Overview of How Long Gone with Norma Kamali
Chris Black and Jason Stewart welcome fashion designer Norma Kamali for a wide-ranging conversation that blends fashion history, New York nightlife, fitness culture, longevity, and the realities of building a creative business. The episode moves from the hosts’ usual offbeat banter into a thoughtful interview with Kamali, who reflects on her decades in New York, her design philosophy, her commitment to working out, and why staying curious and useful matters at any age.
Key Topics Discussed
Pre-interview banter and sponsor jokes
- The hosts open with their usual absurd, fast-moving banter about:
- Whether their “portfolio” should expand into owning a boat.
- A mistaken search result that turns “boat” into “boar.”
- A bizarre Liquid Death x MrBeast Feastables sparkling water collab.
- Music/Vinyl discourse, including Andrew Garfield’s “you can’t be a DJ unless you spin vinyl” take.
- Interpol sounding unusually good at Mercury Lounge.
Norma Kamali’s studio, work life, and New York
- Kamali describes her 17,000-square-foot West Village studio, which she uses for:
- Fashion work and fittings
- Comedy events
- Live-streamed workouts
- She explains why she left Midtown after decades there and prefers the West Village’s friendlier, more livable energy.
- She reflects on being a lifelong New Yorker and how the city’s changing backdrop has shaped culture across decades.
Studio 54, nightlife, and the creative 70s
- Kamali discusses the Studio 54 era, including her relationship with Ian Schrager.
- She says she chose to focus on building her business rather than partying, even while her designs were worn by people trying to get into the club.
- She and the hosts talk about how New York in the 70s fostered creativity, especially in queer culture and fashion, despite the city’s financial troubles.
- She notes how AIDS and the changing cultural climate affected nightlife, creativity, and social life.
Fitness, movement, and the rise of wellness
- Fitness is a major theme:
- Kamali works out daily and has explored many forms of training over the years.
- Her studio hosts group workouts at 12:30 p.m., sometimes including yoga, meditation, or “animal flow.”
- She argues that working out together helps build community and team energy, similar to how people once bonded through dancing.
- The hosts contrast older generations’ casual dancing with younger people’s more self-conscious relationship to being filmed.
Fashion philosophy: fabrics, functionality, and longevity
- Kamali talks about designing clothes that are:
- Washable
- Comfortable for sweating
- Compatible with sauna and wellness routines
- She emphasizes sustainability and practicality, especially in fabric choice.
- She also warns about the downsides of dry cleaning, saying she prefers washable materials and hand-washing when possible.
- The conversation touches on how fashion should balance aesthetics with real-life wearability.
Shoulder pads, style, and her design legacy
- Kamali and the hosts revisit her iconic shoulder pads, which she essentially claims as part of her fashion heritage.
- The hosts celebrate her influence on how people remember 80s power dressing.
- Kamali explains that many of her signature ideas came from practical design solutions, not just trend-chasing.
Relationships, marriage, and “the person you deserve”
- Kamali shares personal stories about:
- Being married very young
- Later marrying her current husband, Marty, after Ian Schrager introduced them
- She discusses the quote from her book about falling back in love with love.
- Her takeaway: relationships are less about fantasy and more about finding the person you deserve.
Aging, longevity, and staying relevant
- Kamali says she wants to stay alive long enough to experience what’s coming next in technology and culture.
- She’s enthusiastic about:
- AI
- Longevity research
- Health and preventive care
- She believes staying active, mentally engaged, and useful is the real barometer for whether life extension makes sense.
- The hosts say they can’t imagine retiring either.
Met Gala, Galliano, and industry support
- The conversation turns serious around John Galliano and the Met Gala.
- Kamali expresses that:
- Galliano is immensely talented
- His past actions were a serious mistake
- The fashion industry needs to be careful and supportive during a fragile time
- She also stresses the importance of backing emerging designers and protecting the business side of fashion.
Quick-hit wellness advice
- Near the end, the hosts ask about creatine bloating.
- Kamali says she hates bloating and recommends a probiotic called Bisiome for digestive support.
Main Takeaways
- Norma Kamali remains deeply active, experimental, and future-facing at 81.
- Her approach to fashion is grounded in function, longevity, and real life, not just runway aesthetics.
- She sees workouts, collaboration, and creativity as part of the same cultural ecosystem.
- The episode is as much about New York, aging, and discipline as it is about fashion.
- Kamali’s outlook is optimistic: stay healthy, stay curious, and keep contributing.
Notable Perspective
- Kamali’s central idea throughout the interview is that purpose and participation keep life meaningful.
- She frames aging not as withdrawal, but as a chance to stay useful, creative, and connected to what’s next.