photographer entirely by chance, picking up a camera while working as an art director, and walking into a concert where people simply assumed he was a professional because he had one. We discuss the persistence that has defined his career, including the first time he was turned away from the Blitz Club and went back anyway.We also explore one of the most fascinating ideas to emerge from this conversation: the illusion that photographers create. When a room is full of ordinary people and a photographer captures the four or five most interesting ones, those images become the historical record, and years later, we mistake them for the whole truth.And along the way, there is also the small matter of Freddie Mercury stealing his first girlfriend at school. No big deal!An honest conversation about outsiders, persistence, and the stories that cameras tell — and the ones they don't.

Matteo's dream party needs no velvet rope, just the South of Italy, family, friends, and nothing that takes itself too seriously.Though if time travel were on the table, they'd have gate-crashed Paul Poiret's The Thousand and Two Nights in a heartbeat. Paris, 24th of June 1911. A Persian orchestra, parrots perched in trees wrapped in thousands of sparkling lights, pink ibis, multicoloured pillows — and the world premiere of the harem pants and the lampshade dress. A party so extraordinary it made fashion history before the night was over.Taylor Swift, on the other hand, is not making the cut. In any playlist, either.And from someone who has felt like the uninvited guest at a few too many institutional events, Matteo understands the velvet rope from both sides.

Let's get past the velvet rope with… Matteo Augello.A fashion historian, curator, lecturer, and performer, Matteo has built a career at the intersection of academia and spectacle, where theory meets theatrics and the archive meets the stage.In this episode, we explore how a deep love of pop culture became the lens through which Matteo approaches fashion history — including using Britney Spears as a guide to write a dissertation. We discuss what it truly means to make fashion legible, and how dressing up for lectures in outfits that directly relate to the topic at hand is never just a matter of style.But perhaps the most quietly radical thing Matteo has done is appear on the cover of their own academic book — because they are the embodiment of the ideas inside it. Not provocation for its own sake, but simply the most honest representation.A conversation about pop culture as a serious lens, visibility as a statement, and what it looks like to carve out a path entirely your own.

Alessandro’s dream party is set in the legendary Area nightclub in New York City, a night as bold and theatrical as you’d expect, with Grace Jones, Divine and Amanda Lear topping the guest list.But not everyone’s getting past the door… a few designers are firmly banned, and if Satisfaction comes on, it’s time to leave immediately.From their ultimate party philosophy to the exact moment you should not say yes to an invite, Alessandro proves that the best nights out are all about instinct and dressing to impress.

In this episode, photographer and founder of Coriandoli, Alessandro Merlo, shares a candid insight into the reality of building a career as an independent photographer.From shooting a Valentino campaign to navigating commissioned work, Alessandro discusses how to protect your visual identity while meeting client expectations, and how to find the right balance between artistic vision and collaboration.We also explore the story behind Coriandoli, a platform celebrating queer voices, as well as some of Alessandro’s key turning points, including working with M¥SS KETA, someone who once felt like a distant reference and is now part of their creative journey.An honest conversation about creative identity, compromise, and the many paths that shape a career.

Life of the party and exactly the kind of guest everyone hopes will show up, celebrity makeup artist Florrie White shares her dream party: hosted at The Roses of Elagabalus with Alexa Chung and Sharon Stone on the guest list, and an exclusive performance by Vanessa Paradis and Lenny Kravitz.From feeling like a VIP while partying in Ibiza in the 90s to the Vivienne Westwood dress she has worn for over twenty years (and that once got her picked up by Robbie Williams), Florrie reminds us that she’s the kind of person who always gets the vibe going, and that the best parties always seem to end too soon.

Let’s get past the velvet rope with… Florrie White.A joyful, insightful, and refreshingly honest conversation about beauty, resilience, and the unexpected paths that shape a creative career.A celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Alexa Chung, Sharon Stone, Claudia Schiffer, and Rosamund Pike, among others, Florrie is renowned for her ability to enhance each person’s unique beauty. Her approach to makeup is about revealing the most confident, authentic version of you.In this episode, we discuss the unpredictable nature of freelance life, how not receiving a promotion can sometimes lead us closer to the work we truly want to do, and how the skills she developed through previous jobs have become part of the creative toolkit she brings to her work today.We also discuss her early fascination with the world of supermodels, how many products we actually need in our makeup bag, and the joie de vivre Florrie seems to bring to every situation.Along the way, there are also a few unforgettable moments, from spray-tanning J.Lo’s body to a funny encounter with Britney Spears.

While we’re still waiting (impatiently) for our aristocrat(s)... we might as well have an After Party.In her own words, Charlie is “the least party girl”, and yet somehow she brings the fun wherever she goes.Find out what really happened at the Glamour Awards, which song instantly brings her to life, and who is definitely not making it onto her guest list.

Let’s get past the velvet rope with...Charlie Craggs.A fearless, funny, and unfiltered conversation about visibility, activism, and refusing to take up space without apology.A trans activist, author, and content creator, Charlie has redefined what activism can look like today, from founding Nail Transphobia to using humour, honesty, and community as tools for change. She is also the author of To My Trans Sisters, a book that has become a vital point of reference for many.Through her work, Charlie fights with purpose, speaks with clarity, and disarms with a razor-sharp sense of humour, including the way she claps back on social media.In this episode, we discuss beautiful activism, cyberbullying, red-carpet visibility, and what it takes to continue showing up when the world pushes back.

Stacey Duguid stays with us for The After Party, a celebration that begins once the velvet rope has been crossed.We talk dream parties, unforgettable dance floors, and the moments you don’t hear about on the guest list. From a Tom Ford high-five with unexpected consequences to feeling decidedly uninvited inside Donatella Versace’s apartment, Stacey shares the stories that live somewhere between glamour and chaos.Unfiltered, fun, and slightly chaotic, just how an after party should be.

In this first guest conversation of The UN/INVITED Podcast, Stacey Duguid traces a career that has moved from the glossy front row to the grit of honest writing, from corporate fashion to deeply personal essays, and now into the world of art.Through it all, she has remained raw, funny, emotionally fearless, and unmistakably herself.In this episode, we talk about unexpected turning points (including the remarkable way she landed her role at ELLE), her six years writing the beloved “Mademoiselle” column despite never being a trained writer, the breaking point that reshaped her life in 2020, and the courage it takes to reinvent yourself again and again.Let's get past the velvet rope with Stacey Duguid!

In this pilot episode, I take you back to the night in Milan that inspired The UN/INVITED Podcast, a bold, uninvited moment that changed the course of my life. It was the beginning of a creative journey that had no map, no permission, and certainly no official invitation.This story shaped not only the theme of the podcast but also its structure. The velvet rope becomes the metaphor that ties everything together, the subtle line between outside and inside, between where we begin and where we hope to go.My experience made me reflect on the myriad, and often unconventional, ways people find their way into the creative scene. There’s no single path, no written rules, and no guaranteed “right” moment. Every journey unfolds differently, and that’s what makes them worth exploring.I am setting the tone for what’s to come: real, honest, and insightful conversations with the people shaping the creative world, the turning points that shifted their direction, the risks they took, the rules they bent, and the invitations they’re still hoping to receive.Welcome to the UN/INVITED Podcast.

The UN/INVITED PodcastInspired by a true story.A few years ago, I found myself at a party in Milan where, let’s just say, I wasn’t exactly on the list.That night, I met a designer I’d always admired, and that unexpected encounter changed everything.What began as a bold, uninvited moment evolved into an opportunity that took me from being a fashion student to walking on the runway.That experience made me reflect on how creative journeys really unfold. There’s no single recipe for success, no clear map, no guaranteed way in. The creative world can feel unpredictable; its rules are rarely written down. Sometimes, all it takes is being in the right place, at the right time, and daring to step past the velvet rope.Using the velvet rope as a metaphor, The UN/INVITED Podcast explores that threshold, the moment when someone moves from feeling like an outsider to finding their place within the creative landscape.Each episode features a creative voice that uncovers the turning points, the challenges, and choices that shape their path. At its core, The UN/INVITED celebrates every journey because there’s no one way to make it, and each story has its own meaning.Whether you’re officially on the list, crashing the gate, or building your own entrance, this is your invite to join the party!