Who is Bella Freud? Everything you should know about Sigmund Freud's descendant

“Hi, come in,” Bella Freud says at the start of each episode of her ‘Fashion Neurosis’ podcast. With this line, she ushers the guest into her living room, and the setting goes beyond comfortable. The feeling of safe, intimate, and open conversation mirrors a psychoanalytic session. This is no coincidence. After all, she is Sigmund Freud’s descendant! The slogan ‘Ginsberg is God’ alone would describe how she infuses wit, intellect, and art to create an iconic fashion that has a cult following. Here’s everything you should know about Bella Freud.

A legacy of

creativity

Born Isobel Lucia Freud on April 17, 1961, in London, she is the daughter of iconic painter Lucian Freud and Bernardine Coverley, and the great-granddaughter of psychoanalysis pioneer Sigmund Freud. Growing up in London’s bohemian circles, she was exposed to art and intellect at an early age. She was drawn towards fashion, in which she went on to carve her own niche.

Foray into fashion

At the age of 17, she started working in Vivienne Westwood's punk shop. "Major moments of learning in my life have been entwined with Vivienne Westwood," she says in her blog. She went on to become the iconic designer's assistant. "I learnt everything about the fashion business from her. I made a lot of mistakes and I was also very annoying, spending ages cooking lunch or chatting on the phone and getting to work late, which naturally drove her mad. But she was endlessly patient with me, and we had some wonderfully funny times. I remember modelling some hats and when the photos came back, they were so hilarious that we had to go into separate rooms eventually in order to stop crying with laughter," Bella recalls. In 1990, Bella Freud launched her eponymous label and acknowledged that Vivienne Westwood was indeed her 'source of strength and insight'. Her designs grabbed the attention for their witty and intellectual edge, paired with cultural references.

Ginsberg is God

Pic courtesy: Bella Freud/ Instagram

Kate Moss, appearing in a Bella Freud jumper with a slogan ‘Ginsberg is God’, became the hot thing. The creation of the jumper is even more intriguing. In 2002, she was making her short film 'Hideous Man', with John Malkovich, about some Beatnik girls waiting around in a club for their favourite poet to arrive and do a reading. She wanted the leader of the group to wear a statement jumper that shows her devotion to literature and art. Something that would resemble a band t-shirt.



“I was throwing out names like Camus, Godard, and Ginsberg with the stylist Cathy Kasterine. It was all getting a bit complicated. 'Did you ever see pictures of that t-shirt people used to wear in the 70s with Clapton is God written on it?' said Cathy. I realised the message needed to be much simpler. 'I see, Ginsberg is God,' I marvelled.' 'But what about Godard is Dog - I mean God?' my assistant insisted. 'Godard is Dog' is what is written on the back of the jumper; it perfectly describes the way artistic pronouncements can mean nothing or everything,” she recalled.


The jumper read 'Ginsberg is God' on the front and ‘Godard is Dog’ on the back. The jumper caught the attention of Kate Moss, and the rest is history!


Fashion to films

Bella Freud’s passion for art and fashion extended beyond runways and shows. Her transition to films was just that. It was in 1999 that she did her last catwalk show. “I had shown every season since soon after I launched my label, always up for nights in a row before the shows. It was such a huge expenditure of energy, and afterwards, when I rushed out to share the excitement and sense of achievement, everyone had gone. On to the next show. What was it all for? I decided to make a film instead,” she recalls about venturing into filmmaking.

Fashion neurosis

Pic courtesy: Bella Freud/ Instagram

In 2024, she ventured into podcasting. Her podcast ‘Fashion Neurosis’ is a one-of-a-kind conversation, where the guests arrive in her apartment, lie on the couch, just like in a therapy session, and have honest conversations. She begins with a question that explores the connection between fashion and identity. “Can you tell me what you are wearing today, and why you chose these clothes?” in her mellifluous and comforting voice. Her guests include those from the world of fashion, the arts, or literature. And who has been on her couch? Rick Owens, John Malkovich, Courteney Cox, Christian Louboutin, Kate Moss, Cate Blanchett, and Mia Khalifa are a few to name.