In episode 160, Kestrel welcomes Nathalia JMag, the designer behind her eponymous label, to the show. Nathalia is a luminary at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and was part of Project Runway Season 15. In addition to running her made-to-order brand Nathalia JMag, she is currently finishing her Masters degree at RISD in Nature Culture and Sustainability.
“Overall, fashion needs to be more inclusive, but because we’re doing sustainable fashion, we should be ahead of the game. Like we’re already ahead of the game in fashion, so we need to get ahead even more in the sense that we need to be more inclusive of everyone.”
-Nathalia JMag, designer
On this week’s show, Nathalia shares more on her background, how she got exposed to sustainable fashion, her time at Project Runway, and what’s driving her as a designer today.
We talk more about how she brings upcycling, zero waste and made-to-order approaches into her design process. Also, Nathalia shares her thoughts on whether today’s shopper is gaining more patience to be able to “wait” and “appreciate” made to order garments.
When it comes to what’s currently holding the sustainable fashion industry back, Nathalia says it’s inclusivity. “It’s not sustainable if it’s not inclusive. And how are we going to get more people interested in what we’re talking about if they don’t see themselves represented?”
The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:
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RISD’s Nature–Culture–Sustainability Studies MA program: the program Nathalia is finishing this year
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“When you’re designing and zero waste garment, you don’t start with a sketch like you usually do. You kind of just let the fabric do its thing and you figure out what you can do with the fabric, which it’s a different creative process.”
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“I was actually really upset because I finally found the industry I want to be in, but then it turns out it kind of goes against all of my values and morals.”
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“It’s not sustainable if it’s not inclusive. And how are we going to get more people interested in what we’re talking about if they don’t see themselves represented?”
