Brooklinen is the most popular sheet brand on the internet and has received over 80,000 five star consumer reviews for its products. Katie Elks, Director of Design & Product Development, and JD Davis Production, Procurement & Quality Manager of the multi-award-winning luxury bedding & bath brand, share with us why the brand has become so popular. We discuss the company’s dedication to quality, responsible manufacturing and transparency – and what consumer trends have shifted...

Dr. Andrew Dent is the executive vice president research at Material ConneXion, a world -class library known for its innovative problem solving and thought-leadership by influential brands across every industry. Dr. Dent shares how became interested in material science, his fondness for the human interaction side of materials, and how this combination led him to his post at Material ConneXion. We also talk about what sustainability means to him, his passion for waste and the future of...

Ruth is the head of materials and materials editor of SSACHS, a design agency for performance and active lifestyle apparel. We discuss her journey of leaving corporate life to join SSACHS with her partners. Ruth also shares insights as to how she approaches material development, what makes a good material partner, how the pandemic has influenced design trends and sustainability, along with the necessary digital marketing tools that are needed to help connect suppliers, mills, and brands.

Wayne Fan is the chief strategy officer of Frontier, a textile collaboration program that is built upon three pillars: digitalization, search capability and collaboration. Wayne shares how Frontier and other digital tools help bring fabrics to life while also building community between suppliers and brands with respect to fabric samples, inventory, price quotes, and more. He also gives us a glimpse into a few lessons he's learned from the pandemic.

Happy New Year! While in production with our new 2020 line-up of episodes, we wanted to share some highlights of my conversations with last year’s smart and talented guests whom I was honored to have spent time with. We discovered that sustainability is still a huge topic. While it means many things to different people, sustainability is no longer a trend, but a business approach that’s here to stay. We also learned how collaboration throughout the entire supply chain lifts individual...

James Morin, COO and president of sales for Flowfold – a brand of minimalist gear made with some of the strongest and lightest of weight materials – gives us insight on how he’s helped build a small Maine-based company into an international brand. In this episode of Material Wise, James shares how he and his team have formed collaborative partnerships with suppliers, retailers, ambassadors, and non-profits to make Flowfold the thriving company it is today.

Gihan Amarasiriwardena is the co-founder/president of Boston-based Ministry of Supply, a modern brand of performance professional apparel. Gihan shares how he and co-founder/CEO, Aman Advani, shared a desire to create professional apparel that had the same performance benefits as their favorite athletic pieces. We learn how the brand got its start, the significance of its name and the role materials, attention to design and fit play into each and every piece to make the apparel scientifically...

Textile designer, Elizabeth Whalen’s materials can be found in work environments and on athletes all over the world. She creates textiles for brands like Humanscale, Nike, Tumi and more. Elizabeth voices her views on her personal design philosophy, stance on sustainability - really good design is sustainable - and the need for design inclusivity in technological development.

With over 24 years of international experience in the global fashion and textile industry, Louisa combines her creative know-how with market and product development intelligence to ensure an accurate forecast. She shares how her intuition, curiosity, vision, and research led her to where she is today. Louisa gives us insight as to how she anticipates consumer needs up to 3 years in advance. She also shares her views on sustainability (be smart), top trend-inspiring cities, and how she stays...

Emily Walzer is a savvy journalist who's had direct access to active sports/lifestyle brand VPs since the '80s. Today, she’s the editor/co-publisher of Textile Insight, a trade publication that focuses on textile design, innovation, and its product applications. Emily discusses her publishing career, recent trade shows, textile trends and concern over sustainability and social responsibility. Emily also reveals how she fuels her creativity, which finds its way into inspiring us with her...

Jay Adams is co-founder of Brass Clothing, a curated collection of women’s foundation pieces designed with impeccable style, fit and easy-to-care-for materials. Jay launched Brass with partner, Katie Demo, in 2014 after both being fed up with fast fashion, and closets full of crap. Jay says Brass looks at a woman’s entire life, and how her wardrobe interacts with It, before designing pieces that simplify her wardrobe - so she can focus on things that really matter to her. www.brassclothing.com.

While in production with our 2019 episodes, we wanted to recap our conversations with last year’s guests and share some highlights. We learned that transparency, social responsibility throughout the supply chain has become increasingly important as is designing products with longevity in mind. Body scanning techniques are trending as people are demanding a custom fit. The common thread among all my discussions is that great products are inspired by great materials. Hope you enjoy!

With over 20 years of technical pattern making experience, Myranda Caputo knows a bit about how a garment should fit. Myranda founded Bespoke Branded Fit finding realizing more brands are focusing on customized fit standards tailored to their customers. In this episode, Myranda explains how function, aesthetic and materials are key factors when it comes to fit. She also shares how brands are helping consumers purchase the right size online via interactive fit charts and 3D body scans.

In 2014, Justin Seale, backed with his 20 plus years of design industry experience, founded ArchiTec – a streamlined collection of men’s adventure apparel based on sustainable materials and inspirational places designed and built in California. Justin talks about how each collection leads with a particular textile and location in mind to create an experience around a product.

Material development pioneer, Rob Naughter, has brought several notable sustainable/traceable material developments to Patagonia over the years – Patagonia's 100% Traceable Down Standard and the recent launch of its down-like PlumaFill. Given that Patagonia fails nearly all materials tested in its labs, we talk about Patagonia’s increased bandwidth on material development, what makes a good material partner and the evolution of the Patagonia customer.

Driven by her deep curiosity, Nancy sets out to speak with designers, product developers and guests in the outdoor, fashion, home furnishings and other industries about what inspires and influences them to create, why and how they select the materials they choose and the relationships they’ve built with their customers and industry.

While working as a pattern maker at the Hathaway shirt company – a famed menswear manufacturer, Jill McGowan discovered that there was a big gap between the way men’s and women’s apparel of equal value was made. In 1994, Jill set out to improve the standard of women’s clothing and launched a signature line of shirts under the Jill McGowan brand. Today, Jill McGowan products can be found in over 300 specialty shops across the country, its flagship store in Freeport, ME and on its ecommerce site.

Footwear designer, Erin Bornstein shares how she created the rare opportunity to have full control of the design vision without direct input of other product managers or merchandisers, for a new women’s Timberland collection available at retail this fall. Erin says her new footwear collection has a kick-ass attitude, just like the woman she’s designing it for. Erin also talks about Timberland’s stand on sourcing sustainable materials and commitment to social initiatives.

Miles and Molly Spadone are the brother/sister duo of Spadone Home, an evocative handmade collection of Art Deco influenced terrazzo vessels and Brutalist style concrete planters and bookends. Offspring of artistic parents, Miles shares how he and his sister created Spadone Home, what it’s like working with a sibling, and the never-ending quest to find unique materials and methods to create their distinctive designs.

Nick Armentrout is the supply chain manager of Ramblers Way, a high-quality, sustainable apparel brand founded by Tom and Kate Chappell, founders of the infamous Tom’s of Maine toothpaste and other all-natural products. Nick shares how his background in animal science led him to find and establish relationships Rambouillet sheep, the knitters, dyers and manufactures that all go into the crafting of Ramblers Way apparel.