About Avery Trufelman

Fashion, personal style, and their origins tell a far greater story- a story that Avery Trufelman has dedicated an entire podcast to. The “Articles of Interest” podcast, breaks down how fashion transcends all vanity and frivolity to reveal a deeper human story. This is achieved through fascinating stories and analysis of Fashion and clothing.

Net Influencer follows Avery Trufelman and her podcast through the telling of these stories and offers you some insight on “Article of Interest”. We unpack the podcast’s themes and topics, format and structure, reach, and even handpick a few examples for you to sample. 

Introduction

https://podnews.net/press-release/american-ivy

Since “Articles of Interest” by Avery Trufelman launched on September 25th, 2018, it has provided a different dimension and perspective to the concept of clothes, their purpose, and their link to society. The Radiotopia from PRX podcast is a quest and inquiry by Avery Trufelman, who admits to being confused by clothes and having many questions about fashion. The series addresses those questions and the fundamentals and origins of clothes, and why people wear them.

The Host of “Articles of Interest”

Avery Trufelman is no stranger to podcasting, a veteran of the design podcast 99% invisible and former host of The Cut from New York Magazine and Nice Try! from Curbed. She is also an insightful creator, producer, and host. She may have only been an intern when she began with 99% Invisible. Now Trufelman is a well-respected audio producer. 

As the host of “Article of Interest,” Avery satisfies her healthy curiosity, and as the podcast’s producer, she presents this in the most astute and commendable manner. Therefore, her accolades and the large following come as no surprise. 

Themes and Topics Covered

This podcast is a Fashion, Beauty, and Arts series. It covers the rudiments, origins, and development of fashion and clothes. With personal and cultural expressions overlapping and standing apart in some instances, this story of clothes is unique and fresh. 

The series also dissects the anatomy of trends and their episodic return throughout generations. 

Season 1 of ‘Articles of Interest’ provided discourse on intellectual property law behind knockoffs, the creation of tartan, and the history of plaid. 

Season 2 consists of 6 interlacing episodes that explore luxury and our joint idea of glamor throughout the US. There are repeating themes and links that serve to indicate our originality, authenticity, and success.

Season 3 explores the Ivy Fashion trend, focusing on chinos, polos, sweater vests, and loafers- all of which constitute the preppy look. This look was birthed on the Princeton University campus and has evolved to infiltrate social media, and mainstream fashion and has been repurposed and remixed into current fashion trends. It also focuses on the book, “Take Ivy”, which is referenced in the podcast and used to develop and plot the timeline of the ivy and preppy trend. The book was written in 1965 by a Japanese visitor to Ivy League College Campuses. 

The series also covers the nature of nostalgia and style-based on cultural steamrollers in different eras like Kanye West, Vampire Weekend, Gossip Girl, and the feedback loop of “ivy”.

“Articles of Interest” Episode Reviews

Kids’ Clothes

This story about clothes begins in the kid’s department of clothing stores. It explores clothes as a record of the bodies we live in and likens us to snakes shedding our skin. The reference describes how we outgrow the clothes we wore as children, not just in size but style and influence. This outlook is nostalgic and reflective of our clothing and fashion journey as we grow.

Blue Jeans

Denim is the main character of this episode, recording and telling a story of a hard and real day’s work. The episode brings to our attention that other articles of clothes are usually well taken care of. We generally avoid spills and damage to our clothes. Denim, however, is hard-wearing and accumulates more signs of wear and tear, which tells a whole other story. 

Wedding Dresses

The wedding dress is the focal point of a wedding and has become the symbol of achievement and success. The symbolism of the white dress, and everything it stands for, including the pressures and crowning glory, are discussed in this episode. 

American Ivy: Chapter 1

This episode marks the beginning of a new season of “Articles of Interest” with ‘American Ivy’ at the fore of the entire season. This episode covers a trend forecaster chasing up a trend report from 2016. And a well-known fashion buyer discusses their trends for fall 2022. The episode sees a particular trend being repeated and questions this.

The reach of “Articles of Interest” 

The “Articles of Interest,” has no dedicated YouTube channel or Instagram and Tik Tok accounts.

As of January 2023, “Articles of Interest,” was ranked #4 in Apple Podcasts: United States of America: Arts, with a 4.9-star rating on Apple.

Based on this analysis we estimated that the Articles of Interest,” receives 5k to 10k listens each time an episode goes out across Apple, Google, YouTube, and Spotify podcast networks.

Format of “Articles of Interest”

The 7-episode series has gained popularity through Avery Trufelman’s talent for creating compelling stories around her subjects. Each episode averages 30-45 minutes per episode. Trufelman’s narration determines the course of the episode, introducing the topic. Interviews add to the scintillating exploration of fashion and are interspersed in the podcast. “Articles of Interest” provides a fresh take on fashion and clothes, not conforming to traditional podcasting formats. The show is more than any listener can bargain for.

Reception and Impact

The podcast’s success and high rating have resulted in “Articles of Interest’ winning iHeartRadio’s 2021 Podcast Awards in the “Best Beauty & Fashion” category. It was also named best podcast of the year by the BBC, Curbed, Globe & Mail, LAist, New York Magazine, and the New Yorker.

Conclusion

Avery Trufelman’s exploration of clothes and the psychology and history that shapes fashion cast a different spotlight on fashion. This podcast strips down the influences behind our fashion choices, tracing them as far back as the podcast will allow. It explores the impact fashion and clothes have on us in an attempt to understand the human condition. 

With the social media boom catapulting fashion trends, we are seeing this story unfold before our eyes – as fashion is used to express and forge thoughts, ideas, movements, and make statements. The profundity behind what we wear and why we wear it may be more intriguing than you could imagine.

Tune in to “Articles of Interest” on these major podcast platforms and discover Avery Trufelman’s theories on clothing and fashion: PRX, Apple Podcast, Google Play, and Spotify.