5x15 Special: Susie Cave in conversation with Bella Freud

Susie Cave is a fashion designer, former model and co-founder of cult label ‘The Vampire’s Wife’, whose Falconetti dress was named dress of the decade by Vogue. Born in Cheshire and raised across Malawi and Nigeria, she began modelling at 14, working with Yohji Yamamoto, Vivienne Westwood and Yves Saint Laurent before turning to fashion design. Her new book Susie is a visual and lyrical portrait brought together by four creative voices: Susie herself, her husband, musician and writer Nick Cave, photographer Dominique Issermann and designer Irma Boom.

Bella Freud is a British designer who founded her eponymous label in 1990. Working across fashion, interiors, perfumery, filmmaking, and publishing, she is known for her intelligent yet playful approach, distilling emotion and weaving personal narratives throughout her collections. Her iconic Word sweaters, such as Ginsberg is God and 1970, have become contemporary classics and are worn by a devoted global following, including Rosamund Pike, Rashida Jones, Alexa Chung, Kate Moss and Rebecca Ferguson. Bella's work includes collaborations across disciplines, including projects with Marks & Spencer, King & McGaw, Nick Cave, and filmmaker John Malkovich. In October 2024 she launched Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud, a podcast exploring the relationship between fashion and identity through deeply personal conversations, set in the intimate environment of Bella's sitting room. The series quickly reached number one in the UK arts podcast charts and the top ten globally, and has featured leading cultural figures from fashion, film, music, and literature.