University of Northampton lecturer ‘overwhelmed’ by response to podcast, which hit number three in charts

A University of Northampton lecturer has been “overwhelmed” by the response to the podcast she co-hosts, which peaked at number three in the iTunes charts.

Laura Arrowsmith-Carter, who started as a senior lecturer in fashion marketing and promotion at the University of Northampton in October, runs a podcast called ‘The Fashademix’ with a former colleague.

Their aim was to create a platform where anyone with an interest in fashion can tune in – whether they attend university or not – and hear about the latest news from industry experts.

As Laura, 33, is new to the town after making the move from her previous job at Birmingham City University, she looks forward to getting involved with the community and sharing her fashion knowledge and experience.

She and her co-host Sophie Hillier, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, have been friends since 2008 and wanted to share their conversations about fashion outside of their university spheres.

Sophie said: “We talked about the collapse of Topshop five years before it happened and our students were adamant it wouldn’t.

“It’s conversations like that, which we had over text or at work, that we began to bring into lectures with our students and now on the podcast too.”

The podcast will have been running for two years in March next year, which began as a way to make conversations about fashion accessible to all.

There are three components – in the know, what to know, and like to know – and listeners can expect to hear from business owners, influencers and designers if they tune in.

When asked how she would describe the podcast, Laura said: “Each episode is a topical debate about what is happening in the fashion world.

“From industry news and the brands who are doing good things, to the latest product releases, we offer a real mix of what is going on.”

The podcast hit number three in the ‘fashion, beauty and lifestyle’ iTunes category at the start of this year, and the duo now want to push for the number one spot.

“We were gobsmacked and totally overwhelmed,” said Laura. “It’s just us chatting about what we usually would – our passions.

“You never know how well you’re doing and the ranking came as a shock. We haven’t been able to find another podcast like ours, which we hope makes us unique.”

Episodes are released every two weeks, typically on Wednesdays. However, with the move to new jobs at different universities, the two 33-year-olds are still finding their feet juggling it all.

Looking to the future of the podcast, Laura and Sophie want to continue making fashion as accessible as possible, no matter people’s interests or ages.

The response has shown they are doing a good job at this so far, with many people calling for their return after a short break over the summer when Laura got married and Sophie moved house.

The pair believe they have developed a loyal listener base, and hope this will continue to grow in 2023.

To find out more about The Fashademix, you can check out the podcast’s Instagram page here.