When you hear the term artisan-made, what do you think of? Get ready to unpack all things "artisan-made" in this conversation with Anjali Purohit, founder and creative director of the home and fashion textiles brand Studio Variously.

Nellie Cohen was the architect of Worn Wear, Patagonia's impactful, award-winning (and profitable) circularity program. In this episode, she's sharing her lessons learned on everything from the type of resale model that could be capable of reducing new production to how we can better engage customers in circularity.

Slow fashion *can* be joyful! So if you've been feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, or isolated on your sustainable fashion journey, it may be a sign to lean into community. In this episode, get tangible tips and encouragement to find or cultivate your own slow fashion community.

After what's been referred to as a "slow fashion recession", what's next for the movement? How can we come back stronger and make slow fashion so irresistible, that it becomes inevitable?

For our first-ever Conscious Fashion Collective Membership panel discussion, we discussed a topic that is often taboo in the slow fashion space — money! We believe that financial sustainability is essential for creating a more just, and sustainable, fashion ecosystem with thriving businesses that care about people and the planet.

Financial sustainability is essential for creating a more just, and sustainable, fashion ecosystem with thriving businesses that care about people and the planet. But how do you go about actually making money in this space, especially when you care about not overproducing? Money-making is a topic that is all-too-often taboo in the slow fashion space, but our panelists Dani Des Roches, Mahdiyyah Muhammad, Jacqueline Schumann, and Aiste Zitnikaite are unpacking their experiences, transparently,...

How can fashion take action right now for a net positive future? From climate and biodiversity to worker livelihoods and fair wages to overconsumption and textile waste, the gaps between where we need to be and where we are right now feel… vast. But in this episode, we're discussing ways that fashion act right now — like tomorrow — on 5 key pillars that encompass both people and planet. These are areas where the research, and tools are readily available, even for implementing at a large...

We have reached the 100th episode of the podcast! For the past 100 episodes, at the end of each episode we have asked our guests the same question: What would a better future for fashion look like, to you? This question is important, because it sums up exactly why the podcast exists in the first place — to unpack exactly what it will take to cultivate a sustainable and equitable future for fashion. To celebrate this 100 episode milestone, we decided to mark the occasion by sharing a...

As you might have noticed, we are just one episode away from the 100th episode of the podcast! We're starting the celebrations early and changing up the usual format with this episode. Instead of interviewing a guest, this week we’re sharing 10 lessons we’ve learned from 100 episodes of the podcast that features interviews with some of the most inspiring changemakers in the fashion industry.

Is it green... or just greenwashing? This week, we’re sharing a recap of a few Green or Greenwashing topics we covered this season! Green or Greenwashing is a segment on the podcast where we evaluate if a certain sustainability measure is more green or whether it veers into more of the greenwashing territory. These Green or Greenwashing segments were previously published at the end of some prior episodes. The first segment we are resharing is whether third-party resale sites should ban fast...

Policy is an important lever in creating a better, more sustainable, and equitable fashion system. But if we only focus on policy that explicitly talks about the fashion industry and sustainability, we may be missing some opportunities. In today's episode, Elizabeth speaks with fashion policy expert Kenya Wiley. Kenya is sharing behind the scenes on the processes behind legislation and regulation — and even explaining the difference between the two terms — and some of the current policies...

After learning about climate emotions, and seeing climate doomism proliferated in the media, Stella knew she wanted to have Isaias on the show to unpack this and understand how it's connected to the fashion industry. In this episode, Isaias Hernandez (who you might also know as @queerbrownvegan on social media) unpacks the complexity of climate emotions and the harms of climate doomism narratives, and discusses why “evidence-based hope” is essential for reorienting action and working...

Carbon neutral. Net zero. Carbon positive. You may have been seeing more and more claims like these lately from companies, including fashion brands. But in today's Green or Greenwashing episode, we’re diving deeper, beyond the surface of these claims, to see if they really can be trusted. Many of these carbon neutrality claims are asserted based on the company purchasing carbon offsets. This episode was inspired by the UK watchdog, Advertising Standards Authority, recently banning...

How can we reimagine the traditional role of fashion designers in a world filled with fashion waste? And how can we rethink our primary role as consumers in a way that allows us to become contributors to collective wellbeing instead? It’s no secret that we live in a world with far too much clothing. If we are to work towards a more sustainable fashion industry, we need to unpack the ways that fashion brands and designers can pivot away from the mainstream business model of take-make-waste...

What if fashion brands put garment workers first? What if a fashion brand set the prices they pay to their suppliers based on ensuring workers were making a living wage, rather than negotiating the prices as low as possible to maximize profits? This is part of implementing more responsible purchasing practices — purchasing practices meaning not how the consumer buys something, but how the brand purchases their orders from their suppliers, since most brands do not produce their own clothes....

What if designers could go all the way back to the source of the fibers their garments are made from? Many of fashion’s favorite fibers — and our favorite garments — begin on farms. From cotton to wool, hemp, and linen. But, often, designers are so far removed from the places where these fibers are produced. Bringing designers back to the source would result in greater transparency and traceability in fashion that would allow designers to make choices that are kinder to people and the planet....

What is it like to work as a designer for a fast fashion brand? And what is it like to build your own sustainability minded small fashion brand, from circular design practices to figuring out your pricing? That's what we're getting a glimpse into in this episode with Dani Des Roches, designer and founder of the upcycled brand Picnicwear, recognizable by its groovy 60s/70s aesthetic, bold and playful use of color, and most notably its use of vintage towels as its primary material. Before...

What is the process like to create a regenerative conscious fashion label? What does it mean to create long-term partnerships in a localized supply chain that are beneficial for people? Or to make clothes that are beneficial for the earth? In this episode, Stella interviews the founder of slow fashion brand LilaBare, Ria Ana Sejpal, about building a Kenyan fashion brand, rethinking traditional supply chains, and the value of building long-term relationships with the people involved in...

Fashion's returns are a massive waste and emissions issue. In addition to the extra shipping and wastage, generous free returns policies from brands and retailers have also helped fuel the trend of buying clothes to wear once before returning them. However, the days of these free return policies may be coming to an end. Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo, and Next have all recently announced return fees. These brands are likely making the decision to implement return fees for financial reasons, but what...

It's time for an urgent shift in fashion. And not just towards a path of doing less bad, but of bringing positive change. Not just less harmful fashion. Not even just more sustainable fashion. But building a regenerative fashion future. In this episode, Safia Minney discusses the themes of her latest book on regenerative fashion. And what I loved about this book was that it wasn't just about regeneratively grown fibers and decarbonization — though of course that was covered and that's super...

Overconsumption is a major problem in the fashion industry. And secondhand is often advocated for as a solution. But is it possible to overconsume secondhand fashion as well? This is a loaded question that comes with nuance and obviously, lots of opinions... which makes it perfect for a segment for Stella and I's Green or Greenwashing series — we love to cover complex and controversial topics in this series! Let's dive in.

Fashion industry players — like big brands and their billionaire owners — have to be held accountable for their impact on our environment and on the people involved with making their clothes. Independent journalists can play a crucial role in this accountability, since they can provide a critical outsider's look on what's happening in the industry, such as ascertaining if a fashion brand's sustainability claims are legitimate or not. And it's also a role that comes with a lot of...

When we talk about sustainable and ethical fashion, we often think about the future — at least I do: we ask every guest that comes onto this show what a better future for fashion looks like to them! But I also see immense value in looking to the past. To see where we came from so we understand how we got here and what solutions could actually be effective in bringing about change. So I was intrigued to read the book Worn, A People's History of Clothing, (bookshop affiliate link) to...