Conscious Chatter

In episode 241, Kestrel welcomes Akilah Stewart, the founder and creative director of FATRA, to the show. A creative waste management company, FATRA  makes luxury bags from recycled plastics and fabric. On this week's show, Akilah shares stories about some of the ways her grandmothers have influenced her and her work today. She also reminds us of the importance of thinking about creativity as a to...

In episode 240, Kestrel welcomes Maxine Bédat, the founder and executive director of New Standard Institute, to the show. A think-and-do-tank, New Standard Institute is dedicated to turning industries into a force for good. Maxine is also the author of Unraveled: The Life and Death Of A Garment . "The society in which we live in is very much a result of the rules of our society — in that, it is pe...

In episode 239, Kestrel welcomes Lauren Bartley, the head of sustainability and CSR for GANNI, to the show. A Danish contemporary ready-to-wear fashion brand, Ganni is known for building a cult following in the fashion space. "Nowadays, sustainable or sustainability — it means different things to different people. To you, it might mean plastics and to me, it might mean human rights or circularity...

In episode 238, Kestrel welcomes Jazmine Rogers (AKA @thatcurlytop) and Gabby Masuda Ambata (AKA @gabrielasage) to the show. A Black + Mexican creator, Jazmine is passionate about sustainable fashion and living, and sharing about it in a fun and graceful way. A Japanese American digital creator, Gabby is focused on sustainable fashion and lifestyle, and she's also a mental health advocate. "I'm tr...

On episode 237, Kestrel welcomes Ben Mead, the Managing Director of Hohenstein Institute USA, to the show. Hohenstein Institute USA is one of the founding members of the OEKO-TEX® Association, and Ben serves as the company's liaison with government agencies, industry collaborations and trade associations. "Green chemistry has a kind of textbook definition around design of chemicals and processes r...

In episode 236, Kestrel welcomes Emi Ito, a Multiracial Japanese American mother and educator, as well as Gina Stovall, the founder of Two Days Off, to the show. Emi, @littlekotoscloset on Instagram, is the founder and co-moderator of Buy From BIPOC , and Gina was featured back on episode 224. The two recently came together on a collaborative collection — The Yoko Capsule — envisaged in the spirit...

In episode 235, Kestrel welcomes Mikaela Clark, a visual artist and designer, to the show. The founder of Hansel , Mikaela makes handpainted, upcycled apparel in Brooklyn, New York. "At the time, I was like hey, I'm gonna invite in whatever good is trying to worm its way into my life. And then, as we make these decisions, we grow, we learn, and we think — ok, how can I get even more nuanced, how c...

In episode 234, Kestrel welcomes Lottie Bertello, the founder and creative director at LOTI, to the show. An upcycling design studio recently launched in 2021, LOTI reuses materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. "We're gonna be really vocal with our platform to show people that we don't need to be following these trends. I think trends is what has pushed this overconsumption in massive...

In episode 233, Kestrel welcomes Katherine Theobalds, the founder and creative director at Zou Xou, to the show. A slow fashion footwear brand, Zou Xou shoes are made in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  "I like using the word sensible to describe our shoes because it kind of challenges the common assumption of what sensible shoes mean. I don't mean that they're boring, I don't mean that they're not excit...

In episode 232, Kestrel welcomes Kara Fabella, an ethical fashion advocate, digital creator and stylist, to the show. Known as @theFlippside on Instagram, her Living In Color(ism) series on IGTV features discussions where she passes the mic to guests to share their experiences with colorism. On this week's show, Kara shares more on her past explorations in blogging, and what led her to begin shift...

In episode 231, Kestrel welcomes Lauren Tanaka-Fortune and Rory Fortune, the cofounders of Goods & Services, to the show. A modern repair shop in Los Angeles, Goods & Services specializes in sneaker repair. "I think we just have to start changing our mentality around consumption and buy things that you really love and can potentially pass down one day. I think that when you buy things that are mad...

In episode 230, Kestrel welcomes Kiana Kazemi, a current undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, studying the intersections of technology and environmental justice, to the show. The Editor in Chief of the campus environmental publication The Leaflet and the Digital and Community Operations Coordinator at Intersectional Environmentalist , Kiana is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Circularity , a soon-t...

In episode 229, Kestrel welcomes Dani Des Roches, the founder of Picnicwear, to the show. A slow fashion brand, Picnicwear is made by hand in NYC (almost) entirely from vintage and deadstock materials. "A statement piece doesn't have to be a trendy piece per se — those descriptors can exist separately from one another. So just like a sustainable item doesn't have to mean that it's banal or it's ex...

In episode 228, Kestrel welcomes curator and writer Catherine McKinley to the show. The author of Indigo, a journey along the ancient indigo trade routes in West Africa , and The Book of Sarahs, a memoir about growing up Black and Jewish in the 1960s-80s , Catherine has taught creative nonfiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University. Her newest book, The African Lookbook, A Vi...

In episode 227, Kestrel welcomes Yessenia Funes, the Climate Editor at Atmos, to the show. A new climate and culture magazine, Atmos is curated by an ecosystem of adventurers, creatives, and journalists, and dedicated to pioneering progress around the world. "So much of what we do is working with frontline organizers, so that they can tell their own stories — inviting them to come write for us, cr...

In episode 226, Kestrel welcomes Matty Hickey, the founder of Be Kind Vibes, to the show. A social impact brand, Be Kind Vibes creates ethically-made goods that inspire love & compassion for each other and our natural world. "Kindness is a way forward for us out of these times — it's a chance for us to be able to reconnect with ourselves, and then, that way, we can kind of express that out into th...

In episode 225, Kestrel welcomes Chantel Keiko Ricks, the Distribution Manager & Sustainability Lead at Urban Native Era, to the show. Based in Los Angeles, Urban Native Era specializes in clothing design and content to increase the visibility of Indigenous Peoples. "We pride ourselves in providing tools, resources, highlighting thought leaders, sharing about changemakers and being a source for In...

In episode 224, Kestrel welcomes Gina Stovall, the founder and designer behind Two Days Off, to the show. An independently, woman-owned and operated lifestyle brand, Two Days Off makes garments designed for longevity that are ethically cut and sewn in small batches in Los Angeles, California. "In sciences, and especially the environmental sciences, we think of everything as a system. Everything is...

In episode 223, Kestrel welcomes Maggie Hewitt, the founder and designer behind Maggie Marilyn, to the show. Made in New Zealand, Maggie Marilyn is working toward a more transparent, circular, regenerative and inclusive fashion industry. "Really the biggest achievement of all to-date was making this sort of bold decision to pivot our business model to operate entirely direct-to-consumer, and I thi...

In episode 222, Kestrel welcomes Selina Sanders, a slow fashion artisan who makes clothing that is always one-of-a-kind and upcycled, to the show. After over a decade of working as a designer in fashion, Selina started her eponymous label to help reduce the industry's carbon footprint and build an environmentally responsible brand. "Fashion is in the business of creating culture — we are culture c...

In episode 221, Kestrel welcomes Roopa Pemmaraju, the founder of her namesake label, to the show. A slow luxury fashion brand, with an emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, Roopa Pemmaraju's collections celebrate Indian crafting techniques that have been handed down for hundreds of years. "We don't buy fabrics in bulk or we don't create the products in bulk. If we have an order tod...

In episode 220, Kestrel welcomes Chanelle Harris, the founder of NELLO, to the show. A curated thrift brand, NELLO is non-binary to any form of fashion and promotes positive self-love with sustainable clothing through artistic expression. "These aren't just clothes — it's what you make it, and that's part of your style. And although you're not going to get the latest trends that are happening (the...

In episode 219, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Kimberly McGlonn, the CEO and creative director of Grant Blvd, to the show. By sourcing reclaimed fabrics, manufacturing exclusively in Philadelphia, and supporting incarcerated & returning citizens, Grant Blvd believes it's time to recalibrate our systems and our style. "Love takes commitment — right? Those of us who have loved something fully, richly, wholly...

In episode 218, Kestrel welcomes the multifaceted 20-year-old phenom, Maya Penn, to the show. The award-winning founder and CEO of eco-fashion brand Maya's Ideas , Maya is a 3 time TED Speaker, artist, global activist, animator, filmmaker, social entrepreneur, coder and Simon & Schuster author. "Especially now, with things really coming to a tipping point of sorts, with so many different environme...

In episode 217, Kestrel welcomes Katie Pruett, the founder and editor-in-chief of Ethical Style Journal, back to the show to reconnect. A multimedia platform exploring fashion with a modern and mindful perspective, Ethical Style Journal is expanding the conversation surrounding ethics and sustainability in fashion. "That's the issue with sustainable fashion a lot of the times is that people want t...