‘We had no guide on how to get into the fashion industry’ – style experts Lia Cowan and Adam Walsh now show the way in their insider podcast

Lia Cowan, fashion designer and co-host of the Cramp Your Style podcast which the pair launched in 2022, explains: “We both said we’d love to have a ‘how to guide’ on entering the creative industry. Neither of us had that when we first started and it was such a shame.”

Their experiences are common — many career guidance counsellors aren’t well-versed in how to get a start in fashion. It’s not as straightforward as other careers as there’s a multitude of ways to become a part of it.

“A lot of the time it may not even be about going to college. You may just jump in and start assisting [a more experienced professional],” Cowan says. “Each person who’s told us their story has gotten into the industry in totally different ways.”

One of their favourite podcast guests was Natalie Farrell. She started off as a hairdresser at the age of 15, then 17 years later went to study fashion industry practice at Sallynoggin College, Dublin. She got a job at H&M as a sales advisor, moving up to become a personal shopper and showroom intern. Today, she’s the PR and communication specialist for H&M Ireland.

“It’s treat to be able to speak with these people and pick their brain, and in a way the podcast gave us the excuse to do that,” Cowan says.

The pair dipped into their contacts books when it came to finding guests. “I had assisted fashion stylists Corina Gaffey and Courtney Smith who we had on the podcast,” Walsh says.

The DJ and beauty columnist Louise McSharry was Cowan’s number one guest. “She’s worn my designs before. We talked about size inclusivity, Louise and myself are big advocates for that,” she says.

Although there was no shortage of talented guests, the hosts do admit the podcast came with its own learning curve. “We were talking over each other for the first episodes. With practice we found our flow,” Cowan says with a laugh.​

The Cramp Your Style podcast is on Spotify