Conscious Chatter

In episode 216, Kestrel welcomes Robbie Stuart, the founder of KIDS WORLDWIDE, to the show. A collaborative brand, KIDS WORLDWIDE is focused on supporting, empowering and nurturing youth through socially and environmentally-conscious fashion. Robbie is also joined by Swami Durga Das, the founder of nonprofit River Fund, who KIDS WORLDWIDE partners with for several layers of their work, as well as...

In episode 215, Kestrel welcomes Kameese Davis, the founder and CEO of Nylah's Naturals, to the show. A young plant-based hair care brand, Nylah's Naturals has introduced a science-based approach to textured hair products, and is pushing boundaries for clean and sustainable products. "It's about combining that plant-based knowledge with the knowledge that our foremothers had and our grandmothers h...

In episode 214, Kestrel welcomes Isaias Hernandez, the creator of Queer Brown Vegan, to the show. As a Queer, Brown, and Vegan environmentalist, Isaias makes accessible environmental education content, showcased on his platform Queer Brown Vegan , and seeks to provide a safe space for other like-minded environmentalists to engage in the discourse of the current climate crisis. "I really believed i...

In episode 213, Kestrel welcomes Reza Cristián, the founder and editor-in-chief of SUSTAIN The Mag, to the show. An online media platform, SUSTAIN The Mag is a space where eco-conscious warriors cultivate a healthy, planet-friendly lifestyle. "There was mostly you know, white people that were at the top, executives and editors-in-chiefs for example, and then, people on the covers — they weren't re...

In episode 212, Kestrel welcomes Comet Chukura, the founder of GLOW, to the show. A knitwear brand pioneering adaptable accessories that reflect light, GLOW is committed to using sustainable materials and ethical production, with an intention to create social as well as environmental impact. "The point is to always work with women on the peripheries — slow fashion, since it's all hand-knitted and...

In episode 211, Kestrel welcomes Diandra Marizet, who spearheads Business Development + Operations at Intersectional Environmentalist . A conscious curator, brand strategist + writer, Diandra is dedicated to elevating intersectional sustainability through the lens of fashion, social impact + culture. "We need everybody pursuing intersectionality, environmentalism, sustainability — like, whatever y...

The Root Episode 6: The New Standard is broken down into 3 parts — 1) coproducers Dominique and Kestrel interview each other to get a brief feeling of how this project has impacted them individually, 2) we share interviews with 4 of our sponsors from this project, and 3) we share more on what "The New Standard" means to us, the pillars it is built upon, and what questions we all need to be asking...

The Root Episode 5: Where Do We Go From Here? is a unique compilation of all 17 guests from the previous 4 episodes sharing a proclamation statement of how we intentionally move the fashion industry forward.  PART 1, Historical Analysis & Paradigm Shift   MIKO UNDERWOOD "The American fashion community was born from the inception of indigo farms in America. The enslaved labor of Black Americans gre...

The Root Episode 4: The Future Of Fashion is broken down in 4 lightening talk segments, hosted by Dominique Drakeford. Part 1 discuses Marketing with Aditi Mayer & Terumi Murao. Part 2 hones in on Education with Kimberly Jenkins and Whitney McGuire. Part 3 dives into Small Business Entrepreneurship with Akilah Stewart and Ibada Wadud. Lastly, Part 4 contextualizes the landscape of Policy with Ify...

The Root Episode 3: Racism In The Fashion Industry is broken down into 2 segments. The first segment focuses on the designer lens in which Dominique Drakeford speaks with sustainable fashion designers Miko Underwood and DJ discussing the creation of the fashion industry and the importance of shifting the white exploitive gaze through historical analysis, Black abundance mindset and cultural respon...

In The Root Episode 2: The Power of Privilege, Dominique Drakeford speaks with activist-educators Ericka Hart, Blair Imani and Rachel Ricketts, discussing the functions of privilege and the importance of applying critical and intersectional approaches toward dismantling white supremacy in fashion and beyond. Rachel Ricketts is a global thought leader + outspoken champion for Black and Indigenous w...

In The Root Episode 1: Racism as a System, Dominique Drakeford speaks with scholars and academic activists Nikki Sanchez and Lisa Betty on the importance of dismantling colonial systems and reclaiming the fullness of Native American & Afro-Indigenous history as a regenerative framework for liberation and true sustainability across every industry. Nikki Sanchez is a Pipil/Maya and Irish/Scottish ac...

In episode 204, Kestrel welcomes Kamea Chayne, the host of Green Dreamer Podcast, to the show. A Taiwanese American eco creative, writer and author, Kamea illuminates our paths to ecological regeneration, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all through her powerful show, Green Dreamer . "Sustainability to me isn't an individualistic pursuit for individual people or b...

In episode 203, Kestrel welcomes Manpreet Kaur Kalra, the founder of Art of Citizenry, to the show. An activist and educator, Manpreet is dedicated to exploring the intersection of digital media, social impact and justice. "One of those very tangible things that I often tell people that they need to work on is the language they use — really being thoughtful about words such as empowerment , which...

In episode 202, Kestrel welcomes Fashion Psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell to the show. With her area of research focused on diversity in fashion and the importance of multicultural marketing, Shakaila was among the first people in the world to hold a Masters Degree in Psychology for Fashion Professionals at University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion, and she is also the founder of t...

In episode 201, Kestrel welcomes Samata, the CEO of Red Carpet Green Dress, to the show. A women-led global change-making organization working from 'moment' to movement, Red Carpet Green Dress creates awareness by showcasing sustainable fashion on the red carpet. A British born Ghanaian entrepreneur, Samata is also the founder of THE TRIBE , a women's empowerment collective. "I try and choose tale...

In episode 200, Kestrel welcomes Sanah Sharma, the founder of her eponymous label, to the show. A conceptual sustainable fashion brand from Chennai, India, Sanah Sharma is focused on making aesthetic clothing that is intelligently engineered and tested for human kinetics. "Everything in our universe is in a constant state of motion. So, I really think — you know, we're not static, so why should ou...

In episode 199, Kestrel welcomes Laura Wittig, the cofounder and CEO of Brightly, to the show. A curated discovery platform, Brightly aims to empower conscious consumers around the world. Laura is also the co-host of the Good Together podcast . "You are sending a message to the big corporations of the world — whether you are purchasing Fair Trade coffee at Target or you're purchasing something fro...

In episode 198, Kestrel welcomes Vin+Omi, award winning fashion and multi media designers, to the show. One of the leading pioneering eco fashion brands today, VIN+OMI are focused on sustainable approaches to business, design and textiles. "We don't need another fashion brand — we don't. You know, we have enough clothes, if everybody stopped production tomorrow (all fashion houses and every fashio...

In episode 197, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Hakan Karaosman and Professor Donna Marshall to the show. A sustainability management professional and award-winning researcher, Hakan is also a fashion supply chain and sustainability expert at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Donna is a Professor of Supply Chain Management, Head of Research, Innovation and Impact, and the Director of the Cen...

In episode 196, Kestrel welcomes Kayti O'Connell Carr, the founder and creative director of MATE, to the show. A clean essentials brand, MATE is made sustainably in Los Angeles with nontoxic and certified organic materials. "I realized that the missing piece — a part of the sustainability conversation — is fashion's impact that it has on us as women from a health's perspective." -Kayti O'Connell C...

In episode 195, Kestrel welcomes Umberto De Marco, the founder of sustainable footwear brand, YATAY, to the show. In addition to his work building sneaker brand YATAY , Umberto is the president of eco-leather giant and family business Coronet . "What I've been doing since I started working in the family company — I had a mission: trying to change a material that has always been just a simple, chea...

In episode 194, Kestrel welcomes Shahidha Bari, author of Dressed: A Philosophy Of Clothes , to the show. A Professor of Fashion Cultures and Histories at the London College of Fashion and a fellow of the Forum for European Philosophy at London School of Economics, Shahidha is dedicated to contributing a discourse around fashion to the philosophy field. "I feel like there has to be some sort of in...

In episode 193, Kestrel welcomes James Bartle, the Founding CEO of Outland Denim, to the show. Outland crafts premium denim jeans designed to bring the worlds of their seamstresses and their customers closer together. They made history as the first-ever denim brand to win the Thomson Reuters Stop Slavery Award in 2020. "It's like they absorb history — they're kind of like a song where they take yo...

In episode 192, Kestrel welcomes Brian Bushell, the cofounder of By Humankind, to the show. A personal care brand, By Humankind's products are designed to reduce single-use plastic waste from your daily routine. "We really wanted to be able to make an impact — we wanted to allow our customers to truly reduce their own single-use plastic waste function just by going through their morning routine."...