Podcasts about futureoffashion

Jamal Majid, senior fashion lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University leads a conversation on the future of fashion. He is joined by Cathy Hackl, a leading tech futurist and global leader; Wayne Hemingway, designer and co-founder of the renowned label ‘Red or Dead'; and Safia Minney MBE, founder of People Tree and pioneer of sustainable fashion. In this stylish conversation, the guests explore the current issues within the fashion industry, including slavery, sustainability and the lack of transparency within fast fashion brands; discuss the development and future of sustainable fashion; the importance of recycling to prevent constant disposal of clothing; and give insight into the future use of technology in fashion.

We sit down with Robert, an artist and fashion designer, and Mo Greene of the Dad Hard Podcast, and we discuss the current state of fashion, and where it could possibly go in the future. We also discuss Reiki, and what it's like being a Dad during Corona.Thanks for stopping by! Please subscribe/support/shop here! -

The Root Episode 5: Where Do We Go From Here? is a unique compilation of all 17 guests from the previous 4 episodes sharing a proclamation statement of how we intentionally move the fashion industry forward.  PART 1, Historical Analysis & Paradigm Shift   MIKO UNDERWOOD “The American fashion community was born from the inception of indigo farms in America. The enslaved labor of Black Americans grew the cotton industry and built America’s fashion economy … we are required to be culturally accountable and culturally responsible.” ADITI MAYER “The future of fashion is one that understands the history and oppression that it’s built upon … What we need is an interrogation of power exists, why it exists and how we can disassemble and redistribute it for true equity.” NIKKI SANCHEZ “My vision for the future of fashion is a complete decolonization of the industry. From design to material sourcing to brand and marketing structure. This would mean a 180 turn from appropriation, exploitation, extraction and fast fashion.” PART 2, Systemic Awareness & Re-imagination IBADA WADUD “As we seek to restore equity, I feel we must look particularly to communities who have been historically oppressed. Unlearning biased knowledge within the sustainability sector which I refer to as the process of decolonizing our minds, is imperative in order to reimagine systems that are regenerative versus extractive.” EMI ITO “When power shifts from white people to people of the global majority, then we will be moving toward healing. When rights, lived experiences, creativity and joy of Black Indigenous and other people of color are honored, not appropriated and celebrated not surpassed - then we will be moving toward freedom in fashion.” AJA BARBER “Power shift, we need a shift in power in all systems and a lot of systems need to be rebuilt from the ground up.” KIMBERLY JENKINS “Black people are not a monolith — we are not charity either. What we demand and what we deserve is equal opportunities and resources to not be taken for granted and to not be exploited.” RACHEL RICKETTS “We need to address all forms of oppression and the ways in which they intersect - the ways in which fashion is one of the most egregious manifestations of oppression in terms of classism, fat phobia, homophobia, transphobia, colorism, ageism, ableism - all of the forms of oppression need to end.”   PART 3, Labor Extraction & Accountability  AYESHA BARENBLAT “The only future of fashion which is truly just and resilient must center fashion’s most resilient garment makers and labor organizers. We need a worker centric view for the future of fashion which centers Black and Brown women.”   LISA BETTY “The fashion industry needs to wake up to this extraction, to this brutality and to the environmental consequences of the industry within itself.”   ERICKA HART “If your favorite brand is using prison labor - they have to go. We are out to abolish prisons so we don’t need modern day slaves creating Nike’s or whatever kind of garment that you like because you want it cheaper.”    WHITNEY MCGUIRE “We’re birthing a new industry collectively. But what needs to happen so that this contraction is useful in opening up new pathways and not just unnecessarily painful - is accountability.”    BLAIR IMANI “If you’re not willing to put your garments on your workers and have them model for you and compensate them that way — you shouldn’t be in this work. This work requires work, don’t lose sight of that.”   PART 4, People, Power & Reclamation  IFY IKE “If there’s one thing that I want us to do is to really fall in love with everything that is around us, recognize our connection to those items and also make our lives matter to us more than those that are benefitting from our lives.”   DJ “We’ve long been hamsters on the wheel of fashion’s exploitative trends and racist systems. It’s time for us to boldly jump from this proverbial wheel created by the old guards and explore a wholly new approach to fashion design and acquisition.”   TERUMI MURAO “The future of fashion will be decentralized and democratized to reflect what all people want and need.”   AKILAH STEWART “Reimagining the way that things always have been done and how things can be done in the future. Using creativity as a solution building tool.” Thanks to this week's sponsor - NISOLO, a handmade shoe brand that’s passionate about driving systemic social and environmental change across the fashion industry. They are a B Corporation and Climate Neutral Certified brand committed to living wages and reversing climate change. Nisolo hooked our show up with a discount code — use THEROOT for 20% off and for first purchases only. Learn more at Nisolo.com/theroot.

This was a bonus episode, recorded in the midst of the global pandemic. Reigning queen of costume jewellery, Sasha Grewal has been a Forbes 30-Under-30 honouree, a Vogue Fashion Fund winner and a successful entrepreneur since the inception of her jewellery brand, Outhouse, in 2012. Almost a decade later, she sits down with me to discuss the most important lessons in starting your own label, working with her sister, Kaabia, and a lot more. Tune in to learn from her how to expand the horizons of your business, even in the given climate. 

Creative consultant and stylist with over 20 years of experience, Ekta Rajani was at the helm of Grazia India for 7 of its most iconic years until she decided to walk the freelance path. Today, she freelances as a stylist and moonlights as a design consultant to leading labels in the industry. Around this time, in 2019, I flew from Delhi to Mumbai and we caught up in her sun lit home, where I witnessed the former Grazia Fashion Director's sunny disposition.

The Fabricant, a digital fashion house, recently sold a piece of digital clothing - clothing that is only available in digital environments - for over 9000 USD. This experience helped them realise that their expertise in 3-d digital modelling could be used for a better purpose: creating a new industry sector for digital only clothing which is very good for business and the planet. Mike speaks with Amber Slooten, Fabricant’s Creative Director and Adriana Hoppenbrouwer, Fabricant’s Commercial Director about the potential for digital clothing to meet our short term fashion desires while reducing negative environmental impacts. We talk #outfitoftheday, market potential, gaming, social media behaviours, fast fashion, human needs and more. Is this the future of sustainable fashion? This podcast is supported by the Laudes Foundation (formerly the C&A Foundation), The Rylander Foundation, and TENCEL™. It is produced in collaboration with Ecotextile News.

In episode 121, Kestrel welcomes Rebecca van Bergen, the founder and executive director of Nest, to the show. A nonprofit that is building a new handworker economy, Nest is dedicated to generating global workforce inclusivity, improving women's wellbeing beyond factories, and preserving cultural traditions. "Most consumers are completely unaware of this, but production is leaving the 4 wall factory. Anywhere between 20-60% of current garment manufacturing leaves the factory at some point, whether it's sewing a sole on a shoe or doing embroidery or finish work - to homeworkers that were completely invisible."  -Rebecca van Bergen, founder + executive director of Nest In this episode, Rebecca shares more on her journey, and how she originally came to the craft sector from a social work lens, with an interest in helping women around the world. Craft is the second largest employer of women in emerging markets, and for Rebecca - handmade needs to be more accessible to businesses and customers. Additionally, Rebecca talks in more detail about how she believes that the lack of programming and investment in global craft is aligned with the fact that the majority of the sector is female-dominated.  Considering that 20-60% of current garment manufacturing leaves the 4 walls of the factory at some point today, Nest has helped build The Nest Standards for Homes and Small Workshops + Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft. Rebecca breaks down in more detail what their standards look like and the ways in which they approach transparency and compliance.  At Nest, they not only help connect brands to their artisan partner network, they also connect aligned professionals with artisan partners, to offer them pro bono consulting on building their businesses. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Mohammed Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Craft is the second largest employer of women globally. Nest Artisan Guild, an open access network for artisan businesses including over 400 businesses from over 70 countries "You know I think some people were like, 'focus in on one country - like get really good at India,' and it turns out, the similarities between craft businesses in India, it's not the location that matters - it's where they are in the stage of development." Professional Fellowship Program, where Nest matches professionals with artisan businesses to do pro bono consulting "Transparency isn't a program - that's a precursor to programs in our opinion." The Nest Standards for Homes and Small Workshops + Nest Seal of Ethical Handcraft work together to ensure industry-wide transparency and compliance for production is taking place beyond the factory.

Episode 00 introduces you to the cofounders of the new podcast series Addvantage, and gives you a bit of insight into what's to come this season. Addvantage is a project developed in collaboration between Helsinki Fashion Week + Conscious Chatter. Kestrel Jenkins, the host + producer of Conscious Chatter + Evelyn Mora, the founder of Helsinki Fashion Week, first connected through a conversation on Kestrel's podcast. The two quickly realized their overlapping interest to redefine the conversation around sustainable fashion. Addvantage is a space for conversations that get outside the box and challenge the way we look at the world.

In episode 96, Kestrel welcomes Hannah Davis, the founder of BANGS shoes, to the show. A footwear company with a social mission and a partnership with Kiva, BANGS believes that "your adventure can help others find theirs". "I want to provide people opportunities vs things."  -Hannah of Bangs Shoes Throughout this episode, Hannah shares more insight into her experience manufacturing abroad, and the realities about where it's possible to actually produce vulcanized shoes. In addition, she expands further on BANGS Shoes' partnership with Kiva, and the way the nonprofit allows companies like BANGS to do good while at the same time, building out their business. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: VF Corporation, company Hannah's business partner worked with in the past (VF Corporation houses brands like Vans, Timberland and more) Kiva, BANGS' nonprofit partner Microfinance: "the idea of giving someone a loan in small quantities" Dan Pallotta's The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong: a TED Talk that changed Hannah's life

In episode 93, Kestrel welcomes Eileen Mockus, the CEO of Coyuchi, and Margot Lyons, Coyuchi’s Sustainability + Production Manager to the show. A home textile company that is committed to using minimally processed organic & natural fibers, Coyuchi also has a human commitment to the hands that touch each product.   "We do sense that the customer is looking for newness, and this allows them to have that newness but at the same time, gives us the ability to take that product back and do something else with it."  -Eileen Mockus, CEO of Coyuchi on Coyuchi For Life Throughout this episode, Kestrel explores Coyuchi's evolving business model with Eileen and Margot. They also focus on the complexities of finding organic linen, and how Coyuchi discovered a small group of farmers in Europe who are growing organic flax, and using it as a rotational crop. Apparently, the organic flax regenerates their fields for the organic food crops that are their primary source of income.  Additionally, Kestrel, Eileen and Margot discuss Coyuchi's recently launched Coyuchi For Life program, which is a circular subscription service for linens. As they say, "new linens, no landfills". Coyuchi has collaborated with The Renewal Workshop to help close the loop on this project. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: Patagonia, Eileen's first job out of college Pottery Barn, Eileen worked with their team to bring organic cotton into their offering GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), an important standard for Coyuchi Fair Trade USA Standard, specific to factory workers - used by Coyuchi Fair Trade International, specific to farmers - used by Coyuchi Coyuchi For Life, their approach to transition to a circular business model Renewal Workshop, Coyuchi's partner in their circular program Environmental Working Group, laundry recommendations

In episode 77, Kestrel welcomes Celia Bernardo, the founder and creative visionary behind CeliaB, to the show. A Spanish brand founded in 2012, CeliaB releases seasonless collections that showcase inspiration from Celia's travels around the world and celebrate unique global talents.  "I mean it's wealth to our aesthetic diversity in the world." -Celia, on the importance of celebrating independent designers After working for fast fashion brands like Zara, Celia broke off to build her own unique brand in an effort to push for quality over quantity in the fashion world. Throughout this chat, Celia shares thoughts on how she thinks we've lost an appreciation for the true cost of beautiful, quality designs, and how she believes in bringing innovative and different garments to the world, giving people new ways to envision the idea of "dressing". Celia calls herself a "Rainbow Warrior," and she's on a mission to combat the corporate world from conquering everything with its homogeneous approach. "It's important for me to give credit to the people [designers] that are doing something different." A couple of the designers Celia mentions in the show: Natacha Duarte, former colleague at Zara and print designer she has collaborated with Maria Luque, illustrator from Argentina, collaborated with Celia _______________________________________________________________________________ KAMEA CHAYNE is the creative behind Konscious Whispers, an eco lifestyle blog. She also wrote the book Thrive, An environmentally conscious lifestyle guide to better health and true wealth and is a rockstar wellness coach. Check out her work below: + Konscious Whispers   + Thrive, the book  + Kamea Chayne, wellness coaching 

In episode 75, Kestrel welcomes Executive Director of The C&A Foundation, Leslie Johnston, to the show. The C&A Foundation is a corporate foundation pushing to transform the fashion industry. The C&A Foundation's mission is "to inspire belief that change is possible, and to support those initiatives that can drive that change." From Leslie's perspective, the big way to push the needle when it comes to the fashion industry, is through a business to business play. While customer education is key, Leslie believes that the brands, retailers and manufacturers really need to step up and act differently. And as she acknowledges, within the industry, these players have been stepping it up in recent years. Leslie shares insight on how currently, the data from supply chains is living in a collection of separate silos. One of the ways that the C&A Foundation is working to collaborate with others in the industry is by finding ways to accurately aggregate the information, so people can access it. One of the partners they are working on this project with is SourceMap. Throughout this conversation, Leslie brings up several organizations and initiatives that the C&A Foundation is working with on some capacity. These are outlined below: Organic Cotton Accelerator New Foresight Sumangali Scheme + Bonded Labor in India Labor Link + Labor Voices: allow C&A and others to hear directly from workers, with realtime supply chain data Global Fund For Women Thomson Reuters Forum For The Future

In episode 73, Kestrel welcomes Céline Semaan Vernon, the CEO of Slow Factory to the show. Slow Factory is a mission-driven independent fashion label & lab that creates beautiful accessories, clothes and jewelry while directly supporting environmental and humanitarian causes. All work is fair-trade and manufactured with eco-friendly ink and fabrics. "Fashion activism is the practice of using fashion as a means of social change. It merges popular styles of dress, from clothing and shoes, to headwear and accessories, with efforts to implement social and political change. Fashion activism can be used as a form of protest, whether expressing dissent or support." -"Fashion Activism" by Céline, Wikipedia Throughout this chat, Céline shares insight into what fashion activism means to her, and why buzz words aren't enough in pushing for change in the fashion industry. She also shares her thoughts on the open web - unfiltered/unorganized information - and how she is an open web actovate. Kestrel asks Céline about her creative process and what inspires her collections. Céline explains that leaving her annual collections somewhat open-ended allows for more of an ability to react in a creative way to political or cultural situations that arise.  "You can't be creative in a vacuum ... well, you can but then you're completely disconnected from what's happening." Below are a list of other ideas, blog posts or organizations that were discussed throughout this chat: Overview effect Fashion Activism (Céline's Wikipedia entry) Read "Fair Trade Is Not Enough" on Slow Factory Read "Open Web" on Slow Factory ANERA Are We There Yet? #WeAreHome Documentary -> You can watch here! 

In episode 69 of Conscious Chatter, Kestrel welcomes Alex van Os, eco stylist and founder of Op Shop To Runway to the show. Alex is an Australian Red Cross Op Shop Ambassador and a fashion & TV stylist on a mission: to help people realize that having killer style doesn't mean you have to kill the earth in the process. For her, second hand doesn't mean second best! Stat from the introduction, found via Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed:  Every single minute Americans toss out 47,564 pounds of unwanted clothing and textiles (that’s enough to fill three olympic size pools). In this chat, Kestrel asks Alex about her background, and how she found herself engulfed in pushing for a less wasteful fashion industry. They also discuss the challenges / balance of working as a mainstream stylist (to make money) + partnering with influencers to bring the sustainable conversation further into the mainstream.  Tune in for Alex's key second hand shopping + styling tricks at 00:24:50 of the episode.  Another really interesting element that arose in this conversation is the idea of heirlooms, and how with the influence of fast fashion, there's a big question of what our generation will pass down to future children, family or friends, when so many things today are built to fall apart or wear out after a few washings. Listen to this part at 00:30:55.

In episode 64 of Conscious Chatter, Kestrel welcomes self-taught designer Mia Vesper to the show. While Mia may be a new name to the fashion scene, she’s turning heads left and right. From Vogue to W Magazine to Man Repeller, the big guys are taking note. A 25-year old designer, Mia brings two key elements into her eye-catching designs: reinvention and recycling. In this chat, Kestrel asks Mia about her approach to design, and how she sources the vintage tapestries that are so integral to the pieces she creates. The two discuss the idea of "having your thing" as a designer, and its importance in today's overly noisy state. Mia shares her thoughts on a conundrum she's been facing for quite some time now: to build an ethical business or to build a profitable business, and the questions she's faced with on a regular basis, when she wants to build a better brand. Also, listen to hear some entertaining stories from two fashion-driven women who have roots in Wisconsin. 

In episode 63, Kestrel welcomes Arianne Engelberg, the Creative Director of The New Denim Project to the show. An innovative product line out of Iris Textiles in Guatemala, The New Denim Project makes textiles and products from upcycled pre-consumer denim waste. Arianne shares stories of the evolution of her family's factory over the years - her grandparents originally started it back in the 1950s. Also, Arianne explains more in detail the process behind the upcycled textiles they have developed, and where the waste they use comes from. In addition, Arianne addresses the way she and the New Denim Project have found creative ways to tackle their own waste from their manufacturing process, as they work to push the limits when it comes to building a closed loop company. One of Kestrel's highlights from this show was how Arianne explained that she and her team members have discovered over time, that as textile manufacturers, they actually do have a massive amount of power when it comes to helping to shift the future of the fashion industry.

In episode 62, Kestrel welcomes guests Ian Rosenberger, the founder and CEO of Thread, and Zachary Angelini, the Environmental Stewardship Manager at Timberland. Ian and Zack share some of the stories behind the Thread x Timberland collaboration, which is made of Thread’s Ground to Good™ fabric, harvested from plastic bottles littering the streets and landfills of Haiti. Kestrel also asks Zack to share his mindset on Timberland's approach to sustainability, especially considering the company's high-reaching goals for 2020, including wanting to have 100% organic, US-origin or better cotton, as well as 100% recycled, organic or renewable materials in their shoes. Finally, Kestrel asks Ian to share his insight on the microfilament issue, which now tends to arise in any conversation connected to recycled plastic fabrics. Ian's response brings light to other ways of potentially looking at this issue, from a more holistic approach.

In episode 61, Kestrel welcomes Dechel McKillian, founder of Galerie.LA and former stylist for the Black Eyed Peas and Lil Wayne to the show. They talk all things personal style and curation, and explore how sustainability fits into these approaches. With a background in psychobiology, Dechel shares her thoughts on how technology and fast fashion are influencing a general loss of personal style, and that the homogenization of culture is potentially influencing us to lose our own identities to only become "what is popular". Kestrel and Dechel also explore the importance of curation when it comes to the future of fashion. From Dechel's perspective, quality over quantity wins; she reminds us that owning your own aesthetic could potentially help you buy less and love your clothes more.

In this week's episode, Kestrel welcomes two guests to the show: Jason Kibbey, the CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Alden Wicker, writer and founder of EcoCult. The idea for this show exploded for Kestrel after she read an article Alden wrote for Racked: “We Have No Idea How Bad Fashion Actually Is For The Environment”. It struck a chord with her -- and many other people who have been using the same unverified fact over and over again in our conversations: the global fashion industry is the 2nd most polluting industry in the world.  In this chat, Jason shares his thoughts on where we are currently when it comes to determining the "impact" of the fashion industry. He highlights the reality that creating standards can be especially difficult in the fashion industry because value judgements will inevitably come into play. He also shares what The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is working on with the Higg Index. Kestrel, Jason and Alden also dive deep into the question of whether conscious consumerism can make an impact, and if so - how much. The search for analytics in the fashion industry is a constant thread throughout this conversation.

In episode 59, Kestrel had the opportunity to visit the Patagonia Headquarters in Ventura, CA to record an in-person interview with 2 key players in the Patagonia game. Helena Barbour is the Senior Director of Global Sportswear at Patagonia, and Thuy Nguyen is the Manager of Social Responsibility and Special Programs. The two have played a large role in building out Patagonia's Fair Trade initiative - in conjunction with Fair Trade USA - in recent years.  In light of Fashion Revolution Day this year, and a continued hope to instigate more respect for the people who make our clothes, this chat is focused heavily on the concept and implementation of Fair Trade initiatives in the garment supply chain. Kestrel asks Thuy and Helena to share more about the evolution of the program at Patagonia, including their thoughts on where they started and where they have come. In addition, they discuss the logistics of how the Fair Trade program works, and how it has the potential to help support local communities around the world. Kestrel brings "scalability" to the table again, and Thuy and Helena provide their insight on the scalability of fair trade manufacturing, and how collaboration is key to the future success of this program. When it comes to storytelling, the three discuss how complicated it still is to bring up the sustainable fashion conversation with an inclusive, nonjudgemental approach. To close, Thuy and Helena each share their ideas on how we can continue to work on small ways of bringing a more conscious approach to what we wear.

In episode 58, Kestrel welcomes on Cynthia Powers, the Facilitating Manager of Eileen Fisher’s clothing take back program, Fisher Found, as well as Teslin Doud, who was part of Eileen Fisher’s Social Innovators Project, helping develop some of the company’s circular design components. Kestrel asks Cynthia and Teslin about Fisher Found’s origins, intention and goals. In addition, Cynthia and Teslin share more insight on the meaning behind the program’s three Rs: Reworn, Renewed, and Remade. The three also discuss the future of take back programs and what we might expect down the line. This week’s episode was sponsored by The Fourth Gentlemen, who make accessories from bamboo and cork. Why are their bamboo sunnies so amazing? Bamboo is a renewable resource and apparently one of the fastest growing plants on the planet. It’s super flexible and lightweight - often I’ve forgotten I have these shares on because they’re like a feather. They float! If you like sailing or being on the water like me, these are a great option - I’ve lost many a pair of sunglasses to the depths below over the years.

In episode 57, Kestrel welcomes Liza Moiseeva to the show. Liza is the co-founder of GlobeIn, a social business dedicated to supporting remote artisans from around the world. Their primary product is a monthly Artisan Box subscription, where every product fights poverty through job creation and fair wages. Kestrel and Liza discuss the importance of storytelling when it comes to artisan and fair trade products, and Liza shares her insight on how she thinks the "subscription box" could be changing the future of online retail. For Liza, the concept of discovery is really intriguing to her and how it can influence shoppers down the line. Kestrel addresses the question of whether subscription models are inspiring a constant flow of "more stuff" and Liza shares her thoughts on how there may be ways to find a conscious balance within the box model.  People + Brands Liza Addressed During The Show: + Muhammad Yunus + Matr Boomie + Kiva + Amour Vert

In episode 56, Kestrel welcomes on Lona Alia, founder and CEO of Style Lend, an online marketplace that hosts hundreds of designer styles that users can rent for a fraction of the cost and return after a week's time. Called the "AirBnB for clothes" by TechCrunch, Style Lend is working on shaking up the online rental fashion scene by giving women access to other women's impressive closets. In this chat, Kestrel asks Lona how she addresses the difficulties of having enough inventory for renters, given that peer-to-peer models often pose a struggle in creating enough supply for the demand. In addition, she questions whether rental sites will embrace more sustainable brands down the line, being that the majority of them are built on offering "luxury, name brands" at a reduced rate for renters. Kestrel and Lona discuss the concept of buying clothing for longevity, not only for its quality, but also for its resell value.

In episode 55, Kestrel welcomes Summer Rayne Oakes to the show. Known as “the first eco model”, Summer's experiences and knowledge go far beyond her notable look. With an education focused on ecology and entomology (the study of insects), she has worked in 2 distinct realms of the sustainability conversation: food and fashion. Kestrel asks Summer for insight on what the fashion world could potentially learn from the food world, and vice versa. They discuss regenerative agriculture, the politics of slow food and fashion, and how technology may help and/or hinder the future of fashion. Another theme that resonates throughout this chat is the idea of scaling, how it's been ingrained into our culture, and why scalability has become synonymous with success. For more on Summer's current projects, you can check out her book SUGARDETOX.ME, and her website Homestead Brooklyn, which helps us become more connected to nature while living in a city. 

In episode 54, Kestrel connects with Sandra Capponi, the Co-Founder & Head of Development for Good On You, an app that helps you find fashion that has a positive impact on people, the planet and animals. Nowadays, there’s literally an app for everything. In this chat, Sandra shares insight on how she believes that apps can make an impact, and how giving people access to information can empower them to make better decisions. Kestrel asks Sandra about the sharing of information and how apps can potentially work together to aggregate their information, and collaborate on pushing for change. Also, they explore further the idea of "inconvenience" that arose in episode 52 with Whitney Bauck of Fashionista, and how it affects our purchasing habits.  Click here to check out more on the Good On You app, and what they're up to!

In episode 53, our first episode of Season 2, Kestrel connect with natural dye guru Kathy Hattori. As the founder of Botanical Colors, Kathy works to bring natural dyeing processes to larger scale production facilities, and also collaborates with designers on small batch dye projects. In this chat, Kathy breaks down the big differences between conventional and natural dyes, and the scaleability of the latter. Also, Kestrel and Kathy talk about "brilliance of dyes," and how this can be interpreted differently, depending on your relationship with color and its meaning. Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) are the chemicals that Kathy mentioned have extremely harmful effects. Research has shown that - when washed - NPEs are released from clothing and in turn, discharged into our waterways, where they turn into the even more toxic and hormone-disrupting chemical nonylphenol (NP). More on Greenpeace's Detox program here >

In this week's episode, Kestrel has the chance to welcome on one of her notable "Instagram-turned-real-life" connections: Whitney Bauck, an assistant editor at Fashionista. On her personal blog, Unwrinkling, Whitney explores the intersection of fashion, faith and ethics.  In this chat, Whitney shares insight on what led her into the ethical fashion conversation. It's interesting to hear how she has embraced her role at Fashionista not only to write about style, but also to bring ethics, supply chains and transparency into the conversation, when relevant. Kestrel & Whitney discuss the idea of digital whistleblowers and whether digital activism can actually make an impact.  Below, are some of the super cool brands Whitney mentioned she's currently loving: + Uniform + Tara + Vaquera This week's episode was sponsored by Pathways For Promise, a new recruitment initiative at AUW (Asian University for Women) which identifies talented women among current garment factory workers and provides them with the academic, financial, and professional support to earn their Bachelor's degrees and become leaders in their chosen fields. You can learn more about the Asian University for Women here >

Episode 51 | YOUTH FASHION SUMMIT + THE NEXT GENERATION

Episode 50 | THINK DIRTY + THE SEARCH FOR CLEAN BEAUTY

Episode 49 | FABSCRAP + REUSING TEXTILE WASTE

Episode 48 | PANAH + MADE IN AFRICA

Episode 47 | TIMO RISSANEN + ZERO WASTE DESIGN

Episode 46 | THREAD CARAVAN + ARTISAN ADVENTURES

Episode 45 | JASMIN MALIK CHUA, ECOUTERRE + AN INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE

Episode 44 | ANDREW MORGAN + THE TRUE COST

Episode 43 | SOKO, VIRTUAL SUPPLY CHAINS + CONNECTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Episode 42 | SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FASHION CURRICULUM

Episode 41 | HODA KATEBI + FASHION ACTIVISM

Episode 40 | MARCI ZAROFF + FARM TO CLOSET

Episode 39 | YOUTUBE, COMPASSION FASHION + INFLUENCE

Episode 38 | EXPEDITION 196, PEACE + SUSTAINABILITY VIA TRAVEL

Episode 37 | PUSHING THE SUSTAINABLE FASHION CONVERSATION

Episode 36 | SPIRIT OF 608, TECH + THE FUTURE OF FASHION

Episode 35 | FASHIONKIND, LUXURY + SUSTAINABILITY

Episode 34 | STELA 9 + CULTURAL PRESERVATION

Episode 33 | REDRESS + WASTE LESS

Episode 32 | CHRISTY DAWN + MAKING DEADSTOCK LOVELY

Epsiode 31 | OLDERBROTHER, UNIVERSAL GARMENTS + THE PROCESS

Episode 30 | SAMATA + RED CARPET GREEN DRESS

Episode 29 | TRADLANDS + QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Episode 28 | PIÑATEX + PINEAPPLES AS A LEATHER ALTERNATIVE

Episode 27 | STORIES, CRAFT + VALUES

Episode 26 | KNITTING IS COOL AGAIN

Episode 25 | MINDFULNESS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Episode 24 | CELEBRATE LOCAL

Episode 23 | DIVERSITY IN FASHION

Episode 22 | RECYCLING + ECOALF

Episode 21 | CONSCIOUS BLOGGING

Episode 20 | BY HAND + THIEF & BANDIT

Episode 19 | CRADLE TO CRADLE + FASHION POSITIVE

Episode 18 | MARA HOFFMAN + MINDFULNESS

Episode 17 | TRANSPARENCY

Episode 16 | FIBER FARMING

Episode 15 | RENEWAL

Episode 14 | GIVING

Episode 13 | TINY WARDROBE

Episode 12 | NEW BUSINESS MODEL

Episode 11 | SUPPLY CHAINS

Episode 10 | COTTON

Episode 09 | HEMP

Episode 08 | FAIR TRADE

Episode 07 | FASHION REVOLUTION

Episode 06 | DESIGNER DILEMMA

Episode 05 | WASTE

Episode 04 | MADE IN USA

Episode 03 | WATER

Episode 02 | STORYTELLING

Episode 01 | INTRODUCTION