Ep198, Meriel Chamberlin - Factory Made and Fabulous? Fashion's Sustainable Re-shoring Opportunity

Ep198, Meriel Chamberlin - Factory Made and Fabulous? Fashion's Sustainable Re-shoring Opportunity

Reports of the end of textile manufacturing in so-called consuming countries are exaggerated. We've still got it! Albeit on a smaller scale than when our parents were young. Wherever in the world you are listening, this week’s guest Meriel Chamberlin wants you to look around and recognise what you already have in terms of local skills, manufacturing & R&D capacity. Australia, for example, produces some of the world's best fibre, and there are still production facilities domestically for most stages of the supply chain. Find a gap? Might be worth working to close it…

Ep196, London Fashion Renegade: Dr NOKI is the O.G. Upcycler - Just Don't Call Him That

Ep196, London Fashion Renegade: Dr NOKI is the O.G. Upcycler - Just Don't Call Him That

He’s been shaking up the London underground scene since the ‘90s. Meet Dr NOKI, the original upcycler. Just don’t call him that…

NOKI does fashion on his own terms, including the language he prefers to describe his work. He “custom-builds” his “mashups” and “landfill drops”. It’s a practice that owes at debt to dadaism and made sense of his dyslexia. The story reaches to back into the ‘90s club scene, through the culture jamming of the No Logo years to end up at the cutting edge where art and fashion collide today.

Ep193, Big Dress Energy - the Practical Magic of Cecilie Bahnsen

Ep193, Big Dress Energy - the Practical Magic of Cecilie Bahnsen

Copenhagen-based designer Cecilie Bahnsen operates at the intersection of couture and ready-to-wear  – it’s high craft, she creates her own textiles, and loves to use embroidery and smocking . But although expensive, it’s not untouchable, as you will hear. Cecilie wears hers’ on her bike! A very Danish approach.

In this joyful conversation, we cover the challenges of upcycling precious scraps which defy standardisation. The idea of timelessness in a novelty-obsessed world. Building a creative business, and how Cecilie approaches scale and growth. What it takes to make it - determination, for sure, but also a really clear sense of what you want, and how you treat others.

Ep191, Say What? The UN Wants To Help Fashion Get its Sustainability Coms Right. Rachel Arthur Explains

Ep191, Say What? The UN Wants To Help Fashion Get its Sustainability Coms Right. Rachel Arthur Explains

ICYMI: fashion has a greenwashing problem. No wonder policy makers, consumer watchdogs and NGOs are taking an interest. According to the UN: “Misinformation and greenwashing are ubiquitous ... As sustainability has grown as a selling point, all manner of vague and inflated claims have appeared across advertising, marketing, media, packaging and beyond.”

Enter the UN's new Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, an open-access guide that seeks to change that, while better aligning how the fashion industry talks with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.

Ep190, Is Regenerative Farming the Answer? Yes! Says Sarah Langford

Ep190, Is Regenerative Farming the Answer? Yes! Says Sarah Langford

Why is everyone talking about regenerative farming, for starters. For fibre as well as food. #regenag is fashion's new favourite hashtag. What if we put back more than we took out? Stopped drenching the land with toxic chemicals? Worked in harmony with Nature? Could we feed and clothe the world if we produced less, and differently? Would we starve? Would prices skyrocket? How did we get to this place, where no one - not the land, not biodiversity, not the nutritional content of food, and not the farmers who are on the front lines - wins? Author and regenerative organic farmer Sarah Langford share her insider’s view.