3 questions for . . .
Valérie Tribes, journalist and founder of the Chiffon podcast.
After studying law at Pantheon-Assas University, attending journalism school, and a few years working for the café, hotel, and restaurant trade press (notably as manager for L’Auvergnat de Paris newspaper), the Brittany-born Parisian took her first steps as a fashion journalist with Prisma Media and then MilK. In January 2017, after 15 years in the press and weary of the system, Valérie Tribes decided to create Chiffon, an independent, self-financed podcast that hands the microphone to everyone who wants to talk about fashion.
Tell us about Chiffon. How does it work?
I wanted to talk about fashion, or rather give that opportunity to women and men who want to discuss fashion from every angle (meaning going beyond conversations between Parisians). I wasn’t thinking of the people who’ve written for the weekly magazines for ages, but rather people from real life who may be known or anonymous. Chiffon is a democratic podcast! I interview my guests in Paris and around France. I go everywhere, even to New York. It’s important to get out of the microcosm of the capital; you can live anywhere and still be à la mode. In the very beginning, it was funds from Kiss Kiss Bank that let me start Chiffon. Donors that I didn’t even know gave me solid support. Today it’s brands that sponsor my podcasts. I think advertisers find me interesting because my community is really involved. Each show attracts an average of 47,000 listeners. And some draw more than 100,000. Guests come to be reassured, to confide in someone, to be able to tell themselves that they’re normal. “What’s your favourite piece of clothing?” “What’s the last thing you bought?” “What garment will never be in your closet?” “What’s your definition of elegance?” I always ask my guests the same questions. The show is a reflection of our society, one that’s very sociological and anthropological. My guiding principle is to make people feel comfortable about how they dress and interpret fashion and trends, and especially to denounce the prevailing hypocrisy: not everyone has the means to wear designer clothes. I have the freedom to interview a woman who’s out of work or a divorced mother raising two children alone, but also an Editor-in-Chief of a weekly woman’s magazine, an influencer, an author, and others. My guests are normal people! They often contact me through Instagram. And each person I interview sends me, on average, another guest.
What is the podcast’s role in the fashion sphere?
Before Chiffon, there were no fashion podcasts. So I decided to put out a call on my Instagram account to find out who wanted to talk fashion with me. I got over 200 positive responses! So I told myself that people were ready to change things and that they especially wanted to be able to speak freely about fashion, to analyse it, and to discuss their convictions. The day of my first podcast, I was ranked number three on iTunes. Today I recorded my 84th show!
What’s your vision for fashion and for how your profession as a journalist will evolve?
There’s an overdose of clothing on the web. Between social media and blogs, everyday we’re bombarded with news about people who decide to start their own label. This new instant visibility short-circuits the very notion of creativity. To revive the artisanal professions, it’s essential to change the professional training system by making it more accessible.