Responsible Fashion Lab

Wool is one of the most useful fibres in fashion. It can be warm, breathable, moisture-managing, odour-resistant and long-lasting. It can work in winter knitwear, base layers, coats, tailoring and even lightweight dresses. But not all wool is created equal. In this solo episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, Maria looks at wool beyond the word on the label. What makes some wool soft and some wool itc...

Cotton is one of the most familiar fabrics in our wardrobes. It is natural, breathable and widely trusted — but cotton is not one simple category. In this solo episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, Maria looks at what sits behind cotton: conventional cotton farming, pesticides, fertilisers, GMO cotton, water use, organic cotton, Better Cotton, regenerative cotton, recycled cotton, Fairtrade cotton a...

Viscose is one of the most common fibres in fashion — and one of the most misunderstood. You may see it on labels as viscose, rayon, modal, lyocell, bamboo viscose, TENCEL™ Lyocell or LENZING™ ECOVERO™.  It can be soft, fluid, breathable and a better alternative to polyester in many garments. But viscose is not as simple as the words “plant-based”, “wood-based” or “bamboo” can make it sound. In th...

What should we think about when clothing sits directly on our skin for hours? In this solo episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, Maria looks at the connection between fashion, skin and the body — and why the garments closest to us deserve more attention. The episode focuses on the “first layer”: underwear, bras, leggings, tights, sleepwear, base layers, activewear and children’s clothing. These are...

In this episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, I’m speaking with Professor Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas about what sustainability in fashion really means, and how we can begin to understand it more clearly. We look at the key pillars of responsible fashion: materials, people, production, business models, education, regulation, and the role of shoppers. What does it mean for a garment to be “sustainable”...

What is your clothing really made of? In this solo episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, Maria looks at one of the simplest but most revealing places to start: the fabric label. Before we ask whether a garment is sustainable, responsible, natural, recycled or premium, we first need to understand its material composition. Is it made from natural fibres, synthetic fibres, semi-synthetic fibres — or a...

Jo Ward and Jo Inham, founders of Our Fashion Fix and former retail insiders, explain how fashion decisions are made long before shoppers see a garment. They cover supply-chain realities, materials, carbon impacts, the Digital Product Passport, and why transparency and practical tools matter. The episode mixes industry experience with actionable advice—carbon literacy training, repairing, resale a...

I didn’t know what my clothes were made of — and that’s where this podcast begins. In this first episode of Responsible Fashion Lab, I break down what’s really behind everyday fabrics, and why so much of it has gone unquestioned — setting the foundation for a series focused on moving from confusion to clarity through conversations with scientists, industry experts, and researchers, so we can make...