For all the talk of inclusivity finally being taken seriously by fashion, the industry is way behind on many fronts. It basically ignores entire sections of the market, which makes no sense from a business perspective, and let alone a social one. Adaptive fashion is both an opportunity and a necessity - as this week's brilliant guest, author Keah Brown says, disabled people love clothes too. And they're tired of having to alter things that don't work for them. Accessible, adaptive design is the ...
Oct 15, 2020•53 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast Philosophy! The Internet of Things! Irvin Penn! From not being Mozart to designing outfits for The Muppets, as a kid... It's all up for discussion in this week's ep with Levi' s Vice President of Global Product Innovation, Paul Dillinger. Paul drove Jacquard by Google , so of course we talk about that, and the future of tech innovation in fashion particularly around wearables. But fundamentally, this is a conversation about why we wear what we wear, what fashion means and how we've used i...
Oct 02, 2020•43 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast "You can't farm spiders!" says this week's guest, scientist David Breslauer. You can keep more them in serious numbers spinning webs off hula-hoops suspended from your office ceiling though... Enter Bolt Threads, the Californian biotech company behind Microsilk - a bioengineered sustainable fibre used by Stella McCartney. Find out how they did it, where the science is headed, and what's next (hint, it's involves mushrooms). Just don't call David Spider Man. Head over to https://thewardrobecrisis...
Sep 17, 2020•48 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast How did denim get so unsustainable? And did it all start with stone washing? Our guest this week accepts responsibility for the industry going so hard on that. Francois Girbaud was there at the start, when, as he says “I was just a stupid guy” - and didn't know about the environmental impact of stone washing. After that, of course, came acid wash, sandblasting, all the rest of it. So, yes, we discuss all the important environmental stuff, but this is an epic interview about Paris, the history of...
Sep 02, 2020•39 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast What's in my clothes? If you're asking that question, you probably expect the answer to be about fabric content. Polyester? Cotton? Wool maybe, or silk. But what about chemicals? You won't find these listed on your typical garment label. Last Series, Clare interviewed Greenpeace activist Kirsten Brodde, who led the Detox My Fashion campaign, launched in 2011, to force fashion to wake up to the toxic trail of textile production. So what's changed since then? Chemistry in fashion is still no...
Aug 06, 2020•32 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast You know those people who are always ahead? The true originals no one can catch? Helen Storey is one of them. This British former runway designer and current Professor of Fashion & Science uses fashion as a trojan horse for big issues. Ten years ago she collaborated with a chemist to make garments that filter pollution from the air. She's made dresses that dissolve to show how we destroy what's beautiful. In 2015, in the run up to the COP15, she turned a decommissioned refugee tent, th...
Jul 23, 2020•44 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast “I don't give voice to anyone, but I have a really amazing tool and that's my camera. I use my camera to amplify the voices of people who feel unheard.” Today photographer Giles Duley is the CEO and founder of the Legacy of War Foundation, and an activist for the rights of those living with disabilities caused by conflict. But he started out working in music and fashion, shooting for magazines like Vogue , GQ and Arena. Since 2004, his portrait photography has taken him all over the world, from ...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast Can fashion really make a difference? Can artisans be agents of change? Could a humble bangle help make post-conflict land safe for the people who live there? It sounds crazy to be talking about war and bombs in the same sentence as fashion and jewellery. But that's exactly what Article 22 , a New York-jewellery brand and social enterprise that's handmade in Laos, seeks to do. They upcycle shrapnel and scrap metal from The Secret War into jewellery, and they called their first collection Pe...
Jul 02, 2020•52 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast On World Oceans Day , we meet Australian big wave surfer Laura Enever. Laura started surfing as a kid in Sydney. She spent 7 years surfing professionally on the Women's World Tour . Now she's decided to reinvent herself as a big wave surfer. And we mean seriously big - these waves are scary, dangerous and remote, they break way out to sea, or on shallow rock ledges and only a few times a year. What has the ocean taught Laura about resilience and conquering fear? Head over to https://thewardrobec...
Jun 08, 2020•33 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we're hanging out on the Copenhagen kitchen of the brilliant "insecure overachievers" behind GANNI . Married couple Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup are the force behind the cult Copenhagen label and they've have made it, according to Vogue, a "stratospheric success" beloved of #GanniGirls all over Instagram. Just don't call it sustainable fashion. "A brand might do one organic T-shirt and call themselves sustainable," says Nicolaj. "We just do what we do, and try to do better every day." ...
May 28, 2020•35 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast Friday May 22nd is the International Day for Biological Diversity . Actually this whole year was meant to be about that. The World Economic Forum named 2020 the Year for Nature Action. It was to culminate in a big conference about the UN convention on biological diversity in Kunming, China in October. But the coronavirus pause doesn't mean we get to hold off on action to protect Nature. This week's guest is Helen Crowley, Kering's head of sustainable sourcing and innovation, where she works with...
May 22, 2020•40 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the second of our special reports about the fashion industry and COVID-19. This one is about how designers, makers and manufacturers are responding to the shortages of PPE - personal protective equipment - and scrubs for frontline workers, as well as masks for all. What is PPE? Why are there shortages? How have fashion designers and industry leaders around the world stepped up to produce PPE for frontline workers? Featuring Shibon Kennedy , founder of PPE Volunteer; Emergency Designer...
May 09, 2020•48 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast "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•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast 
