Retail at all levels in a state of flux. What is the role of the curated fashion boutique today? In this episode recorded in 2017, Clare interviews Parlour X founder Eva Galambos.

They talk about who decides what’s on trend, the purpose of fashion shows, and what happens on a buying appointment and in the Paris showrooms. We cover the importance of longevity and timeless design, what the term ‘investment piece’ really means, the pressures and opportunities of online retailing. And we talk about clothes because we both love them!

We also ask, what does luxury means today. How has oversupply and the oxymoronic concept of ‘masstige’ affected the way we view luxury fashion?

Eva says, “Luxury always meant something that you held onto forever, because of the quality, craftsmanship and the price tag. And because it was rare.” Are we losing sight of that?

This conversation is a must for anyone studying fashion, working in the business or just trying to figure out how it all works.

On any given night in Australia 1 in 200 people don't have a roof over their heads. Nasir Sobhani A.K.A The Streets Barber skateboards around Melbourne giving free haircuts and shaves to homeless people as a part of his ‘Clean Cut Clean Start’ movement.

Today, fashion and hairdressing live in the same world, along with makeup artistry, art direction, photography. The hair stylist on a shoot, for example, is just as important as the stylist, model or photographer. But the art of cutting hair is more fundamental, and more universally experienced, than those other disciplines.

Grooming is an animal urge and an ancient art. Razors have been found in Bronze Age and ancient Egyptian ruins. In the middle ages, barbers served as surgeons and dentists; they were literally engaged in wellness and healing.

These days it’s more about counselling, though isn’t it? You know the score. The intimacy of sitting in the hairdresser’s or barber’s chair, the human contact. Who hasn’t told their hairdresser secrets?'

We're stuffocating! Too much, already. Do you suffer from affluenza? This week’s guest, has the cure.

Richard Denniss is an Australian economist and the author of Curing Affluenza, in which he argues that there’s nothing inevitable about our current mode of consuming and producing.

How does 39 cents an hour sound to you? In this SPECIAL REPORT on OXFAM AUSTRALIA'S 'WHAT SHE MAKES' CAMPAIGN, we explain a living vs. a minimum wage and tell a sobering story of garment worker exploitation.

As of January 2017, so much wealth was in the hands of so few people around the globe that just eight men held the same amount of riches as half of all humanity. Amancio Ortega is on that list. He is the founder of Inditex which owns ZARA. And of course, Zara has been in the news again for worker issues - I wrote my Sustainable Style column last week.

Based on CEO pay levels of some of the big brands in Australia, it would take a Bangladeshi garment worker earning the minimum wage more than, wait for it, 4,000 years to earn the what CEOs get paid in just one year.

Some of the biggest brands in Australia are enjoying enormous increases in revenue. Cotton On, for example, more than doubled its revenue between 2014 and 2016. Kmart’s revenue is also ballooning it jumped from from $4.21 billion in 2014 to $5.19 billion in the same period. And yet these profits are not trickling down to garment workers. On average, offshore workers receive about 4% of the retail price of a garment sold in Australia. What does that look like in terms of wages - we’re talking about a handful of coins. Just (AUD) 39 cents an hour.

Just, you know, poetry, economy, ecology & saving the planet… Vincent Stanley is Patagonia’s director of philosophy. He has been with Patagonia since 1973, when his uncle, Yvon Chouinard, gave him a job as a kid out of college.

He's a writer, a big reader, a deep thinker and passionate environmentalist, he's also a visiting fellow at the Yale School of Management. And a poet whose work has appeared in Best American Poetry.

With Yvon, he co-wrote the book THE RESPONSIBLE COMPANY, which is like this handbook for building a more sustainable business. He is also the guy who wrote the initial text for The Footprint Chronicles - Patagonia’s game changing supply chain mapper.

Poetry, philosophy, environmentalism, population growth, cognitive dissonance activism, and the role of business in making a difference, this episode takes on THE BIG STUFF. We discuss what’s happening to our soils, loss of biodiversity, climate change, ocean acidification, water pollution. Overwhelming, yes, but what we need now is action. How do we want to live? What do we want our economy and indeed our world to look like?

Start something that matters. Have you got big ideas? Do you dream of starting a company that makes a difference in the world? Or working for one? Are you interested in how brands can create positive impacts in communities, beyond the boring, some would say broken, mainstream consumerism model? This Episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in social enterprises.

Not everyone is on board with the 'One for One' business model. You can read about why here, but I'd say, it's easy to criticise, isn't it? Much easier than building something ambitious and groundbreaking. Blake is the first to admit they're not perfect - in this interview, for example, he says TOMS has more work to do when it comes to its eco footprint. Eleven years on, the business is evolving. Today, it reaches goes beyond One for One (although that remains at its core) supporting things like clean water and eye health programs and working with a whole host of charity partners. I love the idea that our purchases can help make a positive difference.

Inspiring, eloquent, generous, Blake Mycoskie is one of the most successful players in this space, and in this interview he shares the story of his company TOMS, how he built it, what it takes to succeed, and why he keeps going. "Our main mission is to use business to improve lives," he says.

New Zealand designer Karen Walker is one of The Business of Fashion’s 500. Her brand sells in 42 countries, in prestigious stores like Barneys New York, and Liberty of London. She is a New York fashion week veteran, with some very famous fans. Everyone from Beyoncé and Rihanna to Scarlet Johansson, Alexa Chung, Lorde, Lena Dunham, Toast the dog, oh look everyone, wears her sunglasses.

She also designs ready-to-wear, handbag, shoe and jewellery collections as well as homewares. Okay, Karen Walker is a hot brand...

But what does it take to be an ethical one too? How can successful designers incorporate sustainability and social responsibility into their business models? Karen says "ethical values of responsibility, uniqueness, quality and connection, are at the heart of what we do." What does that look like on a practical level?

From Sydney to flamingo city

Paris Fashion 101. Catherine Barber is a stylist, fashion muse and one of the original street style stars. Vogue calls her a “fashion eminence”. Vanity Fair? An “original”. Indeed that magazine just included her on its 2017 Best Dressed List. Catherine always looks fascinating in her turbans, Louboutins and armfuls of bangles, perhaps with a 1920s robe and lamé harem pants, or a 1970s Halston jumpsuit.

She is also an accessories designer with her own line of sunglasses, a massive vintage fan and a walking fashion encyclopedia with a particular fascination with the history of Paris fashion in the 1970s.

But best of all, she's a mad keen cycler. Could there be a more glamorous of eco-aware-transport influencer? Pas possible! Riding a bike to the fashion week shows wearing a vintage kimono, high heels or even couture? No problem, darling. This conversation is an epic sweep through fashion history, served with a side of camp humour. Enjoy!