The Ethical Stitch with Michelle Alleyne

What if the story of America could be read through what we wore? In this special July 4th episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne reflects on America’s 250th birthday by looking at fashion not just as style, but as history, memory, labor, resistance, survival, and responsibility. This episode asks a deeper question: What has America been wearing for the last 250 years? From homespun cloth...

What if the future of sustainable design was not found in a lab, but washed ashore? In this solo episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne reflects on a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, where seeing large amounts of seaweed along the coastline sparked a deeper conversation about fashion, climate, tourism, material innovation, and responsibility. This episode explores sargassum, seaweed...

What if artificial intelligence was not here to replace fashion creatives, but to give them a faster, clearer, and more powerful way to bring their ideas to life? In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne sits down with Mandisa Foster, Head of User Enablement and Solutions Engineering at Raspberry AI, for a timely conversation about fashion, creativity, technology, sustainability, a...

What if the biggest question about artificial intelligence is not whether it will replace us, but whether it can help us become more responsible humans? In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne sits down with Mikaela Ringquist, Director of Partnerships at Climate Change AI and New York Chapter Chair for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, for a timely conversation about climate,...

What if the future of fashion wasn’t about buying more, but buying smarter? In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne sits down with Kate Sanner, co-founder and CEO of Beni , the platform transforming how consumers discover secondhand fashion online in real time. At the center of the conversation is a question quietly reshaping the entire industry: If technology helped accelerate ove...

This episode is a little different. Instead of a traditional interview, Michelle Alleyne takes you inside the room at the U.S. Leaders Forum in Washington, D.C., part of the U.S. Climate Action Summit hosted by the Climate Group. This is where policymakers, industry leaders, and decision-makers are not just discussing sustainability, but actively shaping what happens next. What unfolds is a clear...

On this special Earth Day anniversary episode, host Michelle Alleyne celebrates one year of The Ethical Stitch and the global movement it has become. Over the past year, the podcast has featured 36 conversations with disruptors, farmers, designers, innovators, and changemakers from around the world, expanding the conversation far beyond fashion into design, agriculture, energy, materials, and sust...

What if your clothes could talk? In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne sits down with Donatela Bellone, founder and CEO of Alu, to explore how fashion is evolving from something we simply wear into something we experience. At the center of the conversation is the rise of digital product passports, a technology that has the potential to transform every garment into a living, brea...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne sits down with Swati Argade, a creative entrepreneur, textile expert, and operational strategist whose work lives at the intersection of culture, craftsmanship, and conscious business. This conversation moves beyond surface-level sustainability and into something deeper. Michelle and Swati explore what it really means to grow a creative busi...

This week, we’re joined by the powerhouse duo behind Our Fashion Fix, Jo Ingham and Jo Ward, two industry veterans with the insight, candor, and credibility to say what others won’t. Together, they unpack the realities of fashion’s sustainability crisis, the limits of performative progress, and the kind of bold, responsible thinking required to move the industry forward. It’s an honest, intelligen...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne sits down with Stefano Mazzetti, co founder of Ohoskin, to explore what happens when waste becomes material, not just for fashion, but for shoes, automotive interiors, furniture, and more. From Sicilian orange byproducts to resilient cactus fibers, Stefano breaks down how Oskin is building a bio based alternative to leather designed to perfor...

Fashion weeks are loud. Flashy. Hypnotic.  But behind the lights, the industry is being forced to answer a much quieter question. What is sustainability when the cameras are gone? In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne breaks down what she’s seeing across recent fashion weeks in Europe, and what she’s watching for as New York Fashion Week approaches. We’re talking about the shift...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne pulls the curtain back on the “AI is neutral” narrative and asks the question nobody wants to sit with. If AI is powering the future of fashion, what is it costing the planet and the people who make the work? Sparked by a classroom moment where students challenged the assumptions behind AI, Michelle digs into AI’s environmental footprint, the...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne takes us all the way back to the beginning of the fashion supply chain. The place most people skip. The land. She’s joined by Michael Taylor of Taylor’s Run, a legacy agricultural operation producing superfine merino wool, for a grounded conversation about what it really means to call a material “ethical.” Because before a garment becomes a...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , Michelle Alleyne sits down with artist Carl Pascuzzi to unpack his new collection, Shadow Forms . Together, they explore the emotional engine behind the work and what it looks like to create with intention in a world obsessed with speed and trend cycles. They also dig into the evolving overlap between fashion and interiors, and the responsibility creatives c...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch , host Michelle Alleyne takes a sharp, unfiltered look back at the conversations that shaped 2025, not just in fashion, but across the systems that influence how we design, produce, consume, and dispose of what we make. From industry disruptors and sustainability strategists to voices challenging business as usual, these conversations go far beyond trend cycle...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne interviews Wendy Waugh, a pioneer in sustainable fashion. Wendy shares her journey from building the sustainability department at Theory to launching her own consulting firm, Golden Collective Incorated. The conversation delves into the importance of understanding the supply chain, the role of education in sustainability, and the need for a c...

In this conversation, Michelle Alleyne and Kym Canter explore the evolution of sustainable fashion, focusing on the transition from traditional fur to innovative materials like BioFur. Kim shares her personal journey in the fashion industry, the challenges of creating sustainable alternatives, and the importance of collaboration and education in driving change. The discussion highlights the emotio...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, host Michelle Alleyne engages with Julia Souder, CEO of the Long Duration Energy Storage Council, to explore the critical role of clean energy in sustainability. They discuss Julia's journey into the clean energy sector, the importance of long duration energy storage, and its impact on climate goals. The conversation highlights innovative collaborations,...

In this episode, Michelle Alleyne sits down with Kate Williams for a grounded, eye-opening conversation about what real sustainability looks like when businesses choose to lead with intention. Together, they trace the origins and evolution of 1% For The Planet and unpack how a simple commitment to giving back has grown into a global model for collective responsibility. Michelle and Kate dig into t...

Summary In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, host Michelle Alleyne welcomes Rachel Ceruti, the community director at FABSCRAP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating pre-consumer textile waste. They discuss the importance of community in sustainability, the challenges of circular fashion, and how Fab Scrap is redefining the narrative around textile waste. Rachel shares her journey fro...

In this episode of The Ethical Stitch, host Michelle Alleyne explores the revolutionary impact of Patagonia on the fashion industry and corporate responsibility. She delves into the brand's origins, its commitment to sustainability, and its bold marketing strategies that challenge consumerism. The conversation highlights Patagonia's activism, including its recent ownership change aimed a...

In this milestone 20th episode of The Ethical Stitch , host Michelle Alleyne invites listeners to join her for a Sustainable Study Hall, a milestone moment filled with real solutions in action. Michelle reflects on the show’s journey from simply raising awareness to inspiring meaningful change across the fashion world. She shines a light on innovators who are making sustainability part of everyday...

In this solo episode of The Ethical Stitch, Michelle Alleyne takes you right into the pulse of Climate Week NYC. Her first experience of the week was nothing short of transformative. From intimate panels to bold art activations spilling into the streets, Michelle reflects on the energy, urgency, and vision that defined the Green Apple. She unpacks why climate action cannot wait, why inclusivity mu...

In this episode of the Ethical Stitch podcast, host Michelle Alleyne reflects on the vibrant atmosphere of New York City, transitioning from the excitement of New York Fashion Week to the upcoming Climate Week NYC 2025. She emphasizes the importance of inclusivity in sustainability efforts, highlighting various events and discussions that cater to a wide audience. Alleyne encourages listeners to e...