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Paris Lees’ new podcast gives a fascinating insight into the human experience

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that sometimes you just can’t face listening to another true crime podcast. Or one about food. Or high-achievers. Or life hacks. Sometimes, what you’re in the mood for is a multi-faceted take on a situation or topic you’ve maybe never thought that much about. It’s with serendipitous timing, then, that journalist Paris Lees – a storytelling extraordinaire when it comes to little-heard perspectives – is gracing the airwaves with a new podcast exploring stories from the fringes.

Launching today, The Flipside tells two stories from opposite sides of the coin, and uses science to ask questions about elements of the human experience that we sometimes take for granted. With the help of experts, social science and interviewees who sit at opposing ends of the spectrum, the eight-part BBC Radio 4 series delves deep into topics such as extremism, addiction, language and forgiveness to uncover oft-overlooked viewpoints, with surprising results. “I was particularly struck by the episode on hook-up culture,” says Stylist contributor Christobel Hastings. “Lees brings her signature warmth and sensitivity to conversations, yielding fascinating insights on everything from swinging and femcels to ‘pretty privilege’ and ethical non-monogamy. It’s smart, subversive, and shatters taboos – what more could you want from a podcast?” Episodes released weekly on BBC Sounds 


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You’re Going To Love: Matere
In the latest chapter of our series spotlighting up-and-coming independent brands with female and non-binary founders, meet Matere

What is it? Launched in February, Matere (pronounced Mat-air) is a sustainable stationery collection designed and produced in the UK. 

Who’s behind it? Designer and art director Jess Howard, who was inspired to start the business during lockdown. “I had previously been trying to counteract the stresses of London life with more calming, purposeful experiences,” she tells Stylist Loves. “I wanted to create something that offered the same restorative feeling through the use of luxury papers, texture and minimalist design”. Working with an “invaluable” business coach, it took six months for the development process, from idea to launch.

Why you’ll love it: Not only is the brand’s collection beautifully tonal and understated, but it’s also consciously crafted from post-consumer waste materials such as ocean plastics, spent brewer’s grain and leather offcuts from tanneries. Take the fawn speckle planner (£25), or the minimalist softcover Kyoto print notebook (£25), which Howard counts among her personal favourites. “The textured cover paper is created using recycled coffee cups (the supplier actually collects them from cafes) and the print was created using foliage from my garden in South London, dipped in calligraphy ink,” she says. “The soft shapes remind me of a Japanese zen garden.” As well as notebooks and planners, Matere (named after an Old English term meaning ‘the matter or substance of which something is composed’) offers abstract prints (from £21) in the same classic neutral tones as as the stationery, plus minimalist pens and pencils from cult Italian brand, Parafenalia (from £6.50). Suddenly, our tatty Rymans notebook and chewed-up Biro are looking very shabby…  From £7, materestudio.com


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