Once Upon a Look

A podcast exploring fashion's influence on the world, and the world's influence on fashion. New episodes every Tuesday. Hosted by Dumo. Every week, Dumo takes your behind the seams, connecting a piece, outfit, collection or trend to the unstylish forces that shape it. This is a podcast about the history and evolution of fashion through the lens of culture, politics, technology and the environment.

8. Sunday Best: Why We Dress Up For The Divine (Part 1)

Stories about our holiest clothes. Whether it's the papal robes in the Vatican, or the uniforms of women's fellowship in Zimbabwe, we’re asking why getting dressed can feel like a kind of worship.

04-30
22:17

7. Game of Clothes (Reupload)

Originally released with audio issues, Game of Clothes returns in this sound-adjusted reupload. We explore how fashion turns shopping into a game through tactics like scarcity drops and in-app challenges, all to fuel consumer desire. 

04-16
22:50

6. "They Don't Know I'm Wearing Quiet Luxury"

Revealing how wealth dresses when it doesn’t want to be seen. Join Dumo in exploring the codes of elevated simplicity, from 1926 Chanel to 2025 China.

04-09
23:00

5. Where Do Our Forgotten Clothes Go?

We unpack the the environmental and economic toll of fashion's high-speed production cycle, and highlight movements challenging the industry’s disposable mindset.

03-19
28:02

4. From Ma Rainey to Doechii: The Enduring Legacy of Black Avant-Garde Style in Music

This episode explores the impact of Black musicians who have redefined fashion as radically as they have sound. FACT CHECK: Doechii's second name is Ji'mya not Ja'mila.

02-21
24:29

3. Designing with Love: The Creative Power of Teamwork in Fashion

Stories of fashion's defining partnerships, from South Korean "couple-looks", to Law and Zendaya.FACT CHECK: Dara Allen is the Fashion Director of Interview Magazine, not Fashion Editor.

02-12
23:15

2. The Lace Chronicles: Tradition, Transformation, Timelessness

This episode tells the vibrant story of lace—from its European aristocratic ties to its political symbolism, cultural reinventions, and enduring role as a fabric of both tradition and defiance.

02-05
23:05

1. First Lady Fashion: the Global Politics of Styling Soft Power

Exploring the memorable, often unethically acquired wardrobes of 9 current and former first ladies from around the world.

01-17
22:31

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