Conscious Chatter

In episode 270, Kestrel welcomes Timnit Kefela, a doctoral candidate in environmental science and management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to the show. Timnit's research is focused on the sources, pathways and fates of microplastics in urban environments. "Much of the solutions that are being brought out are very consumer-forward, which I think is unfair, because a lot of them ar...

In episode 269, Kestrel welcomes Ngozi Okaro, the founder and executive director of Custom Collaborative, to the show. Custom Collaborative trains, mentors, and advocates for and with no/low-income and immigrant women to build the skills necessary to achieve economic success in the sustainable fashion industry and broader society. "I think that if workers owned the business, if the people who are...

In episode 268, Kestrel welcomes Venetia La Manna, to the show. The host of All The Small Things podcast and the co-founder of Remember Who Made Them, Venetia uses her platforms to challenge fashion brands who are costing the earth and calls out retailers on their unethical practices in the fashion supply chain. "Fashion brands are so willing to talk about organic cotton and to talk about their la...

In episode 267, Kestrel welcomes farmer and scientist, Sally Fox, to the show. Known for her work in developing strong genetics in organic, naturally-colored cotton, Sally also has experience in raising heritage Merino sheep and a variety of crops, including Sonora wheat. "I viewed the misuse of ag chemicals and the overuse of dyes — I see them as the same thing. I don't see why we're using dyes o...

In episode 266, Kestrel welcomes Leah D'Ambrosio, the founder of Wol Hide, to the show. Focused on easy wear for living in, Wol Hide's styles are made from natural fibers and organic textures. "I like to look at sort of the bigger picture of what I'm creating. So, I think a lot about the supply chain and the people that I work with, and where our materials come from — who's making them, who's knit...

In episode 265, Kestrel welcomes Summer Dean (AKA  @ClimateDiva ), a writer, content creator and model, to the show. Both a fashion lover and climate justice advocate, Summer has a distinct way of making these conversations educational, intersectional and fun. "My goal this whole time has been to communicate to people who aren't already in these spaces, and I think it's really important to make th...

In episode 264, Kestrel welcomes George Harding-Rolls (the Campaigns Advisor at Changing Markets Foundation) and Amy Nguyen (a strategist, researcher and writer focused on the nexus between sustainable business, fashion, innovation and technology) to the show. George and Amy are part of the team behind the recently launched website – Greenwash.com . "We need to completely rethink about how we're g...

In episode 263, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Sandra Niessen, a cultural anthropologist, fashion scholar and activist, to the show. In 2020, Sandra published a notable article titled: "Fashion, its Sacrifice Zone and Sustainability", which we explore on the show. She currently works closely with Fashion Act Now . "The loss of fashion or the degrowth in fashion — people think of that as a closing down of ou...

In episode 262, Kestrel welcomes Roland Geyer, Professor of Industrial Ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to the show. Roland is also the author of a recently released book titled "The Business Of Less: The Role Of Companies and Households On A Planet In Peril". If you are familiar with corporate social responsibility, if you work in the field, or if you have an understanding...

In episode 261, Kestrel welcomes Marula Tsagkari, a degrowth advocate and PhD candidate at the University of Barcelona in the Department of Economics, to the show. Marula's work focuses on energy communities, energy self-sufficiency, and energy democracy. "Degrowth is not about austerity, it's not about living in a primitive way in a cave — nothing like that. And of course degrowth is not COVID-19...

Episode 260 is a special edition recap episode that highlights what we learned in season 5. This show is intended to help us gain perspective, so we can move more intentionally into season 6. "We need everybody pursuing intersectionality, environmentalism, sustainability — like, whatever you're latching onto in terms of progress, latch onto it, but do it in a healthy way that's manageable in the l...

In episode 259, Kestrel welcomes Georgina Johnson, London-based artist, curator and social thinker, to the show. Georgina is the founder of arts and curation platform The Laundry and the editor of The Slow Grind: Finding Our Way Back to Creative Balance . "Our thirst for change is unquenchable — and the more that people feel like they have agency in that, is the more that degrowth becomes possible...

In episode 258, Kestrel welcomes Aja Barber, a writer, stylist & consultant, to the show. Aja's new book, Consumed - The Need For Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change & Consumerism is mandatory reading for anyone who wears clothes. "We have to ask ourselves — on a planet where there is not endless resources, is this the attitude that we want to lead ourselves into the future on? If we ar...

In episode 257, Kestrel welcomes fashion entrepreneur, Farai Simoyi, to the show. Having designed and consulted for many notable names — including Beyonce, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake — you may also recognize Farai from Netflix's "Next In Fashion". Since that appearance, she has continued to promote her design work while elevating global artisans and designers through her company, The Narativ Hous...

In episode 256, Kestrel welcomes Shilla Kim-Parker, the co-founder and CEO of Thrilling, to the show. The first dedicated online marketplace for secondhand and vintage stores across the U.S., Thrilling has already helped digitize more than 600 stories across the country. "We put a lot of thought into — how do we present vintage and secondhand, because I don't want secondhand to be thought of as a...

In episode 255, Kestrel welcomes Mary Margaret Pettway, a fourth generation Gee's Bend Quilter, and designer Greg Lauren, to the show. Mary Margaret and Greg have recently been part of a collaboration titled MOSAIC: Gee's Bend & Greg Lauren . "Quilting and sewing gives you a freedom that is totally different. You got a sense of pride in what you wear, what you like — and if you make it, it's all t...

In episode 254, Kestrel welcomes Johnathan Hayden, is an independent designer, to the show. Focused on the intersections of fashion, technology and art, Johnathan is adamant about using his brand as an experiment to make fashion better. "There's an unconscious collective change that needs to happen for people to sort of get it and you know, it can't be so profit driven, but I do think that creativ...

In episode 253, Kestrel welcomes Hilary Jochmans, the founder of consulting firm Politically In Fashion, to the show. Politically In Fashion & Hilary's name have been popping up a lot in the fashion space, after she helped pen an official letter to President Biden, calling for him to appoint a fashion czar. "You think about all the different areas that touch fashion and fashion, in respect, it tou...

In episode 252, Kestrel welcomes Sara Gourlay, the Creative Director at Frankie Collective, to the show. A brand dedicated to innovating women's streetwear, Frankie Collective is also setting a standard for sustainability in the fashion industry. "I guess we're really just trying to disrupt the industry — there can be another way to do business, and that's to consider the impact of garments on peo...

In episode 251, Kestrel welcomes Francisco Diaz of CiscoSews to the show. An upcycling designer, Francisco created CiscoSews , a slow fashion sewing studio, to experiment with garment making. "There is just so much waste right now that we're all seeing that we need to slow it down and reuse, and focus less on having the perfect brand new piece — that's never going to happen." -Francisco   On the s...

In episode 250, Kestrel welcomes Natalie Shehata, a stylist focused on sustainability, to the show. Natalie currently works as the Retail Trainer for The Social Outfit , a Sydney-based fashion label who provides employment and training to people from refugee and new migrant communities. "We have these brands, and we have people kind of saying — ok, I need to tick this box and I need to do this and...

In episode 249, Kestrel welcomes Isiah Magsino, a writer based in New York City, to the show. With bylines in Vogue , GQ , W , Nylon , Architectural Digest , and more, Isiah is focused on writing about the beautiful things in life. "While it's mainstream now, it's important to recognize where it comes from, and the adversity that was faced from doing so back in the day. You know, we're at a point...

In episode 248, Kestrel welcomes Ocean Rose, a Yoruba artist, to the show. Focused on botanical dye, community, photography, & poetry, Ocean weaves beauty, thoughtfulness and the art of slowing down into their work. "Sustainability's more of a story of how — it's probably the history of people and the things that we acquire over time. It's all part of passing them on: cultural, familial, and ances...

In episode 247, Kestrel welcomes Christian Allaire, the Fashion and Style Writer at Vogue , to the show. Christian recently released his first book, titled The Power Of Style: How Fashion and Beauty Are Being Used To Reclaim Cultures . "I think of something like ribbon work in my culture — like every color of the ribbon means something, or maybe it represents someone in your life or like you said,...

In episode 246, Kestrel welcomes Nia Thomas, the founder and designer of her eponymous label, to the show. An ethically made, independent autobiographical fashion brand, Nia Thomas was created for all beings who respect Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants. "Fashion was never just about the garment or the clothes — I felt like it really is an ethos. Like fashion is about the restaurants you lik...