Gilles Mendel | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan

Music, Arts, Performing Arts

4.6 • 731 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Join Billy Corgan for an intimate, funny, and surprisingly revealing conversation with legendary designer Gilles Mendel—founder of J. Mendel and House of Gilles, and yes, Billy’s father-in-law. Gilles traces his journey from postwar Paris and a fifth-generation fashion legacy to haute couture, dressing icons like Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Obama, and Taylor Swift—while pulling back the curtain on fashion’s punishing, nonstop grind. He relives his surreal 1980s New York run-ins with Andy Warhol and Keith Haring and tells the hilarious moment he discovered who his daughter was dating (including a panic-fueled Google deep dive). He breaks down why true bespoke couture still matters in the age of fast fashion—and what it really takes to make a custom gown: 2–3 months, countless hours, and borderline obsession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You don't have to be experienced in fashion to feel what's, you know, the electricity, the magic of the place when you come to us.
0:09.0	Yeah. Because you see it, you know, beauty is beauty.
0:11.0	The fashion business is very punishing. It's sort of relentless.
0:15.0	Yes, definitely. No, it's really, really hard.
0:17.0	So around 2012, I show up in your life.
0:20.0	Yes, I remember that.
0:21.6	So let's talk about this.
0:23.6	What is my daughter doing?
0:25.6	I cannot believe it, you know.
0:26.6	I started to look in the Internet who you were, and that became even worse.
0:32.6	Gio Mendel, welcome to the magnificent others.
0:38.6	So full disclosure, you are my father-in-law.
0:41.9	So we have to get that out of the way first.
0:45.6	How do you feel about that?
0:46.7	No, just wait.
0:47.3	We'll get to that.
0:48.0	Okay.
0:50.8	Sarah Jessica Parker, Taylor Swift, J-Lo, Celine Dion, Michelle Obama, Lonnie Trump, Nancy Reagan, Liza Minnelli, Anna Kendrick, Heidi Klum, Claire Dane, Scarlett Johansson, Carrie Washington, Sandra Bullock.
1:07.1	These are just some of the beautiful women that you've dressed through the years being in the fashion business.
1:13.8	Yeah, it's been quite an incredible experience, I have to say.
1:16.6	You know, I mean, just I can't believe.
1:19.1	In fact, I'm happy you gave that list because I was afraid you were going to ask me, who did I dress?
	...

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