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Conscious Chatter

Kestrel Jenkinsconsciouschatter.com
The first global sustainable fashion podcast, Conscious Chatter opens the door to conversations about our clothing + the layers of stories, meaning and potential impact connected to what we wear. Hosted by Kestrel Jenkins, Conscious Chatter tackles nuanced topics that intersect with sustainability, fashion, systems of oppression, health, and wellbeing through a curiosity-driven lens. Through deep dive monthly themes, the focus is on making the conversation more circular.
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Episodes

S03 Episode 151 | ORGANICUP + COMBATING MENSTRUAL WASTE

In episode 151, Kestrel welcomes Gitte Dalberg-Larsen, the founder of Organicup, to the show. The award-winning menstrual cup, Organicup helps replace pads and tampons, and reduce waste connected to women’s health. “We are on a mission to improve menstrual health on a personal and cultural and global level.” -Gitte Dalberg-Larsen, Founder of Organicup In this week’s show, Gitte shares more on what led her to build a menstrual cup company, and what she has learned along the way. Additionally, she...

Feb 14, 201931 minSeason 3Ep. 151

S03 Episode 150 | LISA GRALNEK + BALANCING AUTHENTICITY AMIDST A TIME OF DISRUPTION

In episode 150, Kestrel welcomes Lisa Gralnek, a Brand & Strategy Executive, to the show. The Founder + Principal of LVG & Co , Lisa has worked with brands including Chobani, moo.com, adidas, IKEA, Walmart and more over the past decade. “Authenticity really ties back to why you wake up in the morning - you know, what are your values, what’s your mission in life or your raison d'être as the French would say.” -Lisa Gralnek, Brand & Strategy Executive In this week’s show, Lisa shares m...

Jan 30, 201939 minSeason 3Ep. 150

S03 Episode 149 | IKKIVI, TWOFOLD + THE SLOW FASHION SCENE IN INDIA

In episode 149, Kestrel welcomes Nivi Sreenivas Murthy, the founder of IKKIVI, as well as Meenal Gupta, one of the designers behind Twofold, to the show. A slow fashion platform, Ikkivi curates ethical and sustainable designers from India, and Twofold is one of their featured brands, a label that is a tribute to Indian craftsmanship. “Young designers and independent designers in general do not have the resources to expand and grow their business to a global platform because at the end of the day...

Jan 25, 201938 minSeason 3Ep. 149

S03 Episode 148 | BEL KAZAN AND THE POWER + CHALLENGES OF OWNING YOUR OWN FACTORY

In episode 148, Kestrel welcomes Belinda Kazanci, the founder + designer of Bel Kazan, to the show. A collection of globally-inspired, effortless pieces, Bel Kazan is designed with the modern woman in mind. “And then I realized the only way I’m going to be able to do the kind of business I want to do is by having a factory that meets my standards —which were: open air, there’s a garden for people to eat in, it’s clean, we provide lunches. There were just certain standards I wanted to meet, and I...

Jan 14, 201932 minSeason 3Ep. 148

S03 Episode 147 | FIREWIRE + DISRUPTING THE SURF INDUSTRY

In episode 147, Kestrel welcomes Mark Price, the CEO of Firewire, to the show. A former Rip Curl and Reef executive, Mark has over 35 years of surf industry experience and is helping push the boundaries of surfboard construction at Firewire . “We’ve created a mindset where we want stuff all the time, and by definition - that can never be satisfied, so we’re basically creating a sick society that is never satisfied and is always looking for something that can never be fulfilled.” - Mark Price, CE...

Jan 08, 201935 minSeason 3Ep. 147

S03 Episode 146 | RAFA + MAKING VEGAN SHOES IN LA

In episode 146, Kestrel welcomes Taghrid Zorob, the founder + creative director of Rafa, to the show. A women’s luxury footwear collection, Rafa is hand-crafted by a small group of artisans in Los Angeles. “We have to remember that we’re all humans and that there’s more to life than just stuff that we buy, and consuming should be something that adds value to our life.” - Taghrid Zorob, Founder + Creative Director of Rafa Throughout this chat, Taghrid shares more on what led her to want to build ...

Jan 03, 201935 minSeason 3Ep. 146

S03 Episode 145 | TRIBE ALIVE + THE POWER OF INVESTING IN WOMEN

In episode 145, Kestrel welcomes Carly Burson, the founder + CEO of Tribe Alive, to the show. Focused on investing in women globally, Tribe Alive makes sustainable women's apparel and accessories through building artistic collaborations around the world. “A lot of women are employed through fashion, but the way I view the industry as it is today is that a lot of women are kept in poverty because of fashion.” -Carly Burson, Founder + CEO of Tribe Alive Throughout this chat, Carly shares more insi...

Dec 18, 201842 minSeason 3Ep. 145

S03 Episode 144 | KNIT WIT ON GOING DIGITAL + WHAT'S HOT IN THE CRAFTING SCENE

In episode 144, Kestrel welcomes Zinzi Edmundson, the editor + cofounder of Knit Wit Magazine, to the show. A website for fiber freaks, Knit Wit explores everything about fiber arts and their makers. “Just like cutting out fast fashion and knowing about your materials and the process behind where your clothing is coming from, that’s equally as important with buying your materials for crafting.” -Zinzi Edmundson, Founder of Knit Wit Throughout this chat, Zinzi shares more on Knit Wit's recent shi...

Dec 12, 201832 minSeason 3Ep. 144

S03 Episode 143 | ABLE, LIVING WAGES + THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLISHING THEM

In episode 143, Kestrel welcomes Barrett Ward, the founder + CEO of ABLE, to the show. A lifestyle brand, ABLE is focused on ending generational poverty through providing economic opportunity for women. “We also know that when a woman is empowered and given a job - this is a statistic, it’s a fact - that a woman has a far more significant impact in her community than does a man. If you want to have a serious impact on poverty in the world, the fashion world is an extraordinary place to start.” -...

Dec 04, 201835 minSeason 3Ep. 143

S03 Episode 142 | LEFT EDIT + ESSENTIALS THAT MAKE AN IMPRESSION

In episode 142, Kestrel welcomes Holly Staves Olson, a marketing wizard + her cofounder of a new venture called Left Edit, to the show. A new direct-to-consumer womenswear brand for those who don’t want to sacrifice ethics for style, Left Edit builds essentials that make an impression. “I think it’s so cool because our relationship always revolved around this entrepreneurial spirit. I think that’s where you and I really connected is every time we’d get together, we’d be brainstorming different i...

Nov 27, 201834 minSeason 3Ep. 142

S03 Episode 141 | SUSTAINABLE STYLING + CURATING THE MINIMALIST WARDROBE SHOP

In episode 141, Kestrel welcomes Lauren Engelke, a professional sustainable stylist, blogger + the curator of The Minimalist Wardrobe Shop, to the show. A new project, TMW Shop offers a curated collection of quality garments, perfect to help build a minimalist wardrobe. “I never expected this in a million years, but the major pain point was shopping — and a lot of the clients that I worked with had actually almost over minimalized their wardrobe. And they had come so far from big wardrobes to a ...

Nov 20, 201828 minSeason 3Ep. 141

S03 Episode 140 | ETHICAL STYLE JOURNAL + THE POWER OF INDEPENDENT MAGAZINES

In episode 140, Kestrel welcomes Katie Pruett, the founder and editor-in-chief of Ethical Style Journal, to the show. A platform to help shape fashion culture into one that is as much about awareness, action, and accountability as it is about style, Ethical Style Journal is a stunning publication stacked with substance. “If you look at the history of our country, they’ve always kind of helped shape peoples’ perspectives - they’ve always had that authority. Specifically if we’re talking about fas...

Nov 16, 201834 minSeason 3Ep. 140

S03 Episode 139 | THE BETTER SHOP + COMMUNITY OVER COMPETITION

In episode 139, Kestrel welcomes ethical fashion blogger Benita Robledo and Casey Dworkin, founder of sustainable footwear brand, Sylven New York, to the show. Benita + Casey together are the co-founders of The Better Shop , a new Brooklyn-based pop-up, open this November + December 2018. “We want people who are as interested in community and collaboration as we are, because we feel like - that’s how the sustainability movement is going to grow is if we foster community over competition.” - Beni...

Nov 06, 201832 minSeason 3Ep. 139

S03 Episode 138 | MARKET45 + PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

In episode 138, Kestrel welcomes Shannon Lohr, the founder of Factory45, to the show. An online accelerator program, Factory45 takes sustainable fashion companies from idea to launch. Shannon’s newest project, Market45 , is an ethical fashion marketplace, and it just made its debut in the e-commerce space. “Now we are living in a world where you know, the average consumer, they’ve at least heard sustainable fashion before - they’ve heard those words. And that’s really cool. It’s really great to ...

Nov 01, 201827 minSeason 3Ep. 138

S03 Episode 137 | REMODE, THE PREMIER EVENT FOR DISRUPTIVE + SUSTAINABLE FASHION

In episode 137, Kestrel welcomes Pierre Nicolas Hurstel, the founder of REMODE, to the show. A conference that is meant to unite fashion brand leaders and industry-wide professionals to inspire solutions for growth and innovation, Remode’s inaugural event is taking place on November 13th and 14th, 2018 in Los Angeles. “The future for brands is sustainable, vertical, omnichannel, purposeful - and this future has started now actually, because thanks to the incredible innovations that are now avail...

Oct 23, 201831 minSeason 3Ep. 137

S03 Episode 136 | THE MINIMALIST WARDROBE

In episode 136, Kestrel welcomes Sebastian Juhola, the creator of The Minimalist Wardrobe, to the show. A platform and popular Instagram, The Minimalist Wardrobe is meant to help people minimize their wardrobes, with a focus on ethical and sustainable values. “Minimalism brings instant results for your personal life. It has those practical effects right away, in addition to sustainability and the environment. It also helps you personally in tremendous ways.” - Sebastian Juhola, Founder of The Mi...

Oct 17, 201831 minSeason 3Ep. 136

S03 Episode 135 | CLOTH FOUNDRY + A HEALTHY WARDROBE

In episode 135, Kestrel welcomes Lydia Wendt, the Founder + Creative Director of Cloth Foundry, as well as Ashley Denisov, the Design Lead at Cloth Foundry + founder of womenswear label 1x1, to the show. In collaboration with nature, Cloth Foundry creates textiles and apparel in California. “This is constantly the industry dilemma. Small brands are the most innovative and they don’t have access to the best fabric because they can’t support the volume that needs to be supported to create the orde...

Oct 13, 201841 minSeason 3Ep. 135

S03 Episode 134 | REFORMATION + THEIR NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THREDUP

In episode 134, Kestrel welcomes Kathleen Talbot, the VP of Operations + Sustainability at Reformation, to the show. A revolutionary lifestyle brand, Reformation offers thoughtfully produced clothing at an affordable price–a reminder that being green shouldn’t mean sacrificing style and quality. “If you’re confident and you’re motivated to really manage the impact of your product and really your product’s whole life cycle, you shouldn’t be afraid of growth. You should be really trying to maximiz...

Oct 03, 201831 minSeason 3Ep. 134

S03 Episode 133 | NASREEN SHEIKH, ANTI-SWEATSHOP ADVOCATE

In episode 133, Kestrel welcomes Nasreen Sheikh, the founder of both Local Women’s Handicrafts and nonprofit LOCWOM, to the show. An international public speaker and anti-sweatshop advocate, Nasreen has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan and more. "I was working in this small room, thousands of t-shirts would be all around the room, the window would be so small so there would be not enough air, and really when you have a new t-shirt that just came from the other factory a...

Sep 27, 201852 minSeason 3Ep. 133

S03 Episode 132 | RENEE PETERS + MODEL4GREENLIVING

In episode 132, Kestrel welcomes Renee Peters, the founder of Model4GreenLiving, to the show. A fashion model, lifelong animal lover and nature enthusiast, Renee’s interests have inspired Model4GreenLiving , which showcases practical tips and everyday actions that help encourage mindful, sustainable living. "Feminism and environmentalism are not two separate things - they go together." - Renee Peters, Founder of Model4GreenLiving In this episode, Renee shares her insider insight on the modeling ...

Sep 18, 201836 minSeason 3Ep. 132

S03 Episode 131 | KROCHET KIDS, KNOWN SUPPLY + SLOW STORYTELLING

In episode 131, Kestrel welcomes Kohl Crecelius, a social entrepreneur, and the founder and owner of two social impact apparel brands, the the show. With a focus on helping shoppers know and connect with the makers behind their clothing, KNOWN SUPPLY and Krochet Kids intl. are pushing to humanize the fashion industry. "I remember in probably our first couple years, all we ever heard (because we were starting around the same time that Tom's was really starting to take off), all we ever heard was ...

Sep 12, 201849 minSeason 3Ep. 131

S03 Episode 130 | OUTERKNOWN + SMASHING THE FORMULA

In episode 130, Kestrel welcomes Shelly Gottschamer, the head of sustainability and supply chain at Outerknown, to the show. A sustainable menswear brand co-founded by 11-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater + designer John Moore, Outerknown believes in building products by making every decision with the highest regard for the environment and the people they work with. "We're in an environmental crisis that we cannot ignore, so you have to kind of take that approach to business, and do what y...

Sep 04, 201831 minSeason 3Ep. 130

S03 Episode 129 | THE GARMENT WORKER CENTER + ONE WOMAN'S STORY

In episode 129, Kestrel welcomes Zacil Pech, the Health & Safety Organizer at The Garment Worker Center, as well as Blanca Hernandez, a member of The Garment Worker Center, to this week's show. A worker rights organization, The Garment Worker Center's mission is to organize low-wage garment workers in Los Angeles to fight for social and economic justice. "I would often ask myself, but it was the fear of losing my job that kept me there. Anytime someone tried to speak up - especially in these...

Aug 30, 201838 minSeason 3Ep. 129

S03 Episode 128 | THE GARMENT + THEIR VIRTUAL POP-UP

In episode 128, Kestrel welcomes Morgan Hamel, the founder of The Garment, to the show. A platform that helps connect women and responsible brands, The Garment is known for their Virtual Pop-Ups, which showcase quality products from makers who also have a good story. "I realized that there was an entire community of makers out in the world who basically were trying to connect to a community of women who are interested in living more vibrant lives by owning fewer, better things, and sometimes tho...

Aug 20, 201853 minSeason 3Ep. 128

S03 Episode 127 | AGAATI + EMBRACING BOTH HANDS AND MACHINES

In episode 127, Kestrel welcomes Saloni Shrestha, the cofounder + designer of Agaati, to the show. A womenswear brand that is committed to bringing accessible luxury to the industry, Agaati believes there is a way to fuse cultural traditions with today's fast-paced tech-driven world. "Designing with what is there at the moment is complicated. So using both the channels: preserving this art of weaving; at the same time, working with the eco-friendly mill-created textile is I think a good balance ...

Aug 14, 201836 minSeason 3Ep. 127

S03 Episode 126 | NISOLO + HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT

In episode 126, Kestrel welcomes Zoe Cleary, the cofounder of Nisolo, as well as Matt Stockamp, the Impact Associate at Nisolo, to the show. A fashion company known for their hip, fairly made shoes, Nisolo's mantra is: Intentionally designed. Ethically made. Fairly priced. "Our mission has really been to kind of bridge the gap between the end consumer + the producer, and show how you can make a positive or a negative impact into producers lives. And to have that conversation going - for the cons...

Aug 07, 201835 minSeason 3Ep. 126

S03 Episode 125 | COLLECTIVE CLOSETS

In episode 125, Kestrel welcomes Laurinda Ndenzako, the cofounder of Collective Closets, to the show. A womenswear label based + made in Melbourne, Collective Closets was built off of Laurinda + her sister Fatuma's African - Australian identities. "As far as Collective Closets go, we always say that we don't have all the answers, but we definitely want to be part of that conversation - we want to be part of that movement as well to leave a positive impact. And it all starts at home - and sometim...

Aug 06, 201840 minSeason 3Ep. 125

S03 Episode 124 | NATURAL FIBER WELDING

In episode 124, Kestrel welcomes Luke Haverhals, the founder and CEO of Natural Fiber Welding, to the show. An analytical chemist, materials scientist and entrepreneur, Luke is working to produce sustainable, high performance materials for a variety of applications with his team at Natural Fiber Welding . "We're doing something really important for the world which is to basically unleash the abundance of nature and what nature produces at scale (that's very high performance), and being able to c...

Jul 25, 201845 minSeason 3Ep. 124

S03 Episode 123 | WHIMSY+ROW, THE INFLUENCER AGE + BUILDING A CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY

In episode 123, Kestrel welcomes Rachel Temko, the founder + creative director of Whimsy+Row, to the show. A lifestyle brand for the creative, adventurous lady, Whimsy+Row not only offer their clothing + goods online, they also have a lovely freestanding store in Venice, California. "I started Whimsy promoting other brands, and that to me is like - we should all be in this together to spread the word and make everybody aware that this is more of a lifestyle." -Rachel Temko, Founder + Creative Di...

Jul 18, 201840 minSeason 3Ep. 123

S03 Episode 122 | ANITA VANDYKE + A ZERO WASTE LIFE

In episode 122, Kestrel welcomes Anita Vandyke, the author of A Zero Waste Life: in thirty days , to the show. A rocket scientist, blogger, and current student of medicine, Anita is passionate about inspiring others to be every day activists by making small, individual steps to reduce their waste. "Zero waste living to me means reducing your waste, but also at the same time, it means not wasting away your life - so, not wasting your time, your energy, and finding purpose in your life." -Anita Va...

Jul 11, 201837 minSeason 3Ep. 122
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