WARDROBE CRISIS with Clare Press

Have you heard the one about denim factories turning rivers blue in China? Horrendous, right? But change is possible.Kirsten Brodde is a former science journalist on a mission to clean up fashion. Meet the Greenpeace activist who led the Detox My Fashion campaign, which spurred an industry-wide commitment to phase out harmful chemicals from clothing production.In this interview, we unpick what it takes to be an effective activist (think dogged persistence!) and passion but also a willingness to be unpopular.The Detox campaign took time, major pressure and careful negotiation, but it actually worked. Kirsten describes what's happened as a result as “a paradigm shift,” and says there's no going back.The message, activism matters. We need these dedicated, gusty individuals to rock the boat.Enjoying the show? Thank you for listening. Please help us spread the word. Rating and reviewing can help others find us. Or share about the show on social media. Find Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressHead over to https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcast/2019/8/20/podcast-96-detoxing-fashion-with-greenpeaces-kirsten-brodde to read yours and #bethechange Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New York Times calls him "the poster boy for zero waste living". He's a florist, artist, restaurateur, architect, inventor and revolutionary thinker. Meet the man on a mission to convince us we can grow all the food we need where we live.In this riveting episode, we discuss everything from how wasteful the floristry industry is to the microbial power of healthy soil to boost serotonin (Yep, it can get you high apparently). What would happen if we reconnected with the natural world? How might eating seasonally change our health, happiness and impact? Could we really grow all the food we need on the roof and walls of our houses and apartment buildings? What's the future of green cities?Enjoying the show? Thank you for listening. Please help us spread the word. Rating and reviewing in iTunes can help others find us. Or share about the show on social media. Find Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressTo see all the podcast info and shownotes, visit https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you have any idea how much it actually costs to make your clothes? Most brands would rather you didn't.Meet the fashion disruptor who is happy to tell you exactly what it costs his company to make its products, and exactly how much profit they make on each style.Michael Preysman founded Everlane on the concept of "radical transparency" and says: “We believe our customers have a right to know how much their clothes cost to make. We reveal the true costs behind all of our products—from materials to labor to transportation—then offer them to you, minus the traditional retail markup.”Why is transparency important in the fashion industry? How does that idea apply when it comes to garment workers and factory supply chains? How did this Californian start up become a major global player, and what drives Michael Preysman? In this interview we discuss what it takes to succeed, the power of disruption, and being okay with not being perfect. Check out the shownotes on https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcast for links and more info.Enjoying Wardrobe Crisis? Get in touch with Clare on Instagram and Twitter (@mrspress) and let her know. Please consider rating and reviewing us in Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that handwork, or craft, is the second largest employer of women in emerging economies? Since a large proportion of them work from home, this is an often hidden and unregulated sector.Post Rana Plaza, there's been more attention on garment factories, but how often do we consider outworkers - homeworkers - who are often contracted by third parties?This week's guest is Rebecca van Bergen, founder of fab New York-based NGO, Nest. They are on a mission to “build a new handworker economy to increase global workforce inclusivity, improve women's wellbeing beyond factories, and preserve important cultural traditions around the world.”In this interview, we discuss what it takes to make it as a social entrepreneur, the importance of practical plan as well as a big vision, the familiar story of women's work being values and what's being done about it. Enjoying the show? Don't forget to hit subscribe, and please tell your friends! Connect with Clare on Instagram and Twitter, @mprsressHead to https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcast for detailed shownotes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm sure you've heard that sustainable fashion is the thing right now. Searches on Lyst increased by 66% last year. Vogue has a sustainability editor. Slow fashion is so popular that even Zara is trying to convince us they're not a fast fashion brand. But what does it take to make it as an independent designer working in this space? To cut through the noise to become a sustainable label people talk about? And buy?Are hard work and dedication enough? Nope, says Courtney Holm, the Australian designer behind buzzy independent fashion label A.BCH. She argues that new gen designers need to rethink the whole system. Holm is on a mission to revolutionise how we buy, wear and dispose of clothing.In this interview we discuss the instinct to have a go yourself when you see something isn't being done, the importance of doing your homework and the usefulness of having a stubborn streak. And we bust the myth that size matters when it comes to being the change.Enjoying the show? Let us know via https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcastFind Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressThank you for listening. Don't forget to hit subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denim is ubiquitous. Almost 2 billion pairs of jeans were sold around the world in 2017. That's a lot of jeans. It's also a lot of jeans waste. According to The New Textiles Economy report, less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing. We're landfilling and incinerating more while at the same time decreasing clothing use over time. The new Jeans Redesign Guidelines from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation seek to solve this. Can they get everyone on board? Enjoying the show? Let us know via https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcastFind Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressThank you for listening. Don't forget to hit subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By 2030, we keep going as we are, the fashion industry will manufacture 102 million tons of clothes and shoes. For comparison, that's the weight equivalent of half million blue whales!Growth is not something we like to question in the fashion industry (or indeed any industry). In our capitalist system, commercial success is measured by growth. But, how can we support infinite growth on a finite planet? “If we could live within the limits of what we've already got, we could get a glimpse of what fashion might be like beyond consumerist obsessions,” says this week's guest, Kate Fletcher.Kate is a professor at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion in London. She is a founding member of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, and the author of a wonderful book called Craft of Use. In it she asks, what if we paid more attention to the tending and wearing of garments rather than their acquisition? Enjoying the show? Let us know via https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcastFind Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressThank you for listening. Don't forget to hit subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What drives us to consume, and what does over-consumption do to us and the planet?Twenty-five-old British poet, filmmaker and activist Wilson Oryema describes himself as “a semi-retired fashion model”. He was scouted on his lunch break when he was working a London office job, and walked his first show for Margiela in Paris in 2015. He went on to appear in ads for Calvin Klein Underwear and Hugo Boss.His first book of poetry, titled Wait, explores consumerism, contemporary culture and waste. It sprang from an art show he held in a London gallery, after he interned for his photographer friend Harley Weir.Now, as well as writing, he's making short films about the fashion industry's impacts on the environment. Wilson says poetry is just another way to communicate his ideas to his audience, and that when he began it didn't worry him one bit that he hadn't read loads of poetry - he just gave it a go and it worked. This interview is about how we reach different people, how we story tell, and - ultimately - how we change the world.Enjoying the show? Let us know via https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcastFind Clare on Instagram and Twitter @mrspressThank you for listening. Don't forget to hit subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cameron Saul is a British social entrepreneur and the co-founder of ethical accessories brand Bottletop. For his next trick, he's teamed up with the United Nations and Project Everyone on #TOGETHERBAND - which is all about spreading awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - (SDGs) - also known as the Global Goals.“We want solutions, but what most of us don't realise is that there is a roadmap for a healthy planet, and that's the Global Goals. It's an extraordinary framework for action and for scaling solutions, and helping us achieve that healthy future for ourselves, our children and our children's children.” - Cameron SaulJoin us as we decode the Goals, and discuss where we're kicking them and where we've got a long way to go. This is an inspiring and info-packed episode - essential listening, sustainability warriors!Join the conversation - follow Clare in Instagram and TwitterFind all the links on the show-notes here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Trigger warning: this interview contains a brief reference to suicide.)This week's interview is with brilliant writer and activist Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan. Her memoir She's Not There, A Life in Two Genders is a must-read, as are her New York Times columns.For many years, Jenny was the co-chair of GLAAD's board of directors. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender and Reproduction, and she advised and appeared on the TV series I Am Cait with Caitlin Jenner. But wait - there's more: Jennifer Boylan's big TV moment was on Oprah, and you're going to hear all about that.We discuss the transgender experience, and the detail of Jennifer's journey. We talk about the role and limitations of clothes in communicating identity, how fashion represents status, the moral imagination, why Kris Jenner believes in the power of the stylist, and fighting bigotry in Trumpland. Join the conversation - follow Clare in Instagram and TwitterDon't miss the show-notes each week on https://thewardrobecrisis.com/podcast - they're packed with links and extra info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.