It's not every day you get to sit down with a proper fashion world icon and pick his brains for free! Dear listeners, you're in for a treat this week, as Clare meets the one and only Jimmy Choo. This magic name in shoe design is now professor - he runs his own fashion school, the Jimmy Choo Academy in London's Mayfair…
You might have noticed this idea gaining momentum. Ecocide refers to the mass damage and destruction of ecosystems – severe harm to nature which is widespread or long-term. The idea is to criminalise it. And it's happening! It's become national law in several countries with many more discussing it. In March, the EU passed a law that criminalises actions 'comparable to ecocide' - a revolutionary legal development; the first law of its kind to be adopted by a political entity with substantial global influence. In September, Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa submitted a proposal to the International Criminal Court for recognition of ecocide as a crime.
What does all this mean for fashion? Listen to find out!
Okay, brace yourselves...
Brands love to set sustainability goals. But what if it's all nonsense? What if net zero, the obsession with carbon, and the idea that renewables are taking over from fossil fuels, are all part of a fake green fairy tale that we tell ourselves because the alternative is too difficult to imagine. Or that corporations tell us so that they can keep on with business as usual.
WTAF? We know. It's... a lot.
Is it true? You decide, after listening to this week's guest.
Carole Collet on the role of a fashion designer today. Thinking purely about gorgeous clothes is so last season. Gone are the days when designers could consider only a collection, how it will sell and what the customer might be looking for.
Forward-thinkers are already beginning to take more holistic view and adopt a living systems approach. They’re asking questions such as, Can we make like Nature makes? How might fashion create nutrients instead of waste? How can we use biomimicry in sustainable ways? Program living systems to produce bespoke products? And, how can we build a truly regenerative system in place of the current regenerative one?
Happy Secondhand September! Six years ago Oxfam UK came up with the idea of using September to encourage people to: "Shop second hand to take a stance against fast fashion and dress for a fairer world." They say it's a moment to come together “to choose a more planet-friendly way to shop, and dress for the world you want to see." This week, Clare sits down with model-thrifter-filmmaker-activist Eunice Olumide, ahead of her walking in Oxfam's LFW show.
How can we use fashion for good? The Social Outfit is an independently-accredited Sydney-based social enterprise and fashion brand that works with refugees and new migrants to provide first Australian jobs in the fashion industry, through a design and workroom, retail storefront in Sydney's Newtown, and online store.
We need to talk. And we need to listen. Fashion is supposed to be modern, cutting edge, leading the way. So how come it’s stuck in old-fashioned tropes that place white culture at its centre?
Now is the time to shake things up and insist on true representation and inclusivity, and we all have our parts to play. But what does diversity really mean in the fashion context? And why aren’t we changing fast enough?
Kimberley Jenkins is a writer, educator and authority on the intersections between fashion, race and culture. At the time of this recording, Kim was teaching at both Parsons, The New School and the Pratt Institute in New York. In January 2020, she joined the faculty at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, as Assistant Professor of Fashion Studies.
She specialises in the sociocultural and historical influences behind why we wear what we wear, specifically addressing how politics, psychology, race and gender shape the way we ‘fashion’ our identity. Plus she's a massive vintage fan, and a serious fashion history buff.
Growing old glamorously with Advanced Style. Photographer and author Ari Seth Cohen is the creator of Advanced Style, a project devoted “to capturing the sartorial savvy of the senior set.” He says, “I feature people who live full creative lives. They live life to the fullest, age gracefully and continue to grow and challenge themselves.”
Ari has a longtime interest in clothing and style and a lifelong affinity for his elders. When he was growing up, his late grandmother Bluma (a librarian) was his best friend; her “energy and attitude towards life” continue to inspire him. As a result, he couldn’t help but question the absence of mature faces in the lifestyle and fashion media. “I noticed a lack of older people in fashion campaigns and street style sites,” he says. “I wanted to show that you can be stylish, creative and vital at any age.”
In this interview, you’re going to hear all about how he began, who he met along the way, what he learned and how he changed the way the world looks at older women.
It’s packed full of charm and wisdom, but best of all it’s packed full of Advanced Style ladies. From Ilona Royce Smithkin, who at 97 published a book on staying creative, and still her makes her own false eyelashes, to Tziporah Salamon, who bikes everywhere because it’s the best way of showing off an outfit, and Jacquie Murdock the former Apollo dancer who at 82 shot a Lanvin campaign and many more.
Vestiaire is putting the love in preloved. In her first podcast interview ever, Fanny Moizant talked about what makes her tick and building the French ‘re-commerce’ site that’s now booming.
This interview is a must for anyone who buys or sells secondhand anywhere. It’s a ‘How to make it in fashion’ episode, a tech disruptor episode, an inspirational woman episode. Fanny is a working mamma and she shares wonderful advice on female entrepreneurship. She flew up in the South of France, and studied at Institut Français de la Mode Not surprisingly, she also has fantastic style. Fanny Moizant is super chic.
Kindness by design. Meet the designer who pioneered earth conscious processes in Australia. This conversation was recorded after she’d just been in London for Fashion Week showing her work at Buckingham Palace, no less. Livia Firth and Emma Watson lover her, and she's always in Vogue. No wonder everybody's talking about her label KITX.
Kit is fearless fighter for fashion's eco future and a true original, who considers sustainability at every stage of her design and production process. She counts among her fans Emma Watson, Karlie Kloss and Princess Mary of Denmark, but if you ask her if she gets a special thrill from famous women wearing her clothes, she says no. In Kit’s mind, all her customers are equal.
Remaking our world. Long before upcycled fashion brands were trending, British designer Christopher Raeburn led the charge in London, breathing new fashion life into old army gear, parachutes and 1940s maps. This interview is a beautiful insight into his Remade, Recycled and Reuse ethos, recorded in 2018, but required listening any day.
A conversation about the beauty and power of minimalism, and building a sustainable brand from scratch. Founded in 2007 by Gosia Piatek, KOWTOW is a conscious label with a strong design philosophy and innate sense of comfort. Described as minimalist and effortless, the brand’s aesthetic is inspired by Gosia’s interests in art, architecture, culture, craftsmanship, landscapes and her own travels.
Kowtow fabrics are exclusive and designed in-house. The label is committed to using fair trade certified organic cotton, Global Organic Textile Standard approved dyes, mindful manufacturing with fair working conditions, ethically sourced trims and sustainable packaging.
