No Ordinary Cloth: Textile innovation, emerging technology and sustainability

In this episode, we step into very different territory. We leave the factory floor and the chemistry lab behind, pull on our wellies, and head into the wetlands. Our guest is Julian Ellis-Brown, CEO and Co-founder of Ponda — the biomaterials company turning wetland restoration into one of fashion's most exciting new fibres. We explore why wetlands are one of the most carbon-rich and biodiverse eco...

We’re used to thinking about sustainability at the point of purchase: what fibres a garment is made from, whether it’s certified or recycled. But the truth is, what we do with a garment after we buy it – how we wash it, whether we repair it, and what happens when it’s finally worn out – is just as important as what it’s made of. In this final episode of Clean Run, host Mili Tharakan takes our now‑...

We tend to think a running jacket performs because of its fabric. In reality, much of what we experience – the colour, the way water beads on the surface, how quickly it dries – comes from an invisible layer of chemistry added after the fabric is made. Those dyes, coatings and finishes are where some of the most persistent and problematic substances in performance wear quietly sit. In this second...

Have you taken a close look at the label on your running jacket? It probably mentions a list of materials such as nylon, polyester, elastane — but what it doesn't say is that these materials are born from fossil fuels, made with toxic chemistry, and designed in a way that makes them almost impossible to recycle or break down at the end of their life. In this first episode of Clean Run, host Mili T...

This is a special episode in partnership with Fashion District London What if you could trace every thread of a garment – from the cotton field to the shop floor and all the way to the recycling centre – and understand its true cost? Not just the financial cost, but the environmental, social, and human cost? That's the question at the heart of this episode. The fashion supply chain is one of the m...

This is a special episode in partnership with Fashion District London. In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth , we go back to where the cotton story truly begins: in the soil and in small farming communities. Mili is joined by Felix Bartlett, founder of Biothread, and Dr. Catherine Bottrill, co‑founder of ACE (Affordable Clean Environment) Cotton, to explore how regenerative farming, microbial scien...

This episode goes deep into the complexity of how our clothes are cut and sewn today and what it will take to rebuild apparel manufacturing for the 21st century. Mili Tharakan is joined by Cam Myers, Founder, CEO and Board Director of CreateMe Technologies, who shares how his team is pioneering an autonomous, stitchless tailoring platform that brings together robotics, advanced adhesives...

In this episode of  No Ordinary Cloth , we sit down with Charles Ross, Performance Sportswear Design Lecturer at the Royal College of Art, to explore what durability and sustainability looks like in the fashion and sportswear industries. Charles has spent over two decades at the intersection of functional design and environmental responsibility, championing the idea of  sustainabili...

Special episode by No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District In this episode, Mili speaks with Sol Escobar , founder of Give Your Best , and Anoli Mehta , founder of Circular Threads , two inspiring women tackling fashion’s social and environmental challenges from different angles. Sol’s award-winning social enterprise helps bridge the gap between clothing waste and clothing poverty by allowing people...

In this episode, host Mili Tharakan, dives deep into the extraordinary mind and career of Amanda Parkes—a true pioneer at the intersection of science, fashion, and engineering. Amanda has consistently challenged boundaries and redefined what’s possible in textiles and sustainability. Amanda Parkes is a renowned fashion scientist with more than 20 years of experience pioneering innovation, sustaina...

In this episode, host Mili speaks with Bradley Seese,(“The Yarn Geek”), VP of Operations at Clothing 2.0 and a lifelong textile innovator and technical visionary, about the future of medicine-embedded textiles. Learn how Clothing 2.0 is infusing active ingredients like capsaicin (the spicy compound in chili peppers) into yarns to create health-promoting, pain-relieving garments. The conversation s...

Special episode by No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, host Mili speaks with Jennifer Droguett Espinosa, a Colombian and Chilean Sustainable Fashion Designer and Creative Director, and the founder of Anciela. Jennifer shares how her early experiences with migration, identity, and upcycling shaped her personal and creative outlook. She discusses her journey fr...

Join host Mili Tharakan as she sits down with Annabel Hought from Round Retail and Yayra Agbofah from The Revival to discuss innovative business models for sustainable fashion, the global crisis of textile waste, and the power of cross-border collaboration. This episode dives into the realities of the secondhand clothing market, the importance of community, and creative solutions for reducing wast...

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, host Mili Tharakan is joined by three pioneering voices in sustainable fashion and textiles: Dr. Laetitia Forst (University of the Arts London), Patrick McDowell (designer and founder of Patrick McDowell), and Philippa “Philly” Grogan (Sustainability Manager at Nobody’s Child). Together, they break down the jargon around circular design, and circular business...

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District Guests: Amy Tsang, Head of Europe at The Mills Fabrica Georgia Parker, Innovation Team at Fashion for Good Helen Lax, Director of Fashion District London This is the 5th in a series of episodes in collaboration with Fashion District - a dynamic hub for fashion innovation in East London, connecting fashion technology, business, and education to...

In this special episode of No Ordinary Cloth , we're joined by Victoria, the Material Innovation Lead at the World Textile Information Network (WTIN). Victoria shares her insights on the rapidly evolving field of smart textiles, highlighting key innovations and challenges in this industry. We discuss how smart textiles are bridging the gap between textiles, electronics, and computing, and explore...

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District In this episode, host Mili Tharakan partners with Fashion District London to bring an insightful discussion on securing investment in the textile and fashion industries. Featuring three seasoned venture capitalists—Gabbie Swycher (Redrice Ventures), Joseph Aziz (True Global), and Nic Gorini (Spin Ventures)—the conversation explores what investo...

Join us on this episode of No Ordinary Cloth as we welcome Madison Maxey, the visionary founder and CEO of Loomia, a pioneering company in e-textiles. Host Mili Tharakan sits down with Maddy to explore her incredible journey from fashion design at Parsons to creating cutting-edge, soft and flexible electronics that are now making way into the automotive and robotics industries. In this episode, Ma...

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth , I sit down with Nina and Amanda, the brilliant minds behind the Future Fabrics Expo , to dive deep into how they’re revolutionising the textile and fashion industries through an expo that drives sustainability and innovation. The Future Fabrics Expo has become a key platform in the industry, showcasing thousands of sustainable materials and driving discussion...

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District In this episode of the 'No Ordinary Cloth Podcast', we have Brett Cotten, co-founder of Arda Biomaterials, in discussion about their innovative leather alternative, New Grain made from the spent grain waste from breweries. Brett shares the establishment journey of Arda, from its founding in 2022, its recognition among Forbes 30 Under 30 and H&a...

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, we chat with David Prior Hope (CTO) and Idan Gal-Shohet (CEO), founders of Fibe, a pioneering company converting potato harvest waste into sustainable cotton-like textile fibres.  Fibe was born out of  a final year Masters project at Imperial College, London, aiming to turn agricultura...

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, Beth Esponnette, the co-founder of Unspun, shares her groundbreaking innovation in 3D weaving technology that creates garments in a single, seamless piece, revolutionising fashion manufacturing and disrupting the current supply chain. Beth discusses her journey from an assistant professor to a pioneer and founder of Unspun, her challenges in scalin...

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District This is the first in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and i...

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth Podcast, we speak with Vibeke Vestby, the inventor of the first-ever digital jacquard handloom. She share about her passion for weaving as a child, her impatience with traditional looms and a trip to Italy that was pivotal in reimagining the 200 year old jacquard loom. Vibeke recounts her early inspiration, the technical evolution of the loom, and the colla...

Welcome to the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, where we stitch together a tapestry of textile innovations one episode at a time. Today, we're joined by Linda Worbin, a pioneer in Smart Textiles. Join us as we explore the past, present, and future of this dynamic industry. Linda Worbin, a Material and Innovation Developer based in Sweden, brings a wealth of experience to our conversation. With her backg...