The entrepreneurs and visionaries who we speak to are using fashion as way to create change, working towards a more sustainable and connected fashion industry. We honour craftsmanship whilst embracing innovation and build businesses that have integrity.
Khandiz is a registered Chartered Environmentalist and an accomplished international creative and sustainability strategist who helps businesses and individuals to transform their vision into one that stimulates social, environmental and economic cohesion.Today, Khandiz runs her business, Vujà Dé (meaning: approaching old problems with a new perspective) Creative Solutions from her home in northwest London. Being a multidisciplinary artist gives her a distinctive way of seeing the world that enables her clients to see things through a different lens, and in turn, it helps them innovate, challenge, and lead.Khandiz who describes herself as a ‘Creative Sustainableist' has been instrumental in leading the beauty industry towards a more sustainable approach through the many businesses and projects she has created.In this podcast we hear all about Khandiz's journey from growing up in Cape Town, South Africa to what changed when she discovered mineral makeup in America and what it's like to use creativity as a tool to challenge existing ways of thinking and doing. We also explore why she chose to become a Chartered Environmentalist and learn about her human-centric vision to communicate the nested model of sustainability.In addition to Vujà Dé Creative Solutions Khandiz has created several businesses and projects with include:CurrentFounding Member & Managing Partner, Conscious Beauty Union: CBU was founded by five leading conscious beauty experts – Khandiz Joni, Lou Dartford, Nat Van Zee, Sjaniël Turrell and Tahira Herold – in late 2018. CBU supports beauty professionals to develop a sustainable practice through ongoing education in sustainability, ethics and health and wellbeing – for us, our clients and the Planet.Founder of The I AM IMPACT Project; ongoing collaborative art project exploring the human impact on our fragile planetary boundaries.PreviousCo-founder, Managing Partner, Creative Director, Novel Beings: the first agency to exclusively represent stylists, hair and makeup artists, prop and food stylists who worked with a sustainable practice in the film, fashion and advertising industries. Plus, A Novel Approach: an award-winning boutique creative agency and sustainability think-tank that works with sustainable fashion brands and organisations like Birdsong and Fashion Revolution.Founder Untainted Magazine: a directional beauty platform, pushing the boundaries of clean beauty.www.vujadecreative.solutionswww.otherday.co.uk
The realisation of motherhood could be described as the moment when everything falls away and is replaced by something that will change your life forever, in ways that you could never have imagined. The awakening of motherhood and becoming climate aware feel incredibly similar and in fact are intrinsically linked. The desire to protect, love and ensure a healthy future after we are long gone is what we must do for both our planet and our children. This is the reason Jessie Brinton founded Mothership soon after becoming a mother. Motherhood is a community-focused platform that offers tools, support and joy for mums to re-nurture the planet for the kids. Before creating Mothership, Jessie worked for many years in fashion for well-known publications including Harper's Bazaar, Nylon, and The Sunday Times. But, after she became a mother, she was compelled to turn her focus to climate action.In this podcast Jodi Muter-Hamilton talks to Jessie about how she is organizing an extremely powerful climate movement of mothers, Mums, with some dads, aunties, grandmas, step mums, god mums, and other people who love kids a lot.Instagram @heymothershipwww.otherday.co.uk
If you're longing to discover a beautifully curated selection of fashion by designers and artisans who are located in out-of-reach places, then Cult Mia is your destination. How we feel and react when we discover something new to us can be extremely powerful. The feeling of surprise, anticipation, novelty and newness trigger the release of dopamine. Which intern makes us want to go exploring in search of a reward. So, it's no wonder that discovery is a big topic for the fashion industry. It's what keeps us coming back to search for new editorial content, or the latest drops from our favourite brands. And it means big business for online retail. But, what if discovery wasn't just about capitalising on that dopamine rush, and discovery actually became the key to unlocking a decent living as a creative for a female entrepreneur or unknown designer in a far-to-reach location? It puts a different perspective on why discovery is such a big part of Cult Mia. Nina came up with the idea for Cult Mia during her time at luxury trunkshow and designer pre-order business Moda Operandi. Competing against more than 100 businesses, Nina later applied to London Business School's accelerator programme, Launchpad, and won with her idea for Cult Mia. In 2019, Cult Mia's first year, they onboarded over 70 designers from 25 different countries, including Georgia, Nigeria and Ukraine.Following on from the launchpad programme, Cult Mia joined London Business School's Incubator programme and received more than £200,000 of resources and office space for the first year of business. Cult Mia has recently raised its pre-seed investment, backed by strategic investors and family offices.What intrigues us about Cult Mia, is how the brand's core values; sustainability, empowerment of women, inclusivity, and lifting local communities, drive Cult Mia and their partner businesses forward. All too often we see brands being ‘inspired by' other cultures, platforms selling ‘authentic' clothing without acknowledging they are ‘taking' rather than celebrating, honouring and creating rightful remuneration for the clothing. Cult Mia is here to make that a thing of the past. When we consider Nina's family background - her grandparents moved from Spain, Poland and the Netherlands to Mexico, where her parents were born and raised - and her international education, across Switzerland, USA, and the UK, it's not difficult to understand why she has such an international viewpoint on life. Nina is the daughter of parents who both achieved great things. Her is father a successful businessman and her mother was one of the first women in Mexico to complete a computer science degree before moving on to set up the computer systems for some of the biggest banks in Latin America. Though her early career Nina spent time as part of The United Nations Women and Trade team supporting female entrepreneurs in underdeveloped countries by growing their micro-enterprises and connecting them to an international market. She also worked at Goldman Sachs in Geneva, covering Latin America.In this podcast, Jodi Muter-Hamilton finds out all about Nina, her vision for Cult Mia, and the biggest challenges and opportunities ahead for her business, female entrepreneurs and designers operating in a global economy. https://cultmia.comwww.otherday.co.uk
Faith, Claire and Florence have come together in a beautiful triangle formation to bring to life, creative ethics consultancy, CogDis. Their mission is to ease cognitive dissonance. Which is the discomfort felt when we behave in contradiction to our beliefs. And in doing so it's their aim to rewire the future. Blending their unique talents and experiences, they guide brands, non-profits, talent and agencies towards solutions in communicating ethics and impact across the fashion industry. CogDis recently released their Manifesting Utopia guide, which shares community insights on how to energise sustainability & ethics in fashion via spirituality. In this podcast Jodi Muter-Hamilton finds out: How Faith, Claire and Florence came together to form CogDis What a creative ethics consultancy does How we can create projects that operate in service to Earth as well as our energetic selves What does it mean to really manifest something and how that relevant to business, life and our collective future
Sara Sozzani Maino is a curious seeker of emerging creative talent. As head of Vogue Talents, deputy director of Vogue Italia and international brand ambassador at Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Sara supports creativity to be recognised in an increasingly competitive fashion landscape. Sara began her fashion career in 1991, alongside her mother, Carla Sozzani, founder of the legendary 10 Corso Como boutique in Milan. In 1994, at the age of 19, Sara began her internship at Vogue Italia, which at the time was under the guidance of her aunt, the iconic editor in chief Franca Sozzani. In this podcast Jodi Muter-Hamilton and Sara Maino explore the less tangible subject of how to recognise and nurture creative potential. We also discuss: What kind of support systems and tools we need to have in place to help nurture creativity How culture and global influences shape creative vision Why we all must support the new generation to create responsible brands
I’m delighted to welcome you to our the first of our two special podcast episodes which accompanies our Defining Success report. For this first podcast we tackle a tricky subject for creatives: money. In search of expert guidance around what makes a creative venture attractive to financial investors and how we should plan for our personal financial future, Jodi Muter-Hamilton speaks to three incredible women for this podcast: Mehjabeen Patrick, chief financial and investment officer at Creative England and Creative Industries Federation Anna Sofat, associate director of wealth at Progeny Lottie Leefe, founder and director of DURA Private and The Dura Society Mehjabeen Patrick is responsible for the implementation and running of all operating functions across Creative England and Creative Industries Federation. With extensive experience as a finance director, Mehjabeen oversees all investment activity for the company and has a keen interest in growing its commercial activities and diversifying its income stream. Previously Mehjabeen worked as Director of Finance for the United Nations Association and Stakeholder Forum. Often referred to as “the voice of women’s wealth”, Anna Sofat, has been helping women invest their money for decades. Anna has changed the culture of wealth; by empowering women through advice & investment. As the pioneering founder of Addidi and now associate director of wealth at Progeny, we learn from Anna how to find your financial number. A number which creates a comfort point, been where what you need and want is sufficient. Lottie Leefe is a qualified wealth planner that advises UHNW/HNW individuals, as well as Next-Gen wealth, on their global assets and investments including art, real estate, wine, luxury goods and philanthropy. Lottie Leefe, who is the founder of DURA Private, a private client wealth consultancy, and founder of financial wellbeing platform The Dura Society. Both of which champion another kind of wealth. Each of these women has caved a path that is individual to them, but also one that supports others to gain an understanding of the many different ways in which we can create a more financially secure future for ourselves, our businesses and future generations. As creatives, we tend to leave money matters at the bottom of the to-do list. Maybe that’s because to us creativity comes first and financial reward second. Or perhaps it’s because throughout our lives we have not been taught how to manage our personal and business finances. However, we have the ability to gain knowledge and meet money matters head-on. “After all, as the saying goes, if you fail to plan, plan to fail.” Benjamin Franklin. This podcast is part of our Defining Success report and two accompanying podcasts. In our second Defining Success podcast we explore the less tangible subject of how to recognise and nurture creative potential with Sara Maino, head of Vogue Talents, deputy director of Vogue Italia and international brand ambassador at Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana.
Wilson Oryema is an Artist, Writer, and Entrepreneur. His endeavours are primarily concerned with “Human consumption and its effects on Human behaviour and the planet”. As part of SHOWstudio x Fashion Roundtable takeover our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton spoke with Wilson and Jamie Windust about Fashion Activism. This left us intrigued to find out more about the social change initiative Wilson Co-founded called Regenerative Futures. Regenerative Futures is a four-year social change initiative which is working to bridge the intergenerational gap through collaboration and conversation. Working towards this goal they have created several realisations of their work including; The Regenerative List, is an open call to find 100 young pioneers from around the world whose innovative ideas will protect our people and our planet. This list is not like other kinds of lists we maybe familiar with that showcases certain people for arguably self-promotion of the organising body. The Regenerative List is not intended to rank people, but facilitate dialogue create innovative solutions between who want to design and live in a world built upon the principles of equity, fluidity, and sustainability. In this podcast we talk about Regenerative Futures, explore human ingenuity, ideas around responsibility and vulnerability and discuss what markers of success could look like. https://www.wilsonoryema.com https://otherday.co.uk
In order to turn an idea into a business, there are several exercises that entrepreneurs need to undertake to assess if their idea has the chance of success. A key element is to solidify the product-market fit by conducting competitor analysis. Imagine if you found there’s currently little competition for your amazing business idea. Then seemingly overnight more and more ‘rivals’ came onto the market all deemed to be fashion’s answer to our sustainability issues. Well, that’s precisely what happened in 2020 with fashion’s rental revolution. We pinned our hopes on rental as something that could fundamentally change fashion’s relationship with ownership. Of course, there were rental businesses who had previously launched and closed due to the fact that consumers weren’t quite ready to rent a few years ago. 2020 was the year that rental was beginning to take hold not only in our existing communities but in traditional retailers such as Selfridges with the Hurr pop-up and Liberty with My Wardrobe. Sadly, last year our hope of seeing fashion rental become mainstream was crushed by the pandemic. After all, we need somewhere to wear our new rented outfits, but what has not changed is the potential of rental. Post-pandemic, we will have lots of places to go and people to see, and we will want to reflect how we now feel as we emerge into the world. This is where rental has a real opportunity to flourish. It can offer new without being costly and give us fun, short-term wardrobe options without leaving us feeling guilty about contributing to social or environmental issues. Something that we feel is necessary to further action towards a more sustainable fashion industry is to collectively and openly discuss ideas, challenges and solutions. We feel a key part of our role at Black Neon Digital is to create a space that cultivates ideas, relationships and movements. It’s quite rare that founders of direct rival businesses embrace being so open with one another, yet is the very thing we need to see more of within fashion. On a purely practical level, if you know what your competitors are doing you can make sure your business offers something different. For our latest podcast, we invited the founders of three incredible rental businesses to come together and discuss where the rental market is heading and also what their business’s role is within the change. After all fashion rental is all about sharing, so let’s share our struggles and hopes too. Join our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton, Jade McSorely Co-founder Loanhood, Aisling Byrne Founder Nuw and Tamsin Chislett Co-founder Onloan to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities for fashion’s rental revolution. www.blackneondigital.com
In order to turn an idea into a business, there are several exercises that entrepreneurs need to undertake to assess if their idea has the chance of success. A key element is to solidify the product-market fit by conducting competitor analysis. Imagine if you found there’s currently little competition for your amazing business idea. Then seemingly overnight more and more ‘rivals’ came onto the market all deemed to be fashion’s answer to our sustainability issues. Well, that’s precisely what happened in 2020 with fashion’s rental revolution. We pinned our hopes on rental as something that could fundamentally change fashion’s relationship with ownership. Of course, there were rental businesses who had previously launched and closed due to the fact that consumers weren’t quite ready to rent a few years ago. 2020 was the year that rental was beginning to take hold not only in our existing communities but in traditional retailers such as Selfridges with the Hurr pop-up and Liberty with My Wardrobe. Sadly, last year our hope of seeing fashion rental become mainstream was crushed by the pandemic. After all, we need somewhere to wear our new rented outfits, but what has not changed is the potential of rental. Post-pandemic, we will have lots of places to go and people to see, and we will want to reflect how we now feel as we emerge into the world. This is where rental has a real opportunity to flourish. It can offer new without being costly and give us fun, short-term wardrobe options without leaving us feeling guilty about contributing to social or environmental issues. Something that we feel is necessary to further action towards a more sustainable fashion industry is to collectively and openly discuss ideas, challenges and solutions. We feel a key part of our role at Black Neon Digital is to create a space that cultivates ideas, relationships and movements. It’s quite rare that founders of direct rival businesses embrace being so open with one another, yet is the very thing we need to see more of within fashion. On a purely practical level, if you know what your competitors are doing you can make sure your business offers something different. For our latest podcast, we invited the founders of three incredible rental businesses to come together and discuss where the rental market is heading and also what their business’s role is within the change. After all fashion rental is all about sharing, so let’s share our struggles and hopes too. Join our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton, Jade McSorely Co-founder Loanhood, Aisling Byrne Founder Nuw and Tamsin Chislett Co-founder Onloan to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities for fashion’s rental revolution. www.blackneondigital.com
Making diamonds from mum’s cake, recycling precious metal to forge new memories and turning discarded abattoir waste into something beautiful useful. Meet three contemporary designers who are exploring the concept of value by repurposing meaning. What object do you value most? Is it something that evokes a deep-rooted joyful memory? Is it some we decide for ourselves, or are we led by narratives developed to sell a certain vision of luxury encapsulated? What if you could form a diamond from anything and create a truly meaningful gift? What if you could find ‘Hidden Beauty’ in discarded waste and lessen environmental impact at the same time, why wouldn’t you sit on a chair made from blood? These are the questions and more we discuss as we explore our relationship with value and meaning together with Aniela Fidler, Ariana Chede and Clemence Grouin-Rigaux. About our guests ANIELA FIDLER Aniela Fidler is a London College of Fashion, MA Fashion Futures Graduate who was one of the four graduates who took part in the Radical Sustainabilities event as part of the Class of 2020 Graduate Showcase. Aniela’s work is concerned with fashion as an expression of emotion. Aniela researches what humans wear to express collective and individual identities, as well as communicate and relate to each other. This is to better understand and map possibilities for more satisfactory futures. She investigates how environments, people, feelings, materials and products come together through storytelling by developing ideas gathered from multiple voices and uniting narratives. By employing an art and design aesthetic Aniela encourages us to reduce the fear of complexity and embrace its beauty. Through her project Diamond Makers Aniela explores radical new future scenarios for fashion where, meaning, luxury and narratives take new forms. After spending more than a year finding out what people value the most, which objects are dear to them and why. Aniela has identified 100 things that her interviewees care about and would consider turning into a diamond. Which answers the intimate question; What diamond source would align with your values? 'Diamond Makers' is a hybrid between a lab and a tailor-made retail experience, creating custom diamonds composed of unexpected items which hold emotional significance for the customer. Diamond Makers explores this area by exploiting the possibilities of already existing science, to fabricate lab-grown diamonds using a wide selection of surprising sources. Lab-grown diamonds grow under high temperature and pressure. They are formed from carbon which can be isolated from most types of organic ash. But maybe the diamond is in fact inconsequential or at least less significant than the meaning emerging from the source? What would be the value of the diamond made from the signature of the 'Diamonds Queen', Rihanna versus a diamond made from Notre Dame ash or your childhood teddy? What would those diamonds represent?' This focus on origin allows the customer of Diamond Makers to choose the meaning and emotional significance they want their diamond to have. The source is fully customisable and the selection process is designed to trigger personal reflection on values followed by desires. ADRIANA CHEDE Adriana Chede is half Brazilian half Lebanese was born in São Paulo and grew up in Brazil. Adriana completed a Product Design degree and courses in photography, fashion and goldsmith, before moving to Europe to study Jewellery Design at Parsons Paris and complete her Masters at the European Institute of Design in Rome. While developing her own aesthetic, Adriana worked with jewellery design houses in Copenhagen, Milan, Rome and Paris. She moved to London to set up her eponymous fine jewellery brand in 2018. For Ariana, jewellery has always represented a celebration of life. She discovered her passion for the craft in childhood when her father would give her mother a piece to celebrate the birth of each of their five children and special anniversaries. Through her modern, delicate collection pieces and her bespoke service, Adriana focuses on sustainability within her work, using recycled materials and responsibly sourced stones. Every piece of jewellery is handmade in her atelier, using natural Brazilian gemstones, diamonds, solid gold from recycled sources and sterling silver. The Sustainability Circle initiative offers customers credit for the price of the metal and discount on their next purchase. CLEMENCE GROUIN-RIGAUX Clemence Grouin-Rigaux is a French-born material designer based in London with an academic background in industrial design and graduated from Central Saint Martins with an MA Material Futures in June 2019. Clemence aims to change our perception of raw materials, re-engineer their qualities and eventually relocate them into new worlds. As a material designer, she challenges typical craft techniques and exploiting innovative manufacturing processes. By crafting everyday functional objects from a material of unusual origin, Clemence’s Hidden Beauty project aims to not only practically reduce the mountain of waste we generate every day, but also help to change our perception of it, both as a valuable commodity but also culturally as something that doesn’t need to be discarded. Every year in the UK approximately 2.6 million cattle, 10 million pigs, 14.5 million sheep and lambs, 80 million fish and 950 million birds are slaughtered for human consumption. Globally, the combined total of chickens (19 billion), cows (1.5 billion), sheep (1 billion) and pigs (1 billion) living at any one time is three times higher than the number of people, according to The Economist. It’s estimated 1 billion people are involved in the rearing, processing, distribution and sale of livestock, with half of those reliant on livestock for their livelihood. Agriculture as a whole makes up approximately 3% of global GDP, with livestock contributing 40% of that. The livestock economy is particularly important for poor rural populations in low- and middle-income countries. Animal remains present a constant and significant waste stream. Abattoir waste consists of blood, bone, fat, skin, hair, animal trimmings and urine, all of which can be hugely problematic to the environment by overwhelming natural eco-systems on our land, in our rivers and in our oceans. Although abattoir waste doesn’t yet have the same appeal as ocean plastic, it’s incredible to think of such huge volumes of potentially valuable materials go to unused. Interestingly, Clemence is vegetarian and has really pushed her own boundaries as well as challenging us to reassess our relationship with consumption and use on a fundamental level. After all, if we eat meat, why not make something beautifully useful from the by-products. www.blackneondigital.com
Making diamonds from mum’s cake, recycling precious metal to forge new memories and turning discarded abattoir waste into something beautiful useful. Meet three contemporary designers who are exploring the concept of value by repurposing meaning. What object do you value most? Is it something that evokes a deep-rooted joyful memory? Is it some we decide for ourselves, or are we led by narratives developed to sell a certain vision of luxury encapsulated? What if you could form a diamond from anything and create a truly meaningful gift? What if you could find ‘Hidden Beauty’ in discarded waste and lessen environmental impact at the same time, why wouldn’t you sit on a chair made from blood? These are the questions and more we discuss as we explore our relationship with value and meaning together with Aniela Fidler, Ariana Chede and Clemence Grouin-Rigaux. About our guests ANIELA FIDLER Aniela Fidler is a London College of Fashion, MA Fashion Futures Graduate who was one of the four graduates who took part in the Radical Sustainabilities event as part of the Class of 2020 Graduate Showcase. Aniela’s work is concerned with fashion as an expression of emotion. Aniela researches what humans wear to express collective and individual identities, as well as communicate and relate to each other. This is to better understand and map possibilities for more satisfactory futures. She investigates how environments, people, feelings, materials and products come together through storytelling by developing ideas gathered from multiple voices and uniting narratives. By employing an art and design aesthetic Aniela encourages us to reduce the fear of complexity and embrace its beauty. Through her project Diamond Makers Aniela explores radical new future scenarios for fashion where, meaning, luxury and narratives take new forms. After spending more than a year finding out what people value the most, which objects are dear to them and why. Aniela has identified 100 things that her interviewees care about and would consider turning into a diamond. Which answers the intimate question; What diamond source would align with your values? 'Diamond Makers' is a hybrid between a lab and a tailor-made retail experience, creating custom diamonds composed of unexpected items which hold emotional significance for the customer. Diamond Makers explores this area by exploiting the possibilities of already existing science, to fabricate lab-grown diamonds using a wide selection of surprising sources. Lab-grown diamonds grow under high temperature and pressure. They are formed from carbon which can be isolated from most types of organic ash. But maybe the diamond is in fact inconsequential or at least less significant than the meaning emerging from the source? What would be the value of the diamond made from the signature of the 'Diamonds Queen', Rihanna versus a diamond made from Notre Dame ash or your childhood teddy? What would those diamonds represent?' This focus on origin allows the customer of Diamond Makers to choose the meaning and emotional significance they want their diamond to have. The source is fully customisable and the selection process is designed to trigger personal reflection on values followed by desires. ADRIANA CHEDE Adriana Chede is half Brazilian half Lebanese was born in São Paulo and grew up in Brazil. Adriana completed a Product Design degree and courses in photography, fashion and goldsmith, before moving to Europe to study Jewellery Design at Parsons Paris and complete her Masters at the European Institute of Design in Rome. While developing her own aesthetic, Adriana worked with jewellery design houses in Copenhagen, Milan, Rome and Paris. She moved to London to set up her eponymous fine jewellery brand in 2018. For Ariana, jewellery has always represented a celebration of life. She discovered her passion for the craft in childhood when her father would give her mother a piece to celebrate the birth of each of their five children and special anniversaries. Through her modern, delicate collection pieces and her bespoke service, Adriana focuses on sustainability within her work, using recycled materials and responsibly sourced stones. Every piece of jewellery is handmade in her atelier, using natural Brazilian gemstones, diamonds, solid gold from recycled sources and sterling silver. The Sustainability Circle initiative offers customers credit for the price of the metal and discount on their next purchase. CLEMENCE GROUIN-RIGAUX Clemence Grouin-Rigaux is a French-born material designer based in London with an academic background in industrial design and graduated from Central Saint Martins with an MA Material Futures in June 2019. Clemence aims to change our perception of raw materials, re-engineer their qualities and eventually relocate them into new worlds. As a material designer, she challenges typical craft techniques and exploiting innovative manufacturing processes. By crafting everyday functional objects from a material of unusual origin, Clemence’s Hidden Beauty project aims to not only practically reduce the mountain of waste we generate every day, but also help to change our perception of it, both as a valuable commodity but also culturally as something that doesn’t need to be discarded. Every year in the UK approximately 2.6 million cattle, 10 million pigs, 14.5 million sheep and lambs, 80 million fish and 950 million birds are slaughtered for human consumption. Globally, the combined total of chickens (19 billion), cows (1.5 billion), sheep (1 billion) and pigs (1 billion) living at any one time is three times higher than the number of people, according to The Economist. It’s estimated 1 billion people are involved in the rearing, processing, distribution and sale of livestock, with half of those reliant on livestock for their livelihood. Agriculture as a whole makes up approximately 3% of global GDP, with livestock contributing 40% of that. The livestock economy is particularly important for poor rural populations in low- and middle-income countries. Animal remains present a constant and significant waste stream. Abattoir waste consists of blood, bone, fat, skin, hair, animal trimmings and urine, all of which can be hugely problematic to the environment by overwhelming natural eco-systems on our land, in our rivers and in our oceans. Although abattoir waste doesn’t yet have the same appeal as ocean plastic, it’s incredible to think of such huge volumes of potentially valuable materials go to unused. Interestingly, Clemence is vegetarian and has really pushed her own boundaries as well as challenging us to reassess our relationship with consumption and use on a fundamental level. After all, if we eat meat, why not make something beautifully useful from the by-products. www.blackneondigital.com
Making the switch from chemically straightened hair to natural curls, wasn’t as easy as Winnie Awa had hoped. This experience coupled with her expertise working at companies including LVMH, Net-a-Porter and ASOS, led to Winnie founding, Antidote Street. A digital destination for all things textured hair that not only offers a highly curated selection of products but has united some of the UK’s leading afro hair salons to create The Antidote Street Manifesto. The manifesto is an agreement to collaboratively set the standard that allows us to hold ourselves accountable for creating the best possible experience for our customers. One of the standout things about Antidote Street is how customer experience, and supporting a community are placed at the heart of the company. Bringing this to life, Antidote Street toured a mint green airstream caravan ‘Hair Lab’ around London; Brixton to Covent Garden and offered services including their most popular, ‘root analysis’ hair follicle test. By analysing what kind of hair people have, from the root - not the strand, that have been affected by styling and products - Antidote Street could really understand what kind of care is right for each person. This science and data-driven, analytical approach, in the words of Antidote street offers ‘the much-needed remedy to make 'hair' simple and easy’. This approach has since led to Winnie build Carra, an expert-led, tech optimised hair consulation and personalised recommendation platform. With Carra, you get to set your hair goals and meet your coach, who will analyse your needs and create a personalised routine for you. The hard work of deciphering ingredients, navigating often confusing marketing messages, can now be a thing the past. Also, by streamlining the process, Carra helps you buy fewer products that tend to sit around unused in a cupboard. Which, is a win, win for your bank account, and the environment. In this podcast our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton and Winnie discuss: What its been like building carra during the current pandemic Why its so important to make the customer the heart of business Why its so difficult to understand product ingredients and information on packaging https://antidotestreet.com https://meetcarra.com https://www.blackneondigital.com
Making the switch from chemically straightened hair to natural curls, wasn’t as easy as Winnie Awa had hoped. This experience coupled with her expertise working at companies including LVMH, Net-a-Porter and ASOS, led to Winnie founding, Antidote Street. A digital destination for all things textured hair that not only offers a highly curated selection of products but has united some of the UK’s leading afro hair salons to create The Antidote Street Manifesto. The manifesto is an agreement to collaboratively set the standard that allows us to hold ourselves accountable for creating the best possible experience for our customers. One of the standout things about Antidote Street is how customer experience, and supporting a community are placed at the heart of the company. Bringing this to life, Antidote Street toured a mint green airstream caravan ‘Hair Lab’ around London; Brixton to Covent Garden and offered services including their most popular, ‘root analysis’ hair follicle test. By analysing what kind of hair people have, from the root - not the strand, that have been affected by styling and products - Antidote Street could really understand what kind of care is right for each person. This science and data-driven, analytical approach, in the words of Antidote street offers ‘the much-needed remedy to make 'hair' simple and easy’. This approach has since led to Winnie build Carra, an expert-led, tech optimised hair consulation and personalised recommendation platform. With Carra, you get to set your hair goals and meet your coach, who will analyse your needs and create a personalised routine for you. The hard work of deciphering ingredients, navigating often confusing marketing messages, can now be a thing the past. Also, by streamlining the process, Carra helps you buy fewer products that tend to sit around unused in a cupboard. Which, is a win, win for your bank account, and the environment. In this podcast our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton and Winnie discuss: What its been like building carra during the current pandemic Why its so important to make the customer the heart of business Why its so difficult to understand product ingredients and information on packaging https://antidotestreet.com https://meetcarra.com https://www.blackneondigital.com
Since his late teens, George MacPherson has worked hard to hone his communications craft. Starting out in public relations (PR) in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, George worked his way to London via Leeds University and later worked for world-renowned fashion brands and PR agencies including STARWORKS Group. George has made it his business to not only anticipate what’s relevant right now but, helps shape consumer-focused, impactful brands that continue to resonate with media and communities. In 2016 George founded GWM Consulting, which today, based in New York works with well respected (thanks in part to George) fashion brands, particularly those with a sustainable focus, such as Maggie Marilyn. Alongside fashion brands who make physical products, GWM also works with companies who are challenging fashion’s status quo. ‘Think and do tank’ New Standard Institute are ‘using data and the power of citizens to turn the fashion industry into a force for good’, whilst climate action magazine Atmos are creating a new narrative between climate and culture. GWM’s partnership-driven approach focuses on building long-lasting relationships between brands, consumers and media. Rather than keeping stakeholders separate, GWM facilitates knowledge exchange. This forms an ecosystem of connected, trusted individuals and companies with a deep understanding that can help each other. Traditionally, PR would perhaps be used to launch a product or as an add on to gain media coverage in a bid to boost sales. Over the past few years, we have seen communications and marketing becoming more integrated early on in businesses. Often, we see comms experts working directly with founders and start-ups from day one. There are clear benefits to this approach including; a stronger product-market fit, an organic community can be built early on which leads to an already engaged and ready to buy customer base. This movement has undoubtedly been accelerated by the need to work on digital campaigns even ahead making any product, due to the time it takes to produce digital content and also the increased pressure to make it look incredible and perform well. In addition, as a result of the climate crisis, the fashion industry needs to reassess if we should actually be making physical products at all. Moving from a product to service or experience-led industry is something that provides some exciting opportunities, yet will be hard for most of the industry to contemplate. As we contemplate what’s next for fashion and how we communicate with each other we invited George to share his thoughts on where the industry is heading. In this podcast our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton, talks to George about; - His journey from working in public relations in Newcastle-upon-tyne (also our founders birth town!) to studying in Leeds, and moving to London and New York - How the PR and communications landscape has changed over time - Why trust is crucial to building long-lasting relationships between media, brands and consumers - Some of the incredible brands that GWM is helping to shape and connect with consumers www.georgemacpherson.com www.blackneondigital.com GWM Consulting Clients Maggie Marilyn New Standard Institute Arje Oshadi TIDAL New York Greg Lauren Polite Worldwide Satisfy Running ATMOS
Since his late teens, George MacPherson has worked hard to hone his communications craft. Starting out in public relations (PR) in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, George worked his way to London via Leeds University and later worked for world-renowned fashion brands and PR agencies including STARWORKS Group. George has made it his business to not only anticipate what’s relevant right now but, helps shape consumer-focused, impactful brands that continue to resonate with media and communities. In 2016 George founded GWM Consulting, which today, based in New York works with well respected (thanks in part to George) fashion brands, particularly those with a sustainable focus, such as Maggie Marilyn. Alongside fashion brands who make physical products, GWM also works with companies who are challenging fashion’s status quo. ‘Think and do tank’ New Standard Institute are ‘using data and the power of citizens to turn the fashion industry into a force for good’, whilst climate action magazine Atmos are creating a new narrative between climate and culture. GWM’s partnership-driven approach focuses on building long-lasting relationships between brands, consumers and media. Rather than keeping stakeholders separate, GWM facilitates knowledge exchange. This forms an ecosystem of connected, trusted individuals and companies with a deep understanding that can help each other. Traditionally, PR would perhaps be used to launch a product or as an add on to gain media coverage in a bid to boost sales. Over the past few years, we have seen communications and marketing becoming more integrated early on in businesses. Often, we see comms experts working directly with founders and start-ups from day one. There are clear benefits to this approach including; a stronger product-market fit, an organic community can be built early on which leads to an already engaged and ready to buy customer base. This movement has undoubtedly been accelerated by the need to work on digital campaigns even ahead making any product, due to the time it takes to produce digital content and also the increased pressure to make it look incredible and perform well. In addition, as a result of the climate crisis, the fashion industry needs to reassess if we should actually be making physical products at all. Moving from a product to service or experience-led industry is something that provides some exciting opportunities, yet will be hard for most of the industry to contemplate. As we contemplate what’s next for fashion and how we communicate with each other we invited George to share his thoughts on where the industry is heading. In this podcast our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton, talks to George about; - His journey from working in public relations in Newcastle-upon-tyne (also our founders birth town!) to studying in Leeds, and moving to London and New York - How the PR and communications landscape has changed over time - Why trust is crucial to building long-lasting relationships between media, brands and consumers - Some of the incredible brands that GWM is helping to shape and connect with consumers www.georgemacpherson.com www.blackneondigital.com GWM Consulting Clients Maggie Marilyn New Standard Institute Arje Oshadi TIDAL New York Greg Lauren Polite Worldwide Satisfy Running ATMOS
Less than a week ago Charlotte Horler launched Nula Carbon, the climate action platform that aims to bring carbon offsetting into the mainstream. Before founding Nula Carbon, Charlotte witnessed first-hand the positive impact that carbon offsetting can bring to the planet, people and wildlife. For the past 3 years, she has worked for the ethical manufacturer and community trust, SOKO Kenya and lived in Kenya on a forest protection site run by Wildlife Works. Carbon offsetting has typically been something that we perhaps only think about in relation to flying or something a big business incorporates into their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Charlotte plans to change this by communicating with a growing carbon curious audience. By making the subject of carbon setting relatable, connecting on a human level and sharing the stories the people who directly benefit from carbon offsetting, Nula Carbon plans to make it easy to make a big difference. In this podcast Charlotte and our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton talk about: The journey from Kenya to launching Nula Carbon What carbon offsetting can do for communities, planet and wildlife Why she has chosen to grow her start-up business from Lisbon rather than London Tips to reduce your individual and business carbon footprint In our podcast, Charlotte mentioned some of her go-to carbon resources which are listed below. All links go to Instagram: Future Earth Chicks for Climate Climate Science Earth Rise Studio www.blackneondigital.com https://www.nulacarbon.com
Less than a week ago Charlotte Horler launched Nula Carbon, the climate action platform that aims to bring carbon offsetting into the mainstream. Before founding Nula Carbon, Charlotte witnessed first-hand the positive impact that carbon offsetting can bring to the planet, people and wildlife. For the past 3 years, she has worked for the ethical manufacturer and community trust, SOKO Kenya and lived in Kenya on a forest protection site run by Wildlife Works. Carbon offsetting has typically been something that we perhaps only think about in relation to flying or something a big business incorporates into their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Charlotte plans to change this by communicating with a growing carbon curious audience. By making the subject of carbon setting relatable, connecting on a human level and sharing the stories the people who directly benefit from carbon offsetting, Nula Carbon plans to make it easy to make a big difference. In this podcast Charlotte and our founder Jodi Muter-Hamilton talk about: The journey from Kenya to launching Nula Carbon What carbon offsetting can do for communities, planet and wildlife Why she has chosen to grow her start-up business from Lisbon rather than London Tips to reduce your individual and business carbon footprint In our podcast, Charlotte mentioned some of her go-to carbon resources which are listed below. All links go to Instagram: Future Earth Chicks for Climate Climate Science Earth Rise Studio www.blackneondigital.com https://www.nulacarbon.com
Ivana Bartoletti is a Technical Director at Deloitte, the Co-founder of Women Leading in AI network, an international lobby group of women advocating for responsible AI and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society. In 2019 Ivana was awarded ‘Woman of the Year’ 2019 in the Cyber Security Awards in recognition of her growing reputation as an advocate of equality, privacy and ethics at the heart of tech and AI. Ivana is also Co-editor of the Fintech Circle’s The AI Book; The Artificial Intelligence handbook for investors, entrepreneurs and fintech visionaries. Through her recently published book, An Artificial Revolution, Ivana brings to light the reality of the exponential advances being made in artificial intelligence. From the low-paid workers who toil to train algorithms to recognise cancerous polyps to the symbiotic relationship between AI and right-wing populism, Ivana explores the urgent existential threat that artificial intelligence poses to international social justice. An Artificial Revolution makes us aware that we cannot be bystanders in an increasingly digitally driven world. As individuals, we are amassing data that forms part of our own identity and digital footprint. As brands and businesses we are using data to find, communicate with and sell to customers. We are using algorithms to predict trends, manage clothing production and make decisions based on computer-generated patterns. These patterns are not created on their own, they are coded by people with a desired outcome in mind. As Ivana states in her book; The power underpinning AI is data. Data, in its current form and scale, constitutes a new form of capital, and its extraction and exploitation lie at the heart of the rise of AI. Data is who we are; what constitutes our intimate being. It is our every online purchase, decision, opinion; every click of our keyboard; increasingly, every movement and sound we make in front of our computer is being turned into a commodity. The harvesting of us as data citizens through control, surveillance and constant monitoring is what makes data turn into capital and accumulation. But data has a huge flaw, a flaw that is widely ignored or wilfully disguised: data is not neutral. Through our podcast interview, Ivana’s expert insight shows us how society can be altered by data and how we must ensure that gender or racial bias is not built into algorithms by the people and businesses creating them. We also discuss how data and technology can be used to create a positive impact on the planet and society. www.blackneondigital.com
Ivana Bartoletti is a Technical Director at Deloitte, the Co-founder of Women Leading in AI network, an international lobby group of women advocating for responsible AI and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Fabian Society. In 2019 Ivana was awarded ‘Woman of the Year’ 2019 in the Cyber Security Awards in recognition of her growing reputation as an advocate of equality, privacy and ethics at the heart of tech and AI. Ivana is also Co-editor of the Fintech Circle’s The AI Book; The Artificial Intelligence handbook for investors, entrepreneurs and fintech visionaries. Through her recently published book, An Artificial Revolution, Ivana brings to light the reality of the exponential advances being made in artificial intelligence. From the low-paid workers who toil to train algorithms to recognise cancerous polyps to the symbiotic relationship between AI and right-wing populism, Ivana explores the urgent existential threat that artificial intelligence poses to international social justice. An Artificial Revolution makes us aware that we cannot be bystanders in an increasingly digitally driven world. As individuals, we are amassing data that forms part of our own identity and digital footprint. As brands and businesses we are using data to find, communicate with and sell to customers. We are using algorithms to predict trends, manage clothing production and make decisions based on computer-generated patterns. These patterns are not created on their own, they are coded by people with a desired outcome in mind. As Ivana states in her book; The power underpinning AI is data. Data, in its current form and scale, constitutes a new form of capital, and its extraction and exploitation lie at the heart of the rise of AI. Data is who we are; what constitutes our intimate being. It is our every online purchase, decision, opinion; every click of our keyboard; increasingly, every movement and sound we make in front of our computer is being turned into a commodity. The harvesting of us as data citizens through control, surveillance and constant monitoring is what makes data turn into capital and accumulation. But data has a huge flaw, a flaw that is widely ignored or wilfully disguised: data is not neutral. Through our podcast interview, Ivana’s expert insight shows us how society can be altered by data and how we must ensure that gender or racial bias is not built into algorithms by the people and businesses creating them. We also discuss how data and technology can be used to create a positive impact on the planet and society. www.blackneondigital.com
Karinna Nobbs approaches her life in fashion with three guiding pillars; investigation, conscious innovation and education. Someone whom we may consider a Futurist, she has recently felt the need to turn her attention to the present rather than striving to create the future. So, it stands to reason that Karinna recently entitled herself a Nowist, rather than a Futurist. The current pandemic has made us consider all aspects of our lives and work out what’s essential and important to us. For Karinna, that has led to her making a conscious decision to move more into the present, and be more connected to nature, living in Ibiza where she moved just before lockdown. Karinna started her career as a visual merchandiser and moved into fashion academia when she realised how addictive researching and teaching could be. During her 15 years full-time academic career she has taught in more than 25 institutions, spoken at 87 conferences, across 19 countries and currently lectures at London College of Fashion, the Antwerp School of Management, ESA, Istituto Marangoni, Hyper Island and was awarded an affiliate Professorship at ESCP Europe in 2018 where she teaches Innovation and Trends. Since 2017 Karinna has also has worked alongside agencies including Holition, Sunshine and Wednesday, for media brands such as the Business of Fashion, Decoded Fashion and Frieze plus with luxury brands including La Prairie and The Vampire’s Wife. We visited and featured Karinna’s self-funded project HOT:SECOND, which brought to life the world’s first circular economy concept store where she traded physical products for digital experiences. This project brought together various digital and sustainable applications, concepts and brand into one place for the public to play with and contemplate a different kind retail experience. Turning her attention to what kind of support and inspiration creative professionals may need post-pandemic, Karinna has been working on creating a transformational experience designed to enable both personal and professional innovation. The Think (Re)treat offers a carefully constructed seven-phase programme delivered intensively over 48 hours in an exclusive environment on the island of Ibiza, due take place in October 2020. In this podcast, Jodi Muter-Hamilton talks to Karinna about: What it’s like to follow your instinct to a place that has yet to be defined Her future plans for HOT:SECOND Working on The Dematerialised with another incredible woman in innovation, Marjorie Hernandez, Co-founder LUKSO Why she felt it’s time to help others develop both personal and professional innovation roadmaps http://karinnanobbs.com www.blackneondigital.com
Karinna Nobbs approaches her life in fashion with three guiding pillars; investigation, conscious innovation and education. Someone whom we may consider a Futurist, she has recently felt the need to turn her attention to the present rather than striving to create the future. So, it stands to reason that Karinna recently entitled herself a Nowist, rather than a Futurist. The current pandemic has made us consider all aspects of our lives and work out what’s essential and important to us. For Karinna, that has led to her making a conscious decision to move more into the present, and be more connected to nature, living in Ibiza where she moved just before lockdown. Karinna started her career as a visual merchandiser and moved into fashion academia when she realised how addictive researching and teaching could be. During her 15 years full-time academic career she has taught in more than 25 institutions, spoken at 87 conferences, across 19 countries and currently lectures at London College of Fashion, the Antwerp School of Management, ESA, Istituto Marangoni, Hyper Island and was awarded an affiliate Professorship at ESCP Europe in 2018 where she teaches Innovation and Trends. Since 2017 Karinna has also has worked alongside agencies including Holition, Sunshine and Wednesday, for media brands such as the Business of Fashion, Decoded Fashion and Frieze plus with luxury brands including La Prairie and The Vampire’s Wife. We visited and featured Karinna’s self-funded project HOT:SECOND, which brought to life the world’s first circular economy concept store where she traded physical products for digital experiences. This project brought together various digital and sustainable applications, concepts and brand into one place for the public to play with and contemplate a different kind retail experience. Turning her attention to what kind of support and inspiration creative professionals may need post-pandemic, Karinna has been working on creating a transformational experience designed to enable both personal and professional innovation. The Think (Re)treat offers a carefully constructed seven-phase programme delivered intensively over 48 hours in an exclusive environment on the island of Ibiza, due take place in October 2020. In this podcast, Jodi Muter-Hamilton talks to Karinna about: What it’s like to follow your instinct to a place that has yet to be defined Her future plans for HOT:SECOND Working on The Dematerialised with another incredible woman in innovation, Marjorie Hernandez, Co-founder LUKSO Why she felt it’s time to help others develop both personal and professional innovation roadmaps http://karinnanobbs.com www.blackneondigital.com
We first came across Steve Lidbury, Executive Principal at Eight Inc. on stage at FashionTech Berlin in 2018 where he shared ‘How luxury brands can remain relevant in a millennial world’ (available on YouTube), and for us, this was one of the standout sessions of the event. Since then, Steve joined us for our London Tech Week panel ‘Why human connection should be at the heart of all technology’ and we’ve had many interesting discussions over the last couple of years. Eight Inc. are often referred to as Apples best-kept secret due to the fact they are responsible for the renowned Apple Store design. A multi-discipline experience design studio, with 200+ strategic designers and business creatives connected across 11 studios, 6 time zones and 3 continents, Eight.Inc design holistic, human-centric experiences for world-renowned brands including Tesla, Estee Lauder, Coach, Virgin and Nike. Before joining Eight Inc. Steve, a Ravensbourne University architecture graduate, co-founded Postnormal, collective of like-minded international designers that established a creative presence through a series of both collaborative and individual interior, installation and exhibition projects in Tokyo. He went on to create, Steve Lidbury Design Studio and completed projects in Japan and China that earned him the recognition as a flagship for British design in Japan. Returning to the UK, Steve took up the role as European Creative Director of the Luxury Automotive Group at Imagination, creating multichannel brand experiences for the likes of Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Steve’s approach to life and work, is to make most of life by exploring the world, it’s different cultures and people which intern drives him to use design as a tool for creating better human outcomes and conditions for the greater good. Just before lockdown, we sat down with Steve to record a podcast. Since then we’ve checked back to see if Covid-19 has shifted his thoughts around Monochannel, but he assured us that it’s even more important than ever to create a consistent and connected brand experience. An experience that is driven by emotions, sensations, and desires. In our podcast, we discuss what the future of brand and customer interaction could feel like, and how adopting a Monochannel strategy will change the way we do business. Some brands, particularly small businesses, they may not feel the need to create a strategy to ensure customer records and interactions are unified. However, regardless of business size or ambition to grow, we all have to make sure we understand who our customers are and what they each want. A relationship is a two-way thing, and if there’s an imbalance of that relationship the customer will move onto another brand who treats them well. It’s time to make sure that doesn’t happen because from a brands perspective it costs a lot more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one happy! www.blackneondigital.com
We first came across Steve Lidbury, Executive Principal at Eight Inc. on stage at FashionTech Berlin in 2018 where he shared ‘How luxury brands can remain relevant in a millennial world’ (available on YouTube), and for us, this was one of the standout sessions of the event. Since then, Steve joined us for our London Tech Week panel ‘Why human connection should be at the heart of all technology’ and we’ve had many interesting discussions over the last couple of years. Eight Inc. are often referred to as Apples best-kept secret due to the fact they are responsible for the renowned Apple Store design. A multi-discipline experience design studio, with 200+ strategic designers and business creatives connected across 11 studios, 6 time zones and 3 continents, Eight.Inc design holistic, human-centric experiences for world-renowned brands including Tesla, Estee Lauder, Coach, Virgin and Nike. Before joining Eight Inc. Steve, a Ravensbourne University architecture graduate, co-founded Postnormal, collective of like-minded international designers that established a creative presence through a series of both collaborative and individual interior, installation and exhibition projects in Tokyo. He went on to create, Steve Lidbury Design Studio and completed projects in Japan and China that earned him the recognition as a flagship for British design in Japan. Returning to the UK, Steve took up the role as European Creative Director of the Luxury Automotive Group at Imagination, creating multichannel brand experiences for the likes of Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Steve’s approach to life and work, is to make most of life by exploring the world, it’s different cultures and people which intern drives him to use design as a tool for creating better human outcomes and conditions for the greater good. Just before lockdown, we sat down with Steve to record a podcast. Since then we’ve checked back to see if Covid-19 has shifted his thoughts around Monochannel, but he assured us that it’s even more important than ever to create a consistent and connected brand experience. An experience that is driven by emotions, sensations, and desires. In our podcast, we discuss what the future of brand and customer interaction could feel like, and how adopting a Monochannel strategy will change the way we do business. Some brands, particularly small businesses, they may not feel the need to create a strategy to ensure customer records and interactions are unified. However, regardless of business size or ambition to grow, we all have to make sure we understand who our customers are and what they each want. A relationship is a two-way thing, and if there’s an imbalance of that relationship the customer will move onto another brand who treats them well. It’s time to make sure that doesn’t happen because from a brands perspective it costs a lot more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one happy! www.blackneondigital.com
Atmos Magazine is beautiful, eloquent and inspires action. The biannual publication delivers a culturally-led luxury fashion feel with the substance of the National Geographic. Atmos was founded by Jake Sargent, who previously managed Monocle’s retail and product collaboration development before taking up the position of joint Creative Director alongside Daniel Corrigan for the premium denim brand Simon Miller. In 2017 Jake founded Magic Hour, an early-stage venture capital fund with a portfolio of brands that spans wellness, social consciousness, environment, food and fashion with the common thread to inspire change and transform consumer behaviour. Following a reconnection through a mutual friend, Jake and William Defebaugh began to bring Atmos to life. Will’s career in fashion publishing began after moving to New York to intern at Vogue Magazine. After working at GQ Magazine, Will moved to the distinctively cool, culture obsessed, V Magazine, where during 5 years there, rose from assistant to Editor. Why would you leave a career that appears from the outside the perfect example of a focused and driven fashion professional? Well, after experiencing what Will calls ‘fashion fatigue’ ne hit a turning point around the time of the Trump election and decided to use nir voice as a writer and editor to make a difference in the world. As someone who leads a consciously connected life, and helps others to live in alignment, Will could no longer be part of a system perpetuating consumerism. Now as Editor-In-Chief of Atmos, Will has created a new narrative between climate and culture to re-connect us with nature and ourselves. Recognising that we have become divorced from the very thing that sustains us - the Earth - Will opens up the channels of communication between an aesthetic that we desire and the insight that we crave. After recently launching Atmos Magazine Volume 3 entitled Flourish / Collapse we caught up with Will to talk to about; life in the fashion industry, the concept behind the title of Atmos Magazine’s latest publication and the Future Earth Day project. https://atmos.earth www.blackneondigital.com
Atmos Magazine is beautiful, eloquent and inspires action. The biannual publication delivers a culturally-led luxury fashion feel with the substance of the National Geographic. Atmos was founded by Jake Sargent, who previously managed Monocle’s retail and product collaboration development before taking up the position of joint Creative Director alongside Daniel Corrigan for the premium denim brand Simon Miller. In 2017 Jake founded Magic Hour, an early-stage venture capital fund with a portfolio of brands that spans wellness, social consciousness, environment, food and fashion with the common thread to inspire change and transform consumer behaviour. Following a reconnection through a mutual friend, Jake and William Defebaugh began to bring Atmos to life. Will’s career in fashion publishing began after moving to New York to intern at Vogue Magazine. After working at GQ Magazine, Will moved to the distinctively cool, culture obsessed, V Magazine, where during 5 years there, rose from assistant to Editor. Why would you leave a career that appears from the outside the perfect example of a focused and driven fashion professional? Well, after experiencing what Will calls ‘fashion fatigue’ ne hit a turning point around the time of the Trump election and decided to use nir voice as a writer and editor to make a difference in the world. As someone who leads a consciously connected life, and helps others to live in alignment, Will could no longer be part of a system perpetuating consumerism. Now as Editor-In-Chief of Atmos, Will has created a new narrative between climate and culture to re-connect us with nature and ourselves. Recognising that we have become divorced from the very thing that sustains us - the Earth - Will opens up the channels of communication between an aesthetic that we desire and the insight that we crave. After recently launching Atmos Magazine Volume 3 entitled Flourish / Collapse we caught up with Will to talk to about; life in the fashion industry, the concept behind the title of Atmos Magazine’s latest publication and the Future Earth Day project. https://atmos.earth www.blackneondigital.com
Having left school at 15 to work in a chemist then later moving on to the Clinique beauty counter in Debenhams in Croydon at 18, to recently stepping down as CEO for Aromatherapy Associates, Tracey Woodward’s career to date has been a story of sheer determination and passion. Rising above a challenging upbringing and being illiterate till almost 15 years old, Tracey’s approach to life and her career in the beauty and wellness industry is positive, uplifting and playful. Contributing to the development and success of many brands including Estée Lauder, Donna Karan and Marks & Spencer Beauty, Tracey is one lady who means business. At the age of 26, Tracey was in charge of - what was at the time the largest beauty hall in the world - Travel Retail at Heathrow Terminal 1, later increased Aveda’s sales from 800,000 to 10.8million in less than 4 years and delivered double-digit growth for Urban Retreat in Harrods year-on-year for 9 years. Turning her hand to a new opportunity alongside her ex-husband, Tracey opened East Dulwich Deli, then later put an East Dulwich Deli cafe in Harrods. She has also worked with the Prince’s Trust, Action for Children, Beanstalk Literacy Charity, Terrence Higgins Trust, CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) and Eve Appeal to name but a few. Tracey is incredibly inspiring and practical and believes ‘If I can do it, anyone can do it. You’ve just got to have a plan.’ In our podcast Tracey Woodward and Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss: Tracey’s prolific career and passion for learning and evolving The importance of building strong relationships with yourself and others The art of being vulnerable and asking for help Mindfulness, empathy and kindness Tracey’s go-to beauty products Recently working on the UK’s first clean beauty store, Holland and Barrett in Birmingham www.blackneondigital.com
Having left school at 15 to work in a chemist then later moving on to the Clinique beauty counter in Debenhams in Croydon at 18, to recently stepping down as CEO for Aromatherapy Associates, Tracey Woodward’s career to date has been a story of sheer determination and passion. Rising above a challenging upbringing and being illiterate till almost 15 years old, Tracey’s approach to life and her career in the beauty and wellness industry is positive, uplifting and playful. Contributing to the development and success of many brands including Estée Lauder, Donna Karan and Marks & Spencer Beauty, Tracey is one lady who means business. At the age of 26, Tracey was in charge of - what was at the time the largest beauty hall in the world - Travel Retail at Heathrow Terminal 1, later increased Aveda’s sales from 800,000 to 10.8million in less than 4 years and delivered double-digit growth for Urban Retreat in Harrods year-on-year for 9 years. Turning her hand to a new opportunity alongside her ex-husband, Tracey opened East Dulwich Deli, then later put an East Dulwich Deli cafe in Harrods. She has also worked with the Prince’s Trust, Action for Children, Beanstalk Literacy Charity, Terrence Higgins Trust, CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) and Eve Appeal to name but a few. Tracey is incredibly inspiring and practical and believes ‘If I can do it, anyone can do it. You’ve just got to have a plan.’ In our podcast Tracey Woodward and Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss: Tracey’s prolific career and passion for learning and evolving The importance of building strong relationships with yourself and others The art of being vulnerable and asking for help Mindfulness, empathy and kindness Tracey’s go-to beauty products Recently working on the UK’s first clean beauty store, Holland and Barrett in Birmingham www.blackneondigital.com
Towards the end of last year, we had the pleasure of working with a really great client, Puig (a third-generation family-owned fashion and fragrance business based in Barcelona and Paris, that owns brands including Dries Van Noten, Paco Rabanne and Christian Louboutin (beauty), to explore lots of topics close to our heart. It also gave us the opportunity to invite global fashion guru, Jessica Michault, to be part of our trip to Paris and Barcelona. Having studied political science - not your typical route into an incredible career in fashion - Jessica’s first job at 23 was as a research assistant at the International Herald Tribune. After about a year, ‘not knowing anything about fashion, nor who Suzy Menkes was’, Jessica applied for a job to be Suzy Menkes’ assistant. Her naivety was actually a blessing, as without it Jessica may never have had the courage to apply for and subsequently win the much-coveted job as assistant to the world respected fashion critic. Working side-by-side Suzy Menkes for 16 years has given Jessica the best training a fashion journalist could have, which has led to her working with brands such as Miu Miu, Boucheron and Mulberry, plus having articles published in The New York Times, Business of Fashion and throughout multiple Vogue magazines worldwide. Jessica is editor-at-large of the biannual fashion bible ODDA Magazine, SVP Industry Relations for Launchmetrics (the ultimate marketing platform & analytics solution for fashion and beauty), writer at L'Officiel Paris and Vogue Japan, and ignited digital fashion journalism with her 60 Second Fashion Reviews and Fashion Your Seatbelt podcast. In our short and sweet interview, our founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton and Jessica discuss: What it’s like to work with Suzy Menkes for 16 years The pace of fashion from 60 second fashion show reviews to collectable fashion publications How data can support sustainability If we still travel around the world to see for fashion shows in the future How Jessica’s love of horse riding keeps her grounded www.jessicamichault.com www.blackneondigital.com
Towards the end of last year, we had the pleasure of working with a really great client, Puig (a third-generation family-owned fashion and fragrance business based in Barcelona and Paris, that owns brands including Dries Van Noten, Paco Rabanne and Christian Louboutin (beauty), to explore lots of topics close to our heart. It also gave us the opportunity to invite global fashion guru, Jessica Michault, to be part of our trip to Paris and Barcelona. Having studied political science - not your typical route into an incredible career in fashion - Jessica’s first job at 23 was as a research assistant at the International Herald Tribune. After about a year, ‘not knowing anything about fashion, nor who Suzy Menkes was’, Jessica applied for a job to be Suzy Menkes’ assistant. Her naivety was actually a blessing, as without it Jessica may never have had the courage to apply for and subsequently win the much-coveted job as assistant to the world respected fashion critic. Working side-by-side Suzy Menkes for 16 years has given Jessica the best training a fashion journalist could have, which has led to her working with brands such as Miu Miu, Boucheron and Mulberry, plus having articles published in The New York Times, Business of Fashion and throughout multiple Vogue magazines worldwide. Jessica is editor-at-large of the biannual fashion bible ODDA Magazine, SVP Industry Relations for Launchmetrics (the ultimate marketing platform & analytics solution for fashion and beauty), writer at L'Officiel Paris and Vogue Japan, and ignited digital fashion journalism with her 60 Second Fashion Reviews and Fashion Your Seatbelt podcast. In our short and sweet interview, our founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton and Jessica discuss: What it’s like to work with Suzy Menkes for 16 years The pace of fashion from 60 second fashion show reviews to collectable fashion publications How data can support sustainability If we still travel around the world to see for fashion shows in the future How Jessica’s love of horse riding keeps her grounded www.jessicamichault.com www.blackneondigital.com
It’s now hard to imagine luxury fashion without online retail. However, it was not that long ago that we started to see the names of founders and companies emerging that would change the fashion landscape forever. In June 2000 Natalie Massenet launched NET-A-PORTER. Matchesfashion launched its e-commerce website in 2006 to complement to its offline presence and in June 2007 José Neves launched Farfetch. Not forgetting - naturally not on the same scale, but still significant to our story - that Black Neon swimwear launched e-commerce in June 2011, which according to our founder, was certainly not as easy or cheap as you make it happen for today. Considering today 97% of Matchesfashion’s sales come from online shopping according to Forbes we can see the power of online. But, how did we get from no online presence to being leaders in luxury fashion e-commerce? Well, thanks in part to people like Pia Stanchina. Having launched her own sustainable luxury fashion label focused on fusing innovative design with biodegradable materials in 2009, Pia became UK Co-founder at Glossybox UK, a Rocket Internet start-up aimed at becoming the premier direct marketing tool for high-end, niche and professional Beauty brands where she was CMO/Creative Director. This was the beginning of Pia’s career as a fashion innovator. With her sights set high, Pia contacted Google and ended up landing a role as Google Industry Manager for Fashion, Beauty and Luxury. She later helped to set up a new Digital Acceleration Fashion & Luxury Retail team to help medium-sized British brands grow. In parallel, she was Digital & Innovation Board Advisor for the British Fashion Council. During this time, Pia became known for her big picture thinking combined with a focus on actionable insight. Pia’s talent has benefited many companies and female founders including, Semaine Founders Michelle Lu and Georgina Harding and also Sharmadean Reid MBE of WAH London, Beautystack and Future Girl Corp, the latter of which Pia had significant involvement in. After a period of time out, rebuilding herself and taking time to focus on what she wanted her own future to look like, Pia trained in transformational coaching. Now as an empowerment speaker and coach Pia inspires companies and individuals ‘to tap into all our innate creativity, brilliance and wisdom’ to enable us to ‘fully become the person you were born to be and live the life you dream of.’ With Pia’s infectious positive energy and optimism, it’s easy to see how we can turn dreams into reality with her help. We hope you enjoy listening to Pia’s story and perhaps you may find yourself reaching out to her too! https://piastanchina.com www.blackneondigital.com
It’s now hard to imagine luxury fashion without online retail. However, it was not that long ago that we started to see the names of founders and companies emerging that would change the fashion landscape forever. In June 2000 Natalie Massenet launched NET-A-PORTER. Matchesfashion launched its e-commerce website in 2006 to complement to its offline presence and in June 2007 José Neves launched Farfetch. Not forgetting - naturally not on the same scale, but still significant to our story - that Black Neon swimwear launched e-commerce in June 2011, which according to our founder, was certainly not as easy or cheap as you make it happen for today. Considering today 97% of Matchesfashion’s sales come from online shopping according to Forbes we can see the power of online. But, how did we get from no online presence to being leaders in luxury fashion e-commerce? Well, thanks in part to people like Pia Stanchina. Having launched her own sustainable luxury fashion label focused on fusing innovative design with biodegradable materials in 2009, Pia became UK Co-founder at Glossybox UK, a Rocket Internet start-up aimed at becoming the premier direct marketing tool for high-end, niche and professional Beauty brands where she was CMO/Creative Director. This was the beginning of Pia’s career as a fashion innovator. With her sights set high, Pia contacted Google and ended up landing a role as Google Industry Manager for Fashion, Beauty and Luxury. She later helped to set up a new Digital Acceleration Fashion & Luxury Retail team to help medium-sized British brands grow. In parallel, she was Digital & Innovation Board Advisor for the British Fashion Council. During this time, Pia became known for her big picture thinking combined with a focus on actionable insight. Pia’s talent has benefited many companies and female founders including, Semaine Founders Michelle Lu and Georgina Harding and also Sharmadean Reid MBE of WAH London, Beautystack and Future Girl Corp, the latter of which Pia had significant involvement in. After a period of time out, rebuilding herself and taking time to focus on what she wanted her own future to look like, Pia trained in transformational coaching. Now as an empowerment speaker and coach Pia inspires companies and individuals ‘to tap into all our innate creativity, brilliance and wisdom’ to enable us to ‘fully become the person you were born to be and live the life you dream of.’ With Pia’s infectious positive energy and optimism, it’s easy to see how we can turn dreams into reality with her help. We hope you enjoy listening to Pia’s story and perhaps you may find yourself reaching out to her too! https://piastanchina.com www.blackneondigital.com
With the year and decade coming to a close we open the way for a new time and new ideas. Aiming to take the best of the past with us and move forward in a positive way. For our last podcast of 2019 we wanted to gather all our previous guests together in one place. I also wanted to use this opportunity to ask you, How can we help you find what you are looking for. Do you want more interviews with sustainability and fashion pioneers Have you got your sustainability knowledge on lock down or are you finding it harder to navigate than ever?Do you want practical business tips on how to embed sustainability and into your product and business? Want us to explore street culture or other areas of the country and overseas for different viewpoints on business, sustainability and innovation? Would love us to do more events and workshops? Please do let us know via email info@blackneondigital.com or head to our instagram @blackneondigital and drop us a message. Looking ahead to 2020 we have already recorded some wonderful guests and we’re very much looking forward to sharing more about our own projects that we have been working hard on behind the scenes. We’re also excited to help our wonderful clients grow and reach their dreams. I feel we have set the foundations and can how flourish. I’m feeling very positive and can’t wait to get stuck into 2020! Hope you are too! www.blackneondigital.com
With the year and decade coming to a close we open the way for a new time and new ideas. Aiming to take the best of the past with us and move forward in a positive way. For our last podcast of 2019 we wanted to gather all our previous guests together in one place. I also wanted to use this opportunity to ask you, How can we help you find what you are looking for. Do you want more interviews with sustainability and fashion pioneers Have you got your sustainability knowledge on lock down or are you finding it harder to navigate than ever?Do you want practical business tips on how to embed sustainability and into your product and business? Want us to explore street culture or other areas of the country and overseas for different viewpoints on business, sustainability and innovation? Would love us to do more events and workshops? Please do let us know via email info@blackneondigital.com or head to our instagram @blackneondigital and drop us a message. Looking ahead to 2020 we have already recorded some wonderful guests and we’re very much looking forward to sharing more about our own projects that we have been working hard on behind the scenes. We’re also excited to help our wonderful clients grow and reach their dreams. I feel we have set the foundations and can how flourish. I’m feeling very positive and can’t wait to get stuck into 2020! Hope you are too! www.blackneondigital.com
Looking in from the outside Grace Woodward appeared to ‘have it all’. Her fashion career encompasses raising cult lingerie brand Agent Provocateur into the spotlight as their PR agent, working with leading clients and magazines as a stylist, a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model, as Fashion Director at X-Factor and as Brand Director, reviving the fashion house of Dame Zandra Rhodes. However, behind the smoke and mirrors, Grace’s life was far from perfectly styled. Working relentlessly towards a version of success that had been devised by those at the top of the ladder whom it benefits the most, was beginning to take its toll on areas of Grace’s life. Growing up in an eating-disordered house (with her mum struggling with anorexia) and working in the fashion industry, where being thin is often a prerequisite, you could say that issues with food and body image were inevitable. Beginning to reassess her role in fashion, Grace found herself greatly conflicted by the story she had told herself and the ‘tricks of the trade’ advice she was giving others. Sadly, at a time that is usually associated with joy - that of spending time with her son just weeks old - Grace’s mum died as a result of her eating disorder. Suffering physically (due to her ‘go-to diet pills’), mentally and financially (trying to keep up with the fashion machine) Grace decided to move out of London. Leaving her career behind and embarking on an incredible journey of self-reflection, Grace has analysed every aspect of her life and also how her actions have impacted others. For her latest project entitled ‘Body of Work’, she is revisiting photographers she has worked with over the years and asking them to shoot nude portraits of her with a strict rule of no pre-shoot diet and absolutely no post-production retouching. The aim of this is to face her own body image internal voices and questions of ‘can I age naturally?’ and also to support other people exploring their own #bodypositive journey. In this podcast, we talk to Grace about her incredible journey of heartfelt passion, pain and self-discovery that is opening the door for acceptance and love. In addition to this interview, we are honoured to have a listener question from Jade McSorely who is a model and co-founder of Loanhood a peer-to-peer fashion rental company. Jade who has previously appeared on Britain’s Next Top Model (as a contestant, not during the time when Grace was a judge), raises some great points around ethics in modelling and what we can do to encourage a healthier industry. www.instagram.com/gracewoodward www.blackneondigital.com
Looking in from the outside Grace Woodward appeared to ‘have it all’. Her fashion career encompasses raising cult lingerie brand Agent Provocateur into the spotlight as their PR agent, working with leading clients and magazines as a stylist, a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model, as Fashion Director at X-Factor and as Brand Director, reviving the fashion house of Dame Zandra Rhodes. However, behind the smoke and mirrors, Grace’s life was far from perfectly styled. Working relentlessly towards a version of success that had been devised by those at the top of the ladder whom it benefits the most, was beginning to take its toll on areas of Grace’s life. Growing up in an eating-disordered house (with her mum struggling with anorexia) and working in the fashion industry, where being thin is often a prerequisite, you could say that issues with food and body image were inevitable. Beginning to reassess her role in fashion, Grace found herself greatly conflicted by the story she had told herself and the ‘tricks of the trade’ advice she was giving others. Sadly, at a time that is usually associated with joy - that of spending time with her son just weeks old - Grace’s mum died as a result of her eating disorder. Suffering physically (due to her ‘go-to diet pills’), mentally and financially (trying to keep up with the fashion machine) Grace decided to move out of London. Leaving her career behind and embarking on an incredible journey of self-reflection, Grace has analysed every aspect of her life and also how her actions have impacted others. For her latest project entitled ‘Body of Work’, she is revisiting photographers she has worked with over the years and asking them to shoot nude portraits of her with a strict rule of no pre-shoot diet and absolutely no post-production retouching. The aim of this is to face her own body image internal voices and questions of ‘can I age naturally?’ and also to support other people exploring their own #bodypositive journey. In this podcast, we talk to Grace about her incredible journey of heartfelt passion, pain and self-discovery that is opening the door for acceptance and love. In addition to this interview, we are honoured to have a listener question from Jade McSorely who is a model and co-founder of Loanhood a peer-to-peer fashion rental company. Jade who has previously appeared on Britain’s Next Top Model (as a contestant, not during the time when Grace was a judge), raises some great points around ethics in modelling and what we can do to encourage a healthier industry. www.instagram.com/gracewoodward www.blackneondigital.com
We are living in unusual times, with access to a wealth of information, yet increasing levels of confusion and diminishing levels of trust. We are told our viewpoint and opinions count, however, we do not feel they are reflected in what we see in front of us. In striving to take control of our own destiny we end up working around the clock, our lives becoming more rather than less demanding. You may think, how on earth can we talk about fashion at a time like this? Well, the answer is, fashion drives immense cultural and economic value. Also, when we consider that women, many of whom want a shift in work-life balance, work in the fashion industry and are increasingly owners of SME businesses we can see why what we wear really does matter. Fashion through the ages has shown times of change in one of two ways. By offering an alternative view of maximalism and escapism, or by stripping back and holding close the essence of what we believe to be true and essential. Hanna Fiedler is a contemporary British fashion designer who identifies with the latter approach. Her namesake brand’s understated, contemporary tailoring and captivating minimalist style is exactly what we want to wear right now. With a capsule collection ‘Prologue’ and her first full collection ‘Chapter I’, Hanna’s poetic narrative and meticulous attention to detail coupled with a purist fabric selection makes today’s woman feel confident she can navigate her day with ease and elegance. We met Hanna at the recent London Fashion Week, Positive Fashion Showrooms and instantly fell in love with her luxury womenswear. Made to order in London, from pattern to execution, Hanna’s garments are a beautiful example of uncompromising craftsmanship. In this podcast we find out what impact growing up in Germany’s Bavarian countryside still has today on Hanna’s approach to her life and work. We also discuss her training at the Berlin Opera House and London College of Fashion, plus what she has learnt from working with Mary Katrantzou, Maria Grachvogel, Gabriela Hearst and on Alexander McQueen’s McQ collection. We are very happy to share Hanna’s first-ever podcast interview. www.hannafiedler.com www.blackneondigital.com
We are living in unusual times, with access to a wealth of information, yet increasing levels of confusion and diminishing levels of trust. We are told our viewpoint and opinions count, however, we do not feel they are reflected in what we see in front of us. In striving to take control of our own destiny we end up working around the clock, our lives becoming more rather than less demanding. You may think, how on earth can we talk about fashion at a time like this? Well, the answer is, fashion drives immense cultural and economic value. Also, when we consider that women, many of whom want a shift in work-life balance, work in the fashion industry and are increasingly owners of SME businesses we can see why what we wear really does matter. Fashion through the ages has shown times of change in one of two ways. By offering an alternative view of maximalism and escapism, or by stripping back and holding close the essence of what we believe to be true and essential. Hanna Fiedler is a contemporary British fashion designer who identifies with the latter approach. Her namesake brand’s understated, contemporary tailoring and captivating minimalist style is exactly what we want to wear right now. With a capsule collection ‘Prologue’ and her first full collection ‘Chapter I’, Hanna’s poetic narrative and meticulous attention to detail coupled with a purist fabric selection makes today’s woman feel confident she can navigate her day with ease and elegance. We met Hanna at the recent London Fashion Week, Positive Fashion Showrooms and instantly fell in love with her luxury womenswear. Made to order in London, from pattern to execution, Hanna’s garments are a beautiful example of uncompromising craftsmanship. In this podcast we find out what impact growing up in Germany’s Bavarian countryside still has today on Hanna’s approach to her life and work. We also discuss her training at the Berlin Opera House and London College of Fashion, plus what she has learnt from working with Mary Katrantzou, Maria Grachvogel, Gabriela Hearst and on Alexander McQueen’s McQ collection. We are very happy to share Hanna’s first-ever podcast interview. www.hannafiedler.com www.blackneondigital.com
Human interaction can appear unrelated to processes and technology systems yet, they are in fact inextricably linked. I have been told previously in relation to fashion supply chains and transparency tools that ‘people are messy and you can’t make them conform’. However, I believe with the right tools, support and motivation people can enjoy working efficiently. If technology can make our lives and businesses more effective and profitable then, what’s not to love. Issues arise when technology has been created without a deep understanding of the complexities of why and how people carry out their work in a certain manner. For example, is tradition or culture driving a process, or is there no access or desire to use alternative machinery, electricity or the internet. No matter how good your real-time data-driven technology platform is, if there’s no internet it’s not going to work. Fortunately, Flora Davidson Co-founder of SupplyCompass, a transparent fashion sourcing platform, made sure she did her research before launching her business. Living in India for two years and spending time with people at all job levels in over 200 garment factories has givenFlora a unique insight into the way factories work. She understands the cause of any production issues and how to help solve those issues, not only for the factory but for the SME fashion brands they work with too. SupplyCompass act as a ‘matchmaker’ between factory and brand. Capability and longterm vision are taken into consideration before a match is created. This ensures the right factory is paired with the right brand to develop a great product and strong relationship. Both factory and brand work in a standardised and transparent way that cuts down miss-understandings and speeds up production. We have come to associate the term ‘fast’ in relation to fashion as negative. However, speed is not necessarily a bad thing. Speed can mean more efficient, better use of resources and fabrics resulting in less waste. And it can also mean that businesses make more profit. SupplyCompass aims to make sourcing faster, leaner and more responsible. Their product development (roadmap) is driven by problem-solving, rather than purely to innovate. They have built a product people genuinely want and will use. If we applied this approach to all fashion design - rather than creating collections then marketing and selling them to customers who up until now have not been involved in the design process - we’d see fewer returns and arguably a more sustainable fashion industry. Both quantitative and qualitative research has been key to the success of SupplyCompass. Flora’s research approach was honed whilst working at Flamingo, a global strategic insight consultancy, who ‘believe that culture is essential to understanding your business, your opportunities and your future, not only because it’s fascinating, but because it’s genuinely useful’. During her time at Flamingo, Flora worked for clients including Adidas, across Brazil, America and France. Being able to navigate the intricacies of people’s behaviour and turn those intricacies into a unified system, technology platform and business is forming a firm foundation for SupplyCompass’ future. Perhaps this is why Flora and Co-founder & CEO Augustus (Gus) Bartholomew have recently secured £1.5m in Venture Capital (VC) funding from Episode 1 Ventures, who have previously invested in Zoopla, Triptease and Shazam. Join us for this podcast where Flora and I talk about: Why strong relationships are at the heart of the SupplyCompass’ business and product development How Flora has built a business that supports transparency in fashion The future of Supply Compass and how they plan to use £1.5mil funding What will fashion sustainability look in 5 years time How Flora balances the pressures of being an entrepreneur, seeing friends and her wellbeing
Human interaction can appear unrelated to processes and technology systems yet, they are in fact inextricably linked. I have been told previously in relation to fashion supply chains and transparency tools that ‘people are messy and you can’t make them conform’. However, I believe with the right tools, support and motivation people can enjoy working efficiently. If technology can make our lives and businesses more effective and profitable then, what’s not to love. Issues arise when technology has been created without a deep understanding of the complexities of why and how people carry out their work in a certain manner. For example, is tradition or culture driving a process, or is there no access or desire to use alternative machinery, electricity or the internet. No matter how good your real-time data-driven technology platform is, if there’s no internet it’s not going to work. Fortunately, Flora Davidson Co-founder of SupplyCompass, a transparent fashion sourcing platform, made sure she did her research before launching her business. Living in India for two years and spending time with people at all job levels in over 200 garment factories has givenFlora a unique insight into the way factories work. She understands the cause of any production issues and how to help solve those issues, not only for the factory but for the SME fashion brands they work with too. SupplyCompass act as a ‘matchmaker’ between factory and brand. Capability and longterm vision are taken into consideration before a match is created. This ensures the right factory is paired with the right brand to develop a great product and strong relationship. Both factory and brand work in a standardised and transparent way that cuts down miss-understandings and speeds up production. We have come to associate the term ‘fast’ in relation to fashion as negative. However, speed is not necessarily a bad thing. Speed can mean more efficient, better use of resources and fabrics resulting in less waste. And it can also mean that businesses make more profit. SupplyCompass aims to make sourcing faster, leaner and more responsible. Their product development (roadmap) is driven by problem-solving, rather than purely to innovate. They have built a product people genuinely want and will use. If we applied this approach to all fashion design - rather than creating collections then marketing and selling them to customers who up until now have not been involved in the design process - we’d see fewer returns and arguably a more sustainable fashion industry. Both quantitative and qualitative research has been key to the success of SupplyCompass. Flora’s research approach was honed whilst working at Flamingo, a global strategic insight consultancy, who ‘believe that culture is essential to understanding your business, your opportunities and your future, not only because it’s fascinating, but because it’s genuinely useful’. During her time at Flamingo, Flora worked for clients including Adidas, across Brazil, America and France. Being able to navigate the intricacies of people’s behaviour and turn those intricacies into a unified system, technology platform and business is forming a firm foundation for SupplyCompass’ future. Perhaps this is why Flora and Co-founder & CEO Augustus (Gus) Bartholomew have recently secured £1.5m in Venture Capital (VC) funding from Episode 1 Ventures, who have previously invested in Zoopla, Triptease and Shazam. Join us for this podcast where Flora and I talk about: Why strong relationships are at the heart of the SupplyCompass’ business and product development How Flora has built a business that supports transparency in fashion The future of Supply Compass and how they plan to use £1.5mil funding What will fashion sustainability look in 5 years time How Flora balances the pressures of being an entrepreneur, seeing friends and her wellbeing
Sunshine Bertrand designs eyewear for world-renowned luxury fashion brands including Chloé, Givenchy, Kenzo and Lucy Folk. Leading creative direction and trend forecasting alongside showing the way for responsible design and supporting sustainable materials innovation, Sunshine Bertrand balances aesthetics and commerciality for their clients. Sunshine Bertrand created her namesake company, following a fine art education, having worked in fashion as a stylist and trend forecaster and heading up eyewear at Victoria Beckham for 8 years. Eyewear design and production differs from other fashion products as designs have to adhere to standards for eye and face protection, which takes into consideration elements including UV requirements, heat resistance of metal, colour and size of the lenses. With these kinds of standards in place, you really need an expert to navigate creating fashion-forward eyewear that is fit for purpose, even before producing samples. Thankfully designing to strict standards and bringing creative concepts to life is Sunshine Bertrand’s forte. Passionate about supporting the eyewear industry to make better choices, inspiring and educating from within large brands, through their sustainability reporting and ‘Sun Quest’ initiative, described as ‘Gathering a community to illuminate a healthier eyewear industry’, Sunshine Bertrand aim to make eyewear more sustainable. Thanks to an introduction from our mutual friend, Roxy Houshmand-Howell, founder of The Right Project, I met Sunshine at one of my favourite restaurants, Farmacy in west London. Our discussion centred about fashion, the intricacies and challenges of the eyewear industry, motherhood and a place close to my heart, Ibiza. I have to say Sunshine’s approach to life is so refreshing and completely inspiring. It’s pretty unusual that a six months pregnant first-time mum will have just come back from India because they ‘fancied a bit of adventure’. It’s also pretty rare that you can shape your life and business in the vision you actually want it to be, living in Ibiza, with an office in London and visiting clients in Paris, Italy, Milan and further a field. This time around at Sunshine’s London office, we carry on the conversation and find out why it’s not that strange for Sunshine to live between destinations or to follow a call for adventure. We also learn what it takes to be the go-to business that creates iconic eyewear for fashion’s luxury leaders. www.sunshinebertrand.com www.blackneondigital.com
Sunshine Bertrand designs eyewear for world-renowned luxury fashion brands including Chloé, Givenchy, Kenzo and Lucy Folk. Leading creative direction and trend forecasting alongside showing the way for responsible design and supporting sustainable materials innovation, Sunshine Bertrand balances aesthetics and commerciality for their clients. Sunshine Bertrand created her namesake company, following a fine art education, having worked in fashion as a stylist and trend forecaster and heading up eyewear at Victoria Beckham for 8 years. Eyewear design and production differs from other fashion products as designs have to adhere to standards for eye and face protection, which takes into consideration elements including UV requirements, heat resistance of metal, colour and size of the lenses. With these kinds of standards in place, you really need an expert to navigate creating fashion-forward eyewear that is fit for purpose, even before producing samples. Thankfully designing to strict standards and bringing creative concepts to life is Sunshine Bertrand’s forte. Passionate about supporting the eyewear industry to make better choices, inspiring and educating from within large brands, through their sustainability reporting and ‘Sun Quest’ initiative, described as ‘Gathering a community to illuminate a healthier eyewear industry’, Sunshine Bertrand aim to make eyewear more sustainable. Thanks to an introduction from our mutual friend, Roxy Houshmand-Howell, founder of The Right Project, I met Sunshine at one of my favourite restaurants, Farmacy in west London. Our discussion centred about fashion, the intricacies and challenges of the eyewear industry, motherhood and a place close to my heart, Ibiza. I have to say Sunshine’s approach to life is so refreshing and completely inspiring. It’s pretty unusual that a six months pregnant first-time mum will have just come back from India because they ‘fancied a bit of adventure’. It’s also pretty rare that you can shape your life and business in the vision you actually want it to be, living in Ibiza, with an office in London and visiting clients in Paris, Italy, Milan and further a field. This time around at Sunshine’s London office, we carry on the conversation and find out why it’s not that strange for Sunshine to live between destinations or to follow a call for adventure. We also learn what it takes to be the go-to business that creates iconic eyewear for fashion’s luxury leaders. www.sunshinebertrand.com www.blackneondigital.com
Caryn Franklin M.B.E. MSc (Psych) MBPsS is a fashion icon who guides the British fashion industry in remarkable ways. A Fashion and Identity Commentator, Agent of Change and Professor of Diverse Selfhood at Kingston School of Art, we feel honoured to talk to Caryn for this special podcast episode. At iD magazine as Fashion Editor and Co-Editor, Caryn made fashion exciting, real, honest and accessible. During the Clothes Show she opened up fashion to all, reaching TV audiences of 13million in the UK and 157million worldwide (via BBC world service) at a time before social media. A prolific campaigner using fashion as a platform to raise awareness of issues such as AIDS, Breast Cancer and Mental Health, Caryn encourages us to step beyond our own world. Inviting us to celebrate our uniqueness, embrace the female journey and excited about the current conversations around gender non-conformity, Caryn encourages us to look further, think more deeply and find joy in our conversations. This podcast is extremely special because we talk to Caryn Franklin (yes she’s amazing)…and it’s the first time we have opened up the conversation and invited listeners to send us their questions ahead of recording the interview. We want to understand what is important to you and also learn from you. So thank you to our first ever listener question from Michelle Biloux who is a portrait photographer and creative director based in New York. We hope you enjoy hearing the answer to Michelle’s question and listening to a taste of Caryn’s amazing life in fashion so far. In the podcast the below people and organisations are referenced, we invite you to take a further look at their work. Professor Richard Crisp PhD FBPsS, author, blogger, scientist and Professor of Psychology at Durham University. He is co-originator of the imagined contact hypothesis and a major contributor to the field of social psychology. Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. is internationally recognised for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion, in reference to Fashion Roundtable’s forthcoming Representation and Inclusion Paper. Black Neon Digital’s podcast with Catherine Teatum, Creative Director at Teatum Jones, whom Caryn worked with on Teatum Jones’ Global Womanhood series. Extinction Rebellion, who are a socio-political movement which uses nonviolent resistance to protest against climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.
Caryn Franklin M.B.E. MSc (Psych) MBPsS is a fashion icon who guides the British fashion industry in remarkable ways. A Fashion and Identity Commentator, Agent of Change and Professor of Diverse Selfhood at Kingston School of Art, we feel honoured to talk to Caryn for this special podcast episode. At iD magazine as Fashion Editor and Co-Editor, Caryn made fashion exciting, real, honest and accessible. During the Clothes Show she opened up fashion to all, reaching TV audiences of 13million in the UK and 157million worldwide (via BBC world service) at a time before social media. A prolific campaigner using fashion as a platform to raise awareness of issues such as AIDS, Breast Cancer and Mental Health, Caryn encourages us to step beyond our own world. Inviting us to celebrate our uniqueness, embrace the female journey and excited about the current conversations around gender non-conformity, Caryn encourages us to look further, think more deeply and find joy in our conversations. This podcast is extremely special because we talk to Caryn Franklin (yes she’s amazing)…and it’s the first time we have opened up the conversation and invited listeners to send us their questions ahead of recording the interview. We want to understand what is important to you and also learn from you. So thank you to our first ever listener question from Michelle Biloux who is a portrait photographer and creative director based in New York. We hope you enjoy hearing the answer to Michelle’s question and listening to a taste of Caryn’s amazing life in fashion so far. In the podcast the below people and organisations are referenced, we invite you to take a further look at their work. Professor Richard Crisp PhD FBPsS, author, blogger, scientist and Professor of Psychology at Durham University. He is co-originator of the imagined contact hypothesis and a major contributor to the field of social psychology. Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. is internationally recognised for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and for her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles and Fashion, in reference to Fashion Roundtable’s forthcoming Representation and Inclusion Paper. Black Neon Digital’s podcast with Catherine Teatum, Creative Director at Teatum Jones, whom Caryn worked with on Teatum Jones’ Global Womanhood series. Extinction Rebellion, who are a socio-political movement which uses nonviolent resistance to protest against climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.
Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones graduated from Ravensbourne University and Central St Martins respectively. They met in Italy whilst working for British fashion brand, John Richmond, and since founding Teatum Jones in 2009 have been recognised worldwide for their emotionally connected approach to fashion. An approach that respects people and their ‘Human Stories’ demonstrating our uniqueness and similarities through a poetic design narrative. They use their platform to create dialogue and support campaigns such as ’16 Days Of Activism’, a United Nations Women International campaign to end violence against women and girls. Teatum Jones believe in the power of fashion to present a pro-social message of inclusivity and positive identity. They believe in creating socially conscious fashion that puts the craftspeople and the customer at the heart of their creations. In this podcast Catherine Teatum and Black Neon Digital’s founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss: Fashion education and creative freedom The importance of approaching research from a place of true connection and how that has resulted in Teatum Jones becoming British Library Designer in Residence and British Fashion Council Positive Fashion Representatives How ‘Human Stories’ have led to the Global Womanhood Part Part One & Part Two and creative homage to Natasha Baker, GB Paralympic dressage eleven-time gold medalist What it means to be Woolmark Prize Winners and to be recognised as textile innovators pushing the boundaries of traditional practices The joy of working with companies such as John Smedley Using your voice and platform to a create positive impact and how recent motherhood has made issues such as sustainability even more imminent www.teatumjones.comwww.blackneondigital.com
Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones graduated from Ravensbourne University and Central St Martins respectively. They met in Italy whilst working for British fashion brand, John Richmond, and since founding Teatum Jones in 2009 have been recognised worldwide for their emotionally connected approach to fashion. An approach that respects people and their ‘Human Stories’ demonstrating our uniqueness and similarities through a poetic design narrative. They use their platform to create dialogue and support campaigns such as ’16 Days Of Activism’, a United Nations Women International campaign to end violence against women and girls. Teatum Jones believe in the power of fashion to present a pro-social message of inclusivity and positive identity. They believe in creating socially conscious fashion that puts the craftspeople and the customer at the heart of their creations. In this podcast Catherine Teatum and Black Neon Digital’s founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss: Fashion education and creative freedom The importance of approaching research from a place of true connection and how that has resulted in Teatum Jones becoming British Library Designer in Residence and British Fashion Council Positive Fashion Representatives How ‘Human Stories’ have led to the Global Womanhood Part Part One & Part Two and creative homage to Natasha Baker, GB Paralympic dressage eleven-time gold medalist What it means to be Woolmark Prize Winners and to be recognised as textile innovators pushing the boundaries of traditional practices The joy of working with companies such as John Smedley Using your voice and platform to a create positive impact and how recent motherhood has made issues such as sustainability even more imminent www.teatumjones.comwww.blackneondigital.com
Exploring the value that apprenticeship schemes bring to the fashion industry we spoke with Jenny Holloway CEO, Fashion Enter for our latest podcast. Apprenticeships are an essential part of maintaining hands-on skills (often passed on from one generation to the next) and providing the fashion industry with the manufacturing capability needed to bring products to life. In today’s digital age we focus a lot on innovation and the future but we must remember without the ability to actually make a beautiful product, there will be no need for captivating marketing, influencer campaigns or digital activations. Innovation can support craftsmanship by creating efficiencies and supply chain transparency so that we can focus on valuable heritage, relationships and human experiences. Following an insightful and heartwarming tour around Fashion Enter’s factory and apprenticeship workshops, Jenny and Black Neon Digital’s founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton sat down to discuss: Jenny’s life in fashion and how her resilience has led to building a thriving factory Why apprenticeships are vital to the fashion industry and how they give hope to people, mainly women, on the courses How using Galaxius supply chain technology is not only great for transparency but can also help workers to be paid more How reports such as EAC Fixing Fashion can impact brands and why fast fashion isn’t necessarily bad There are many different roles available in the fashion industry, from design and manufacturing to PR and retail. Education and media tend to focus on design as it is seen as aspirational, however there are a higher number of positions available in manufacturing and retail. At Black Neon Digital we believe hands-on skills such as patterncutting, leather working and sewing are invaluable to the culture of fashion, wider society, and maintaining these skills are vital for business. We also believe there is true beauty in the process of creating something by hand and that a form of meditation occurs when you completely engage such as sewing. Living in the now, focusing on the moment becomes even more important as we shift from our digital worlds to seek more meaningful experiences. Why are apprenticeships important? In the UK we have a heritage of fashion craft skills, such as sewing, knitting, lace making, weaving….Unfortunately, these skills are in decline, for a multitude of reasons including; an education system that values science more than creativity, craft and textiles and a population that doesn’t necessarily want to work in craft-related jobs, see the value of it, or seek to be paid more than what the sector offers. We need more support and recognition from the fashion industry and media that craft, or ‘blue collar’ based jobs are integral to the future of fashion. Unless we actively protect and communicate the benefits of keeping these skills alive we will turn a once thriving industry into extinction. We are happy to own a beautiful (luxury, high price point) bag, but are we happy to work in a factory? What does it mean to our social status to work in a factory making the bag for someone else to buy? What if we were shareholders of the factory, like everyone who works at Black Horselane, would our perception of a being a factory worker change? These are the kind of questions that need to addressed for the value of apprenticeships to be truly understood. Apprenticeships are integral to creating a diverse and inclusive fashion industry. Having the ability to learn whilst receiving an income is the only way for people who do not have the privilege of being able to pay for higher education, or work in fashion unpaid. This concept of working in fashion unpaid is something we touched upon in our article, Fashion & Mental Health. A great example of a company leading in fashion craft training whilst remaining commercial and culturally relevant are British luxury leather goods company Mulberry. Recognising the cultural and business risks of losing valuable skills, Mulberry, led by Ian Scott, launched their apprenticeship scheme in partnership with Bridgwater College in 2005. Mulberry not only created the scheme, but they have also communicated the value of the scheme to the industry and its employees in an honest and evocative way. How does Fashion Enter’s apprenticeship scheme work? Fashion Enter’s Fashion Training Academy work closely with a wide range of employers including ASOS, Marks & Spencer, New Look, Hobbs and Jigsaw. During the apprenticeship, trainees will typically work at least 30 hours per week with the employer. After qualifying, the majority of apprentices (85%) will stay in employment, with two-thirds (64%) staying with the same employer. Fashion Enter has a target of training 600 people a year through the apprenticeship scheme and a class size of around 15 people. Fashion Enter also offer continuous professional and personal development (CPPD) programmes. As an ethically and sustainable run factory which is both SMETA and allianceHR Fast Forward approved the aim of the CPPD courses is to pass on how factories undertake malpractices and for buyers, merchandisers and garment technologists to be empowered with information ready to spot factories operating incorrectly. Fashion Enter have recently launched their own ethically made label, Belles of London, which has been designed and made by real women across different ages, lifestyles and body shapes. Each capsule collection features pieces they (Jenny Holloway - CEO, Jennifer Sutton - Development Director, Caroline Ash -Production Director) would wear, taking into consideration design, fit and fabric. On visiting Fashion Enter and listening to Jenny’s own journey within the fashion industry we were completely blown away by the impact that she and Fashion Enter have. We tend to think about what we consume, how we can change our habits to be more ethical and sustainable, but imagine creating a factory that not only produces ethical garments but directly impacts so many people. Jenny and Fashion Enter humbly change lives every day and as Jenny says, they give hope. www.fashion-enter.com www.bellesoflondon.com www.blackneondigital.com
Exploring the value that apprenticeship schemes bring to the fashion industry we spoke with Jenny Holloway CEO, Fashion Enter for our latest podcast. Apprenticeships are an essential part of maintaining hands-on skills (often passed on from one generation to the next) and providing the fashion industry with the manufacturing capability needed to bring products to life. In today’s digital age we focus a lot on innovation and the future but we must remember without the ability to actually make a beautiful product, there will be no need for captivating marketing, influencer campaigns or digital activations. Innovation can support craftsmanship by creating efficiencies and supply chain transparency so that we can focus on valuable heritage, relationships and human experiences. Following an insightful and heartwarming tour around Fashion Enter’s factory and apprenticeship workshops, Jenny and Black Neon Digital’s founder, Jodi Muter-Hamilton sat down to discuss: Jenny’s life in fashion and how her resilience has led to building a thriving factory Why apprenticeships are vital to the fashion industry and how they give hope to people, mainly women, on the courses How using Galaxius supply chain technology is not only great for transparency but can also help workers to be paid more How reports such as EAC Fixing Fashion can impact brands and why fast fashion isn’t necessarily bad There are many different roles available in the fashion industry, from design and manufacturing to PR and retail. Education and media tend to focus on design as it is seen as aspirational, however there are a higher number of positions available in manufacturing and retail. At Black Neon Digital we believe hands-on skills such as patterncutting, leather working and sewing are invaluable to the culture of fashion, wider society, and maintaining these skills are vital for business. We also believe there is true beauty in the process of creating something by hand and that a form of meditation occurs when you completely engage such as sewing. Living in the now, focusing on the moment becomes even more important as we shift from our digital worlds to seek more meaningful experiences. Why are apprenticeships important? In the UK we have a heritage of fashion craft skills, such as sewing, knitting, lace making, weaving….Unfortunately, these skills are in decline, for a multitude of reasons including; an education system that values science more than creativity, craft and textiles and a population that doesn’t necessarily want to work in craft-related jobs, see the value of it, or seek to be paid more than what the sector offers. We need more support and recognition from the fashion industry and media that craft, or ‘blue collar’ based jobs are integral to the future of fashion. Unless we actively protect and communicate the benefits of keeping these skills alive we will turn a once thriving industry into extinction. We are happy to own a beautiful (luxury, high price point) bag, but are we happy to work in a factory? What does it mean to our social status to work in a factory making the bag for someone else to buy? What if we were shareholders of the factory, like everyone who works at Black Horselane, would our perception of a being a factory worker change? These are the kind of questions that need to addressed for the value of apprenticeships to be truly understood. Apprenticeships are integral to creating a diverse and inclusive fashion industry. Having the ability to learn whilst receiving an income is the only way for people who do not have the privilege of being able to pay for higher education, or work in fashion unpaid. This concept of working in fashion unpaid is something we touched upon in our article, Fashion & Mental Health. A great example of a company leading in fashion craft training whilst remaining commercial and culturally relevant are British luxury leather goods company Mulberry. Recognising the cultural and business risks of losing valuable skills, Mulberry, led by Ian Scott, launched their apprenticeship scheme in partnership with Bridgwater College in 2005. Mulberry not only created the scheme, but they have also communicated the value of the scheme to the industry and its employees in an honest and evocative way. How does Fashion Enter’s apprenticeship scheme work? Fashion Enter’s Fashion Training Academy work closely with a wide range of employers including ASOS, Marks & Spencer, New Look, Hobbs and Jigsaw. During the apprenticeship, trainees will typically work at least 30 hours per week with the employer. After qualifying, the majority of apprentices (85%) will stay in employment, with two-thirds (64%) staying with the same employer. Fashion Enter has a target of training 600 people a year through the apprenticeship scheme and a class size of around 15 people. Fashion Enter also offer continuous professional and personal development (CPPD) programmes. As an ethically and sustainable run factory which is both SMETA and allianceHR Fast Forward approved the aim of the CPPD courses is to pass on how factories undertake malpractices and for buyers, merchandisers and garment technologists to be empowered with information ready to spot factories operating incorrectly. Fashion Enter have recently launched their own ethically made label, Belles of London, which has been designed and made by real women across different ages, lifestyles and body shapes. Each capsule collection features pieces they (Jenny Holloway - CEO, Jennifer Sutton - Development Director, Caroline Ash -Production Director) would wear, taking into consideration design, fit and fabric. On visiting Fashion Enter and listening to Jenny’s own journey within the fashion industry we were completely blown away by the impact that she and Fashion Enter have. We tend to think about what we consume, how we can change our habits to be more ethical and sustainable, but imagine creating a factory that not only produces ethical garments but directly impacts so many people. Jenny and Fashion Enter humbly change lives every day and as Jenny says, they give hope. www.fashion-enter.com www.bellesoflondon.com www.blackneondigital.com
Sarah Corbett is an award-winning activist, campaign consultant, Ashoka Changemakers fellow and founder of Craftivist Collective who has helped change government laws, business policies, hearts and minds. Sarah discovered Craftivism (a term coined by American writer and crafter Betsy Greer in 2003) but with no other projects or groups available to join in with she began creating her own Craftivism projects which led to her founding Craftivist Collective in 2009 after people around the world wanted to join in. ‘Gentle protest’ is a term and campaigning approach that Sarah and the Craftivist Collective have become known for. When we think of activism we often think of confrontation and aggression. Not something beautiful and heartwarming. ‘Gentle protest’ reminds us to be that which you want to see in the world. Compassion, empathy, kindness and love as well as thoughtful campaign strategies are used to create beautiful messages that can open people’s hearts and minds to affect positive change. One of Sarah’s guiding mantra’s (that she has tattooed on her shoulder) is ‘A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart’ from Martin Luther King’s 1959 sermon. This reminds us that although what we are trying to achieve may be a difficult, painful or heart wrenching we must approach people with love and have a strong strategy to be most effective in achieving the change we want to see. The fashion industry has seen the impact of the Craftivist Collective through their Mini Fashion Statements which are ‘shop dropped’ in the pockets of garments in fashion shops around the world, anytime of the year supporting the campaign organisation Fashion Revolution. Scrolls, tied with a pretty bow and featuring an invitation to “please open me”, are used as reminders of the role we can play as consumers. Designed to make us think about how the clothes we buy and wear are made, and how we might be able to help tackle problems like poor conditions for workers or the use of materials that are damaging to the environment. One of our nation’s best-loved shops Marks and Spencer (M&S) has also felt the power of ‘gentle protest’. Asked by the CEO of the charity ShareAction, Craftivist Collective created a campaign encouraging M&S to pay staff the real Living Wage. Carefully selected Craftivists across the UK hand-stitched bespoke messages onto M&S handkerchiefs as bespoke gifts for the board members and its largest shareholder companies, encouraging them to not ‘blow it’ but use their power for good governance and lead the way in the retail sector. These were delivered to the board during the company’s 2015 AGM. Following a series of discussions, in April 2016 M&S announced they would pay current Living Wages to the 50,0000 staff who were paid the national minimum wage. They are still working to make M&S an accredited Living Wage Employer. Most of us have a fear of the consequences of speaking out in some way. The idea that troublemakers don’t get on in life is something that we can be confronted with. However dialogue is changing and we are beginning to realise it’s the people who think differently, and speak up gently and thoughtfully that can often make things change for the better. Listening to Sarah’s story makes us realise that we could all have a little more of a ‘gentle protest’ approach to life. www.craftivist-collective.com www.blackneondigital.com
Sarah Corbett is an award-winning activist, campaign consultant, Ashoka Changemakers fellow and founder of Craftivist Collective who has helped change government laws, business policies, hearts and minds. Sarah discovered Craftivism (a term coined by American writer and crafter Betsy Greer in 2003) but with no other projects or groups available to join in with she began creating her own Craftivism projects which led to her founding Craftivist Collective in 2009 after people around the world wanted to join in. ‘Gentle protest’ is a term and campaigning approach that Sarah and the Craftivist Collective have become known for. When we think of activism we often think of confrontation and aggression. Not something beautiful and heartwarming. ‘Gentle protest’ reminds us to be that which you want to see in the world. Compassion, empathy, kindness and love as well as thoughtful campaign strategies are used to create beautiful messages that can open people’s hearts and minds to affect positive change. One of Sarah’s guiding mantra’s (that she has tattooed on her shoulder) is ‘A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart’ from Martin Luther King’s 1959 sermon. This reminds us that although what we are trying to achieve may be a difficult, painful or heart wrenching we must approach people with love and have a strong strategy to be most effective in achieving the change we want to see. The fashion industry has seen the impact of the Craftivist Collective through their Mini Fashion Statements which are ‘shop dropped’ in the pockets of garments in fashion shops around the world, anytime of the year supporting the campaign organisation Fashion Revolution. Scrolls, tied with a pretty bow and featuring an invitation to “please open me”, are used as reminders of the role we can play as consumers. Designed to make us think about how the clothes we buy and wear are made, and how we might be able to help tackle problems like poor conditions for workers or the use of materials that are damaging to the environment. One of our nation’s best-loved shops Marks and Spencer (M&S) has also felt the power of ‘gentle protest’. Asked by the CEO of the charity ShareAction, Craftivist Collective created a campaign encouraging M&S to pay staff the real Living Wage. Carefully selected Craftivists across the UK hand-stitched bespoke messages onto M&S handkerchiefs as bespoke gifts for the board members and its largest shareholder companies, encouraging them to not ‘blow it’ but use their power for good governance and lead the way in the retail sector. These were delivered to the board during the company’s 2015 AGM. Following a series of discussions, in April 2016 M&S announced they would pay current Living Wages to the 50,0000 staff who were paid the national minimum wage. They are still working to make M&S an accredited Living Wage Employer. Most of us have a fear of the consequences of speaking out in some way. The idea that troublemakers don’t get on in life is something that we can be confronted with. However dialogue is changing and we are beginning to realise it’s the people who think differently, and speak up gently and thoughtfully that can often make things change for the better. Listening to Sarah’s story makes us realise that we could all have a little more of a ‘gentle protest’ approach to life. www.craftivist-collective.com www.blackneondigital.com
Within the sustainable fashion movement, Fashion Revolution needs no introduction. However what still intrigues me is how some people who work in fashion and consumers haven’t heard of Fashion Revolution, the Fashion Transparency Index or their worldwide campaign #whomademyclothes With more time and funding this will certainly change. I was introduced to Orsola de Castro, Fashion Revolution Co-founder and Jocelyn (Joss) Whipple, Fashion Revolution Country Coordinators Liaison, by an old friend of mine, Roxy Housmand-Howell, founder of The Right Project (a consultancy agency with clients including; Ninety Percent, Fashion Revolution, Sunshine Bertrand and Patternity). Joss also happens to be a sister of my lovely friend Ondine, who has a beautiful ethical lifestyle brand Ondine Ash. Connections within the fashion industry run deep, especially for those people who look beyond profit, vanity and ego. Lifelong friendships and sisterhood are beginning to deconstruct hierarchy, patriarchy and barriers formed through elitism and exclusion. As part of an exploration into the culture of fashion we talk to Orsola and Joss about the way in which the fashion industry is formed and how that plays out for; factory workers, who are mainly women, the existing fashion establishment and the next generation of fashion creatives. www.fashionrevolution.org www.blackneondigital.com
Within the sustainable fashion movement, Fashion Revolution needs no introduction. However what still intrigues me is how some people who work in fashion and consumers haven’t heard of Fashion Revolution, the Fashion Transparency Index or their worldwide campaign #whomademyclothes With more time and funding this will certainly change. I was introduced to Orsola de Castro, Fashion Revolution Co-founder and Jocelyn (Joss) Whipple, Fashion Revolution Country Coordinators Liaison, by an old friend of mine, Roxy Housmand-Howell, founder of The Right Project (a consultancy agency with clients including; Ninety Percent, Fashion Revolution, Sunshine Bertrand and Patternity). Joss also happens to be a sister of my lovely friend Ondine, who has a beautiful ethical lifestyle brand Ondine Ash. Connections within the fashion industry run deep, especially for those people who look beyond profit, vanity and ego. Lifelong friendships and sisterhood are beginning to deconstruct hierarchy, patriarchy and barriers formed through elitism and exclusion. As part of an exploration into the culture of fashion we talk to Orsola and Joss about the way in which the fashion industry is formed and how that plays out for; factory workers, who are mainly women, the existing fashion establishment and the next generation of fashion creatives. www.fashionrevolution.org www.blackneondigital.com
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