You probably already know that industrialised farming is chemically intensive and a big greenhouse gas polluter - but how much do you really know about animal agriculture? About its enormous scale, the waste and the way we treat the animals that feed us, and provide leather for the fashion industry? In this interview Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming and author of Farmageddon , provides a powerful argument for a system reset. Love the show? Please consi...
Apr 29, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 116
If you've listened to Episode 115 on how garment workers are being impacted by COVID-19, try this one next. It's an edited version of a story we ran back in 2017, about living wages. Many of the women who make our clothes in countries like Bangladesh still fall far short of earning a living wage. April 24th is the anniversary of the Rana Plaza garment factory disaster. Join Fashion Revolution, and keep asking #whomademyclothes? Don't forget to subscribe to Wardrobe Crisis! The shownotes ar...
Apr 22, 2020•25 min•Season 4Ep. 115
Welcome to this special report on how garment workers around the world are being impacted by COVID-19. Fashion is being severely impacted by the shutdowns. You might argue, the sustainable business is the one that survives this. But as usual, it is the worst off who bear the brunt, because they don't have safety nets to catch them. How is coronavirus impacting garment workers around the world? Why are activists calling for brands to #payup as factories reel under the strain of cancelled or...
Apr 15, 2020•48 min•Season 4Ep. 115
What kinds of products do we want to put out in the future? How can we rethink our design practices and material choices - and persuade the customer that it matters? Once we get to the other side of the COVID-19 crisis, circular and regenerative systems are going to be even more important. But how do we do it case by case? This week's guest British accessories designer Anya Hindmarch has already started. In 2007, Anya launched her famous "I'm not A Plastic Bag" to raise awareness of ...
Apr 08, 2020•34 min•Season 4Ep. 114
"We are at one of those pivotal moments when it feels like the world is coming undone," wrote David Ritter , CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific in a recent newsletter. "But the best of humanity comes out in moments of crisis. It's a phenomenon that we saw in the [recent Australian bush] fires, and which we are seeing again in the face of the pandemic." Can we take this enforced pause to design a better way of relating to each other and the natural world? How can we use compassion in our activis...
Apr 01, 2020•43 min•Season 4Ep. 113
For 7 years, Fashion Revolution has been asking, #whomademyclothes? on a quest for greater transparency in fashion supply chains. Now, they're asking #WhatsInMyClothes ?, and say: "The answer is far more complicated than the composition label on the side seam. This is the starting point, but it doesn't account for the plastics lurking in our clothes, the trees cut down to transform wood into viscose, or the pesticides sprayed on fields of cotton, leaching into waterways." Fashion Revolution's co...
Mar 25, 2020•43 min•Season 4Ep. 112
Emily Penn is a British sailor and the co-founder of eXXpedition - a series of all-women voyages exploring the impacts of plastics and toxins in our oceans. "The only way to reduce the potential impacts on human health and the environment is to reduce consumption," she says. But where to begin? For the next two years, a total of 300 women will sail around the world on eXXpedition's voyages of discovery, to look deep into what's going on with plastic in our oceans, and try to come up with solutio...
Mar 11, 2020•37 min•Season 4Ep. 111
What's driving the fashion's latest obsession with upcycling? And how far can it go? Might fashion stop using virgin materials completely one day? Upcyling means taking something discarded, usually unloved and considered trash, and transforming into something new and of a higher quality. It's become a major fashion buzz word , thanks to designers like Marine Serre in Paris, and even Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. But it's the next generation that's really pushing it. This week, you'll ...
Mar 05, 2020•39 min•Season 4Ep. 110
The #metoo hashtag was a moment, sparked in when the actor Alyssa Milano used it on Twitter in October 2017 in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations. That tweet went viral. More than 19 million people around the world have since used the hashtag to share their stories of sexual harassment, abuse and violence. But Me Too is a about more than social media. Me Too is a movement, founded by the American activist Tarana Burke in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, particularly Black wom...
Feb 19, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 109
London stylist Bay Garnett has magic powers when it comes to finding fashion gems in charity shops. The former editor of Cheap Date magazine (all about thrifting) famously put Kate Moss in the pages of British Vogue wearing vintage. Want to get in her wardrobe? Even better, learn her tips and tricks, hear how thrifting has changed over 20 years, and learn why giving garments multiple lives is more important than ever as a tool to reduce fashion's environmental impact. Head over to https://...
Feb 12, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 108
Welcome to Series 4! Our first guest is American supermodel Amber Valletta -sustainable fashion's favourite face, using her platform to make positive change in the industry. How did she move from celebrity covergirl (she had her own MTV show in the '90s, and in the 2000s did a Hollywood movie with Will Smith) to fashion's eco conscience? Today Amber is the model most closely associated with eco-fashion, she's fronted the last two Stella McCartney campaigns, and protested on behalf of climate act...
Feb 05, 2020•43 min•Season 4Ep. 107
Obsessed with Allbirds ? Join the club. For the last Episode of Series 3, Clare visits the San Francisco HQ of the hottest comfy shoe brand on the planet, and unpicks what makes it work. On the way, she discovers the secrets of algae as an eco ingredient, asks the hard questions about end-of-life and greenwashing, and decodes the complexity of carbon offsetting. Oh, and sits next to Matthew McConaughey on the plane… Alright, alright, alright! “Phenomenal for customers, and also phenomenal for th...
Dec 19, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 106
Is the Great Barrier Reef dead? Headlines to that effect zoomed around the world after two consecutive coral bleaching events in 2016 and 2017. But Australia's most famous World Heritage wonder is still very much with us - a vast eco-system, roughly the size of Germany, it teams with life. Threats from climate change and other factors aren't going away though. Find out what is being done to build resilience on the reef. Meet the scientists and activists working together to protect it. Learn...
Dec 11, 2019•53 min•Season 3Ep. 105
Are you into vintage shopping or second-hand style? Join the club. Whether you're glued to Depop, buying high end designer vintage or a committed charity shop trawler, secondhand has lost its stigma in fashion circles. Recommerce is growing. According to Thredup preloved fashion is on track to eclipse fast fashion within a decade, while 64% of women have either bought or are open to buying used clothes. But... that doesn't mean the world isn't drowning in unwanted stuff. This podcast...
Nov 29, 2019•54 min•Season 3Ep. 104
What if our buildings weren't just a little bit more energy efficient or decorated with a few extra plants? What if they gave back to the environment instead of taking away from it? Biophilic design is a buzz word, and we're on board! Meet the visionary Canadian architect Jason McLennan, founder of the Living Building Challenge and the Living Future Institute. This Episode is all about how we can not just green our built environment but totally rethink it so that it's regenerative, and provides ...
Nov 20, 2019•46 min•Season 3Ep. 103
Why are the old white men still in charge? What's the system build from, and how might be change it? In A History of the World in 7 Cheap things , Raj Patel and his co-author Jason W. Moore argue that the modern world has been shaped by the exploitation of cheap nature, money, work, care, food, energy, and lives. "Cheap is a strategy, a practice, a violence that mobilises all kinds of work - human, animal, botanical and geological - for as little compensation as possible.” And it goes back way f...
Nov 14, 2019•41 min•Season 3Ep. 102
Have you ever thought about the water footprint of beef or olive oil? Or how far your food has travelled before it reaches your dinner plate? And what has all this god to do with fashion? Meet Gung-Ho designer Sophie Dunster , food writer and photographer Sara Kiyo Popowa , and chefs Lauren Lovatt and Abi Aspen Glencross . Whether they're vegan or just very excited about colourful vegetables; sure that what we eat can affect our mental health or just really keen on yummy food that doesn't ...
Nov 07, 2019•52 min•Season 3Ep. 101
IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY! You are listening to the 100th Episode of Wardrobe Crisis - hurrah! Thank you for being part of it. This week's guest is Sinéad Burke , the Irish fashion journalist, activist and inclusivity advocate. Maybe you've watched her TED talk, Why Design Should Include Everyone , or heard about reminding the World Economic Forum at Davos this year, to ask: "Who is not in the room?" Probably you saw her on the cover of the Duchess of Sussex-edited September issue of British Vogue . Thi...
Oct 23, 2019•50 min•Season 3Ep. 100
Why do we need to "fix" fashion? Try because textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined and consumes lake-sized volumes of fresh water. If current consumption levels continue the industry could account for 25% of the world's carbon budget. Because our wardrobes are full of clothes we don't wear, yet we keep buying more and more garments, most of which are made from polyester and shed tiny plastic microfibres every time we wash them. Be...
Oct 16, 2019•52 min•Season 3Ep. 99
How are you doing with all this climate news? Is it getting you down? This Episode to the rescue! It's all about climate hope and how we can feel more courageous and positive about our activism. Meet climate activist, Anna Rose. She started forming environmental groups when she was a school kid. By the time she was at university, she, and her friend Amanda McKenzie, cofounded the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, which today has more than 150,000 members. She's been involved in leadership for ...
Oct 10, 2019•40 min•Season 3Ep. 98
This Episode was recorded during London fashion week. Extinction Rebellion is a grass roots activism movement demanding radical action on the global climate crisis. The group formed in the UK in October 2018 on the premise that trying to be a bit more sustainable, tinkering around the edges of the system but essentially carrying on with business as usual, will not save us from climate breakdown. They are calling on governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency , and to act immediatel...
Oct 01, 2019•46 min•Season 3Ep. 97
How does colonialism play out in fashion? And how can we encourage the fashion industry in general, and retail in particular, to be more inclusive? And when will fashion finally wake up to cultural appropriation and do better? Join me and Sara Ali, a London-based luxury fashion consultant who focuses on Arabia and Africa, as we decode this sensitive subject and ask, Why don't more conversations focus on it? Enjoying the show? Thank you for listening. Please help us spread the word. Rating and re...
Sep 11, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 96
Have you heard the one about denim factories turning rivers blue in China? Horrendous, right? But change is possible. Kirsten Brodde is a former science journalist on a mission to clean up fashion. Meet the Greenpeace activist who led the Detox My Fashion campaign, which spurred an industry-wide commitment to phase out harmful chemicals from clothing production. In this interview, we unpick what it takes to be an effective activist (think dogged persistence!) and passion but also a willingness t...
Sep 04, 2019•40 min•Season 3Ep. 95
The New York Times calls him "the poster boy for zero waste living". He's a florist, artist, restaurateur, architect, inventor and revolutionary thinker. Meet the man on a mission to convince us we can grow all the food we need where we live. In this riveting episode, we discuss everything from how wasteful the floristry industry is to the microbial power of healthy soil to boost serotonin (Yep, it can get you high apparently). What would happen if we reconnected with the natural world? How migh...
Aug 21, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 94
Do you have any idea how much it actually costs to make your clothes? Most brands would rather you didn't. Meet the fashion disruptor who is happy to tell you exactly what it costs his company to make its products, and exactly how much profit they make on each style. Michael Preysman founded Everlane on the concept of "radical transparency" and says: “We believe our customers have a right to know how much their clothes cost to make. We reveal the true costs behind all of our products—from materi...
Aug 14, 2019•42 min•Season 3Ep. 93
Did you know that handwork , or craft, is the second largest employer of women in emerging economies? Since a large proportion of them work from home, this is an often hidden and unregulated sector. Post Rana Plaza , there's been more attention on garment factories, but how often do we consider outworkers - homeworkers - who are often contracted by third parties? This week's guest is Rebecca van Bergen , founder of fab New York-based NGO, Nest . They are on a mission to “build a new handworker e...
Jul 30, 2019•45 min•Season 3Ep. 92
I'm sure you've heard that sustainable fashion is the thing right now. Searches on Lyst increased by 66% last year. Vogue has a sustainability editor. Slow fashion is so popular that even Zara is trying to convince us they're not a fast fashion brand . But what does it take to make it as an independent designer working in this space? To cut through the noise to become a sustainable label people talk about? And buy? Are hard work and dedication enough? Nope, says Courtney Holm , the A...
Jul 24, 2019•37 min•Season 3Ep. 91
Denim is ubiquitous. Almost 2 billion pairs of jeans were sold around the world in 2017. That's a lot of jeans. It's also a lot of jeans waste. According to The New Textiles Economy report, less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing. We're landfilling and incinerating more while at the same time decreasing clothing use over time. The new Jeans Redesign Guidelines from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation seek to solve this. Can they get everyone on bo...
Jul 17, 2019•41 min•Season 3Ep. 90
By 2030, we keep going as we are, the fashion industry will manufacture 102 million tons of clothes and shoes. For comparison, that's the weight equivalent of half million blue whales! Growth is not something we like to question in the fashion industry (or indeed any industry). In our capitalist system, commercial success is measured by growth. But, how can we support infinite growth on a finite planet? “If we could live within the limits of what we've already got, we could get a glimpse o...
Jul 10, 2019•42 min•Season 3Ep. 89
What drives us to consume, and what does over-consumption do to us and the planet? Twenty-five-old British poet , filmmaker and activist Wilson Oryema describes himself as “a semi-retired fashion model”. He was scouted on his lunch break when he was working a London office job, and walked his first show for Margiela in Paris in 2015. He went on to appear in ads for Calvin Klein Underwear and Hugo Boss. His first book of poetry, titled Wait , explores consumerism, contemporary culture and waste. ...
Jul 03, 2019•39 min•Season 3Ep. 88
