Fashion ‘outsider’ Hanan Besovic on American Vogue, Duran Lantink’s debut for Jean Paul Gaultier, and loving ‘bad’ collections

Fashion’s ultimate fanboy and fly on the wall Hanan Besovic – better known by his Instagram handle, @ideservecouture – isn’t here for followers or fame. “I’m here to uplift and spread the gospel of fashion,” Besovic tells me on a recent stopover in Hong Kong. “Do I criticise fashion? Yes. Do I think that I’m a critic? No. Do I deserve to be a critic? I deserve to be me. I’m not striving for anything else.”

The self-described “supporting” actor in fashion now stands as one of the industry’s most powerful voices. Half a million followers devour his daily commentary, which, in Besovic’s signature style, sounds more like your gay best friend’s hot takes on the clothes you just bought rather than a standard review of the season’s hottest shows and trends.

“The industry, we love to laugh, but we’re scared to make jokes,” Besovic says of his Instagram tagline: PhD in meme, master’s degree in throwing shade, minor degree in fashion. “I grew up on Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, and used to watch roadshows by Lisa Lampanelli. Joan Rivers was very much like, ‘I’m never going to apologise for a joke.’ These are strong women that don’t take bulls*** from anybody. I take that and apply it to fashion. We’re talking about if socks match the shoes, right? It’s not that serious.”

Raised in Croatia and now residing in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Besovic relishes being an outsider looking in on an insiders’ industry in every way possible. For starters, having a private life away from fashion – “People are shocked I have a husband”, he exclaims – gives him the necessary time and space to detox from an insular, often elitist line of work.

“I love Palm Beach because – it’s going to sound awful – all the women are in their 70s and 80s, I don’t have to talk about fashion to them. I love the fact that they don’t care,” he says bluntly. “They can afford luxury pieces,” he quickly clarifies, laughing. “They just don’t care about it as much as I do, which is normal. When you’re in this business, you want to know everything.”

How else could Besovic be expected to stay grounded and keep it real? He rarely hesitates to share his honest opinion on things. “The worst thing in fashion to do is have an opinion,” he says, alluding to how advertiser money and the industry powers try to tell editors, influencers and fellow commentators what to think. “I always say it’s an industry built on ego, and you don’t want to hurt somebody’s ego,” he explains. “Everybody puts themselves in a leading role. I’m here to talk about fashion, not me.”

Even when it comes to delivering sharp, witty and real criticism, Besovic doesn’t venture into the cattiness that feels all too common a fashion stereotype. In some ways, being mean feels like the easy way out. “I could be the biggest a**hole if I wanted to,” he laughs. But Besovic wants to do more than that: to aim high when others choose to go low. It’s exactly what makes his content a brilliant balance of humour and insight.