Garmology - A podcast about clothes, and stuff.

Today I welcome Malú Colorín of Talu to Garmology. Malú is a natural dyer living in Ireland, though originally from Mexico. We have a grand natter about how she came to be working with textiles, the process of natural dyes, her passion for regenerative growing and starting the Irish chapter of Fibreshed. We also go down the deep rabbit hole of indigo and what "natural indigo" really is. You can fi...

This week I sit down with Bryan Szabo, author of "The Rebel's Wardrobe" and instigator of the Indigo Invitational. We talk about who the rebels were, the items of clothing they became known for and why these garments became so important. We also give a crash course in denim fades, why this is meaning full and how there is now a year long international competition to determine who has the best wear...

🎙️ Dive into Tokyo's style revolution with author W. David Marx this week on our podcast! Uncover the fascinating tales behind "Ametora" and "Status and Culture." From the denim invasion in Japan to the ascent of Ivy fashion, we explore the intricacies of Japanese subcultures, dissect the dynamics of status, and ponder the clash between old money and new money aesthetics. Tune in for a riveting co...

By popular demand, the festive special episode is back! Described variously as "like listening to three guys talk about clothes in a pub" and "clearly the most insightful and deep analytical discussion of the day", the reputation precedes this in-demand recording. This year the boys cover choice and controversial topics, such as bootcut jeans, institution core, buying vintage from Malaysia, shonky...

This week sees a return visit from Daniel Harris of the London Cloth co. Daniel is renowned throughout the world of weaving as a keen collector and restorer of old looms. In addition to being a staunch supporter of keeping the old ways alive, he also trains new weavers and travels far and wide helping to get old looms to run right. The reason for the return, other than to have a good natter about...

We're staying in Scotland for this weeks episode, with Dr Lynn Wilson, currently of the Centre of  Circular Design. Lynn has had an incredibly long and varied career in the clothing industry, including working in vocational art and textile training in a high-security prison, helping communities in Africa build a textile business, public policy and Zero Waste Scotland. There is mention of moths, an...

This week my guest is Sofi Thanhauser, professor and author of the book "Worn - A people's history of clothing". We get into the history of the various fibres, the implications on society and the development of clothing technology through the ages. The evolution of our clothing has been a very mixed joy, depending on your position, so expect som insight you might not be aware of. Oh, and we hear a...

Today's guest is Jamie Bartlett of Banton Frameworks, a small, independent maker of optical frames outside Glasgow in Scotland. Jamie tells the fascinating story of their bumpy start, making frames from random materials in a car, how they've since built the business frame by frame, collaborating with similarly minded brands and how rewarding it is to have loyal fans of their work. We also get a cr...

This week's guest on the pod is Alec Leach, former editor of the product hype website Highsnobiety and author of the book "The world is on fire and we@re still buying shoes". We talk about how he got started in Highsnobiety and what the work there involved, how streetwear brands have changed the way brands market their goods and how tough it is to change the way we consume clothes. Oh, and how a l...

For the first episode of season 5, and the milestone 100th episode, my guest is Aoife Long, a slow fashion writer from Ireland. Aoife is dedicated to seeking out the stories and craftspeople of her country, putting the spotlight on mainly small, independent makers with a conscious approach to their surroundings and what they produce. We get into the situation for Irish wool and how the old breeds...

In the season finale of season 4, I'm visited by Philippa Grogan, sustainability consultant in Eco-Age, an agency for sustainable business strategy. Since graduating, Philly has been on a fascinating journey (literally) through the garment industry of Asia, before working in Eco-Age to help companies lower their impact on people and the planet. Our conversation covers the recent developments in th...

Professor Becky Earley guests Garmology this week to talk about making the industry of fashion more circular, and what circularity actually means. We cover topics such as how much we wear our clothes, the problems charity shops face, the pros and cons of user-to-user reselling, how the production of clothes has been steeply increasing and the interest from the garment industry in making in a bette...

The magic school bus of Garmology stops today in rainy Manchester to take onboard Joe Schindler for a salty chat about denim, small-scale production, how to stumble and keep going in business, how being your own boss means working all hours and the value in making only stuff you really like yourself. Oh, and what customer segment actually bought those very expensive jeans? You can find Joe & Co on...

This week Genevieve Sweeney stops by to chat about the easy path of starting her knitwear brand. Or rather, how wanting to start making knitwear led her on a tour of discovery of discarded and obsolete machinery, meeting contacts in run-down pubs, locating expert knitters that had been put out to pasture, her husband becoming a trojan horse to get a foot inside the factory doors and be taken serio...

Today's guest is Alice Sherwood, author of the new book "Authenticity: Reclaiming Reality in a Counterfeit Culture". We have a fascinating chat about the counterfeit goods and how brands are actually helping the fakers, storytelling in marketing, how almost all fashion design is an incremental process, influencer culture and how AI is making is both enabling the theft of information and helping ca...

This week's guest is David Courtney of Courtney & Co, arguably the last of the traditional button makers in the UK. I was keen to invite David for a chat about how he happened into what is a rather unusual business, requiring as it does both a plethora of machinery and some rather special source materials. Not to mention the skills and knowledge to make buttons actually happen! A challenge indeed,...

When you find yourself having a crisis of career and decide that taking on a garment factory from 1853 in the heart of Manchester sounds like a great idea, you're clearly not faint of heart or work shy. James Eden visits the podcast to talk about how he came to start Private White VC, as a tribute to his heroic great grandfather, the difficulties in moving from being a maker for others to becoming...

Today's guest is Chris Hewitt. Chris started out in 2008 wanting to make a pair of sustainable jeans. He'd been dealing in vintage for a while and had a mate that had briefly worked in the fashion industry, so how hard could it be? Harder than he'd imagined, as it turned out. Tune in for the twisty tale of trying to find fabric, spending all your money on strange samples, having some denim woven i...

In this episode, I'm visited by Tim Little, owner of traditional shoemaker Grenson. We chat about how Tim initially planned to be an accountant, took a turn into marketing, found his passion for shoes while working for Adidas, and went on to own one of the grand old names of Northamptonshire shoe making. Topics include the need for considered progress, taking care of your staff, vegan leather and...

This week's guest is Molly Martin, author, illustrator and mender. Molly's book "The Art of Repair" is a wonderful combination of techniques and illustrated garment stories, and real garmology material. We chat about the historical necessity of repairing garments, how wartime and rationing made it important to be able to repair what you wore, the Japanese techniques of Sashiko and Boro, how visibl...

Continuing down the path to the doors of small makers, today we find ourselves sharing time with Becca and Ben of Pajotten. Established in 2016 as a midlife change of pace and direction, Pajotten makes workwear-inspired garments one at a time, to order and size, building a loyal customer base along the way. We chat about their background and inspiration, the process of making and the joy of repeat...

This week Janelle of White Weft in London drops by to talk about her life in the denim industry as a designer, how she is now upcycling worn-out denim into new products, the joy of repairing broken jeans, how stretchy jeans and elastane are the banes of recycling denim, designing fits, how the industry is a greenwashing nightmare, oh, and how almost none of the indigo dye we adore is actually from...

After graduating with a Masters's Degree in Fashion and Business, Niamh wanted to start her own company, based on her own principles, values and way of doing things. We talk about studying fashion, how the obvious path goes into fast fashion, the difference between making things quick and easy versus taking your time to do it properly, how a career in garment making could be an attractive route fo...

Today's guests are Barbara and Nick, the due behind the small Hackney-based brand, A State of Nature. Heavily into the small-scale, well-crafted, detail-oriented, natural fabrics and direct sales school of business, building the business from the ground level with a focus on longevity and happy customers. We talk about the joys and frustrations and how coming from luxury fashion means setting high...

When you start a brand based on your admiration for the last great hero of exploration, you want to make sure you live up to the legend. Martin Brooks of Shackleton guests to talk about his decades-long obsession with Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic quest, his values and leadership, and the understated heroics and achievements. Oh, and how they are going about making functional outerwear to la...