{"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 : Ruthie Friedlander","slug":"the-materialist-ruthie-friedlander","published_at":"2025-09-05T23:53:23+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202/the-materialist-ruthie-friedlander","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-materialist-a-podcast-from-at-present-7020202","url":"https://atpresent.substack.com/p/the-materialist-ruthie-friedlander","audio_url":"https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/172912556/a96d366219a4717258e398f87b050296.mp3","summary":"What does it take to translate timeless brands into the digital age—and what happens when you refuse to play by algorithmic rules? This week on The Materialist , I sit down with Ruthie Friedlander , a digital pioneer who has shaped how we see luxury fashion and jewelry online. Ruthie’s story defies linear career paths. She started as Dan Abrams ’ assistant in the early days of Mediaite , carved out one of Chanel’s first digital roles, joined the Olsen twins at The Row when the company was barely 25 people, and later helped lead digital strategy at ELLE and InStyle . Today she runs At Large , the creative agency she “accidentally” founded after burning out on editorial quotas that demanded 80 stories a day. Along the way, she has become a leading voice on what it means to build brands that endure. Highlights from our conversation: * On brand integrity: “It’s either right or it’s wrong.” Ruthie draws a through-line from Chanel to The Row to At Large: the best brands refuse compromise. * On digital shortcuts: chasing algorithms creates short-term growth but erodes identity. She explains why so many millennial “playbook brands” fizzled out. * On jewelry’s unique challenge: unlike sweaters, fine jewelry brands must finance inventory, consign pieces, and absorb the risk—making scale almost impossible without deep pockets. * On lab vs. natural diamonds: chemically identical, yes—but “I will always look at natural diamonds and lab diamonds differently from a spiritual perspective.” * On building healthier workplaces: having recovered from an eating disorder exacerbated by fashion’s culture and starting The Chain , a nonprofit dedicated to eating disorder advocacy in fashion and entertainment, Ruthie is committed to running a company where therapy, boundaries, and health are no…","meta_description":"What does it take to translate timeless brands into the digital age—and what happens when you refuse to play by algorithmic rules? This week on The Materi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3286,"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-ruthie-friedlander/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-ruthie-friedlander.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}