Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
Episode: Gilles Mendel | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
Date: February 4, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features celebrated fashion designer Gilles Mendel in an intimate and insightful conversation with host Billy Corgan (here in the role of son-in-law rather than host) and Gilles’ family. The discussion traces the Mendel family’s remarkable multi-generational legacy in the fur and couture business, the grind and artistry of high fashion, complicated questions of ethics, and the personal stories behind both creation and family. The dialogue balances the grandeur of fashion with the raw challenges of survival, adaptation, and finding meaning through craft.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mendel Family Legacy

[03:13]–[15:30]

• Origins in Fur Craftsmanship

  • Gilles is the fifth generation furrier, tracing his family's beginnings to 19th-century Russia and then Paris.
  • Story of his grandfather’s work for the Russian Tsar and how the family escaped to France.

• Values of Craft & Artisan Pride

  • An intense dedication to artistry, echoed through generations.
  • “From the love of a product, the love of making something beautiful... The mastery of artisan that’s proud of their work. This is like what fire was behind my experiences.” (Gilles Mendel, 01:54)

• Family History & World War II Trauma

  • Gilles describes his parents’ experiences surviving the Holocaust and the shadow it cast over his upbringing.
  • His father’s Resistance exploits, poetic nature, and how these marked Gilles’ vision.

2. Entering and Transforming the Family Business

[15:30]–[21:53]

• From Student & Musician to Designer
  • Gilles admits to being a reluctant business school attendee, more interested in drawing and music (his band was called "Silver Hill").
• Early Innovation — Bringing Fashion into Fur
  • Gilles leveraged his mother's connections, inviting designers to collaborate and invigorating the family atelier.
• Decision to Move to America
  • Arrives in early ‘80s NYC with only sketches and ambition, finding his first major break with Elizabeth Arden.

3. Building a Name in New York

[27:23]–[34:15]

• Elizabeth Arden & Celebrity Clientele
  • His approach extended beyond pure fur: “I wanted to show the artistry of making fur with fabric and transforming, really making more fashion out of it.” (27:28)
  • Explained the unique uptown/downtown mix of early NYC: dining with Keith Haring, befuddling encounters with Andy Warhol.
  • “I didn’t understand a single word [of Warhol], but I saw how he was printing his work, and it was fabulous.” (28:47)
• Transitioning from Fur to Dressmaking
  • PETA protests forced innovation: “Instead of leaving the furs, I’d put a coat and a dress in the window... The ladies started to come in. I said, wow, I can really do this.” (32:57)

4. The Punishing Grind & Culture of Fashion

[36:40]–[41:23]

• Relentlessness of the Industry

  • “The word I would use is relentless… The fashion business is very punishing.” (36:42, Billy)
  • Four annual collections, constant demand for novelty and reinvention.
  • Couture’s role as both creative aspiration and necessity for brand prestige.

• The Role of Wealth & Exclusivity

  • The “couture class”—the ultra-wealthy in the shadows—are major drivers of innovation and sales.
  • “They get something extraordinary, exclusive… a lot of work is put behind it. It’s really one of a kind.” (40:42)

• Contrast Between Quality and Hype

  • Gilles discusses markups and how true couture’s value transcends mere branding.

5. The Fur Controversy & Ethical Questions

[49:22]–[50:55]

• Shift from Fur to Faux
  • Maison Atia, the faux fur business Gilles started with his daughter Chloe: “What a cool way to continue the great tradition of the Mendels in fur, but avoid [the ethical conflict].” (48:28)
• Gilles’ Reflection:
  • “I was a diamond cutter, and the diamond became radioactive. And today I am not cutting diamonds anymore.” (50:21)
  • Gilles stands by fur’s artistry, but accepts its waning place in culture.

6. Rebirth — House of Gilles

[51:20]–[53:42]

• The Launch of House of Gilles
  • Inspired by designing his daughter Chloe's wedding dress, Gilles and Chloe open a couture house focusing on bespoke gowns.
  • Reviving old-world couture methods and artisan skills in New York.
• The Bespoke Experience
  • Clients enjoy a journey: “It takes about two to three months minimum to make one dress... We give the customer that extraordinary experience.” (54:32)

7. The Philosophy of Craft and Personal Vision

[56:31]–[63:14]

• The Future of Fashion

  • Gilles hopes for a shift toward sustainability, away from disposable “trash fashion.”
  • “Hopefully, people will more and more appreciate quality and try to buy less, but products that are better made.” (58:03)

• Couture as Brand Legitimacy

  • “Couture is the base. It creates legitimacy… It’s what makes us unique. Ultimately we can find other ways to expand because we have this prestigious image.” (62:52)
  • The vision: remain unique, expand through collaborations, and perhaps even create a perfume.

8. Personal Connections & Family Stories

[44:09]–[48:00]; [63:14]–[64:38]

• Meeting Billy Corgan

  • Humorous recounting of his anxiety over his daughter Chloe dating someone older and famous, and subsequent acceptance.
  • “I started to look in the Internet who you were, and that became even worse… I saw some of the women you dated prior to my daughter!” (44:38)

• Artistry Beyond Fashion

  • The parallel between obsessing over details in music and couture:
    • “We care just as much about the buttons as you care about the way your songs sound in the studio.” (64:10, Chloe, as paraphrased by Billy)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family Roots and Craftsmanship:

  • “Looking at the architecture of Versailles… all these skins were laid out on the board. He would do nail by nail, stretching the skin… immaculate. As I said, like a plan of Paris. It was very beautiful.” (Gilles Mendel, 10:53)

• On Ethical Dilemmas:

  • “I was a diamond cutter, and the diamond became radioactive. And today I am not cutting diamonds anymore.” (Gilles Mendel, 50:21)

• On the Essence of Couture:

  • “Beauty is beauty. There is nothing. You cannot change that.” (Gilles Mendel, 55:54)

• On Acceptance and Love:

  • “You turn out to be an incredible person.” (Gilles Mendel to Billy, 46:48)

• On Perfectionism:

  • “We care just as much about the buttons as you care about the weight way your songs sound in the studio.” (Chloe via Billy, 64:10)
  • “Why do I have to do it for three hours? What is that little thing... my signature.” (Billy Corgan, 64:24)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Family Legacy: [03:13]–[15:30]
• Gilles’ Path to Fashion: [15:30]–[21:53]
• Building in NY, the Art Scene: [27:23]–[34:15]
• Relentlessness of Fashion: [36:40]–[41:23]
• Ethics of Fur, Shift to Faux: [49:22]–[50:55]
• House of Gilles Launch: [51:20]–[53:42]
• Craft, Couture & Vision: [56:31]–[63:14]
• Personal/Familial Connection: [44:09]–[48:00]; [63:14]–[64:38]

Episode Tone

Warm, personal, profound, often humorous and self-deprecating. The conversation blends reverence for tradition with the realities (and absurdities) of modern fashion, infusing emotional candor about trauma, love, change, and rediscovery.

Useful for Listeners

This episode provides a holistic inside look at the fashion world, layering technical, ethical, and cultural insight with compelling family narrative and universal themes about legacy, adaptation, and the power of artistry.