Join us on this episode of No Ordinary Cloth as we welcome Madison Maxey, the visionary founder and CEO of Loomia, a pioneering company in e-textiles. Host Mili Tharakan sits down with Maddy to explore her incredible journey from fashion design at Parsons to creating cutting-edge, soft and flexible electronics that are now making way into the automotive and robotics industries. In this episode, Maddy shares her story of resilience, innovation, and the highs and lows of building a business in...

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, I sit down with Nina and Amanda, the brilliant minds behind the Future Fabrics Expo, to dive deep into how they're revolutionising the textile and fashion industries through an expo that drives sustainability and innovation. The Future Fabrics Expo has become a key platform in the industry, showcasing thousands of sustainable materials and driving discussions around environmental responsibility, circularity, and collaboration across disciplines to drive...

In this episode of the 'No Ordinary Cloth Podcast', we have Brett Cotten, co-founder of Arda Biomaterials, in discussion about their innovative leather alternative, New Grain made from the spent grain waste from breweries. Brett shares the establishment journey of Arda, from its founding in 2022, its recognition among Forbes 30 Under 30 and H&M's Global Change Award, to entering the competitive market with a sustainable solution. He elaborates on his motivations for starting Arda, his...

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, we chat with David Prior Hope (CTO) and Idan Gal-Shohet (CEO), founders of Fibe, a pioneering company converting potato harvest waste into sustainable cotton-like textile fibres.  Fibe was born out of  a final year Masters project at Imperial College, London, aiming to turn agricultural waste into usable materials. Their innovative approach focuses on creating fibres from potato stems, which mimic cotton's feel and function while being more...

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, Beth Esponnette, the co-founder of Unspun, shares her groundbreaking innovation in 3D weaving technology that creates garments in a single, seamless piece, revolutionising fashion manufacturing and disrupting the current supply chain. Beth discusses her journey from an assistant professor to a pioneer and founder of Unspun, her challenges in scaling micro factories, and the leadership lessons she learned while captaining Cornell's Nordic Ski...

This is the first in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment. In this episode, Jim Ajioka (Colorifix), Helene Steiner (OpenCell), and Brooke Roberts-Islam (Techstyler) share their unique journeys and...

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth Podcast, we speak with Vibeke Vestby, the inventor of the first-ever digital jacquard handloom. She share about her passion for weaving as a child, her impatience with traditional looms and a trip to Italy that was pivotal in reimagining the 200 year old jacquard loom. Vibeke recounts her early inspiration, the technical evolution of the loom, and the collaborative process with the engineering company Tronrud, to bring her vision to life. Her...

Welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we stitch together a tapestry of textile innovations one episode at a time. Today, we're joined by Linda Worbin, a pioneer in Smart Textiles. Join us as we explore the past, present, and future of this dynamic industry. Linda Worbin, a Material and Innovation Developer based in Sweden, brings a wealth of experience to our conversation. With her background as a former professor at the Swedish School of Textiles and a visionary in the industry,...

Welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we stitch together a tapestry of textile innovations one episode at a time. Today, we're joined by Linda Worbin, a pioneer in Smart Textiles. Join us as we explore the past, present, and future of this dynamic industry. Linda Worbin, a Material and Innovation Developer based in Sweden, brings a wealth of experience to our conversation. With her background as a former professor at the Swedish School of Textiles and a visionary in the industry,...

🎉  In this episode as we celebrate Women's Day in March 2024, we have a very special guest - Prof. Sohini Kar-Narayan, a leading material scientist and nanotechnology expert from the University of Cambridge, sharing with us about her passion for science and her work with nano materials for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing technology, and it's potential for smart textiles and wearables. 🧪 This is also the story about a young girl who wanted to invent something and went on to become,...

Welcome to this special mini episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we explore the fascinating world of textiles and fashion and the innovative minds shaping its future. Today, we're spotlighting the Manufacturing Futures 2024 - Innovation Challenge, a pivotal event for UK-based startups and SMEs in the fashion industry.  There is some exciting news to share, do listen in to the end of the episode. Here's what we cover in this episode: Details about the Manufacturing Futures...

On this episode of the 'No Ordinary Cloth' podcast, we welcome Gilberto Loureiro, the co-founder and CEO of Smartex, an innovative startup leveraging AI and machine learning to transform the textile industry and modernise it's factories. Gilberto draws upon his life experiences, growing up in a family where everyone worked in the textile business and witnessing the substantial wastage and outdated practices in factories. This became his motivation to set up Smartex - a company building an...

In this episode of The No Ordinary Cloth Podcast, we hear from Mika Satomi - an exceptional artist and maker whose artistic approach transcends mediums. She skilfully blends traditional and modern, digital and manual techniques and materials to convey powerful narratives. She is as proficient in weaving and crocheting as she is in programming and electronics and so many other techniques. Here she shares about her approach to learning new skills and deepening her existing ones. She is known...

Whether you are a textile designer, biologist, engineer, architect, fashion designer, material scientist or a curious maker - we all need to come together to innovate and solve challenges the world is facing today. On this episode our guest speaker Anastasia Pistofidou has done just that - she has created an ecosystem that brings together diverse expertise to explore textiles and solve some of these challenges. Trained as an architect, Anastasia meanders into the world of textiles through...

Whether you love or hate mathematics, you are going to enjoy listening to this episode. In this interview, Sophie Skach, a fashion designer and researcher, discusses her passion for interweaving the world of textiles with mathematics and technology, and her unique approach to creating catwalk collections and PhD research projects. She shares her journey on how she uses textiles as a medium to demystify mathematics and communicate complex mathematical concepts through her textile and fashion...

Who doesn't love a beautiful leather jacket or bag. Sadly, the leather industry's high water and chemical waste from the tanning process is extremely polluting. And faux leather is made from polyurethane and plastics. So can we ever use leather products without feeling guilty? Join me as I find out from Daniela Rondinone, the Business and Operations Manager at Biophilica, all about alternative leather that is plastic free and recyclable. Learn about how autumn leaves are transformed into...

Sara Robertson is a smart textile maker and researcher who has been exploring different ways to translate concepts of change and movement in nature through her beautiful textile creation over the last 20 years.  Join me as I speak with Sara about her journey from a young artist to a leading smart textiles researcher. Learn about how she is making lace with light - these are absolutely exquisite textiles, and what has influenced her creative process. Find out her plans for the future and what...

The future of Textile awaits and we are stitching it together one episode at a time....Join me in this podcast  series to learn and be inspired by all the incredible textiles that is changing the very landscape of fabrics as we know it.  Whether you are an expert in the field or just curious about textiles and fashion, this podcast will capture your imagination and give you a glimpse into the future of Textiles. Please subscribe to this podcast and listen in as I bring you the best and...