Shows
Compelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyPatrick Frey: Designing for Decades, Not TrendsWhat does it take to protect a legacy?In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Patrick Frey, Creative Director and President Emeritus of La Maison Pierre Frey, about the unpredictable, joyful mystery of creation. Patrick shares how he grew up learning to see: travelling through Europe with his interior‑designer mother, absorbing architecture, landscapes, and museums, and developing an instinct for beauty that later shaped a global design house.They explore how a company rooted in 1935 Paris remains nimble and continues to surprise: making decisive creative calls with instinct, thinking globally an...
2026-02-1944 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyBonus Content: Life on the Road with Martin ParrIn memory of Martin Parr (23 May 1952 - 6 December 2025). This interview was recorded before his death. How does a chance encounter on a doorstep evolve into one of the most compelling collaborations? In this bonus episode of Compelling, we go behind the scenes with Lee Shulman on a year-long filmmaking journey that saw Lee kidnap the legendary Martin Parr to revisit the locations of his early career. We explore the making of I am Martin Parr and the book Deja Vu, uncovering the raw, sometimes brutal honesty that defines their friendship.L...
2026-02-0505 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyBonus Content: Staffan Ahrenberg on Books, Architecture and the Power of CuriosityWhat role do books play in shaping a life devoted to art?In this bonus episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Staffan Ahrenberg, owner and publisher of Cahiers d'Art, for a quick-fire conversation about the books, habits and dreams that define his approach to art and life. He discusses the formative impact of Malevich's The Non-Objective World and Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art, as well as novels such as Camus's L'Étranger and García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.Staffan also reveals his unrealised architectural ambitions, including building the...
2026-01-2205 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyBonus Content: Daniel Birnbaum on Books, Art and TechnologyWhat role should books and digital experiences play in the future of art institutions?In this bonus episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down with Daniel Birnbaum, director of Acute Art and former director of Moderna Museet, for a quick-fire conversation about life, art and ambition. They explore the books and writers that shaped his thinking—particularly Italo Calvino—and discuss his dream of creating a digital home for major VR and AR artworks commissioned with artists such as Mark Leckey, Cao Fei and Jeff Koons.With immersive art experiences expanding globally, Daniel expl...
2026-01-2204 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyHappy Holidays from CompelllingHappy holidays! Thank you for listening to Compelling.I've really enjoyed the first six episodes and I hope you have too. A huge thank you to my early guests on the podcast for their trust, time and inspiring conversations: Lena Evstafieva, Lee Shulman, Clemente Boisseau, Charlotte Bouygues, Staffan Arhenberg, Daniel Birnbaum, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Camille Miceli. If you've enjoyed what you've heard, please do share, like and subscribe. I'm also really happy to hear thoughts, suggestions, or ways to improve so please get in touch with me at katy@thecompellingpodcast.com.
2025-12-1900 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyCamille Miceli: From Chanel and Vuitton to a Pucci RevivalWhat does it really take to reinvent an icon without erasing its history? In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks to Camille Miceli, Artistic Director at Pucci, about how she is reimagining one of Italy’s most recognisable maisons for new generations. From a childhood spent between fashion shoots with her stylist mother, to observing glamorous dinners that her parents hosted; to formative years at Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld and then Louis Vuitton with Marc Jacobs, Camille traces a career shaped by curiosity, mentorship and risk‑taking rather than rigid planning.She expl...
2025-12-0547 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyThe Living Archive: Staffan Ahrenberg, Daniel Birnbaum and Hans Ulrich Obrist in ConversationWhat does it mean to keep an art institution alive for a hundred years – and why do books still matter in a digital age?In this episode of Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down at Cahiers d’Art in Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés with publisher Staffan Ahrenberg, curator Daniel Birnbaum and Serpentine artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist. Together they trace their personal journeys into art, from teenage encounters with Giacometti and jazz to families steeped in museums and collecting.The conversation centres on the rebirth and centenary of Cahiers d’Art, exploring how the revue lin...
2025-11-211h 05Compelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyBonus Content: Creating Sustainable Luxury PackagingHow do you launch a luxury beauty brand that remains absolutely true to its "love of the soil" DNA while navigating the brutal practicalities of industrial manufacturing? In this bonus content, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with Charlotte Bouygues, founder of the new beauty line Dix Hectares, about her journey to find "unobvious collaborators" and materials that would not compromise her vision. Dorothee Meilichzon was the fierce and talented designer she found. Charlotte details the challenging two-year quest for the perfect, marble-look lid. A seemingly small component that became the "bane of her existence" until the well-timed...
2025-11-1406 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyCharlotte Bouygues: How Entrepreneurialism and Fine Wine Shaped a New Luxury Skincare BrandHow do you build a successful luxury brand that operates with a positive impact? Host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down with entrepreneur Charlotte Bouygues, founder of the seasonal, regenerative skincare line, Dix Hectares. Charlotte's journey is a modern evolution of the powerful Bouygues family legacy, which began with the foundation of a global construction and infrastructure company and expanded into major French media (TF1) and telecoms.Charlotte shares her unique career path, from sharpening her marketing skills at L'Oréal in New York and working in media at TF1, to joining the family’s wine busi...
2025-11-0750 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyBonus Content: The Genius Behind the Lacoste Crocodile CampaignHow do you twist an 85-year-old logo and have it generate a record number of customers in stores? This bonus discussion with Clément Boisseau, CEO of Maison BETC, dives into the genius of combining brand DNA with cultural timeliness. Using the iconic Lacoste crocodile as a case study, Clément reveals the strategy behind highly successful campaigns, including the one that replaced the logo with endangered species—an effort that generated "outstanding media exposure" and drove a record number of customers in stores. He explains the "magical recipe" of entwining the rational with the emotional and the p...
2025-10-3105 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyClément Boisseau: Time, Trust, and the Rituals of LuxuryHow does a luxury brand stay true to its heritage while constantly reinventing itself for a new generation? This week on Compelling, host Katy Wellesley Wesley explores the dynamic intersection of art, culture, and commerce with Clément Boisseau, CEO of Maison BETC and Global Chief Strategy Officer of the BETC Group. A humanities scholar who transitioned from École Normale Supérieure to the world of advertising, and spent time at Chanel, Clément offers a unique perspective on luxury strategy. He discusses his proprietary 'prosumer' research methodology—which uncovers predictive consumer mindsets 12 to 18 months in adv...
2025-10-2445 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyLee Shulman: Collective Memory and the Power of ObsessionWhat does a box of forgotten vintage slides reveal about our shared identity, and how do you transform a passion project into a viable global cultural phenomenon? Host Katy Wellesley Wesley sits down with visual artist, filmmaker, and founder of The Anonymous Project, Lee Shulman, to delve into his journey from buying a random box of Kodachrome images to curating an archive of over a million slides.Lee discusses the emotional content and universality of these private moments, exploring the delicate balance between the "sacred" family snapshot and public art. They explore the creative strategy b...
2025-10-1039 minCompelling with Katy Wellesley WesleyLena Evstafieva: Bringing Together Art and Hospitality at Villa LenaWhat does it take to transform a wild dream into a thriving slow luxury hospitality business? In this episode, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with her friend and former colleague, Lena Evstafieva, founder of the extraordinary Villa Lena. Lena, a former director at Pace Gallery, shares how she leveraged her creative background to build a hospitality brand unlike any other. They discuss the ambitious decision to combine a hotel with a multidisciplinary artist residency, the challenges of fostering organic collaboration, and the importance of hiring the right team. Lena reveals how Villa Lena's growth was driven by...
2025-09-2541 min