WARDROBE CRISIS with Clare Press

Meet the millennial behind cult New Zealand label Maggie Marilyn . We hear a lot about how the Gens Y and Z are more woke, more into sustainability and of course more worried about climate change and the environment - why wouldn't they be? These are the generations that are going to inherit the mess that's been made. They are already inheriting it. Find out why designer Maggie Hewitt is determined...

The mainstream fashion production process is extremely wasteful. The whole system is built on over-ordering , taking a punt on how much will sell, and writing off over-production . This leads to shocking amounts of pre-consumer textiles and garments being landfilled or incinerated - according to some estimates, 1/3 of all the fashion ever produced it never sold. Australian made-to-order T-shirt co...

Fashion has a long association with craft, but what about fashion activism? Could we stitch out way to a better world? Meet the author of How to be a Craftivist and founder of Craftivist Collective. Sarah Corbett believes, “If we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair, shouldn't our activism be beautiful, kind and fair?” This Episode is a call to arms for fashion change-makers, a demonstrat...

As we gear up to Earth Day on April 22 , we're thinking about living more lightly on the planet. This year's theme is Protect Our Species , and one of the quotes that inspired it is from Rachel Carson, who said, “In nature nothing exists alone.” This week's podcast guest is proof of that. She is Natalie Isaacs , the super-inspiring Australian movement builder behind 1 Million Women.  Natalie...

Who's up for stopping our wasteful ways and reimagining trash as a resource ? This week's guest is proving fashion can be made from entirely from recycled materials . He is Javier Goyeneche , president and founder of Ecoalf , the Spanish clothing company that pioneers high-tech new materials made from waste. If you're a sustainability nerd , you've no doubt heard of Ecoalf. It was Spain's first B-...

Have you heard that phrase: from seed to garment ? Probably, right? Because most natural textiles are grown in the Earth. Around 24% of textiles are made from cotton, while hemp, linen and wool all depend on soil. But how often does fashion get its fingernails into the actual dirt? Perhaps it ought to start, because according to the UN, globally, one third soil is degraded. If we carry on lik...

Is sustainable fashion elitist? Does fashion contribute to poor body image and eating disorders by perpetuating a single, unattainable beauty ideal? What can we do about fashion's diversity problem? How do we, as consumers of fashion, navigate all this? "You can't do it all at the moment,” says this week's guest. “You have to make choices based on your values and those are your personal ethics. ”...

This episode is about purpose, co-creation and building a social enterprise with a friend. It's about fashion with a heart, and following your dreams.  Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah  are  Studio 189 , a social enterprise fashion, lifestyle and media brand based between New York and Ghana, that won the CFDA Sustainable Fashion Initiative Award last year. They work in countries wit...

You know it: Stella McCartney does the eco things first. Whether it's making all things green super-cool, proving non-leather accessories can compete with traditional animal leather in the luxury market, or bringing the circular fashion conversation mainstream, this fashion brand leads the way. So who makes all this happen? There's McCartney herself, of course - the designer is a visionary greenie...

VOGUE once called him a “high-end scavenger”. Meet Dutch designer Ronald Van Der Kemp  - the "sustainable couturier" behind RVDK. Fans include Lady Gaga and Kate Moss, Emma Watson and Lena Dunham. While he was still in college, Ronald wrote a thesis on fashion and nature , and designed a collection using vintage materials. He then spent two decades working in luxury fashion for the likes of B...

Meet London fashion star Amy Powney : an eco pioneer in polka dots and pearls, who grew up off-grid in a caravan and is simply not content to let fashion off the sustainability hook.  Amy is the creative director of  Mother of Pearl ,  a British sustainable luxury womenswear brand that celebrates individuality and authenticity. Known for its dark florals, satin bows, ruffles and out...

Fashion schools everywhere are full of eco warriors and bright, brilliant kids who are determined to do fashion differently.  London is the leader. Long known for its fashion creativity , this is the capital that produces the most vibrant student shows and earth-shaking emerging designers. The big international and Paris-based design houses look to London fashion schools like Central St Marti...

Welcome to Series 3! This Episode is a treat! It features Orsola de Castro, is one of the warmest, most generous, most knowledgable people working in sustainable fashion today. You may know her as the cofounder, with Carry Somers, of Fashion Revolution . But did you also know that she is the queen upcycling ? In the that 1990s, after crocheting around the holes in a much-loved old jumper that she...

Livia Firth is the Creative Director of sustainability consultancy Eco-Age , and the founder of the Green Carpet Challenge and Green Carpet Fashion Awards. She is a UN Leader of Change, a founding member of Annie Lennox's women's advocacy group The Circle, and was a co-producer on Andrew Morgan's ethical fashion documentary, The True Cost . Livia is also a warm and wonderful advocate for ethical a...

From front row to front bench? Why not? It's time we stopped considering fashion as simply fluffy. T he industry is a giant global employer with serious impacts on the environment , and yet it is not traditionally associated with being active in the political arena or central to government policy. Our guest this week, on the final Episode of Series 2, is Londoner Tamara Cincik , founder of the Bri...

“We truly believe in the power of fashion to present a pro-social message of inclusivity and positive identity." How's that for a vision statement? These are the words of Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones, AKA London fashion duo Teatum Jones . Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones, are the London creative partners behind Teatum Jones - an inclusive, though-provoking label challenging fashion’s norms. What r...

Meet Indian designer Ruchika Sachdeva of Bodice Studio , the Delhi-based label that took out the 2017/18 International Woolmark Prize  . Join us as we discuss how to make it in fashion, and build a successful small business, sustainability, our need for connection and the importance of provenance and craft . We explore the rise of emerging Indian fashion talent (and no, it's not all Bollywood...

Paul van Zyl is a human rights lawyer and ethical fashion entrepreneur, who 2009 he founded Maiyet, a luxury fashion brand with a social impact purpose. The idea was to “incorporate ancient traditions in non-traditional ways by partnering with artisans in developing economies and by sourcing material in ethical ways.” It's about creating opportunity, local entrepreneurship, prosperity, and dignity...

‘Single-use' was named the Word of the Year for 2018 by the Collins Dictionary. Now that we know the oceans are choking with plastics, disposable has become a dirty word. We also know, there is no away. Nothing that uses synthetic materials is ‘disposable' – it has to go somewhere. Out of site, out of mind is a total copout. But what about so-called " disposable fashion "? Single-use fashion is pe...

What was it like to pioneer ethical fashion before that was even a phrase? For 27 years,  Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson ran the iconic Australian fashion label Easton Pearson, known for its exquisite artisanal fabrics and embellishments, colourful exuberance and sense of fun. They are the subjects of an exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane, The Designers' Guide: Easton Pearson Archive -&nbs...

What does it take to break through as an emerging fashion designer today? Do sustainable designers have the edge? Who are the names to know, now?  Sara Maino is the deputy editor-in-chief of VOGUE ITALIA, and the fashion force behind VOGUE TALENTS, Vogue Green Talents and Who Is On Next? As she told the New York Times : “You will rarely see me at the big shows, those blockbuster events with a...

Welcome to our 60th episode! Can you believe it? This week's guest also have an anniversary to celebrate as the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion turns 10. You're going to meet its founder, academic, designer, educator and all-round sustainable fashion legend Dilys Williams . This is a lively and thought-provoking discussion about how we might totally redesign the way the...

Meet legendary thinker, innovator, disruptor and Cradle to Cradle hero, William McDonough . Architect, designer, thought leader, and author – his vision for a future of abundance for all is helping companies and communities think differently. He was the inaugural chair of the World Economic Forum 's Meta-Council on the Circular Economy and currently serves on the Forum's Global Future Co...

Katrin Ley is the CEO of FASHION FOR GOOD , an Amersterdam-based organisation that was co-founded by Cradle-to-Cradle's  William McDonough. They aim to  bring together the entire fashion ecosystem  with incentives, resources and tools for sustainability. At Fashion For Good's core is  McDonough 's concept of the Five Goods, which, he says, “represent an aspirational framework w...

To say that Ellen MacArthur is a phenomenal woman is an understatement. In 2005, aged 28, she became the fastest person to sail solo, non-stop around the world. It took her 71 days, 14 hours and 18 minutes. You're going to hear what that was like, how she stayed focused and what she learned from it. The importance of goal setting really comes through in this interview. Ellen is obviously an incred...