Conscious Style Podcast

How can fashion take action right now for a net positive future?

From climate and biodiversity to worker livelihoods and fair wages to overconsumption and textile waste, the gaps between where we need to be and where we are right now feel… vast. 

But in this episode, we're discussing ways that fashion act right now — like tomorrow — on 5 key pillars that encompass both people and planet. These are areas where the research, and tools are readily available, even for implementing at a large scale. 

Ahead you'll hear my conversation with Holly Syrett, the Impact Programmes and Sustainability Director at Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a nonprofit organization that accelerates measurable impact in the fashion industry.

Perhaps what GFA is most known for is their Global Fashion Summits but they also drive impact through collaborative commitments, impact programs, thought leadership publications and by engaging with policy & advocacy.

Their flagship report — which is freely accessible for all — is the Fashion CEO Agenda. And this year's edition, released at the Boston Fashion Summit, is offering more specific tangible action than ever. I kind of think of it as the no-excuses actionable sustainability playbook for fashion brands.

I was excited to be able to have this conversation with Holly and be able to share it all with you for free because I know that there are so many of you that work in sustainable fashion or aspire to and want to dive deeper into these types of industry insights but they're not always accessible. So enjoy this conversation with Holly!

GET THE TRANSCRIPT

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PRESENTED BY...

The Conscious Fashion Collective Membership

If you are a sustainable fashion professional or aspiring to transition into this industry, check out our sister platform Conscious Fashion Collective. We have a free career newsletter with jobs and resources dedicated to supporting your conscious fashion career journey.

We also have a membership community where you can access extra jobs, attend career-focused member events and workshops, access tons of time-saving resources, and connect with a like-minded group of fashion changemakers. You can find out more about this membership at consciousfashion.co/community.

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GFA's RESOURCES:

• Fashion CEO Agenda
• 2030 Fashion Sector Vision
• GFA Policy Matrix: Americas
• GFA Policy Matrix for EU
• GFA's Policy & Advocacy Work

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED:

• Open Supply Hub
• Article: EILEEN FISHER's New CEO Wants You To Buy Fewer Clothes
• American Circular Textiles

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CONNECT WITH HOLLY & GFA

🌐 Website: https://globalfashionagenda.org/

📸 Instagram: @globalfashionagenda

💼 LinkedIn: Global Fashion Agenda

📺 YouTube: @GlobalFashionAgenda

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

We have reached the 100th episode of the podcast! For the past 100 episodes, at the end of each episode we have asked our guests the same question: What would a better future for fashion look like, to you? 

This question is important, because it sums up exactly why the podcast exists in the first place — to unpack exactly what it will take to cultivate a sustainable and equitable future for fashion.

To celebrate this 100 episode milestone, we decided to mark the occasion by sharing a montage of some of our favorite answers, from guests we have had on the show, over the years. Plus, we are sharing a few listener answers to this question too. And, right at the end, we’ll share our reflections on the topic as well. 

Enjoy listening to these visionary — yet practical — answers. Hopefully they’ll give you some food for thought and reflection points for your own relationship with fashion. And thank you for tuning in to celebrate 100 episodes with us!

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Podcast Episode: EP10: Building a Better Secondhand Fashion System with Emily Stochl
• Podcast Episode: EP82: Rana Plaza 10 Years Later: What’s Changed and What Hasn’t? With Ayesha Barenblat
• Podcast Episode: EP66: Defashioning and Creating a Pluriverse of Clothing Systems with Fashion Act Now
• Podcast Episode: EP22: Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry with Aja Barber
• Podcast Episode: EP77: What Democratizing Fashion Is Truly About with Natalie Shehata
• Podcast Episode: EP54: Slowing Down Media with Kestrel Jenkins
• Podcast Episode: EP81: How We Can Expand the Sustainable Fashion Conversation with Samata Pattinson
• Podcast Episode: EP24: The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
• Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
• Podcast Episode: EP20: How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo
• Yuhanne Natividad’s (podcast editor) contact details: LinkedIn

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

As you might have noticed, we are just one episode away from the 100th episode of the podcast! We're starting the celebrations early and changing up the usual format with this episode. Instead of interviewing a guest, this week we’re sharing 10 lessons we’ve learned from 100 episodes of the podcast that features interviews with some of the most inspiring changemakers in the fashion industry.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Online Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
• Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
• Podcast Episode: EP96: Choosing Hope Over Climate Doomism with Isaias Hernandez 
• Podcast Episode: EP50: Why Fast Fashion Is So Addictive with Zainab Mahmood
• Podcast Episode: EP24: The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
• Podcast Episode: EP56: Style Psychology and the Drivers of Consumption with Dr. Dion Terrelonge 
• Podcast Episode: EP77: What Democratizing Fashion Is Truly About with Natalie Shehata
• Podcast Episode: EP81: How We Can Expand the Sustainable Fashion Conversation with Samata Pattinson
• Podcast Episode: EP73: How To Uncover Your Soul Style with Kerry Wilde
• Podcast Episode: EP17: More Creativity, Less Consumption: Sustainable Stylist Tips from Alyssa Beltempo
• Podcast Episode: EP51: How To Find Joy In Your Closet Again with Stylist Sam Weir
• Podcast Episode: EP80: Where Does Fashion Stand On Climate Progress? A Conversation with Stand.Earth
• Podcast Episode: EP90: Rethinking Traditional Supply Chains with Ria Ana Sejpal of Lilabare
• Podcast Episode: EP29: Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems with Lydia Wendt of California Cloth Foundry
• Podcast Episode: EP54: Slowing Down Media with Kestrel Jenkins
• Podcast Episode: EP94: Can Slow Fashion Businesses Scale Without Encouraging Overconsumption? With Mahdiyyah Muhammad
• Podcast Episode: EP92: From Extractive to Regenerative Fashion: Slow Growth, Climate Beneficial Fibers, and Cooperative Models with Laura Sansone of New York Textile Lab
• Podcast Episode: EP38: How Custom Collaborative is Paving the Way for a Better Fashion Future with Ngozi Okaro
• Podcast Episode: EP20: How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo
• Podcast Episode: EP57: Tips for Starting a Slow Fashion Brand with Selina Ho of Recloseted
• Podcast Episode: EP58: The History of Fast Fashion with Sara Idacavage
• Podcast Episode: EP85: A People’s History of Clothing with Sofi Thanhauser
• Podcast Episode: EP22: Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry with Aja Barber

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Is it green... or just greenwashing?

This week, we’re sharing a recap of a few Green or Greenwashing topics we covered this season! Green or Greenwashing is a segment on the podcast where we evaluate if a certain sustainability measure is more green or whether it veers into more of the greenwashing territory. These Green or Greenwashing segments were previously published at the end of some prior episodes.

The first segment we are resharing is whether third-party resale sites should ban fast fashion after a decision from Vestiaire Collective to do so. Then we will move into a recording where we discuss whether we really need "climate adaptive clothing". Finally, we evaluate if recycled polyester is truly circular. 

GET THE TRANSCRIPT
 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Article: Vestiaire Has Banned Fast Fashion
• Article: Vestiaire Collective’s ‘Fight Against Fast Fashion’ steps
• Article: What Is Extended Producer Responsibility in Textiles — and What’s Missing From Current Policies?
• Article: Clothes for the “apocalypse”: How to design for a climate crisis
• Resource: Market Analysis and Insights: Global Recycled Polyester Fiber Market
• Website: Textile Exchange's 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge
• Resource: Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres
• Article: The destructive, symbiotic relationship between the beverage and fashion industries
• Article: Are clothes made from recycled materials really more sustainable?
• Report: “It’s As If They’re Poisoning Us”: The Health Impacts of Plastic Recycling in Turkey
• Research Paper: An underestimated threat: Land-based pollution with micro-plastics

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CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Policy is an important lever in creating a better, more sustainable, and equitable fashion system. But if we only focus on policy that explicitly talks about the fashion industry and sustainability, we may be missing some opportunities. 

In today's episode, I'm chatting with fashion policy expert Kenya Wiley.

Kenya is sharing behind the scenes on the processes behind legislation and regulation — and even explaining the difference between the two terms — and some of the current policies in the works that could involve fashion that the fashion industry isn't talking about. These could be potential needle movers to cleaning up fashion, but aren't being taken advantage of right now.

Kenya is also discussing the much-anticipated Green Guides from the Federal Trade Commission to help reduce greenwashing, what recent US Supreme Court decisions mean for the fashion industry, a funding opportunity for sustainability-minded fashion organizations, and more.

Find the transcript here.

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PRESENTED BY…

Osei-Duro

Osei-Duro is a slow, artisan-made sustainable fashion brand based in Ghana using handmade textile techniques to create contemporary garments that are true works of art.

Their colorful, bold-printed clothing is hand-dyed and sewn in Ghana by small-scale artisans and manufactured to support the local apparel industry. And they have extended sizes, with many styles going up to 4X.

Osei-Duro's clothing is made with care — and the people behind these garments treat each other with the same care and respect. The small business pays full-time wages for a 4-day work week and offers numerous benefits including full health insurance and maternity coverage.

Get 20% off site wide by using the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20.

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/kenya-wiley

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Newsletter: Fashion Law and Social Justice Newsletter
• Online course: Fashion Policy and Justice (Note: listeners can take 50% off with code JUSTICE50; contact Kenya directly for the 80% off student discount)
• Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
• Information Resource: 2023 Farm Bill
• Information Resource: SEC Climate Disclosures Rule
• Information Resource: The Recycling & Compostability Accountability Act

***

CONNECT WITH KENYA WILEY:

🌐 Website: https://kenyawiley.com/

📸 Instagram: @kenyanwiley

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenya-wiley-558601b6/

📱 Twitter (X): @KenyaNWiley

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

After learning about climate emotions, and seeing climate doomism proliferated in the media, Stella knew she wanted to have Isaias on the show to unpack this and understand how it's connected to the fashion industry.

In this episode, Isaias Hernandez (who you might also know as @queerbrownvegan on social media) unpacks  the complexity of climate emotions and the harms of climate doomism narratives, and discusses why  “evidence-based hope” is essential for reorienting action and working towards equitable solutions for the fashion industry - and how we can all cultivate this hope in our own lives. 

Hit play to dive in!

***

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Osei-Duro

Osei-Duro is a slow, artisan-made sustainable fashion brand based in Ghana using handmade textile techniques to create contemporary garments that are true works of art.

Their colorful, bold-printed clothing is hand-dyed and sewn in Ghana by small-scale artisans and manufactured to support the local apparel industry. And they have extended sizes, with many styles going up to 4X.

Osei-Duro's clothing is made with care — and the people behind these garments treat each other with the same care and respect. The small business pays full-time wages for a 4-day work week and offers numerous benefits including full health insurance and maternity coverage.

Get 20% off sitewide by using the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20.

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain. 

The brand sources the cotton for their collection directly from over 2,000 smallholder cotton farmers in the Nile Delta in Egypt and ensures living wages and fair working conditions along every step of the way, from seed to final stitch.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/isaias-hernandez

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Online Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
• Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Video: Is it too late to save the planet? Evidence based hope vs climate doomism with Elin Kelsey
• Podcast Episode: EP88: What Is Regenerative Fashion? With Safia Minney
• Website: Desserto
• Website: The Or Foundation
• Website: Elin Kelsey
• Article: What is the Climate Scale?
• Article: New York therapists see surge in eco-anxiety as smoke fills skies: ‘Every client addresses it’
• Article: 12 Materials Of The Future That Could Change The Face Of Fashion
• Resource: The United Nations’ Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook

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CONNECT WITH ISAIAS HERNANDEZ:

🌐 Website: https://queerbrownvegan.com/

📸 Instagram: @​​queerbrownvegan

👍 Facebook: @queerbrownvegan

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaias-hernandez-79a3a5149/

📱 Tiktok: @queerbrownvegan

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Carbon neutral. Net zero. Carbon positive. You may have been seeing more and more claims like these lately from companies, including fashion brands. But in today's Green or Greenwashing episode, we’re diving deeper, beyond the surface of these claims, to see if they really can be trusted. Many of these carbon neutrality claims are asserted based on the company purchasing carbon offsets. 

This episode was inspired by the UK watchdog, Advertising Standards Authority, recently banning advertisements that claim products are carbon neutral through using offsets due to a growing concern that these claims are misleading consumers. 

This isn’t just about the fashion industry, but in case you missed it: many fashion brands are using these sorts of claims, especially as global awareness grows around fashion's environmental impact, including its carbon emissions. 

You may have seen various estimates of fashion's contribution to global carbon emissions ranging from 2 to 10 percent. The Apparel Impact Institute’s latest report puts that number at 1.8 percent.  *Note: In the audio, I misstated that it was Textile Exchange's report!

The reality is that the majority of fashion brands do not disclose their full emissions. Fashion Revolution's 2023 Transparency Index found that less than half (43 percent) of brands publish their annual value chain carbon emissions. So we're at the basics here. Over half of brands aren't even telling us what their carbon emissions are. 

When Fashion Revolution says “value chain”, they mean the full supply chain. So not just the corporate offices, but how these brands make their clothes. 

Many factories involved with textile production and garment and footwear production are still reliant on fossil fuels, like coal. About two-thirds of textiles are fossil fuel-derived synthetics like polyester. Brands are reliant on polluting shipping methods, and some — especially fast fashion brands — use the speedy but very carbon-intensive shipping method of air freight. 

So fashion should absolutely be talking about reaching carbon neutrality and decarbonization. But the question is: should their method of using carbon offsets be celebrated? 

Let’s get into the episode!

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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/carbon-offsetting

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Celebrate with us! Record a short voice message to be included in our 100th episode by August 10, 2023.
• Join The Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Article: Is Carbon Offsetting Fashion’s Excuse To Emit?
• Article: Adverts claiming products are carbon neutral by using offsetting face UK ban
• Article: What is the Paris Agreement?
• Article: What is a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)?
• Podcast Episode: EP80: Where Does Fashion Stand On Climate Progress? A Conversation with Stand.Earth
• Report: Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero
• Report: Unlocking the Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonization Opportunity
• Report: Environmental Claims in Advertising Qualitative Research Report
• Website: Stand.Earth’s 2023 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard

***

CONNECT WITH US:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

How can we reimagine the traditional role of fashion designers in a world filled with fashion waste? And how can we rethink our primary role as consumers in a way that allows us to become contributors to collective well-being instead? 

It’s no secret that we live in a world with far too much clothing. If we are to work towards a more sustainable fashion industry, we need to unpack the ways that fashion brands and designers can pivot away from the mainstream business model of take-make-waste and embrace alternative sustainable fashion business models that limit waste. And our mindset as consumers plays a pivotal role in this too.

In this episode, we hear from Mahdiyyah Muhammad who is a sustainable fashion designer, circular fashion strategist, and educator. We’re talking about the realities of designing, building a business, and engaging with fashion and style in our current fashion system where all we need is less — less resource extraction, less consumption, less clothing waste, less focus on passing trends, and less exclusivity.

But, as you will hear from Mahdiyyah, to make this happen, we need more community. Cultivating community is essential for sharing resources and ideas, and creating meaningful connections, as well as making the slow fashion movement more accessible and inclusive.

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EPISODE SPONSORS:

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain. 

The brand sources the cotton for their collection directly from over 2,000 smallholder cotton farmers in the Nile Delta in Egypt and ensures living wages and fair working conditions along every step of the way, from seed to final stitch.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

Juliemay

Juliemay offers a natural alternative to the synthetic-heavy lingerie market. They use GOTS-certified organic pima cotton as their main fabric, line all of their products with Mulberry peace silk’ and do not use harsh chemicals in production.

The brand is accredited by AllergyUK to be friendly for people with allergic reactions to synthetic fibers and who have sensitive skin. This is something that I have become personally really interested in since I started to experience psoriasis after wearing synthetic undergarments myself a few years ago. 

Additionally, Juliemay has bras for a wide range of circumstances, like post-surgery bras or bras that offer back support. Juliemay also supports several environmental and social impact nonprofits.

Use the code SOCIAL15 for 15% off at Juliemay!

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/mahdiyyah-muhammad

***

TRANSCRIPT
 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Online Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
• Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Organization: Fashion Takes Action
• Podcast Episode: EP17: More Creativity, Less Consumption: Tips from Slow Fashion Stylist Alyssa Beltempo
• Podcast Episode: EP83: What is Circular Fashion Design? With Carmen Gama
• Podcast Episode: Black Material Geographies: Colonialism’s Afterlife & Upcycling Fashion
• Database: Upcycle Web Directory
• Website: Threads of Habit
• Article: 7 Alternative Sustainable Fashion Business Models Changing the Status Quo

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CONNECT WITH MAHDIYYAH MUHAMMAD:

🌐 Website: www.mahdiyyah.co

📸 Instagram: @mahdiyyahofficial

💼 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mahdiyyah-muhammad-423942a8/

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

What if fashion brands put garment workers first? What if a fashion brand set the prices they pay to their suppliers based on ensuring workers were making a living wage, rather than negotiating the prices as low as possible to maximize profits? 

This is part of implementing more responsible purchasing practices — purchasing practices meaning not how the consumer buys something, but how the brand purchases their orders from their suppliers, since most brands do not produce their own clothes. 

The reality is that right now the system is set up with the wrong incentives. For example, Buyers at many fashion brands receive bonuses if they achieve larger margins with their orders they purchase from their suppliers — larger margins meaning they pay their suppliers less, and thus the supplier will have less money to pay their workers fairly or invest in sustainability initiatives like transitioning to clean energy. 

So we need a paradigm shift. True systems change. 

And one proposal for doing so is worker-centric pricing, which Stella and I are going to dive into in this episode!

>>> TRANSCRIPT

*****

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Sustainable Fashion Career Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
• Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
• Article: What If Fashion Prices Put Garment Workers First?
• Doc: Worker-Centric Pricing Model
• Organization: Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion
• Instagram: Aja Barber
• Podcast Episode: EP71: Is Sustainable Fashion Always More Expensive?
• Podcast Episode: EP60: Living Wages for Garment Makers with Anne Bienias of Clean Clothes Campaign
• Podcast Episode: EP45: Are Better Brand-Supplier Relationships The Missing Link to Ethical Fashion?

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

What if designers could go all the way back to the source of the fibers their garments are made from? Many of fashion’s favorite fibers — and our favorite garments — begin on farms. From cotton to wool, hemp, and linen. But, often, designers are so far removed from the places where these fibers are produced. Bringing designers back to the source would result in greater transparency and traceability in fashion that would allow designers to make choices that are kinder to people and the planet.

The fast fashion system thrives on building one, uniform, global fashion system that requires a lack of transparency and traceability to continue perpetuating its profit-seeking harms. On the other hand, a more equitable future of fashion will comprise multiple regional and local textile systems that are each in tune with the contexts of local communities.

But what will it take to get there, in practice? Well, in today’s episode, Stella chats with Laura Sansone, who is passionate about creating regional and regenerative textile systems. Laura is an Assistant Professor of Textiles at Parsons School of Design and she is the creator of New York Textile Lab (@nytextilelab) a design and consulting company that supports environmentally responsible textile methods and bioregional systems of production.

TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE

***

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain. 

The brand sources the cotton for their collection directly from over 2,000 smallholder cotton farmers in the Nile Delta in Egypt and ensures living wages and fair working conditions along every step of the way, from seed to final stitch.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

Juliemay

Juliemay offers a natural alternative to the synthetic-heavy lingerie market. They use GOTS-certified organic pima cotton as their main fabric, line all of their products with Mulberry peace silk’ and do not use harsh chemicals in production.

The brand is accredited by AllergyUK to be friendly for people with allergic reactions to synthetic fibers and who have sensitive skin. This is something that I have become personally really interested in since I started to experience psoriasis after wearing synthetic undergarments myself a few years ago. 

Additionally, Juliemay has bras for a wide range of circumstances, like post-surgery bras or bras that offer back support. Juliemay also supports several environmental and social impact nonprofits.

Use the code SOCIAL15 for 15% off at Juliemay!

***

SHOW NOTES & LINKS:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/laura-sansone

***

CONNECT WITH US!

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

What is it like to work as a designer for a fast fashion brand? And what is it like to build your own sustainability minded small fashion brand, from circular design practices to figuring out your pricing?

That's what we're getting a glimpse into in this episode with Dani Des Roches, designer and founder of the upcycled brand Picnicwear, recognizable by its groovy 60s/70s aesthetic, bold and playful use of color, and most notably its use of vintage towels as its primary material. 

Before that, Dani attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and was behind the scenes as a sweater designer for household names like Urban Outfitters and Express.

Feeling dissatisfied with the industry, Dani started her own B2B design studio, Kismet Concept Studio and of course her Direct to Consumer brand, Picnicwear, which creates high-quality pieces using 95% pre-existing materials.

In this conversation, Dani is giving us a look under the hood of the operations at big fashion brands and sharing what she thinks we should all know about how these brands operate.

She's also getting transparent about her own journey building a small slow fashion business.

If you want to learn more from Dani, Dani is leading a Circular Fashion Design Workshop that we're hosting over at Conscious Fashion Collective.

It will be an educational and interactive event for designers, industry professionals, sewists, and sustainable fashion advocates wanting to learn more about sustainability in fashion.

You'll learn how brands and designers can use circularity as a foundation for design, what a holistic approach to circular apparel design looks like, and tangible strategies to integrate circularity into apparel production and post-consumer reverse supply chain.

Hope to see you there!

>> Get tickets for the circular design workshop led by Dani here!

Or join the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership to attend for free.

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/dani-des-roches

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Event: Finding Creativity In Circularity — Circular Apparel Design Workshop
• Clotheshorse Instagram
• Interview with Selina Ho

***

CONNECT WITH DANI:

🌐 Website: www.picnicwear.com

📸 Instagram: @picnicwear

👍 Facebook: @Picnicwear

📱 Tiktok: @picnicwear

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

What is the process like to create a regenerative conscious fashion label? What does it mean to create long-term partnerships in a localized supply chain that are beneficial for people? Or to make clothes that are beneficial for the earth?

In this episode, Stella interviews the founder of slow fashion brand LilaBare, Ria Ana Sejpal, about building a Kenyan fashion brand, rethinking traditional supply chains, and the value of building long-term relationships with the people involved in them.

Plus they cover how Ria measures the impacts of the garments LilaBare creates and how size-adjustable gender fluid clothing can make sustainable fashion more inclusive. 

***

EPISODE SPONSORS

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain. 

The brand sources the cotton for their collection directly from over 2,000 smallholder cotton farmers in the Nile Delta in Egypt and ensures living wages and fair working conditions along every step of the way, from seed to final stitch.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

***

Juliemay

Juliemay offers a natural alternative to the synthetic-heavy lingerie market. They use GOTS-certified organic pima cotton as their main fabric, line all of their products with Mulberry peace silk’ and do not use harsh chemicals in production.

The brand is accredited by AllergyUK to be friendly for people with allergic reactions to synthetic fibers and who have sensitive skin. This is something that I have become personally really interested in since I started to experience psoriasis after wearing synthetic undergarments myself a few years ago. 

Additionally, Juliemay has bras for a wide range of circumstances, like post-surgery bras or bras that offer back support. Juliemay also supports several environmental and social impact nonprofits.

Use the code SOCIAL15 for 15% off at Juliemay!

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/ria-ana-sejpal-lilabare

***

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Podcast: EP88. What Is Regenerative Fashion? with Safia Minney
• Podcast: EP31. The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade with Nikissi Serumaga
• Podcast: EP61. Behind Fashion’s Waste Crisis in the Atacama Desert
• Podcast: EP29. Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems with Lydia Wendt

***

CONNECT WITH RIA ANA SEJPAL AND LILABARE:

🌐 Website: https://lilabare.com/

📸 Instagram: @lilabare

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: 

@consciouslifeandstyle

Fashion's returns are a massive waste and emissions issue. In fact, 23 million returned garments were sent to a landfill or incinerated last year in the UK, and returns caused 750,000 tons of CO2 emissions just in the UK fashion industry alone, according to The Institute of Positive Fashion's report: Solving Fashion's Products Returns.

Generous free returns policies from brands and retailers have also helped fuel the trend of buying clothes to wear just once or only for a social media post and then return them. 

However, the days of these free return policies may be coming to an end. Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo, and Next have all recently announced return fees.

These brands are likely making the decision to implement return fees for financial reasons, but what are the implications for sustainability? 

In this Green or Greenwashing segment, Elizabeth and Stella explore the nuances of fashion's product return fees.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Giveaway! Win 3 books written by previous Conscious Style Podcast guests.

Report: Institute of Positive Fashion Solving Fashion Product Returns Report

Article: How the end of free returns will change the way we shop by Sophie Benson

Subscribe: Conscious Edit Newsletter

It's time for an urgent shift in fashion. And not just towards a path of doing less bad, but of bringing positive change. Not just less harmful fashion. Not even just more sustainable fashion. But building a regenerative fashion future. 

Recently I read the book Regenerative Fashion: A Nature Based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods, and Leadership*, by Safia Minney. And this book could not have come at a better time for me. I was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by the weight of it all and the stories and changemakers highlighted throughout this book was the inspiration that I needed. 

So I am super grateful that I was able to have the author, Safia Minney — who has been a disruptor in the fashion space for decades — onto the show. You may know Safia Minney as the founder of fair fashion brand People Tree, or you may know her as an activist, consultant, thought-leader, or author of books like Slave to Fashion and Slow Fashion.  

In this episode, Safia Minney discusses the themes of her latest book on regenerative fashion, including regeneratively grown fibers and decarbonization, but also regenerative leadership and regenerative relationships, the importance of revitalizing artisan crafts and textile traditions, why living wages and a just transition are central to regenerative fashion, and how our current economic systems are completely at odds with a livable future. Hit play to dive in!

*Bookshop.org affiliate link

***

ENTER THE PODCAST BOOK GIVEAWAY HERE

If the link is not clickable in your podcast player, here is the URL: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6490c7a33b413b66d0ce7727 

Giveaway closes July 6 at 4pm CDT. Winner will be announced in July 8th's newsletter.

***

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There

Brook There creates organic cotton bralettes, underwear, and slip dresses ethically cut and sewn by their team in Massachusetts. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton is even milled and dyed domestically in the US too.

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

***

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain. 

The brand sources the cotton for their collection directly from over 2,000 smallholder cotton farmers in the Nile Delta in Egypt and ensures living wages and fair working conditions along every step of the way, from seed to final stitch.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/safia-minney

***

CONNECT WITH SAFIA MINNEY:

🌐 Website: https://safia-minney.com/

📸 Instagram: @safia_minney

🐦 Twitter: @SafiaMinney

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

Overconsumption is a major problem in the fashion industry. And secondhand is often advocated for as a solution. But is it possible to overconsume secondhand fashion as well?

This is a loaded question that comes with nuance and obviously, lots of opinions... which makes it perfect for a segment for our Green or Greenwashing series — we love to cover complex and controversial topics in this series! 

And we want to hear YOUR thoughts on this topic as well. DM Elizabeth over at @consciousstyle on Instagram with your thoughts and takes on this topic or to request a future topic you want to hear covered.

***

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT:

https://consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

***

LINKS MENTIONED:

Article: "The trouble with secondhand: it's becoming like fast fashion"

Graphic: Linear Economy vs. Recycling vs. Circular Economy

Podcast: More Creativity, Less Consumption with Alyssa Beltempo

Podcast: Building a Better Secondhand Fashion System with Emily Stochl

***

GET THE TRANSCRIPT HERE

Fashion industry players — like big brands and their billionaire owners — have to be held accountable for their impact on our environment and on the people involved with making their clothes.

Independent journalists can play a crucial role in this accountability, since they can provide a critical outsider's look on what's happening in the industry, such as ascertaining if a fashion brand's sustainability claims are legitimate or not. And it's also a role that comes with a lot of responsibility.

One of the sustainable fashion journalists that both Stella and I have immense respect for is Sophie Benson. If you're subscribed to our weekly newsletter, The Conscious Edit, you know that I often share articles written by Sophie in those Saturday emails. So it's exciting to have her on the show this week.

In this episode, Stella is interviewing Sophie to discuss her journey and her insights as a journalist in the sustainable fashion space. For more on sustainable fashion journalism as a career path, check out Sophie's Conscious Career Chat on Conscious Fashion Collective. 

***

THIS EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

Brook There

Brook There creates organic cotton bralettes, underwear, and slip dresses ethically cut and sewn by their team in Massachusetts. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton is even milled and dyed domestically in the US too.

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

***

The Rounds

Looking for the convenience of grocery and product delivery to your doorstep, but not a fan of the wasteful packaging? Enter in: The Rounds. 

This closed loop, two-way logistics network offers a zero waste delivery process by delivering your essentials with refillable containers in a reusable tote bag and picking up the empties for you — mostly by e-bike — to clean and reuse them. 

See if The Rounds is offering services near you or get on their waitlist.

Use the code CONSCIOUSLIFE to get 1 month free and $10 off your first order!

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sophie-benson

***

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• (Interview) Sustainable Fashion Journalism Career Chat
• (Jobs) Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board
• (Article) Was 2022 The Most Important Year for Sustainable Fashion?
• (Article) Fashion Is In Its Copy And Paste Era
• (Podcast Episode) 79) The Role of Fashion Legislation | Elizabeth Cline
• (Podcast Episode) 64) How Journalists Can Shift The Sustainable Fashion Conversation | with Jasmin Malik Chua of Sourcing Journal

***

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE BENSON:

🌐 Website: https://sophiebenson.com/

📸 Instagram: @sophiebenson

🐦 Twitter: @SophieBenson_

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: 

@consciouslifeandstyle

When we talk about sustainable and ethical fashion, we often think about the future — at least I do: we ask every guest that comes onto this show what a better future for fashion looks like to them! 

But I also see immense value in looking to the past. To see where we came from so we understand how we got here and what solutions could actually be effective in bringing about change.

So I was intrigued to read the book Worn, A People's History of Clothing, (bookshop affiliate link) to understand this history more deeply — and it did not disappoint. I learned so much from this book and I knew I had to get the author, Sofi Thanhauser (@Yesfutureyes) onto the podcast. 

And here we are today, Sofi is joining me to talk about some of the key themes covered in the book: like how the industrial revolution spurred mass-production in fashion — and not just from the standpoint of technology — how the rise of advertising helped enable the rise of fast fashion, the toxic shocking history of rayon, the factors that enabled synthetics to dominate garment production, and what we can learn from successful labor movements as we advocate for change in the fashion industry.

This season of the podcast is focused on fashion's role in our climate crisis, but we don't take a super narrow view of that theme and I think this episode shows a lot of the overlaps between workers in fashion and the industry's environmental impacts. We see how lack of worker rights and low wages connects to overproduction, how lack of worker safety is connected to the continued production of toxic synthetic materials, how advertising covers up the realities of how our clothes are made and enables fast fashion to continue to thrive.

***

We also will be continuing our Green or Greenwashing ending segment in this episode. This week Stella and I will discuss our thoughts on the trend of climate-change ready clothing — do we really need clothes that are, quote: designed for the apocalypse? Are they filling a need or just getting us to buy more stuff. Stay tuned until the end to hear our thoughts on that. 

*****

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There

Brook There creates organic cotton bralettes, underwear, and slip dresses ethically cut and sewn by their team in Massachusetts. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton is even milled and dyed domestically in the US too.

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

***

The Rounds

Looking for the convenience of grocery and product delivery to your doorstep, but not a fan of the wasteful packaging? Enter in: The Rounds. 

This closed loop, two-way logistics network offers a zero waste delivery process by delivering your essentials with refillable containers in a reusable tote bag and picking up the empties for you — mostly by e-bike — to clean and reuse them. 

See if The Rounds is offering services near you or get on their waitlist.

Use the code CONSCIOUSLIFE to get 1 month free and $10 off your first order!

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sofi-thanhauser

***

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• (Book) Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser*
• (Podcast) EP82. Rana Plaza 10 Years Later: What’s Changed and What Hasn’t?
• (Petition) Tell brands to sign the Accord
• (Article) Clothes for the “apocalypse”: How to design for a climate crisis

*Bookshop affiliate link

***

CONNECT WITH SOFI:

🌐 Website: https://sofithanhauser.com/

📸 Instagram: @yesfutureyes

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Want to work in sustainable fashion but not sure how to begin or how to transition from what you do now? Or maybe you work in sustainable fashion now, but you're ready for a bit of a change. In this episode, I'm sharing my sustainable fashion career and entrepreneurial journey and the lessons I learned along the way. 

FIND JOBS IN SUSTAINABLE FASHION:

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

HIRE FREELANCERS OR PROMOTE YOUR SERVICES:

Check out the Sustainable Fashion Freelancer Directory

ACCELERATE YOUR SUSTAINABLE FASHION CAREER JOURNEY:

Join the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership

***

MORE EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

EP6: My Sustainable Fashion Journey

EP62: Conscious Entrepreneurship and Crafting with Saskia de Feijter

Fashion has a major waste crisis. Circularity — along with slowing down production — can be an antidote, if done right. But what does real circular fashion look like in practice? What would it look like to have a true systems approach to circular design and circular fashion?

Today Stella is interviewing Carmen Gama, the Director of Circular Design at Eileen Fisher, which is a company that has been leading the way on many circular fashion practices. Carmen Gama also founded a B2B circular service called MAKE ANEEW which you'll hear a lot about in this episode.

Carmen Gama shares what circular design means in practice and how brands can create their own post consumer waste reduction supply chains.

If you're curious to hear more about what it's like to be a circular designer, and how you might be able to explore this career path, you can read a Conscious Career Chat with Carmen on Conscious Fashion Collective

Also in this episode, we are continuing with our Green or Greenwashing series. This week, on the theme of circularity, Stella and I are unpacking the claims around recycled polyester. Very curious to hear your takes on this controversial fabric as well over on Instagram!

***

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There

Brook There creates organic cotton bralettes, underwear, and slip dresses ethically cut and sewn by their team in Massachusetts. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton is even milled and dyed domestically in the US too.

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

***

The Rounds

Looking for the convenience of grocery and product delivery to your doorstep, but not a fan of the wasteful packaging? Enter in: The Rounds. 

This closed loop, two-way logistics network offers a zero waste delivery process by delivering your essentials with refillable containers in a reusable tote bag and picking up the empties for you — mostly by e-bike — to clean and reuse them. 

See if The Rounds is offering services near you or get on their waitlist.

Use the code CONSCIOUSLIFE to get 1 month free and $10 off your first order!

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/circular-fashion-design

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

Elizabeth speaks with Ayesha Barenblat, CEO of the global advocacy nonprofit organization Remake about the 10th Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Factory Collapse in Bangladesh to discuss what has changed in fashion since — and what has not.

They talk about the impact of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire & Building Safety, what's next for the Accord 10 years on, and how Remake is continuing to hold brands accountable.

***

Also in this episode, we're introducing our Green or Greenwashing segment where we (Elizabeth and Stella) share our thoughts on if a sustainability claim in the fashion industry is green or greenwashing. 

This week, we explore the decision of an online resale platform to ban fast fashion from their site. Should resale sites really ban fast fashion? We'd love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram!

***

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There

Brook There creates organic cotton bralettes, underwear, and slip dresses ethically cut and sewn by their team in Massachusetts. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton is even milled and dyed domestically in the US too.

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

***

Bounce Market

If you're looking for a sustainable — yet affordable — option for kids clothing that doesn't sacrifice quality or style then you'll want to check out the kids resale store, Bounce Mkt. This online (and in-person) store is a hub for gently used children's clothing. 

As a children's resale store, Bounce Mkt makes selling your kids' gently used clothes and shoes and finding preloved kids items super simple. 

***

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/rana-plaza-10th-anniversary

***

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• EP11. Fashion Activism: It’s Time for Brands to #PayUp with Ayesha Barenblat
• Pakistan Accord Brand Tracker
• #SignTheAccordPetition
• Vestiaire Collective's fast fashion ban announcement

***

CONNECT WITH REMAKE & AYESHA:

🌐 Website: https://remake.world/

📸 Instagram: @remakeourworld

🐦 Twitter: @remakeourworld

***

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle