ONE PODCAST, TWO ‘GROWN DIRTBAGS’ AND 17 MILLION* LISTENERS
How Throwing Fits nailed the millennial menswear zeitgeist
With its passionate enthusiasm for clothes but healthy distrust of trends and the hype cycle, irreverent fashion podcast Throwing Fits has built a devoted fanbase. Hosts Lawrence Schlossman and James Harris, “two grown dirtbags just tryna navigate the millennial male zeitgeist”, explain how…
ESQUIRE: Why do you think Throwing Fits is such a hit?
JAMES HARRIS: Ostensibly it’s about fashion, style, streetwear, but we also want to go deeper than just accepting what we’re told is “cool” currently by the fashion industry. We’re beholden to no one, so I think people connect with that.
LAWRENCE SCHLOSSMAN: We are menswear’s court jesters. We’re the dudes thumbing our nose to the system. Also, it’s a testament to male friendship. We can be performative, but it’s no bullshit and unfiltered.
ESQ: You’ve had Jonah Hill and Ezra Koenig on. Who’s your dream guest?
JH: Shia [LaBeouf] is up there. Tyler, the Creator [see right]. Seth Rogen.
LS: I think that we’re into celebrities like Jonah or Shia because we feel like we could have an honest conversation with them. What is Kylie Jenner going to say that she hasn’t already said? We’d rather have our friends on than a celebrity for celebrity’s sake.
ESQ: Do you consider yourselves influential in the fashion world?
LS: I think we’ve gone from commenting on the zeitgeist to helping lead it. I think that more than being influencers, or anything like that, we’re relatable. I think that resonates.
JH: The brands we champion definitely get attention after we incessantly speak about them. Something like “post-sneaker world” [ongoing Throwing Fits narrative imagining a time beyond the dominance of trainers] doesn’t mean throw all your sneakers out, but it does mean explore other footwear options. Lawrence would probably want to claim popularising camp collar shirts.
ESQ: Why you guys?
JH: Something we try not to bring up is how fucking old we are. I’m 34 in a week. We have the benefit of hindsight and chasing trends and having embarrassing old photos of us online where we’re wearing some terrible fit. We were fashion victims. I think that’s why kids look to us because we’re not afraid to admit it.
LS: If we didn’t care or look good, I don’t think we would even be having this conversation, right? I’m not here trying to say that we are style icons, or that James and I have created trends… though I do think we are influential.
ESQ: Have the events of 2020 changed the way you think about clothes?
JH: Something that’s always been in our DNA is the admission of how absurd the clothing, culture and art industries are. It’s a “nice to have” not a “need to have”. And I think that with Covid and everything else… that’s accelerated things. We’re definitely trying to champion the little man even more now. Buy local.
LS: If Covid achieves anything I hope it ruins the fast-fashion industry. Uniqlo doesn’t count, though. I love Uniqlo.