{"podcast":{"title":"The Materialist : A Podcast from At Present","slug":"the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202","podcast_index_feed_id":7020202,"rss_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/3032602.rss","website_url":"https://atpresent.substack.com/podcast","image_url":"https://substackcdn.com/feed/podcast/3032602/b23cc577c853a27e2e85620781b32946.jpg","author":"At Present","episode_count":39,"summary":"An exploration of material culture with At Present Founder Marc Bridge. Marc is a Materialist. He loves things -- the things artists make, the things we sell, the things we make part of our our lives. But he was conflicted. Why do things matter? Why do creative people dedicate their lives to crafting them? What does it mean to obsess about what we buy, wear, and put in our homes. Are we destroying our planet, our children, and ourselves through this obsession? The Materialist Podcast is an exploration of this and so much more. Join us for conversations with the world's best jewelry designers, stylists, influencers, admirers, environmentalists, academics, and a bunch of just interesting people. atpresent.substack.com","last_synced_at":"2026-06-18T10:21:57.470188+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202"},"episode":{"title":"The Materialist : Gigi Burris","slug":"the-materialist-gigi-burris","published_at":"2025-06-20T23:02:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202/the-materialist-gigi-burris","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202","url":"https://atpresent.substack.com/p/the-materialist-gigi-burris","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/166434153/8c74965dac9af5d66aaf7273144e2948.mp3","summary":"This week on The Materialist , I sit down with milliner and creative force Gigi Burris , founder of Gigi Burris Millinery and the nonprofit Closely Crafted , which champions artisanal production in the U.S. We talk about how Gigi went from sewing hats as a Parsons student to dressing Rihanna and being a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist—while keeping her studio (and her soft-coated Wheaten Terrier shipping manager, Brooklyn Bow) right in the heart of Chinatown. She shares what it means to build a niche brand in an age of sameness, the surprisingly diverse world of hat-wearers, and why confidence is the accessory that really matters. Highlights from our conversation: * ✂️ The difference between a milliner and a millionaire (and why she hopes to be both one day) * 👒 How Rihanna ended up in a senior thesis hat from Parsons * 🧵 The Vogue Fashion Fund bootcamp that shaped her business * 🇯🇵 Why Japanese department stores get everything first * 🎯 Closely Crafted’s mission to revive U.S.-based artisan production * 💡 “If you're going to be intentional about the way you dress, why would you not do so from head to toe?” * 👛 Shout-outs to fellow makers: Eve Fehren , Lizzie Fortunato , Don’t Let Disco , and Underwater Weaving Studio . Gigi Burris O’Hara at her studio and store in Chinatown, NYC Marc Bridge wearing a Gigi Burris Hat Pin as a Lapel Pin, NYC This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit atpresent.substack.com","meta_description":"This week on The Materialist , I sit down with milliner and creative force Gigi Burris , founder of Gigi Burris Millinery and the nonprofit Closely Crafte…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2602,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202/episodes/the-materialist-gigi-burris/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202/the-materialist-gigi-burris.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}