Cameron Saul is a British social entrepreneur and the co-founder of ethical accessories brand Bottletop . For his next trick, he's teamed up with the United Nations and Project Everyone on #TOGETHERBAND - which is all about spreading awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - (SDGs) - also known as the Global Goals. “We want solutions, but what most of us don't realise is that there is a roadmap for a healthy planet, and that's the Global Goals. It's an extraordinary framework for actio...
Jun 27, 2019•43 min•Season 3Ep. 87
(Trigger warning: this interview contains a brief reference to suicide.) This week's interview is with brilliant writer and activist Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan . Her memoir She's Not There, A Life in Two Genders is a must-read, as are her New York Times columns. For many years, Jenny was the co-chair of GLAAD's board of directors. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender and Reproduction, and she advised and appeared on the TV series I A...
Jun 20, 2019•36 min•Season 3Ep. 86
Blue jeans were invented by Jacob Davis and Levis Strauss in the 1870s. They were worn by gold miners and cowboys, then James Dean, Marlon Brando, American teenagers and rock stars. If you want to talk about the history of cool, Levi's was there. From Debbie Harry and The Ramones to Jim Morrison - they all wore Levi's. And did you also know that Levi's introduced women's jeans in 1934, when skirts were the norm? The company has also been active raising money and awareness in the fight against AI...
Jun 11, 2019•44 min•Season 3Ep. 85
CHOOSE LIFE, EDUCATION NOT MISSILES, WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR BAN NOW, SAVE THE FUTURE, and more recently, CANCEL BREXIT...just a few of the iconic slogan T-shirts designed by this week's guest over the years. Designer Katharine Hamnett is one of the pioneers of modern British fashion . She invented the much copied slogan T-shirt, was the first winner of the British Fashion Council's 'Designer of the Year' award (in 1984), and championed organic cotton long before it was trendy. This year marks her 40t...
Jun 05, 2019•40 min•Season 3Ep. 84
We don't talk very much about mindfulness in fashion , but it's not like the two are mutually exclusive. If the opposite of sustainable fashion is thoughtlessly buying more and more clothes and getting rid of them after just a few wears, then mindfulness surely has a place. Fashion journalist Bandana Tewari is a former Vogue India editor who now writes for Business of Fashion , and speaks globally on India's rich tradition of fashion craftsmanship. This episode covers that but from a unique pers...
May 29, 2019•49 min•Season 3Ep. 83
In 2011, Arizona Muse landed a Prada contract and a 14-page story in American Vogue, with Anna Wintour comparing her to Linda Evangelista and Natalia Vodianova. She's since become a familiar face on Vogue covers everywhere (including Vogue Paris, British vogue plus she's graced 3 Australian Vogue covers). But these days Arizona has new priorities. Today she is using her platform to help the industry that she loves transition to a more sustainable future. She's been working with The Sustainable A...
May 15, 2019•42 min•Season 3Ep. 82
Meet the millennial behind cult New Zealand label Maggie Marilyn . We hear a lot about how the Gens Y and Z are more woke, more into sustainability and of course more worried about climate change and the environment - why wouldn't they be? These are the generations that are going to inherit the mess that's been made. They are already inheriting it. Find out why designer Maggie Hewitt is determined to do fashion differently, how she sold her very first collection to Net-A-Porter and gets most exc...
May 08, 2019•41 min•Season 3Ep. 81
The mainstream fashion production process is extremely wasteful. The whole system is built on over-ordering , taking a punt on how much will sell, and writing off over-production . This leads to shocking amounts of pre-consumer textiles and garments being landfilled or incinerated - according to some estimates, 1/3 of all the fashion ever produced it never sold. Australian made-to-order T-shirt company Citizen Wolf is using big data and algorithmic power to disrupt this. And they plan to take on...
May 01, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 80
Fashion has a long association with craft, but what about fashion activism? Could we stitch out way to a better world? Meet the author of How to be a Craftivist and founder of Craftivist Collective. Sarah Corbett believes, “If we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair, shouldn't our activism be beautiful, kind and fair?” This Episode is a call to arms for fashion change-makers, a demonstration of the persuasive nature of gentle activism, and the wonderful idea that together we might stitc...
Apr 23, 2019•44 min•Season 3Ep. 79
As we gear up to Earth Day on April 22 , we're thinking about living more lightly on the planet. This year's theme is Protect Our Species , and one of the quotes that inspired it is from Rachel Carson, who said, “In nature nothing exists alone.” This week's podcast guest is proof of that. She is Natalie Isaacs , the super-inspiring Australian movement builder behind 1 Million Women. Natalie is one-woman powerhouse who decided to harness that power of other women - heck, the whole of womank...
Apr 16, 2019•43 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Who's up for stopping our wasteful ways and reimagining trash as a resource ? This week's guest is proving fashion can be made from entirely from recycled materials . He is Javier Goyeneche , president and founder of Ecoalf , the Spanish clothing company that pioneers high-tech new materials made from waste. If you're a sustainability nerd , you've no doubt heard of Ecoalf. It was Spain's first B-corp and Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan - a few years back she did a collab with them for Goop. They've de...
Apr 10, 2019•47 min•Season 3Ep. 77
Have you heard that phrase: from seed to garment ? Probably, right? Because most natural textiles are grown in the Earth. Around 24% of textiles are made from cotton, while hemp, linen and wool all depend on soil. But how often does fashion get its fingernails into the actual dirt? Perhaps it ought to start, because according to the UN, globally, one third soil is degraded. If we carry on like this, we could lose all of our precious topsoil in 60 years. Fashion isn't entirely to blame, but ...
Apr 03, 2019•37 min•Season 3Ep. 76
Is sustainable fashion elitist? Does fashion contribute to poor body image and eating disorders by perpetuating a single, unattainable beauty ideal? What can we do about fashion's diversity problem? How do we, as consumers of fashion, navigate all this? "You can't do it all at the moment,” says this week's guest. “You have to make choices based on your values and those are your personal ethics. ” Sass Brown is an English designer, educator and the author of Eco Fashion . For many year...
Mar 27, 2019•44 min•Season 3Ep. 75
This episode is about purpose, co-creation and building a social enterprise with a friend. It's about fashion with a heart, and following your dreams. Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah are Studio 189 , a social enterprise fashion, lifestyle and media brand based between New York and Ghana, that won the CFDA Sustainable Fashion Initiative Award last year. They work in countries with valuable skills but little infrastructure and limited access to markets, to help build the creativ...
Mar 20, 2019•45 min•Season 3Ep. 74
You know it: Stella McCartney does the eco things first. Whether it's making all things green super-cool, proving non-leather accessories can compete with traditional animal leather in the luxury market, or bringing the circular fashion conversation mainstream, this fashion brand leads the way. So who makes all this happen? There's McCartney herself, of course - the designer is a visionary greenie. But no woman is an island. Claire Bergkamp has her back. Meet Stella McCartney's Worldwide Sustain...
Mar 12, 2019•52 min•Season 3Ep. 73
VOGUE once called him a “high-end scavenger”. Meet Dutch designer Ronald Van Der Kemp - the "sustainable couturier" behind RVDK. Fans include Lady Gaga and Kate Moss, Emma Watson and Lena Dunham. While he was still in college, Ronald wrote a thesis on fashion and nature , and designed a collection using vintage materials. He then spent two decades working in luxury fashion for the likes of Barney's, Bill Blass, Guy Laroche and Celine. Now he's come full circle. Today, brand RVDK - whi...
Mar 05, 2019•47 min•Season 3Ep. 72
Meet London fashion star Amy Powney : an eco pioneer in polka dots and pearls, who grew up off-grid in a caravan and is simply not content to let fashion off the sustainability hook. Amy is the creative director of Mother of Pearl , a British sustainable luxury womenswear brand that celebrates individuality and authenticity. Known for its dark florals, satin bows, ruffles and outsized faux-pearl trims, you could never accuse Mother of Pearl of being homespun or beige. Amy's put...
Feb 27, 2019•43 min•Season 3Ep. 71
Fashion schools everywhere are full of eco warriors and bright, brilliant kids who are determined to do fashion differently. London is the leader. Long known for its fashion creativity , this is the capital that produces the most vibrant student shows and earth-shaking emerging designers. The big international and Paris-based design houses look to London fashion schools like Central St Martins and the London College of Fashion for their future stars - but will they be seduced? Many in this...
Feb 21, 2019•55 min•Season 3Ep. 70
Welcome to Series 3! This Episode is a treat! It features Orsola de Castro, is one of the warmest, most generous, most knowledgable people working in sustainable fashion today. You may know her as the cofounder, with Carry Somers, of Fashion Revolution . But did you also know that she is the queen upcycling ? In the that 1990s, after crocheting around the holes in a much-loved old jumper that she couldn't part with (although it was literally falling apart), she founded the fashion label From Som...
Feb 12, 2019•47 min•Season 3Ep. 69
Livia Firth is the Creative Director of sustainability consultancy Eco-Age , and the founder of the Green Carpet Challenge and Green Carpet Fashion Awards. She is a UN Leader of Change, a founding member of Annie Lennox's women's advocacy group The Circle, and was a co-producer on Andrew Morgan's ethical fashion documentary, The True Cost . Livia is also a warm and wonderful advocate for ethical and sustainable fashion , and an absolute treat to interview. We are so grateful to Livia for kicking...
Feb 05, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 68
From front row to front bench? Why not? It's time we stopped considering fashion as simply fluffy. T he industry is a giant global employer with serious impacts on the environment , and yet it is not traditionally associated with being active in the political arena or central to government policy. Our guest this week, on the final Episode of Series 2, is Londoner Tamara Cincik , founder of the British policy organisation Fashion Roundtable , who is derminted to change this. Her timing's pretty g...
Dec 31, 2018•39 min•Season 2Ep. 67
“We truly believe in the power of fashion to present a pro-social message of inclusivity and positive identity." How's that for a vision statement? These are the words of Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones, AKA London fashion duo Teatum Jones . Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones, are the London creative partners behind Teatum Jones - an inclusive, though-provoking label challenging fashion’s norms. What role can fashion play in empowering women and girls? How can we modernise fashion and make it way mor...
Dec 17, 2018•44 min•Season 2Ep. 66
Meet Indian designer Ruchika Sachdeva of Bodice Studio , the Delhi-based label that took out the 2017/18 International Woolmark Prize . Join us as we discuss how to make it in fashion, and build a successful small business, sustainability, our need for connection and the importance of provenance and craft . We explore the rise of emerging Indian fashion talent (and no, it's not all Bollywood) and look at how can design offer solutions to fashion's waste crisis. A recent British survey...
Dec 06, 2018•46 min•Season 2Ep. 65
Paul van Zyl is a human rights lawyer and ethical fashion entrepreneur, who 2009 he founded Maiyet, a luxury fashion brand with a social impact purpose. The idea was to “incorporate ancient traditions in non-traditional ways by partnering with artisans in developing economies and by sourcing material in ethical ways.” It's about creating opportunity, local entrepreneurship, prosperity, and dignity in, as Paul puts it, the places that need it most. Maiyet partnered with Artisans in Colombia, Indi...
Nov 30, 2018•39 min•Season 2Ep. 64
‘Single-use' was named the Word of the Year for 2018 by the Collins Dictionary. Now that we know the oceans are choking with plastics, disposable has become a dirty word. We also know, there is no away. Nothing that uses synthetic materials is ‘disposable' – it has to go somewhere. Out of site, out of mind is a total copout. But what about so-called " disposable fashion "? Single-use fashion is perhaps a stretch – but we're not a million miles away. Clothing usability is declining. Stats vary, b...
Nov 27, 2018•44 min•Season 2Ep. 63
What was it like to pioneer ethical fashion before that was even a phrase? For 27 years, Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson ran the iconic Australian fashion label Easton Pearson, known for its exquisite artisanal fabrics and embellishments, colourful exuberance and sense of fun. They are the subjects of an exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane, The Designers' Guide: Easton Pearson Archive - an invaluable resource for fashion students and fashion fans. It's also an important contribution...
Nov 20, 2018•39 min•Season 2Ep. 62
What does it take to break through as an emerging fashion designer today? Do sustainable designers have the edge? Who are the names to know, now? Sara Maino is the deputy editor-in-chief of VOGUE ITALIA, and the fashion force behind VOGUE TALENTS, Vogue Green Talents and Who Is On Next? As she told the New York Times : “You will rarely see me at the big shows, those blockbuster events with a starry front row. That is really not my scene.” Instead, Sara combs the globe meeting students, att...
Nov 09, 2018•46 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Welcome to our 60th episode! Can you believe it? This week's guest also have an anniversary to celebrate as the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion turns 10. You're going to meet its founder, academic, designer, educator and all-round sustainable fashion legend Dilys Williams . This is a lively and thought-provoking discussion about how we might totally redesign the way the current fashion system works. We talk about the role of the designer, the role of fashion in all ou...
Oct 31, 2018•47 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Meet legendary thinker, innovator, disruptor and Cradle to Cradle hero, William McDonough . Architect, designer, thought leader, and author – his vision for a future of abundance for all is helping companies and communities think differently. He was the inaugural chair of the World Economic Forum 's Meta-Council on the Circular Economy and currently serves on the Forum's Global Future Council on the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security. For more than 40 years, he has def...
Oct 13, 2018•50 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Katrin Ley is the CEO of FASHION FOR GOOD , an Amersterdam-based organisation that was co-founded by Cradle-to-Cradle's William McDonough. They aim to bring together the entire fashion ecosystem with incentives, resources and tools for sustainability. At Fashion For Good's core is McDonough 's concept of the Five Goods, which, he says, “represent an aspirational framework we can all use to work towards a world in which we do not simply take, make, waste, but rather take, ...
Oct 06, 2018•44 min•Season 2Ep. 58
