River Island to launch entertaining podcast series

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 24, 2022

River Island has announced its first-ever podcast with Notes From The Island covering “fashion, life and everything in between”.

Launching this Friday, and hosted by comedians James Barr and Lauren Pattison, it’s a weekly “inclusive, celebratory” podcast that the retailer believes can “become the go-to for listeners who want a little fashion advice, a little life advice, and a lot of laughs”. 

It’s produced by Charlie Murrell of prominent podcast specialist Rethink Audio, and executive-produced by Emily Bryce-Perkins.

The choice of hosts is certainly interesting. Rather than style influencers, the company has opted for comedians to maximise the entertainment value of its initiative.

They’re fresh from two successful Edinburgh shows – Pattison's It Is What It Is received a nomination for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2022, while Barr's five-star show Straight Jokes was described as a “masterclass in queer storytelling”. 

River Island said they’ve teamed up to “bring listeners a podcast packed with honest and relatable takes on our relationship with fashion”.

There’ll be a different theme each week, including fashion & identity, dopamine dressing, and beauty. Each show is split into three sections and will feature weekly contributions from celebrity guests, alongside listeners of the podcast, “all shared via the power of voice notes”.

In Season One, the hosts will “explore how fashion shapes our everyday lives” with celebrity guests including Elizabeth Day and Rosie Ramsey talking about “their latest obsessions and top fashion tips”, and listeners “will be encouraged to send in their burning questions for our hosts to answer”.

A different celebrity each week will talk about What I’m Loving (“think TikTok morning rituals, their secret celeb crush, game-changing dresses, and the wardrobe staples they simply cannot live without”).

And what we’re told will be “the juiciest part of the show” is The Big Question. James and Lauren “will listen to a burning question-slash-fashion-related problem, sent in by a listener of the podcast. Combining their own experience, plus a few experts when needed, the hosts will try their best to impart some solid, relatable advice”

Pass The Mic will be a dedicated feature to “highlight some heart-warming-goodness. Think charity initiatives, grassroots community work, or something that made the hosts do a happy cry that week”.

It all adds up to an intriguing mix of subjects that prioritise fashion and style without trying to say they’re the most important things in life.