Kate Moss, Rick Owens, and Courtney Cox Make Psychoanalysis Sexy on New Podcast ‘Fashion Neurosis With Bella Freud’

LONDON — Bella Freud is following in the footsteps of her great grandfather, Sigmund Freud, otherwise known as the father of psychoanalysis — but she’s bringing a fashion touch.

A new podcast, “Fashion Neurosis With Bella Freud,” launching in October on Apple and Spotify, will put the fashion designer in the hot spot with the likes of Kate Moss, Rick Owens and Courtney Cox.

In each episode, her guests lie on a cream couch and dive into subjects of love, identity, culture, anxiety and politics. Listeners can also watch the podcast in a video format.

“I have been thinking about the stories in fashion for years now — given what a huge industry fashion is, and how big a part it plays in peoples’ lives, it seemed odd to me that it is still portrayed in such a narrow way. We are all bitches, vain, with no brains, [which is] very different from the reality, which is far more interesting and exciting,” said Freud in an interview.

She initially wanted to follow a chat show format, but decided against it.

Freud is an avid filmmaker and it’s something she loves playing with, she said. Her fall 2024 collection featured stills from a film she worked on with Maria Harrild and Michael Clark, the famed Scottish dancer and choreographer.

“I had a clear idea about how I wanted the filming to look. I found a great cinematographer and we worked on getting the perfect light. To get the guests I want, the lighting has to be amazing — flattering and atmospheric,” she said.

Even with an established career, famous friends and a strong last name, Freud found it nerve-racking approaching guests to join her podcast.

“They are all top of their game and tend to be quite elusive. When someone says ‘yes,’ it is like an electric charge. That is fun,” she added.

Freud admits that she’s only read parts of her great grandfather’s work as she finds it hard to focus when it’s not a story.

When her son was 11, he brought home the comic “Introducing Freud: A Graphic Guide” by Richard Appignanesi that saw the designer dive more into psychoanalysis.

“The graphic novel explained all the theories in condensed form and the illustrations are very entertaining and memorable. One of my favorites was a drawing of Freud and Marcel Breuer slurping up spaghetti — [it’s] so good. I began to see how much fun could be had,” said Freud.

“I have always been interested in how people choose what to reveal or hide about themselves. I was incredibly shy for years, but I wanted attention, even though it was fraught with the guilt of attention seeking. Clothes are how I found my way to begin a conversation — if I had a good enough outfit then someone would make a comment. And that’s how it starts,” she added.

If anyone can make psychoanalysis sexy, it’s Bella Freud and Kate Moss.