Conscious Style Podcast

I'm so excited to be bringing you this special edition episode featuring the recording of our LIVE panel discussion in Chicago with Chicago Fair Trade and 3 of their business members. This was such a fun event to uncover the powerful stories behind these purpose-driven founders in Chicago and what ethically-made and sustainably-made mean in practice.  We've all seen words like "sustainable" become...

Fashion is rarely focused on fixing real problems for real people. But what if slow fashion did things differently?  The thoughtfulness and attention to quality that is embedded into the slow fashion movement can be harnessed to make genuinely better products that make these options a no-brainer IF brands understand the true needs of their customer. In this episode, you'll hear from Karen Poirier,...

The declining quality of sweaters has been a big discussion in the past year, but is a reality we've been witnessing for the past couple of decades. But what exactly is so much worse about today's sweaters and what has been going on behind the scenes that's made them so bad? And importantly, how can brands do better? What should we be looking for in a high quality knitwear piece? We're covering al...

What is the state of circular fashion today? There has been a LOT happening with circularity in textiles in recent years, which is exciting but also means that it can be tough to keep up with and to discern what the most promising signs of progress actually are. So in today's episode, you'll hear from Cynthia Power about the state of circular fashion, 5 areas of "invisible progress" in circularity...

When you hear the term artisan-made, what do you think of? Do you assume that it means ethically made? Do you assume it's a certain aesthetic? Is it old-fashioned or contemporary? In today's episode, Elizabeth is speaking with Anjali Purohit, founder and creative director of the home and fashion textiles brand Studio Variously to unpack and demystify all things artisan-made. Anjali has over 20 yea...

Is it possible to truly balance financial and environmental sustainability in circularity? This week's guest not only believes that it's possible to do both, but has proven it by architecting one of fashion’s most impactful resale programs, Worn Wear (at Patagonia). In this episode, she's sharing her lessons learned on everything from the type of resale model that could be capable of reducing new...

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.  The second part of this episode features a replay of Elizabeth's interview on the Ecommerce Maven Podcast , where she spoke about building community arou...

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? Those are big questions, but that's what we're exploring in this podcast episode!  I'd love to hear your thoughts & ideas on this too — find me at @consciousstyle on Instagram or email me.   CONNECT: 💌 Slow Fash...

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. 💰 WE DISCUSSED: Taboos/misconceptions about making money in the slo...

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 Mu...

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...

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 fashio...

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. *** M...

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 e...

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, I'm chatting with fashion policy expert Kenya Wiley. Kenya is sharing behind the scenes on the processes behind legislation and regulation — a...

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...

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 epis...

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 well-being 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 fa...

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 p...

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 traceabilit...

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 play...

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 su...

Fashion's returns are a massive waste and emissions issue. In fact, 23 million returned garments were sent to a landfill or incinerated last year in the UK, and returns caused 750,000 tons of CO2 emissions just in the UK fashion industry alone, according to The Institute of Positive Fashion's report: Solving Fashion's Products Returns. Generous free returns policies from brands and retailers have...

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.  Recently I read the book Regenerative Fashion: A Nature Based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods, and Leadership *, by Safia Minney. And this book could not have com...

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 our Green or Greenwashing series — we love to cover complex and controversial topics in this series!...