Jeansland Podcast

Andrew sits down with two people who lived through the denim business alongside him for years. Michael Morrell and Paul Ledgett were his partners at Olah Inc., and together they built something that worked because they gave a damn about the product, the people, and doing things right. In this conversation, they go back. They talk about what it meant to run a denim agency in New York when the indus...

The denim industry runs on water. But most of the places we make jeans don’t have enough of it. In this short, Andrew breaks down what happens when cotton, sewing, and finishing all depend on freshwater we can’t afford to lose. Countries like Canada have 74,000 cubic meters of water per person. Bangladesh? Just 635. Yet we keep building supply chains in places with the least to spare. Even rainfed...

One question froze Romain Narcy in his tracks fifteen years ago: "Do you know the environmental impact of making jeans?" He didn't. That moment sent him on a path from running suitcase sales trips across France to building one of Turkey's greenest denim factories to joining the steering committee of the Denim Deal. Their goal? One billion jeans made with recycled cotton by 2030...

Big news in denim: Artistic Milliners of Karachi has taken a majority stake in Cone Denim, one of America’s most storied mills. From its 1891 roots in Greensboro, NC, to powering Levi’s 501s, Cone’s history now collides with one of the most ambitious players in the industry. Andrew breaks down what this deal means for global supply chains and why, even together, Artistic and Cone make up just one...

This week on Jeansland, Andrew sits down with Indian journalist Subir Ghosh for a clear-eyed look at how sustainability narratives often miss the mark. Subir challenges the fashion industry’s fixation on circularity, calling it more of a marketing loop than a real solution. He explains why cotton farmers in India remain under immense pressure, why worker struggles beyond the sewing floor go largel...

Andrew rewinds to 1980 in this solo short. Cotton has been priced at 80-cents a pound ever since, while everything else (burgers, beef, coffee, gas) keeps inflating honestly. Farmers work harder for the same pay, garment workers get pushed offshore to 60-cent wages, and polyester quietly takes over as “oil in disguise.” Jeans don’t get cheaper because of efficiency. They get cheaper because the sy...

This week, Andrew digs into the future of fiber with Mark D’Sa, Senior VP at Panda Biotech . After decades sourcing for brands like Ralph Lauren, Gap, and Levi’s, Mark is now betting on U.S.-grown industrial hemp. He explains why hemp matters for American farmers facing water shortages and soil stress, how Panda’s cottonization process makes hemp soft and fully compatible with cotton, and why the...

In this solo short, Andrew swerves away from denim to call out one of the most stubborn materials on earth: Styrofoam. After a hospital stay in Houston where every meal arrived on trays of squeaky white foam, he asks why a substance banned in 62 countries is still so common in the United States. Cotton biodegrades. Polyester eventually breaks down. Styrofoam never dies. It just crumbles into micro...

Heddels began as Rawr Denim, a blog for selvedge lovers, and has grown into one of the strongest independent voices in slow fashion. Andrew talks with founders Nick Coe and David Shuck about their philosophy of buying less, buying better, and why keeping what you already own is often the most sustainable choice. Nick shares how a pair of APC jeans started his obsession with raw denim and eventuall...

Behind the Transformers Foundation Water Report This bonus short features Andrew getting straight to the point. At Kingpins, he often hears mills talk about how they save water in their indigo dyeing process. They explain their methods, but sometimes the explanations are too technical for the audience or simply taken at face value without real verification. Over time, Andrew and his late colleague...

Episode 28: Retail, Reality, and the Tariff Storm with Mark A. Cohen Mark A. Cohen didn’t plan on going into retail. He was an engineer by training who took a department store job to cover rent. What happened next was a decades-long ride to the top, including stints at Sears , Lazarus , and Mervyn’s , and nearly 20 years teaching at Columbia Business School . These days, he’s the guy business netw...

Trade shows are usually about deals and discovery. But at this July’s Kingpins in New York, the most important moments came from the conversations happening off the show floor. In this solo episode, Andrew Olah shares what he saw, what he heard, and what’s on his mind. The turnout was strong, the food was excellent (people notice!), and the hospitality made a difference. Still, there was an underc...

What happens when two street market dealers turn a love of vintage into one of the most respected fashion archives in the world? In this episode, Andrew Olah sits down with Doug Gunn and Roy Luckett, the co-founders of The Vintage Showroom, a London-based archive and consultancy that has quietly shaped the way global fashion houses think, shop, and design. From rainy mornings at Portobello Market...

What happens when the system collapses, and you decide to build something meaningful with your hands?  In this episode of Jeansland, Andrew sits down with Pete Roberts, founder of Origin, the American brand making jeans, boots, and apparel entirely on U.S. soil. After the 2008 recession upended his life and wiped out his business, Pete was left with a timber-frame cabin in the woods of Maine, two...

In this powerful two-part conversation, Andrew Olah welcomes back Umer Farooq Qureshi for a deep dive into the structural imbalances plaguing the denim supply chain. Framed by the enduring legacy of colonial capitalism, the discussion explores how suppliers have been conditioned to act like beggars in pursuit of orders — and how that mindset must shift. Together, they challenge conventional wisdom...

In this powerful two-part conversation, Andrew Olah welcomes back Umer Farooq Qureshi for a deep dive into the structural imbalances plaguing the denim supply chain. Framed by the enduring legacy of colonial capitalism, the discussion explores how suppliers have been conditioned to act like beggars in pursuit of orders — and how that mindset must shift. Together, they challenge conventional wisdom...

What if sustainability wasn’t a competitive edge — but the baseline for the entire denim industry? Andrew sits down with sustainability expert Roian Atwood to unpack the urgent challenges and overlooked opportunities shaping denim’s future. Roian is a seasoned business leader and sustainability practitioner who’s spent over two decades improving the social and environmental performance of products...

Designer and brand consultant Johnny Diamandis joins Andrew Olah to explore what it truly takes to build a fashion brand today. With a globally successful track record designing menswear, accessories, and more for brands like Evisu, Burberry London, Nike, Fake London, and CAT Footwear, Johnny shares candid insights from both industry and academia. The conversation covers the financial realities of...

In this episode, cotton expert Tim North discusses global cotton production, trade dynamics, and government support programs in key countries like the U.S., India, China, and Pakistan. He highlights how subsidies distort markets, why some traditional exporters have become importers, and the challenges facing producers. The conversation also covers the rise of regenerative and traceable cotton as s...

Andrew and Umer Farooq Qureshi pull back the denim curtain to reveal Levi’s jaw-dropping 62% margin is built on supplier suffering. From closed-door biddings to so-called partnerships, from collapsing currencies to cotton politics, this episode shows exactly how the kings (brands) are bleeding the commoners (factories) dry, and what happens when the commoners stop playing nice. This isn’t just a t...

In this solo episode, Andrew returns from a whirlwind week—first as a guest at the Kingpin Show in Amsterdam, his first time attending since selling the business, and then at a high-level diplomatic event in Washington, D.C.—to share unfiltered reflections on industry dynamics, global economic shifts, and the rising impact of U.S. tariffs. From the importance of venue vibes to why group negotiatio...

This edition covers ground close to my heart because it's about discovery, it's about feeling, and about the heart in business. I get to talk to Peter Caplowe, who was not in the jeans business in 1994 but went to Japan, discovered Evis, or Evisu, the Japanese brand that had a domestic cult following, super expensive 1940s Levi replications with hand painted back pockets, that Mr. Yamane...

Anatt Finkler, an enthusiastic member of the denim industry from Mexico who finds joy not just from her work but in education and sustainability. Learn more about Anatt’s professional journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatt-f-70229181/ Please follow us on: Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn . 

Ethical Denim Council is a non-profit organization whose sole mission is to help create order sanctity. Simply put, we want an agreement from buyers that place orders to simply agree to carry out their commitments, just as they expect the supplier to carry out theirs. Seems simple enough, but it’s not part of our industry. YET. Sharmon Lebby – Project Manager, Ethical Denim Council Chana Rosenthal...

Bob Antoshak calls himself  an Industry Strategist and Policy Expert. I call him an experienced, industry professional having spent chunks of his life on trade policy, cotton marketing, consultancy, and sourcing. Bob’s been where must people never get to. Bob's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rantoshak/ Please follow us on: Instagram , Facebook , and LinkedIn .