Conscious Style Podcast

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For our first-ever Conscious Fashion Collective Membership panel discussion, we discussed a topic that is often taboo in the slow fashion space — money! We believe that financial sustainability is essential for creating a more just, and sustainable, fashion ecosystem with thriving businesses that care about people and the planet.

💰 WE DISCUSSED:

Taboos/misconceptions about making money in the slow fashion space,
What alternative business models and revenue streams can be successful for slow fashion brands who don’t want to follow the traditional fast fashion trajectory,
Slow fashion pricing and forecasting,
How freelancers can go about finding clients, retaining clients, and creating a client rotation that allows for financial sustainability,
How to diversify your slow fashion skills and develop alternative streams of income/business offerings,
And SO MUCH more!

This episode was brought to you by…

Conscious Fashion Collective Membership: the global community for sustainable fashion professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

Doors will be closing to new members on Friday, March 29th as we prepare to add even more value to the membership.

When we reopen, we'll be increasing the price to account for the additional value. If you sign-up this week, you'll lock-in our current pricing for the lifetime of your membership.

Learn more + join us: consciousfashion.co/community

LINKS:

Picnicwear
Kismet Concept Studio
MAHDIYYAH
Devinto
Jacqueline Schumann
Picnicwear DejaVu Dress Pattern
YouTube video: NYC Tailor Aims To Reduce Fast Fashion Waste

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/subscribe

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

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Financial sustainability is essential for creating a more just, and sustainable, fashion ecosystem with thriving businesses that care about people and the planet. But how do you go about actually making money in this space, especially when you care about not overproducing? Money-making is a topic that is all-too-often taboo in the slow fashion space, but our panelists Dani Des Roches, Mahdiyyah Muhammad, Jacqueline Schumann, and Aiste Zitnikaite are unpacking their experiences, transparently, in this episode!

Note: This is a recording from a Conscious Fashion Collective Membership panel discussion, so you may hear references to the membership and “CFC". You can learn more about CFC's membership community here: consciousfashion.co/community

💰 WE DISCUSSED:**

Taboos/misconceptions about making money in the slow fashion space,
What alternative business models and revenue streams can be successful for slow fashion brands who don’t want to follow the traditional fast fashion trajectory,
Slow fashion pricing and forecasting,
How freelancers can go about finding clients, retaining clients, and creating a client rotation that allows for financial sustainability,
How to diversify your slow fashion skills and develop alternative streams of income/business offerings,
And SO MUCH more!

LINKS:

Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Picnicwear
Kismet Concept Studio
MAHDIYYAH
Devinto
Jacqueline Schumann

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/subscribe

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

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How can fashion take action right now for a net positive future?

From climate and biodiversity to worker livelihoods and fair wages to overconsumption and textile waste, the gaps between where we need to be and where we are right now feel… vast.

But in this episode, we're discussing ways that fashion act right now — like tomorrow — on 5 key pillars that encompass both people and planet. These are areas where the research, and tools are readily available, even for implementing at a large scale.

Ahead you'll hear my conversation with Holly Syrett, the Impact Programmes and Sustainability Director at Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a nonprofit organization that accelerates measurable impact in the fashion industry.

Perhaps what GFA is most known for is their Global Fashion Summits but they also drive impact through collaborative commitments, impact programs, thought leadership publications and by engaging with policy & advocacy.

Their flagship report — which is freely accessible for all — is the Fashion CEO Agenda. And this year's edition, released at the Boston Fashion Summit, is offering more specific tangible action than ever. I kind of think of it as the no-excuses actionable sustainability playbook for fashion brands.

I was excited to be able to have this conversation with Holly and be able to share it all with you for free because I know that there are so many of you that work in sustainable fashion or aspire to and want to dive deeper into these types of industry insights but they're not always accessible. So enjoy this conversation with Holly!

GET THE TRANSCRIPT

PRESENTED BY...

The Conscious Fashion Collective Membership

If you are a sustainable fashion professional or aspiring to transition into this industry, check out our sister platform Conscious Fashion Collective. We have a free career newsletter with jobs and resources dedicated to supporting your conscious fashion career journey.

We also have a membership community where you can access extra jobs, attend career-focused member events and workshops, access tons of time-saving resources, and connect with a like-minded group of fashion changemakers. You can find out more about this membership at consciousfashion.co/community.

GFA's RESOURCES:

Fashion CEO Agenda
2030 Fashion Sector Vision
GFA Policy Matrix: Americas
GFA Policy Matrix for EU
GFA's Policy & Advocacy Work

OTHER LINKS MENTIONED:

Open Supply Hub
Article: EILEEN FISHER's New CEO Wants You To Buy Fewer Clothes
American Circular Textiles

CONNECT WITH HOLLY & GFA

🌐 Website: https://globalfashionagenda.org/

📸 Instagram: @globalfashionagenda

💼 LinkedIn: Global Fashion Agenda

📺 YouTube: @GlobalFashionAgenda

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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We have reached the 100th episode of the podcast! For the past 100 episodes, at the end of each episode we have asked our guests the same question: What would a better future for fashion look like, to you?

This question is important, because it sums up exactly why the podcast exists in the first place — to unpack exactly what it will take to cultivate a sustainable and equitable future for fashion.

To celebrate this 100 episode milestone, we decided to mark the occasion by sharing a montage of some of our favorite answers, from guests we have had on the show, over the years. Plus, we are sharing a few listener answers to this question too. And, right at the end, we’ll share our reflections on the topic as well.

Enjoy listening to these visionary — yet practical — answers. Hopefully they’ll give you some food for thought and reflection points for your own relationship with fashion. And thank you for tuning in to celebrate 100 episodes with us!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Podcast Episode: EP10: Building a Better Secondhand Fashion System with Emily Stochl
Podcast Episode: EP82: Rana Plaza 10 Years Later: What’s Changed and What Hasn’t? With Ayesha Barenblat
Podcast Episode: EP66: Defashioning and Creating a Pluriverse of Clothing Systems with Fashion Act Now
Podcast Episode: EP22: Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry with Aja Barber
Podcast Episode: EP77: What Democratizing Fashion Is Truly About with Natalie Shehata
Podcast Episode: EP54: Slowing Down Media with Kestrel Jenkins
Podcast Episode: EP81: How We Can Expand the Sustainable Fashion Conversation with Samata Pattinson
Podcast Episode: EP24: The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
Podcast Episode: EP20: How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo
Yuhanne Natividad’s (podcast editor) contact details: LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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As you might have noticed, we are just one episode away from the 100th episode of the podcast! We're starting the celebrations early and changing up the usual format with this episode. Instead of interviewing a guest, this week we’re sharing 10 lessons we’ve learned from 100 episodes of the podcast that features interviews with some of the most inspiring changemakers in the fashion industry.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Online Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
Podcast Episode: EP96: Choosing Hope Over Climate Doomism with Isaias Hernandez
Podcast Episode: EP50: Why Fast Fashion Is So Addictive with Zainab Mahmood
Podcast Episode: EP24: The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
Podcast Episode: EP56: Style Psychology and the Drivers of Consumption with Dr. Dion Terrelonge
Podcast Episode: EP77: What Democratizing Fashion Is Truly About with Natalie Shehata
Podcast Episode: EP81: How We Can Expand the Sustainable Fashion Conversation with Samata Pattinson
Podcast Episode: EP73: How To Uncover Your Soul Style with Kerry Wilde
Podcast Episode: EP17: More Creativity, Less Consumption: Sustainable Stylist Tips from Alyssa Beltempo
Podcast Episode: EP51: How To Find Joy In Your Closet Again with Stylist Sam Weir
Podcast Episode: EP80: Where Does Fashion Stand On Climate Progress? A Conversation with Stand.Earth
Podcast Episode: EP90: Rethinking Traditional Supply Chains with Ria Ana Sejpal of Lilabare
Podcast Episode: EP29: Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems with Lydia Wendt of California Cloth Foundry
Podcast Episode: EP54: Slowing Down Media with Kestrel Jenkins
Podcast Episode: EP94: Can Slow Fashion Businesses Scale Without Encouraging Overconsumption? With Mahdiyyah Muhammad
Podcast Episode: EP92: From Extractive to Regenerative Fashion: Slow Growth, Climate Beneficial Fibers, and Cooperative Models with Laura Sansone of New York Textile Lab
Podcast Episode: EP38: How Custom Collaborative is Paving the Way for a Better Fashion Future with Ngozi Okaro
Podcast Episode: EP20: How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo
Podcast Episode: EP57: Tips for Starting a Slow Fashion Brand with Selina Ho of Recloseted
Podcast Episode: EP58: The History of Fast Fashion with Sara Idacavage
Podcast Episode: EP85: A People’s History of Clothing with Sofi Thanhauser
Podcast Episode: EP22: Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry with Aja Barber

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Is it green... or just greenwashing?

This week, we’re sharing a recap of a few Green or Greenwashing topics we covered this season! Green or Greenwashing is a segment on the podcast where we evaluate if a certain sustainability measure is more green or whether it veers into more of the greenwashing territory. These Green or Greenwashing segments were previously published at the end of some prior episodes.

The first segment we are resharing is whether third-party resale sites should ban fast fashion after a decision from Vestiaire Collective to do so. Then we will move into a recording where we discuss whether we really need "climate adaptive clothing". Finally, we evaluate if recycled polyester is truly circular.

GET THE TRANSCRIPT

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Article: Vestiaire Has Banned Fast Fashion
Article: Vestiaire Collective’s ‘Fight Against Fast Fashion’ steps
Article: What Is Extended Producer Responsibility in Textiles — and What’s Missing From Current Policies?
Article: Clothes for the “apocalypse”: How to design for a climate crisis
Resource: Market Analysis and Insights: Global Recycled Polyester Fiber Market
Website: Textile Exchange's 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge
Resource: Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres
Article: The destructive, symbiotic relationship between the beverage and fashion industries
Article: Are clothes made from recycled materials really more sustainable?
Report: “It’s As If They’re Poisoning Us”: The Health Impacts of Plastic Recycling in Turkey
Research Paper: An underestimated threat: Land-based pollution with micro-plastics

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Policy is an important lever in creating a better, more sustainable, and equitable fashion system. But if we only focus on policy that explicitly talks about the fashion industry and sustainability, we may be missing some opportunities.

In today's episode, I'm chatting with fashion policy expert Kenya Wiley.

Kenya is sharing behind the scenes on the processes behind legislation and regulation — and even explaining the difference between the two terms — and some of the current policies in the works that could involve fashion that the fashion industry isn't talking about. These could be potential needle movers to cleaning up fashion, but aren't being taken advantage of right now.

Kenya is also discussing the much-anticipated Green Guides from the Federal Trade Commission to help reduce greenwashing, what recent US Supreme Court decisions mean for the fashion industry, a funding opportunity for sustainability-minded fashion organizations, and more.

Find the transcript here.

PRESENTED BY…

Osei-Duro

Osei-Duro is a slow, artisan-made sustainable fashion brand based in Ghana using handmade textile techniques to create contemporary garments that are true works of art.

Their colorful, bold-printed clothing is hand-dyed and sewn in Ghana by small-scale artisans and manufactured to support the local apparel industry. And they have extended sizes, with many styles going up to 4X.

Osei-Duro's clothing is made with care — and the people behind these garments treat each other with the same care and respect. The small business pays full-time wages for a 4-day work week and offers numerous benefits including full health insurance and maternity coverage.

Get 20% off site wide by using the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/kenya-wiley

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Newsletter: Fashion Law and Social Justice Newsletter
Online course: Fashion Policy and Justice (Note: listeners can take 50% off with code JUSTICE50; contact Kenya directly for the 80% off student discount)
Podcast Episode: EP79: Sustainable Fashion Policy and Collective Action with Elizabeth Cline
Information Resource: 2023 Farm Bill
Information Resource: SEC Climate Disclosures Rule
Information Resource: The Recycling & Compostability Accountability Act

CONNECT WITH KENYA WILEY:

🌐 Website: https://kenyawiley.com/

📸 Instagram: @kenyanwiley

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenya-wiley-558601b6/

📱 Twitter (X): @KenyaNWiley

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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After learning about climate emotions, and seeing climate doomism proliferated in the media, Stella knew she wanted to have Isaias on the show to unpack this and understand how it's connected to the fashion industry.

In this episode, Isaias Hernandez (who you might also know as @queerbrownvegan on social media) unpacks the complexity of climate emotions and the harms of climate doomism narratives, and discusses why “evidence-based hope” is essential for reorienting action and working towards equitable solutions for the fashion industry - and how we can all cultivate this hope in our own lives.

Hit play to dive in!

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Osei-Duro

Osei-Duro is a slow, artisan-made sustainable fashion brand based in Ghana using handmade textile techniques to create contemporary garments that are true works of art.

Get 20% off sitewide by using the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20.

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain.

The brand sources the cotton for their collection directly from over 2,000 smallholder cotton farmers in the Nile Delta in Egypt and ensures living wages and fair working conditions along every step of the way, from seed to final stitch.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/isaias-hernandez

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Online Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Video: Is it too late to save the planet? Evidence based hope vs climate doomism with Elin Kelsey
Podcast Episode: EP88: What Is Regenerative Fashion? With Safia Minney
Website: Desserto
Website: The Or Foundation
Website: Elin Kelsey
Article: What is the Climate Scale?
Article: New York therapists see surge in eco-anxiety as smoke fills skies: ‘Every client addresses it’
Article: 12 Materials Of The Future That Could Change The Face Of Fashion
Resource: The United Nations’ Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook

CONNECT WITH ISAIAS HERNANDEZ:

🌐 Website: https://queerbrownvegan.com/

📸 Instagram: @queerbrownvegan

👍 Facebook: @queerbrownvegan

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaias-hernandez-79a3a5149/

📱 Tiktok: @queerbrownvegan

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Carbon neutral. Net zero. Carbon positive. You may have been seeing more and more claims like these lately from companies, including fashion brands. But in today's Green or Greenwashing episode, we’re diving deeper, beyond the surface of these claims, to see if they really can be trusted. Many of these carbon neutrality claims are asserted based on the company purchasing carbon offsets.

This episode was inspired by the UK watchdog, Advertising Standards Authority, recently banning advertisements that claim products are carbon neutral through using offsets due to a growing concern that these claims are misleading consumers.

This isn’t just about the fashion industry, but in case you missed it: many fashion brands are using these sorts of claims, especially as global awareness grows around fashion's environmental impact, including its carbon emissions.

You may have seen various estimates of fashion's contribution to global carbon emissions ranging from 2 to 10 percent. The Apparel Impact Institute’s latest report puts that number at 1.8 percent. *Note: In the audio, I misstated that it was Textile Exchange's report!

The reality is that the majority of fashion brands do not disclose their full emissions. Fashion Revolution's 2023 Transparency Index found that less than half (43 percent) of brands publish their annual value chain carbon emissions. So we're at the basics here. Over half of brands aren't even telling us what their carbon emissions are.

When Fashion Revolution says “value chain”, they mean the full supply chain. So not just the corporate offices, but how these brands make their clothes.

Many factories involved with textile production and garment and footwear production are still reliant on fossil fuels, like coal. About two-thirds of textiles are fossil fuel-derived synthetics like polyester. Brands are reliant on polluting shipping methods, and some — especially fast fashion brands — use the speedy but very carbon-intensive shipping method of air freight.

So fashion should absolutely be talking about reaching carbon neutrality and decarbonization. But the question is: should their method of using carbon offsets be celebrated?

Let’s get into the episode!

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/carbon-offsetting

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Celebrate with us! Record a short voice message to be included in our 100th episode by August 10, 2023.
Join The Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Article: Is Carbon Offsetting Fashion’s Excuse To Emit?
Article: Adverts claiming products are carbon neutral by using offsetting face UK ban
Article: What is the Paris Agreement?
Article: What is a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)?
Podcast Episode: EP80: Where Does Fashion Stand On Climate Progress? A Conversation with Stand.Earth
Report: Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero
Report: Unlocking the Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonization Opportunity
Report: Environmental Claims in Advertising Qualitative Research Report
Website: Stand.Earth’s 2023 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard

CONNECT WITH US:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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How can we reimagine the traditional role of fashion designers in a world filled with fashion waste? And how can we rethink our primary role as consumers in a way that allows us to become contributors to collective well-being instead?

It’s no secret that we live in a world with far too much clothing. If we are to work towards a more sustainable fashion industry, we need to unpack the ways that fashion brands and designers can pivot away from the mainstream business model of take-make-waste and embrace alternative sustainable fashion business models that limit waste. And our mindset as consumers plays a pivotal role in this too.

In this episode, we hear from Mahdiyyah Muhammad who is a sustainable fashion designer, circular fashion strategist, and educator. We’re talking about the realities of designing, building a business, and engaging with fashion and style in our current fashion system where all we need is less — less resource extraction, less consumption, less clothing waste, less focus on passing trends, and less exclusivity.

But, as you will hear from Mahdiyyah, to make this happen, we need more community. Cultivating community is essential for sharing resources and ideas, and creating meaningful connections, as well as making the slow fashion movement more accessible and inclusive.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

Juliemay

Juliemay offers a natural alternative to the synthetic-heavy lingerie market. They use GOTS-certified organic pima cotton as their main fabric, line all of their products with Mulberry peace silk’ and do not use harsh chemicals in production.

The brand is accredited by AllergyUK to be friendly for people with allergic reactions to synthetic fibers and who have sensitive skin. This is something that I have become personally really interested in since I started to experience psoriasis after wearing synthetic undergarments myself a few years ago.

Additionally, Juliemay has bras for a wide range of circumstances, like post-surgery bras or bras that offer back support. Juliemay also supports several environmental and social impact nonprofits.

Use the code SOCIAL15 for 15% off at Juliemay!

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/mahdiyyah-muhammad

TRANSCRIPT

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Online Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
Online Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Organization: Fashion Takes Action
Podcast Episode: EP17: More Creativity, Less Consumption: Tips from Slow Fashion Stylist Alyssa Beltempo
Podcast Episode: EP83: What is Circular Fashion Design? With Carmen Gama
Podcast Episode: Black Material Geographies: Colonialism’s Afterlife & Upcycling Fashion
Database: Upcycle Web Directory
Website: Threads of Habit
Article: 7 Alternative Sustainable Fashion Business Models Changing the Status Quo

CONNECT WITH MAHDIYYAH MUHAMMAD:

🌐 Website: www.mahdiyyah.co

📸 Instagram: @mahdiyyahofficial

💼 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mahdiyyah-muhammad-423942a8/

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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What if fashion brands put garment workers first? What if a fashion brand set the prices they pay to their suppliers based on ensuring workers were making a living wage, rather than negotiating the prices as low as possible to maximize profits?

This is part of implementing more responsible purchasing practices — purchasing practices meaning not how the consumer buys something, but how the brand purchases their orders from their suppliers, since most brands do not produce their own clothes.

The reality is that right now the system is set up with the wrong incentives. For example, Buyers at many fashion brands receive bonuses if they achieve larger margins with their orders they purchase from their suppliers — larger margins meaning they pay their suppliers less, and thus the supplier will have less money to pay their workers fairly or invest in sustainability initiatives like transitioning to clean energy.

So we need a paradigm shift. True systems change.

And one proposal for doing so is worker-centric pricing, which Stella and I are going to dive into in this episode!

TRANSCRIPT

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Sustainable Fashion Career Platform: Conscious Fashion Collective
Community: Conscious Fashion Collective Membership
Article: What If Fashion Prices Put Garment Workers First?
Doc: Worker-Centric Pricing Model
Organization: Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion
Instagram: Aja Barber
Podcast Episode: EP71: Is Sustainable Fashion Always More Expensive?
Podcast Episode: EP60: Living Wages for Garment Makers with Anne Bienias of Clean Clothes Campaign
Podcast Episode: EP45: Are Better Brand-Supplier Relationships The Missing Link to Ethical Fashion?

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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What if designers could go all the way back to the source of the fibers their garments are made from? Many of fashion’s favorite fibers — and our favorite garments — begin on farms. From cotton to wool, hemp, and linen. But, often, designers are so far removed from the places where these fibers are produced. Bringing designers back to the source would result in greater transparency and traceability in fashion that would allow designers to make choices that are kinder to people and the planet.

The fast fashion system thrives on building one, uniform, global fashion system that requires a lack of transparency and traceability to continue perpetuating its profit-seeking harms. On the other hand, a more equitable future of fashion will comprise multiple regional and local textile systems that are each in tune with the contexts of local communities.

But what will it take to get there, in practice? Well, in today’s episode, Stella chats with Laura Sansone, who is passionate about creating regional and regenerative textile systems. Laura is an Assistant Professor of Textiles at Parsons School of Design and she is the creator of New York Textile Lab (@nytextilelab) a design and consulting company that supports environmentally responsible textile methods and bioregional systems of production.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Kotn

Kotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

Juliemay

Additionally, Juliemay has bras for a wide range of circumstances, like post-surgery bras or bras that offer back support. Juliemay also supports several environmental and social impact nonprofits.

Use the code SOCIAL15 for 15% off at Juliemay!

SHOW NOTES & LINKS:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/laura-sansone

CONNECT WITH US!

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

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What is it like to work as a designer for a fast fashion brand? And what is it like to build your own sustainability minded small fashion brand, from circular design practices to figuring out your pricing?

That's what we're getting a glimpse into in this episode with Dani Des Roches, designer and founder of the upcycled brand Picnicwear, recognizable by its groovy 60s/70s aesthetic, bold and playful use of color, and most notably its use of vintage towels as its primary material.

Before that, Dani attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and was behind the scenes as a sweater designer for household names like Urban Outfitters and Express.

Feeling dissatisfied with the industry, Dani started her own B2B design studio, Kismet Concept Studio and of course her Direct to Consumer brand, Picnicwear, which creates high-quality pieces using 95% pre-existing materials.

In this conversation, Dani is giving us a look under the hood of the operations at big fashion brands and sharing what she thinks we should all know about how these brands operate.

She's also getting transparent about her own journey building a small slow fashion business.

If you want to learn more from Dani, Dani is leading a Circular Fashion Design Workshop that we're hosting over at Conscious Fashion Collective.

It will be an educational and interactive event for designers, industry professionals, sewists, and sustainable fashion advocates wanting to learn more about sustainability in fashion.

You'll learn how brands and designers can use circularity as a foundation for design, what a holistic approach to circular apparel design looks like, and tangible strategies to integrate circularity into apparel production and post-consumer reverse supply chain.

Hope to see you there!

Get tickets for the circular design workshop led by Dani here!

Or join the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership to attend for free.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/dani-des-roches

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Event: Finding Creativity In Circularity — Circular Apparel Design Workshop
Clotheshorse Instagram
Interview with Selina Ho

CONNECT WITH DANI:

🌐 Website: www.picnicwear.com

📸 Instagram: @picnicwear

👍 Facebook: @Picnicwear

📱 Tiktok: @picnicwear

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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What is the process like to create a regenerative conscious fashion label? What does it mean to create long-term partnerships in a localized supply chain that are beneficial for people? Or to make clothes that are beneficial for the earth?

In this episode, Stella interviews the founder of slow fashion brand LilaBare, Ria Ana Sejpal, about building a Kenyan fashion brand, rethinking traditional supply chains, and the value of building long-term relationships with the people involved in them.

Plus they cover how Ria measures the impacts of the garments LilaBare creates and how size-adjustable gender fluid clothing can make sustainable fashion more inclusive.

EPISODE SPONSORS

KotnKotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

Juliemay

Additionally, Juliemay has bras for a wide range of circumstances, like post-surgery bras or bras that offer back support. Juliemay also supports several environmental and social impact nonprofits.

Use the code SOCIAL15 for 15% off at Juliemay!

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/ria-ana-sejpal-lilabare

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Podcast: EP88. What Is Regenerative Fashion? with Safia Minney
Podcast: EP31. The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade with Nikissi Serumaga
Podcast: EP61. Behind Fashion’s Waste Crisis in the Atacama Desert
Podcast: EP29. Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems with Lydia Wendt

CONNECT WITH RIA ANA SEJPAL AND LILABARE:

🌐 Website: https://lilabare.com/

📸 Instagram: @lilabare

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest:

@consciouslifeandstyle

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Fashion's returns are a massive waste and emissions issue. In fact, 23 million returned garments were sent to a landfill or incinerated last year in the UK, and returns caused 750,000 tons of CO2 emissions just in the UK fashion industry alone, according to The Institute of Positive Fashion's report: Solving Fashion's Products Returns.

Generous free returns policies from brands and retailers have also helped fuel the trend of buying clothes to wear just once or only for a social media post and then return them.

However, the days of these free return policies may be coming to an end. Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo, and Next have all recently announced return fees.

These brands are likely making the decision to implement return fees for financial reasons, but what are the implications for sustainability?

In this Green or Greenwashing segment, Elizabeth and Stella explore the nuances of fashion's product return fees.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Giveaway! Win 3 books written by previous Conscious Style Podcast guests.

Report: Institute of Positive Fashion Solving Fashion Product Returns Report

Article: How the end of free returns will change the way we shop by Sophie Benson

Subscribe: Conscious Edit Newsletter

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It's time for an urgent shift in fashion. And not just towards a path of doing less bad, but of bringing positive change. Not just less harmful fashion. Not even just more sustainable fashion. But building a regenerative fashion future.

Recently I read the book Regenerative Fashion: A Nature Based Approach to Fibres, Livelihoods, and Leadership*, by Safia Minney. And this book could not have come at a better time for me. I was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by the weight of it all and the stories and changemakers highlighted throughout this book was the inspiration that I needed.

So I am super grateful that I was able to have the author, Safia Minney — who has been a disruptor in the fashion space for decades — onto the show. You may know Safia Minney as the founder of fair fashion brand People Tree, or you may know her as an activist, consultant, thought-leader, or author of books like Slave to Fashion and Slow Fashion.

In this episode, Safia Minney discusses the themes of her latest book on regenerative fashion, including regeneratively grown fibers and decarbonization, but also regenerative leadership and regenerative relationships, the importance of revitalizing artisan crafts and textile traditions, why living wages and a just transition are central to regenerative fashion, and how our current economic systems are completely at odds with a livable future. Hit play to dive in!

*Bookshop.org affiliate link

ENTER THE PODCAST BOOK GIVEAWAY HERE

If the link is not clickable in your podcast player, here is the URL: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6490c7a33b413b66d0ce7727

Giveaway closes July 6 at 4pm CDT. Winner will be announced in July 8th's newsletter.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook ThereBrook There creates organic cotton bralettes, underwear, and slip dresses ethically cut and sewn by their team in Massachusetts. Their GOTS-certified organic cotton is even milled and dyed domestically in the US too.

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

KotnKotn is a slow fashion brand that's taking transparency to a new level with their fully traceable supply chain.

Each piece from Kotn is made ethically and transparently with natural materials — like long-staple Egyptian cotton, recycled cotton, and linen — by people earning living wages.

Get 15% off sitewide from June 20th to August 31st, 2023 by using the code CONSCIOUS15.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/safia-minney

CONNECT WITH SAFIA MINNEY:

🌐 Website: https://safia-minney.com/

📸 Instagram: @safia_minney

🐦 Twitter: @SafiaMinney

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Overconsumption is a major problem in the fashion industry. And secondhand is often advocated for as a solution. But is it possible to overconsume secondhand fashion as well?

This is a loaded question that comes with nuance and obviously, lots of opinions... which makes it perfect for a segment for our Green or Greenwashing series — we love to cover complex and controversial topics in this series!

And we want to hear YOUR thoughts on this topic as well. DM Elizabeth over at @consciousstyle on Instagram with your thoughts and takes on this topic or to request a future topic you want to hear covered.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT:

https://consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

LINKS MENTIONED:

Article: "The trouble with secondhand: it's becoming like fast fashion"

Graphic: Linear Economy vs. Recycling vs. Circular Economy

Podcast: More Creativity, Less Consumption with Alyssa Beltempo

Podcast: Building a Better Secondhand Fashion System with Emily Stochl

GET THE TRANSCRIPT HERE

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Fashion industry players — like big brands and their billionaire owners — have to be held accountable for their impact on our environment and on the people involved with making their clothes.

Independent journalists can play a crucial role in this accountability, since they can provide a critical outsider's look on what's happening in the industry, such as ascertaining if a fashion brand's sustainability claims are legitimate or not. And it's also a role that comes with a lot of responsibility.

One of the sustainable fashion journalists that both Stella and I have immense respect for is Sophie Benson. If you're subscribed to our weekly newsletter, The Conscious Edit, you know that I often share articles written by Sophie in those Saturday emails. So it's exciting to have her on the show this week.

In this episode, Stella is interviewing Sophie to discuss her journey and her insights as a journalist in the sustainable fashion space. For more on sustainable fashion journalism as a career path, check out Sophie's Conscious Career Chat on Conscious Fashion Collective.

THIS EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

The RoundsLooking for the convenience of grocery and product delivery to your doorstep, but not a fan of the wasteful packaging? Enter in: The Rounds.

This closed loop, two-way logistics network offers a zero waste delivery process by delivering your essentials with refillable containers in a reusable tote bag and picking up the empties for you — mostly by e-bike — to clean and reuse them.

See if The Rounds is offering services near you or get on their waitlist.

Use the code CONSCIOUSLIFE to get 1 month free and $10 off your first order!

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sophie-benson

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

(Interview) Sustainable Fashion Journalism Career Chat
(Jobs) Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board
(Article) Was 2022 The Most Important Year for Sustainable Fashion?
(Article) Fashion Is In Its Copy And Paste Era
(Podcast Episode) 79) The Role of Fashion Legislation | Elizabeth Cline
(Podcast Episode) 64) How Journalists Can Shift The Sustainable Fashion Conversation | with Jasmin Malik Chua of Sourcing Journal

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE BENSON:

🌐 Website: https://sophiebenson.com/

📸 Instagram: @sophiebenson

🐦 Twitter: @SophieBenson_

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest:

@consciouslifeandstyle

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When we talk about sustainable and ethical fashion, we often think about the future — at least I do: we ask every guest that comes onto this show what a better future for fashion looks like to them!

But I also see immense value in looking to the past. To see where we came from so we understand how we got here and what solutions could actually be effective in bringing about change.

So I was intrigued to read the book Worn, A People's History of Clothing, (bookshop affiliate link) to understand this history more deeply — and it did not disappoint. I learned so much from this book and I knew I had to get the author, Sofi Thanhauser (@Yesfutureyes) onto the podcast.

And here we are today, Sofi is joining me to talk about some of the key themes covered in the book: like how the industrial revolution spurred mass-production in fashion — and not just from the standpoint of technology — how the rise of advertising helped enable the rise of fast fashion, the toxic shocking history of rayon, the factors that enabled synthetics to dominate garment production, and what we can learn from successful labor movements as we advocate for change in the fashion industry.

This season of the podcast is focused on fashion's role in our climate crisis, but we don't take a super narrow view of that theme and I think this episode shows a lot of the overlaps between workers in fashion and the industry's environmental impacts. We see how lack of worker rights and low wages connects to overproduction, how lack of worker safety is connected to the continued production of toxic synthetic materials, how advertising covers up the realities of how our clothes are made and enables fast fashion to continue to thrive.

We also will be continuing our Green or Greenwashing ending segment in this episode. This week Stella and I will discuss our thoughts on the trend of climate-change ready clothing — do we really need clothes that are, quote: designed for the apocalypse? Are they filling a need or just getting us to buy more stuff. Stay tuned until the end to hear our thoughts on that.

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

The RoundsLooking for the convenience of grocery and product delivery to your doorstep, but not a fan of the wasteful packaging? Enter in: The Rounds.

See if The Rounds is offering services near you or get on their waitlist.

Use the code CONSCIOUSLIFE to get 1 month free and $10 off your first order!

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sofi-thanhauser

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

(Book) Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser*
(Podcast) EP82. Rana Plaza 10 Years Later: What’s Changed and What Hasn’t?
(Petition) Tell brands to sign the Accord
(Article) Clothes for the “apocalypse”: How to design for a climate crisis

*Bookshop affiliate link

CONNECT WITH SOFI:

🌐 Website: https://sofithanhauser.com/

📸 Instagram: @yesfutureyes

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Want to work in sustainable fashion but not sure how to begin or how to transition from what you do now? Or maybe you work in sustainable fashion now, but you're ready for a bit of a change. In this episode, I'm sharing my sustainable fashion career and entrepreneurial journey and the lessons I learned along the way.

FIND JOBS IN SUSTAINABLE FASHION:

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

HIRE FREELANCERS OR PROMOTE YOUR SERVICES:

Check out the Sustainable Fashion Freelancer Directory

ACCELERATE YOUR SUSTAINABLE FASHION CAREER JOURNEY:

Join the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership

MORE EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

EP6: My Sustainable Fashion Journey

EP62: Conscious Entrepreneurship and Crafting with Saskia de Feijter

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Fashion has a major waste crisis. Circularity — along with slowing down production — can be an antidote, if done right. But what does real circular fashion look like in practice? What would it look like to have a true systems approach to circular design and circular fashion?

Today Stella is interviewing Carmen Gama, the Director of Circular Design at Eileen Fisher, which is a company that has been leading the way on many circular fashion practices. Carmen Gama also founded a B2B circular service called MAKE ANEEW which you'll hear a lot about in this episode.

Carmen Gama shares what circular design means in practice and how brands can create their own post consumer waste reduction supply chains.

If you're curious to hear more about what it's like to be a circular designer, and how you might be able to explore this career path, you can read a Conscious Career Chat with Carmen on Conscious Fashion Collective

Also in this episode, we are continuing with our Green or Greenwashing series. This week, on the theme of circularity, Stella and I are unpacking the claims around recycled polyester. Very curious to hear your takes on this controversial fabric as well over on Instagram!

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

The RoundsLooking for the convenience of grocery and product delivery to your doorstep, but not a fan of the wasteful packaging? Enter in: The Rounds.

See if The Rounds is offering services near you or get on their waitlist.

Use the code CONSCIOUSLIFE to get 1 month free and $10 off your first order!

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/circular-fashion-design

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Elizabeth speaks with Ayesha Barenblat, CEO of the global advocacy nonprofit organization Remake about the 10th Anniversary of the Rana Plaza Factory Collapse in Bangladesh to discuss what has changed in fashion since — and what has not.

They talk about the impact of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire & Building Safety, what's next for the Accord 10 years on, and how Remake is continuing to hold brands accountable.

Also in this episode, we're introducing our Green or Greenwashing segment where we (Elizabeth and Stella) share our thoughts on if a sustainability claim in the fashion industry is green or greenwashing.

This week, we explore the decision of an online resale platform to ban fast fashion from their site. Should resale sites really ban fast fashion? We'd love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram!

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Brook There has a beautiful range of colorways — from ballet pink to bright orange to versatile neutrals, which are all colored using low-impact fiber reactive dyes.

Bounce MarketIf you're looking for a sustainable — yet affordable — option for kids clothing that doesn't sacrifice quality or style then you'll want to check out the kids resale store, Bounce Mkt. This online (and in-person) store is a hub for gently used children's clothing.

As a children's resale store, Bounce Mkt makes selling your kids' gently used clothes and shoes and finding preloved kids items super simple.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/rana-plaza-10th-anniversary

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

EP11. Fashion Activism: It’s Time for Brands to #PayUp with Ayesha Barenblat
Pakistan Accord Brand Tracker
SignTheAccordPetition
Vestiaire Collective's fast fashion ban announcement

CONNECT WITH REMAKE & AYESHA:

🌐 Website: https://remake.world/

📸 Instagram: @remakeourworld

🐦 Twitter: @remakeourworld

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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How can we make sustainable fashion more culturally and politically relevant? Fashion's environmental and social impact often gets overlooked by the climate movement and by governments, though this is slowly starting to change.

Similarly, the conversations around sustainable fashion don't often feel aligned with mainstream media and culture. But there is a massive opportunity to harness the power of mass media and celebrities or artistic talent, to drive change in the industry.

In this episode, Stella interviews Samata Pattinson, CEO of RCGD Global — formerly Red Carpet Green Dress — to explore how we can drive the sustainable fashion conversation forward and expand it to wider audiences.

Samata also shares how she brought in fashion to decision-making spaces at COP27, what role celebrities play in the sustainable fashion movement, and more

I found this conversation super inspiring, and it was a reminder that each of us, every single one of us — belongs in this movement, and has a unique place here.

P.S. If you're searching for where you might fit in in the movement through your career, I'd definitely recommend checking out our free ebook on Conscious Fashion Collective on 101 Careers in Sustainable Fashion.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Passion Lilie

Fair trade fashion brand Passion Lilie partners with 5 different artisan groups in India to create their beautifully printed dresses, jumpsuits, and a variety of other clothing and accessories.

As a Fair Trade Federation member, Passion Lilie ensures that their partners are paying living wages to their makers, offering a safe and healthy work environment, and are investing in the overall wellbeing of the artisans. The brand also uses durable natural fibers and non-toxic dyes for their collections.

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

SHOW NOTES

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/samata-pattinson

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Free Ebook: 101 Careers In Sustainable Fashion
Podcast Ep.55 How To Challenge Cultural Misappropriation with Monica Boța-Moisin
Working Group on Indigenous Populations/Communities in Africa
Africa Earth Jurisprudence Movement
Sindiso Khumalo
Lukhanyo Mdingi

CONNECT WITH RCGD GLOBAL & SAMATA:

🌐 Website: https://www.rcgdglobal.com/

📸 Instagram: @redcarpetgreendress

📸 Instagram: @iam_samata

📱 Tiktok: @rcgdglobal

👍 Facebook: @RCGDGlobal

🐦 Twitter: @RedCarpetGreenD

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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The fashion industry has an outsized carbon footprint. But many fashion brands have been making promising statements about their carbon emissions reduction or carbon neutrality goals.

How does the actual progress and supply chain action match up to these goals, though? It can, frankly, be difficult to discern.

But in today's episode, we're going to unravel the tangled web of confusing greenwashing and claims and dig into the nitty gritty of where fashion actually stands on climate action today.

I (Elizabeth here!) spoke with Rachel and Erdene of the climate and environmental advocacy organization Stand.Earth. The team at Stand just released their 2023 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard, ranking 43 influential fashion brands on their progress towards decarbonization in their supply chain.

In this episode, we talk about this scorecard, discuss where fashion stands now on climate action, and what brands need to do in order to reach their climate goals.

THIS EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

Passion Lilie

Fair trade fashion brand Passion Lilie partners with 5 different artisan groups in India to create their beautifully printed dresses, jumpsuits, and a variety of other clothing and accessories.

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

SHOW NOTES

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/stand-earth-fossil-free-fashion

TRANCRIPT:

https://conscious-style-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/80-where-does-fashion-stand-on-climate-progress-rachel-erdene-of-standearth

CONNECT WITH STAND.EARTH:

🌐 Website: https://stand.earth/

📸 Instagram: @stand.earth

💻 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/stand.earth/

👍 Facebook: @stand.earth

🐦 Twitter: @standearth

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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In recent years, there's been an exciting increase in sustainable fashion legislation and reforms working to clean up this industry — from garment worker protections against wage theft to supply chain due diligence to greenwashing enforcement.

In today's episode, Stella interviews author, educator and activist Elizabeth Cline to dive into all things fashion legislation: historical context, what's going on now, why it matters, and how you can get involved. Plus hear about:

+ Why we need to move away from the binary of individual versus collective action

How historic changes in the law have influenced the fashion industry
The role of fashion legislation in creating a more equitable fashion future
And how investing in the lives of garment workers is part of the overlooked solution to fashion's climate impact

SHOW NOTES

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/elizabeth-cline

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH CLINE:

🌐 Website: www.elizabethclinebooks.com

📸 Instagram: @elizabethlcline

🐦 Twitter: @elizabethlcline

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Right now, are you dressing for the person you are, the person you fear, or the person you want to be?

Not even sure how to answer that question?

Today's guest — fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell — is breaking it all down for us. Shakaila wrote the book Big Dress Energy and in this episode she's talking about how you can harness your own big dress energy and dress for your best self.

We're also talking about:

The chemical warfare we're up against when shopping
How we can make more mindful purchasing decisions
What the endowment effect is and how it can reduce fashion waste
Plus how you can do a wardrobe ethnography

(P.S. Shakaila was on the show before too in episode 24 discussing the psychology behind what and why we buy!)

EPISODE SPONSORS

Wearwell

wearwell is your destination for finding vetted sustainable and slow fashion brands that suit your personal style.

Whether your style leans minimalist or maximalist, preppy or rocker chic, classic or bold, or you just love your basics and athleisure, you'll want to check out online conscious marketplace, wearwell at shopwearwell.com. (You can use the code CONSCIOUS20 for 20% off your first order.)

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

SHOW NOTES

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/shakaila-forbes-bell-big-dress-energy

CONNECT WITH SHAKAILA:

🌐 Website: fashionispsychology.com

📸 Instagram: @shakailaelise

📗 Book: Big Dress Energy : How Fashion Psychology Can Transform Your Wardrobe and Your Confidence

🎙️ Podcast: Big Dress Energy: The Podcast

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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How can we cultivate our authentic personal style in a trend-focused, overconsumption-driven world? What would it mean to truly democratize fashion — as in not the fast fashion co-opted use of the term, but genuine style democracy?

And how can fashion move beyond using diversity as a buzzword to create a holistically inclusive and intersectional sustainable fashion future?

In this episode, Stella Hertantyo is interviewing ethical stylist Natalie Shehata to explore all of these questions and more.

(P.S. Stella also interviewed Natalie for a piece on Conscious Fashion Collective about how to become a sustainable stylist!)

SHOW NOTES

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/natalie-shehata-ethical-stylist

EPISODE SPONSORS

Wearwell

wearwell is your destination for finding vetted sustainable and slow fashion brands that suit your personal style.

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE:

🌐 Website: www.natalie-shehata.com

📸 Instagram: @nattystylist

🌐 tommie Magazine

📸 Instagram: @tommiemag

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Have you ever felt like you're stuck on a fashion trend-mill? That the process of getting dressed is more frustrating than it is creative or joyful? That you're unsure what to wear so you just default to what's trending? I've been there!

But in this episode, Nina Gbor of Eco Styles is sharing:

The process of self knowledge when it comes to personal style,
Her personal style formula for finally getting off that fashion trend-mill
How the ever faster moving trend cycle leads to such immense levels of textile waste,
And the realities and multi-layered impacts of waste colonialism.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Wearwell

wearwell is your destination for finding vetted sustainable and slow fashion brands that suit your personal style.

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/nina-gbor-fashion-trendmill

CONNECT WITH NINA GBOR:

🌐 Website: www.ecostyles.com.au

📸 Instagram: @eco.styles

👍🏻Facebook: @eco.styles.au

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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In this episode, Stella Hertantyo interviews fashion analyst and trend forecaster Mandy Lee (who you might know as @oldloserinbrooklyn on social media) to explore:

Fashion trends and the trend cycle,
The role of trend forecasters,
What microtrends and niche trends are,
How to find amazing secondhand gems,
The dynamic between following trends and finding your personal style,

and so much more!

EPISODE SPONSORS:

Wearwell

wearwell is your destination for finding vetted sustainable and slow fashion brands that suit your personal style.

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/mandy-lee-trend-forecaster

RESOURCES & EPISODES MENTIONED:

[Article] My Trend Videos Are Viral on TikTok—Here Are 5 Trends I Think Will Last
EP24. The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
EP17. More Creativity, Less Consumption: Sustainable Stylist Tips from Alyssa Beltempo

CONNECT WITH MANDY LEE:

📸 Instagram: @oldloserinbrooklyn

📱Tiktok: @oldloserinbrooklyn

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Sustainably-minded stylist Sophie Strauss shares advice on how to do a responsible closet audit.

Plus Sophie and I discuss:

What even is personal style in the first place?
Do you need to have a go-to personal uniform?
Can we (and should we) still participate in trends if we're dressing for our personal style?
How can we balance experimentation with understanding our personal style?

EPISODE SPONSORS

Wearwell

wearwell is your destination for finding vetted sustainable and slow fashion brands that suit your personal style.

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Want to start or grow a career in sustainable fashion? Find your next career opportunity on Conscious Fashion Collective's Job Board. (Or if you are hiring, submit your job opening!)

You can also sign up for the Conscious Fashion Collective job newsletter to get career opportunities delivered to your inbox, plus upcoming events.

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sophie-strauss-personal-stylist

CONNECT WITH SOPHIE STRAUSS:

🌐 Website www.sophiestraussstyling.com

📸 Instagram: @sophiestraussstyling

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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You've heard of personal style, but what about soul style?

In this interview with soul stylist Kerry Wilde, we're exploring topics like:

What embodiment is and how it relates to what we wear
How we can determine our soul style and start dressing for our soul style
The interconnections between beauty, body image, and the fashion industry

Hit play to uncover what soul style is all about!

(use code "podcast" for 50% off!)

Check out the Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Subscribe to CFC Job Newsletter

Submit A Job Posting

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/soul-style-kerry-wilde

CONNECT WITH KERRY WILDE:

🌐 Website kerrywilde.com

📸 Instagram: @thesoulstylist__

📧Newsletter: Signup Page

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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This is your sneak peak into Season 5 of the Conscious Style Podcast! Hit subscribe so that you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Newsletter: The Conscious Edit

Event: Intro To Visible Mending Virtual Workshop

*use code "podcast" for 50% off tickets to the workshop!

Career Interview with Fashion Psychologists

Career Interview with Slow Fashion Stylists

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board

Conscious Life & Style YouTube Channel

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In this special short series, Conscious Questions, Stella and Elizabeth dive into some of the most talked about and ask questions in the sustainable fashion space. Today, we're talking about a big one: overconsumption.

There were 100 billion items of clothing produced in 2014, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. But that was before the rise of ultra fast fashion giants like Shein. So that number is likely much larger today!

And global fiber production increased to a record 113 million tonnes last year, according to the Textile Exchange. That figure has almost doubled in the last 20 years and is expected to further increase to 149 million tons by 2030. Yikes!

So who or what is to "blame" for this rapid rise of overconsumption and overproduction? We're sharing some perspectives in this episode.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT

https://conscious-style-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/72-whats-driving-overconsumption-in-fashion

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Podcast: The History of Fast Fashion with Sara Idacavage
Article: Inside Fashion's Trend Cycles
Podcast: Shakaila Forbes-Bell on Fashion Psychology
Podcast: Amanda McCarty from Clotheshorse On Working For Fast Fashion
Podcast: Zainab Mahmood on Why Fast Fashion Is So Addictive
Podcast:A Wellbeing Wardrobe
Podcast: Fashion’s Waste Crisis in the Atacama Desert
Article: Amazon Uses Factories Other Fashion Brands Blacklist
Organization: Labour Behind The Label
Organization: Remake

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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Is slow fashion always more expensive? Do you really have to spend more money to be part of the slow fashion movement?

What goes into the price of a responsibly made garment? And are expensive, luxury fashion brands more sustainable or ethical?

There is a lot to unpack in part 4 of our Conscious Question Series, so hit play and dive in!

READ THE TRANSCRIPT

https://conscious-style-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/71-is-slow-fashion-more-expensive

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Article: Spending on Clothing and Footwear Falls Below 3% For First Time In US History by Dr. Mark J. Perry
Podcast: How To Identify High Quality Clothing with Zoe Hong
Vogue Article: What Goes Into The Pricing of Sustainable Fashion?
Book: Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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So you've learned about the issues in the fashion industry, become passionate about slow fashion, and want your friends and family to join the movement too.

But how do you talk to your friends or family or anyone in your life about slow fashion without feeling like you're sounding judgmental or critical?

It's a tough balance — but in today's episode Stella and I are sharing some tips and talking about our experiences for what's worked — and what hasn't!

ARTICLE VERSION:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/how-to-talk-about-sustainable-fashion/

TRANSCRIPT:

https://conscious-style-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/70-how-can-we-talk-about-slow-fashion-with-our-friends

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Book: Consumed by Aja Barber
Book: The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth L. Cline
Shein Expose IG Post
Dr. Dion Terrelonge's Instagram
Episode with Jasmin from Sourcing Journal
Alyssa Beltempo's video: 5 Items That Make Your Closet Feel Disjointed

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

📧Newsletter: https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

🌐Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

📸 Instagram: @consciousstyle

📹 YouTube: @consciouslifeandstyle

📌 Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

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In this Conscious Question episode, Stella and I dive into if fast fashion resale programs are really circular or just greenwashing (and why we think so), how can we tell if a fashion brand's resale program is a genuinely sustainable effort, and what some red flags are to look out for.

Hit play to dive in!

ARTICLE VERSION:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fast-fashion-resale/

TRANSCRIPT:

https://conscious-style-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/69-fast-fashion-resale-programs-greenwashing-or-progress

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Extended Producer Responsibility article
Atacama Desert Waste Crisis podcast episode
Emily Stochl, host of Pre-Loved Podcast
Retailers Are Cancelling Orders Again on Vogue Business
18 Online Secondhand Marketplaces To Buy & Sell Used Clothes

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com
Instagram: @consciousstyle
Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Can fast fashion brands ever be sustainable? If someone is going to buy from fast fashion, is it better to shop from these conscious or eco-capsule collections? And what is the deal with fast fashion's sustainability ambassadors?

Should minor improvements from Big Fashion brands still be celebrated since these brands have such a large impact, footprint, and huge buying power?

And when we're trying to make better choices, how can we tell if a fashion brand is greenwashing?

Hit play to hear Stella and Elizabeth's perspectives on fast fashion's sustainability efforts.

ARTICLE VERSION:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/can-fast-fashion-be-sustainable/

TRANSCRIPT:

https://conscious-style-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/can-fast-fashion-brands-ever-be-sustainable/transcript

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

What Is Ethical Fashion?
What is Sustainable Fashion?
What is Slow Fashion?
"Who Gets To Be A Fashion Activist?" on Fashionista
How To Spot Greenwashing
Sustainable Fashion Legislation article

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com
Instagram: @consciousstyle
Pinterest: @consciouslifeandstyle

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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The more the sustainability market grows, the more we see greenwashing.

Greenwashing is basically, when a company puts forth a false or exaggerated impression or completely misleading impression about how their products or their practices are environmentally friendly.

We know fast fashion brands are notorious for greenwashing. But today's episode with Milos Vranes of Green Eco Dream is a broader take on greenwashing that applies to more beyond fashion.

Hit play to hear Milos and my takes on how to spot and avoid greenwashing.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/tips-to-spot-greenwashing/

CONNECT WITH GREEN ECO DREAM:

Green Eco Dream's website
Green Eco Dream's Laundry Collection

EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP57: How to Launch A Slow Fashion Brands with Selina Ho
EP64: Journalists' Role In Shifting the Sustainable Fashion Conversation with Jasmin Malik Chua

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Can Big Fashion — fashion with a capital F — ever exist without exploitation of the planet and the humans and other living beings on it?

The more we dive into Fashion's perils, and how deep rooted these issues are, the more unlikely this seems.

In this episode, four members of Fashion Act Now — Sara Arnold, Sandra Niessen, Sam Weir, and Cindi Clark — are joining us to explain why they believe that we need to dismantle, decentralize, monolithic Fashion system and what kind of clothing systems could take its place.

Join us in this season finale of this podcast.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-act-now

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

[Article] Who gets to be a fashion activist?
Fixing Fashion
The Linen Project
David Bollier
The Common Market
[Book] Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

CONNECT WITH FASHION ACT NOW:

Fashion Act Now Website
Twitter - @FashionActNow
Instagram - @fashion_act_now

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

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We know that we need to dramatically slow down fashion. And this season of the podcast has been dedicated to exploring just how we might do that. But what happens to the people who make our clothes?

Stella Hertantyo is back in the host seat to explore this topic with Mousumi Sarangi, Fair Wear Foundation's Country Manager in India and the Regional Coordinator of Gender.

Fair Wear Foundation is a nonprofit organization and multi-stakeholder initiative, connecting factories, workers, trade unions, NGOs, brands, and other fashion industry influencers.

There's a lot to unpack in this episode — hit play and let's get into this layered discussion.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fair-wear-foundation

LINKS MENTIONED:

The Industry We Want website
EP12: From the Frontlines: Fighting for Garment Worker Rights in Bangladesh with Nazma Akter
EP60: Living Wages for Garment Makers with Anne Bienias from Clean Clothes Campaign

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing and Labor Editor at Sourcing Journal, joins us to discuss the role that journalists can play a role in sorting out the greenwashing and moving the needle forward on the sustainable fashion conversation. Jasmin also shares how the narrative around sustainability in fashion has shifted dramatically in recent years, if recycled polyester is truly "circular", how the rapid pace of media is impacting journalists, and so much more.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/jasmin-malik-chua

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Sourcing Journal
Jasmin's article on recycled polyester: "Cancer Alley": A Cautionary Tale for Fashion's Polyester Love Affair
Jasmin's article on H&M removing their "conscious choice" labels: Why H&M Canceled ‘Conscious Choice’
Jasmin's articles on fast fashion greenwashing: (1) H&M greenwash warning from the Norwegian Consumer Authority, (2) Britain's competition watchdog's scrutiny of Asos and Boohoo, and (3) Shein's first Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Jasmin's article on the consequences of fast fashion's waste and the exploitative buying practices of brands

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.54 - Slowing Down Media With Kestrel Jenkins

CONNECT WITH JASMIN:

Jasmin Malik Chua's Website
LinkedIn
Twitter - @jasminchua

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Know that it's okay to grow slow — in fact in might even be better for you or your business in the long term. Here's why.

*This was a last minute episode so we didn't have time to put together the transcript before publishing as we normally do! Please contact us if you would like a transcription of this episode.

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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How can we let go of hustle culture as a small business owner? How do we set boundaries when we absolutely love what we do and we believe it's making an impact? Is it possible to leave social media as a small business owner? How do we manage our time (and NOT work all of the time!) when everything feels so urgent?

We're talking about it all in this episode, which is part 2 of my conversation with Saskia de Feijter — the founder of Ja Wol and the host of the podcast, A Smaller Life.

If you haven't listened to part 1 — which is episode 62 — you might want to go back and do that first, since we referenced some things that we talked about in part one in this episode.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/hustle-culture-sustainable-entrepreneur

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

A Smaller Life Podcast
Building Better Business Circle
(Book) Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women by Kate Northrup
Alice Karolina of The Ethical Move
The 80,000 Hours Podcast with Rob Wiblin
Feel Better, Live More with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.62 - Conscious Entrepreneurship and Crafting | with Saskia de Feijter, part 1

CONNECT WITH SASKIA DE FEIJTER AND JA WOL:

Ja Wol Website

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

Do Less: A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women

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In this episode, I'm chatting with Saskia de Feijter who is the founder of Ja Wol and the host of the podcast, A Smaller Life.

We'll be starting off the conversation chatting about conscious crafting and then shifting into conscious entrepreneurship, and the challenges and considerations of growing a small, mindful values-based business.

And this is actually just part one of our conversation. Part two will be published next Tuesday. Hit subscribe so you don't miss it!

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/conscious-entrepreneurship

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

A Smaller Life Podcast
Building Better Business Circle

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.13 - How (and Why!) To Make or Modify Your Own Clothes with Sonya Philip

CONNECT WITH SASKIA DE FEIJTER AND JA WOL:

Ja Wol Website

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Late last year, the realities of fashion’s waste crisis in the Atacama Desert made headlines. You might have seen some of them:

"The fast fashion graveyard in Chile's Atacama Desert", or "Chile's Atacama Desert: Where Fast Fashion Goes to Die" or maybe "Chile's Desert: dumping ground for fast fashion's leftovers".

In this episode, we're hearing from Angela of Desierto Vestido and Laura from SumOfUs to go beyond the headlines to discover what led to this waste crisis decades before it grabbed the attention of the media and how things have been faring after the news stories died down…

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-waste-atacama-desert

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Sign The Petition to Gabriel Boric

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.31 - The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade with Nikissi Serumaga

CONNECT WITH DESIERTO VESTIDO AND SUMOFUS:

SumOfUs Instagram - @sumofus
Desierto Vestido Instagram - @desiertovestido_tarapaca

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Anna Bienias — the Living Wage Coordinator at Clean Clothes Campaign — shares why living wages are an essential element of a more just slow fashion future. In this episode, guest host Stella Hertantyo asks Anne about:

Why paying garment workers low, non-livable wages is what underpins fast fashion;
What a living wage is, how they are determined, and how this differs from a minimum wage;
Whose responsibility it should be to ensure that living wages are paid;
The most effective way to hold brands accountable to pay living wages without jeopardizing the livelihoods of workers;
And why paying garment workers higher wages doesn't necessarily mean that they will lose their jobs.

Hit play to find out what it takes to achieve living wages for garment workers in the fashion industry.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/living-wages-clean-clothes-campaign/

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Good Clothes, Fair Pay Campaign
Take Action! Sign the Good Clothes, Fair Pay Petition
@ohsoethical Instagram
Fashion Checker

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.11 - Fashion Activism: It’s Time for Brands to #PayUp with Ayesha Barenblat

CONNECT WITH CLEAN CLOTHES CAMPAIGN:

Clean Clothes Campaign website
Facebook - @cleanclothescampaign
Instagram - @cleanclothescampaign
Twitter - @cleanclothes

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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What does co-creation look like in fashion? And how could brands genuinely collaborating with artisans help shift the imbalanced power dynamics in the fashion industry?

That's what we're exploring in this episode with Niha Elety, a sustainable fashion advocate, designer, and the founder of Tega Collective.

Hit play to join us as we go behind the scenes of Tega Collective, and find out why and how Niha created the brand.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/niha-elety-tega-collective

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Tega Collective's feature in Vogue
Ep.14 - The Importance of Cultural Sustainability in Fashion with Niha Elety
Ep.55 - How To Challenge Cultural Misappropriation with Monica Boța-Moisin
Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative

CONNECT WITH NIHA AND TEGA COLLECTIVE:

Tega Collective
Instagram - @tegacollective
Tiktok - @tegacollective
Niha's IG

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Fashion historian and educator Sara Idacavage is exploring the origins of mass-produced clothing and the forces that gave way to the fast fashion industry as it stands today.

Hit play and join us in this important conversation as we explore how history influenced the present-day fashion industry and how we can take notes from decades past to help address current issues in fashion.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/history-fast-fashion/

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

(Book) Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline
(Article) “Fashion, its Sacrifice Zone, and Sustainability” by Dr. Sandra Niessen
(Book) The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon
(Article) "How Sustainable Fashion Education Can Catalyze Change" by Stella Hertantyo

EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP31: The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade with Nikissi Serumaga
EP8: Unpacking Fashion’s Colonial Roots & Modern-Day Realities With Sophia Yang

CONNECT WITH SARA:

Email address
Website
Instagram

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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In this bonus episode, Conscious Style Podcast guest host Stella Hertantyo is breaking down 7 alternative sustainable fashion business models that could help create a better future for fashion.

READ THE ARTICLE:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-fashion-business-models/

GUIDES MENTIONED:

Fashion Social Enterprises

Made-to-Order Fashion Brands

Mending & Repair Businesses

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Visit Our Website

Follow On Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

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Have you ever thought about starting your own slow fashion brand? But you were concerned that the market is too saturated or you don't have enough funding or design expertise or a formal degree to make it happen?

Maybe you just don't even know where to start? Or perhaps you're just curious about what it takes to start a slow fashion brand.

Well, then this episode with Selina Ho — the founder and CEO of sustainable fashion consultancy Recloseted — is for you.

Hit play to learn all about starting a slow fashion brand.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/starting-sustainable-fashion-brand

LINKS MENTIONED:

Conscious Fashion Collective Job Board - To submit a job posting: social(at)consciousfashion.co
Chanodil Sourcing Platform
Recloseted's Launch Resources
The Recloseted Handbook

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.42 - How Can Fashion Brands Actually Become More Sustainable?

CONNECT WITH SELINA & RECLOSETED:

Recloseted website
Instagram: @recloseted
Facebook: @recloseted
LinkedIn: Recloseted
Podcast: Recloseted Radio
Youtube: Recloseted Consulting

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Hear from fashion psychologist Dr. Dion Terrelonge about style psychology and the forces driving us to (over)consume. In this episode, Dion talks about:

Clothing and identity, especially as it relates to young people
Some of the driving forces behind conspicuous (i.e. very visible) consumption
The psychology behind the acceleration of fashion consumption
Why some of us might have cognitive dissonance between knowing the harms of the fashion industry and still continuing to overconsume
How we can start to slow down our consumption
How we can harness the positive power of fashion to improve our wellbeing

Hit play to hear all of Dion's insights!

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/dion-terrelonge-fashion-psychologist

LINKS MENTIONED:

(Book) How To Break Up With Fast Fashion: A guilt-free guide to changing the way you shop – for good by Lauren Bravo
Ep.24 - The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell

CONNECT WITH DION & THE STYLE AND WELLBEING CONSULTANCY:

The Fashion Psychologist Website
Instagram: @thefashionpsychologist_/

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

How To Break Up With Fast Fashion: A guilt-free guide to changing the way you shop – for good

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Stella Hertantyo is back as a guest host for this episode to interview Monica Boța Moisin of Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative to explore how we can challenge cultural misappropriation and work towards cultural sustainability.

Monica and Stella will explore the deeper causes of cultural misappropriation in fashion and discuss how cultural intellectual property can help sustain ancestral crafts and traditional knowledge, while slowing down fashion too.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/monica-moisin-cultural-intellectual-property-rights/

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.14 - The Importance of Cultural Sustainability in Fashion with Niha Elety

CONNECT WITH MONICA & CIPRI:

Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative Website
Cultural Sustainability Academy
CIPRI's Services
LinkedIn
Instagram: @culturalintellectualproperty

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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In this episode, Kestrel Jenkins — host of the Conscious Chatter podcast — is sharing her thoughts on slow media. Kestrel also shares:

If slow media could ever be compatible with social media
How algorithms impact us as content creators and content consumers
How news cycles have been speeding up — and what the impact has been
Why podcasting is such a powerful form of media
How we can start to slow down our consumption (and production) of media

Hit play to join this conversation on slowing down media.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact laundry essentials to help make your loved clothes last!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/kestrel-jenkins-conscious-chatter

EPISODE MENTIONED:

Ep.37 The Challenges and Complexities of Being a ‘Sustainable’ Influencer or Creator

LINKS MENTIONED:

People Tree
SUSTAIN the Mag
The Root Podcast: Ep.4 The Future of Fashion
NPR Lifekit: 4 Tips to Get Over FOMO

CONNECT WITH KESTREL & CONSCIOUS CHATTER:

Conscious Chatter Website
Instagram: @consciouschatter

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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In this episode, we'll be exploring a new approach to production with Sally Lim, the co-owner of 2°EAST. Sally is sharing:

An insider perspective into what goes into making a watch — and what that tells us about the rest of the fashion industry, too
What it's like to co-own a brand with the manufacturer
How this partnership enables far more transparency
The challenges of marketing in an ethical way that feels good
And so much more.

Hit play and join us as we peel the layers of what transparent production looks like.

Note: this episode was made as part of a partnership with 2°EAST. But it's not a promo episode — it's still as educational, inspirational, and useful as the rest of the Conscious Style Podcast episodes (hopefully!) are for you.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sally-lim-2-degrees-east

LINKS MENTIONED:

Instagram Graphic on 2°EAST's Pricing
Sustainability Against Shame
How Can We Make Ethical Fashion More Affordable?

CONNECT WITH SALLY & 2°EAST:

2DegreesEast.com
Instagram - @2DegreesEast

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Uncover lost textile histories with Karen Baker — a researcher and ethnographic fiber artist — in this episode. You'll also hear Karen talk about:

Her research into African American weavers' contributions to textile and fibers before the Great Migration
The impact of these lost histories in understanding textiles and fashion
How we can collectively work to uncover and integrate lost and/or overlooked textile histories
How she is integrating her research into her work with the organization Fiber With A Cause
What role technology plays in the fashion industry, and in the slow fashion movement.

Hit play to uncover the impact of restorative textile history in building a better fashion future.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fiber-artist-karen-baker

EPISODE MENTIONED:

EP29: Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems with Lydia Wendt

LINKS MENTIONED:

The Day The World Stops Shopping by J.B. MacKinnon (Book)
Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save The World by Jason Hickel (Book)

CONNECT WITH KAREN & FIBER WITH A CAUSE:

Fiber With A Cause Website
Facebook
Instagram - @fiberwithacause
Twitter - @sevencon

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Pinterest

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In this episode, Sam Weir — a professional slow fashion stylist and the founder of one-on-one sustainable styling service Lotte is sharing:

Why wearing what it's in our closets is so important to the sustainable fashion movement,
How we can find joy in our wardrobes and not make it feel like a sacrifice to shop less,
Her advice for restyling what's in our closets,
What to do when nothing in our wardrobe feels like us any longer, and more.

Hit play to find out how you can be a part of the slow fashion movement by simply loving what you already own!

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-stylist-sam-weir

EPISODE MENTIONED:

EP17: More Creativity, Less Consumption: Sustainable Stylist Tips from Alyssa Beltempo

CONNECT WITH SAM & LOTTE:

Website
Instgram - @lotte.v1
Tiktok - @lotte.world

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The impacts of fast fashion have been well documented — awareness of the industry's destruction of the environment and exploitation of people around the world has never been higher.

Yet, we are continuing to see a rise in fast fashion consumption. In fact, when you look at ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein, fast fashion has only gotten cheaper, faster, and bigger.

We're in the midst of a climate crisis. So why can't we stop buying so many cheap clothes?

What makes this fast-fashion habit so particularly hard to break? Well, that is what we're going to be talking about today with our guest: Zainab. In this episode, she'll be breaking down:

What ultra-fast fashion exactly is
Why it's so addictive, especially for young people
How fast fashion's marketing tactics keep people hooked on their "drug"
The role that influencers play in overconsumption
And how we can start to challenge and change these fast fashion systems.

Hit play and join us in exploring just how fast fashion brands are "using every trick in the book to get us addicted"...

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/zainab-mahmood-fast-fashion

LINKS MENTIONED:

ThredUP 2022 Resale Report
Business of Fashion Article: Why Shein Might Be Worth $100 Billion in Four Charts
Book: Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
Oh So Ethical Resources
Oh So Ethical Twitter

EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP.24 The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
EP.47 How to Cultivate a Healthier Relationship to Shopping with Jessica Harumi
EP.40 What It’s Really Like Working for Fast Fashion with Amanda McCarty
EP.21 The Connection Between Social Media and Overconsumption in Fashion

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Instagram
Pinterest

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https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Could social enterprises offer a blueprint for how fashion can start to center people above shareholder profits?

Well, this is the question that will be explored in today's episode hosted by Stella Hertantyo with guest Simone Cipriani of the Ethical Fashion Initiative. Simone covers so many important topics, including:

Why human rights and labor rights need to be at the center of our fashion system,
How his work with artisan communities has helped him understand what sustainable fashion means in practice, how social enterprises work, and how alternative fashion business models are helping us shift the business of fashion by tackling overconsumption and waste,
Why he thinks we are in the era of fashion accountability and the role that business reporting plays in this, and;
Why local ecosystems are production and consumption and circular textile economies are key elements of degrowth in practice

Hit play to find out how social enterprises can shift fashion’s future.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/simone-cipriani

OTHER EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP.38 How Custom Collaborative is Paving the Way for a Better Fashion Future
EP.26 Behind the Indigenous-Owned Circular Conscious Fashion Brand Anne Mulaire

CONNECT WITH ETHICAL FASHION INITIATIVE

Website
Instagram: @ethicafashion

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The current fashion system puts profits above people and the planet. But what if we could flip this on its head and get fashion to actually put human and ecological health first?

Well, that's exactly what a wellbeing economy for fashion could do — otherwise known as a "Wellbeing Wardrobe".

Commissioned by the European Environmental Bureau, Wellbeing Wardrobe is an in-depth report that identified ways that fashion could participate effectively in a post-growth future to work in the interest of the common good.

In this episode, you'll hear from three members of the research team at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney:

Dr. Samantha Sharpe: Associate Professor and Research Director
Dr. Monique Retamal: Program Lead for Resource Stewardship, and
Dr. Taylor Brydges: Research Principal

Hit play and find out how we can all participate in this change and what a healthier future for fashion could look like.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/wellbeing-wardrobe

LINKS MENTIONED:

Wellbeing Wardrobe: A wellbeing economy for the fashion and textile sector
Post Growth Institute

EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP.11 Fashion Activism: It’s Time for Brands to #PayUp with Ayesha Barenblat
EP.20 How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo
EP.45 Are Better Brand-Supplier Relationships The Missing Link to Ethical Fashion?

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When we think about slow fashion, there's a lot of tactical advice out there and this is all important and vital to talk about. But a long-term sustainable approach to conscious fashion goes beyond the actions we see at the surface and involves creating a new mindset around what we buy and own.

In today's conversation, I am going to be chatting with slow fashion content creator Jessica Harumi about:

How we can identify when we have an unhealthy relationship to shopping
How we can start to create a healthier relationship to shopping and fashion
How we can still enjoy style and fashion without constant consumption
The benefits of capsule wardrobes
How a capsule wardrobe changed Jessica's relationship with fashion

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/jessica-harumi/

LINKS MENTIONED:

The Anna Edit
Ep.24 The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
Ep.7 How to Make the Most of Your Wardrobe with Jess Atkins
Ep.17 More Creativity, Less Consumption: Sustainable Stylist Tips from Alyssa Beltempo
Ep.34 What is the Power of Style? Style Coach Elyse Holladay Breaks it Down

CONNECT WITH JESSICA:

Website
Instgram - @jessica.harumi
Youtube
TikTok - @jessica.harumi

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Pinterest

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Cheap clothes come at a cost to the environment, to the people working across the fashion supply chain, and maybe even to fast fashion consumers too.

In this episode, we are going to explore all of the hidden — the true — costs of fast fashion.

This is the first episode of season 4, which will be focused on dramatically slowing down fashion and envisioning what a post-growth or degrowth future for fashion would look like.

Before we get into all of the ways we can slow down fashion though, I wanted to talk about what is wrong with fast fashion. So hit play for a deep-dive into fast fashion's environmental impacts and social impacts.

This episode was brought to you by Green Eco Dream, a sustainably-minded marketplace with eco-conscious alternatives for your health, home, beauty, and on-the-go needs.

Check out Green Eco Dream's collection of low waste, low impact clothing care essentials.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/why-is-fast-fashion-bad/

LINKS MENTIONED:

What is Sustainable Fashion?
What is Ethical Fashion?
What is Slow Fashion?
The Fashion Industry's Environmental Impacts
White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch
'Buy now, pay later' is sending the TikTok generation spiraling into debt

EPISODES MENTIONED:

Ep.1 What is Ethical Fashion?
Ep. 2 What is Sustainable Fashion?
Ep.30 Regenerative Fashion & Building a Seed-to-Sew Supply Chain
Ep.29 Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems
Ep.31 The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade
Ep.45 Are Better Brand-Supplier Relationships The Missing Link to Ethical Fashion?
Ep.40 What It’s Really Like Working for Fast Fashion
Ep.3 What is Slow Fashion and How Can You Participate in the Movement?

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

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What will it really take to create a more sustainable and equitable future for fashion? Join me, your host Elizabeth, as I interview changemakers in the fashion industry to explore this very question.

Every Tuesday on the Conscious Style Podcast, you'll hear from guests from labor activists and organizers to slow fashion entrepreneurs and designers to ethical fashion authors and creators to fashion psychologists and sustainable fashion stylists, who are diving into all of the questions you've been asking about conscious fashion.

Listen to the trailer to get a preview of what to expect in this show.

FIND ALL TRANSCRIPTS & SHOW NOTES HERE:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/category/podcast/

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In this episode, we're going to get a glimpse into the world of supplier factories in fashion.

You'll hear from Arjen Laan, the CEO of Pactics, a sustainability-minded manufacturing company focused on building longer-term partnerships with conscious brands instead of short-term sales.

Arjen is sharing his perspectives, from a supplier side of things, on audits, certifications, and even compliance legislation.

He's also talking about:

The power imbalances between brands and suppliers (particularly, big brands)
The imbalance of financial risk and how that leads to a lot of the poor conditions we see at factories today, and
The differences between working with smaller brands versus larger corporations

There are a lot of great insights in this episode that gave me some really important food for thought when it comes to how we can really build a better future for fashion. I hope you learn from this conversation, too!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-brand-supplier-partnerships

LINKS MENTIONED:

[Article] Changing fashion’s buying practices: What’s to come for brands
Ep.40 What It’s Really Like Working for Fast Fashion with Amanda McCarty

CONNECT WITH ARJEN AND PACTICS:

Website
LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT:

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Investing in high-quality clothing is something we talk a lot about in the slow fashion space. But how can we actually tell if a garment is high quality or not?

In this episode, we are going to be learning all about quality garments from one of the most in-demand fashion design instructors in the industry, Zoe Hong.

Zoe has over half a million subscribers on YouTube. But in case you're unfamiliar with Zoe's work, Zoe drew upon her years as a fashion designer, illustrator, and instructor at one of the world’s most prestigious fashion universities, to build one of the largest online fashion education platforms!

In this interview, Zoe is sharing:

Everything that goes into making a garment
Where fast fashion cuts corners with quality, design, and fit
How we can tell if a garment is high quality (even when shopping online)
And: what we can do to make our clothes LAST!

Hit play to find out how you can make better (and more sustainable) choices the next time you're shopping for clothing.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/identify-high-quality-clothing

LINKS MENTIONED:

How to Shop for Quality Clothing Video
Jeans Left In Compost Article
Zoe's Conversation with Personal Stylist Cassandra Sethi
Tote Bags Made From Billboards: RAREFORM

CONNECT WITH ZOE:

Website
YouTube
Instagram - @zoehong
TikTok - @zoehongteaches
Twitter - @zoehong

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Imagine if, the next time that you were shopping, you could find fashion labels on every garment or pair of shoes or handbag that were as in-depth as the nutrition facts that we see on our food packages.

What if when we looked at a product's tag, it didn't just say where it was made and which fibers it was composed of, but shared if the makers of that garment or pair of sandals or handbag were making living wages and working in good conditions? Or if you could see the carbon footprint and ecological impact of a pair of sneakers and how that stacked up compared to other sneakers that were on the shelf?

Today we are going to envision that future with Matt Stockamp, the Sustainability Lead at an ethical fashion brand you might have heard of, Nisolo.

Hit play to find out how this project can help push for better transparency in fashion.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainability-facts-label

LINKS MENTIONED:

Sustainability Facts Label
Sustainable Apparel Coalition's Higg Index
Social Accountability International's SA8000 Standard
Fair Labor Association’s Workplace Code of Conduct
Better Work Program
Fair Trade USA
B Impact Assessment
Global Living Wage Coalition
Cradle to Cradle Product Program
EON’s Digital ID
Leather Working Group
Regenerative Organic Certified
Bluesign
OEKO-TEX
REACH
The Lowest Wage Challenge
ABLE

CONNECT WITH NISOLO:

Website
Instagram - @nisoloshoes
Facebook - @NisoloShoes
Twitter - @NisoloShoes
Pinterest

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
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Pinterest
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Selina Ho of the slow fashion consultancy Recloseted is addressing some of the biggest questions and most talked about topics in the conscious fashion space today, like:

How can small fashion brands with limited resources integrate sustainability into their business?
How can existing fashion brands become more sustainable?
How can we tell (as individuals) if a brand is authentically interested in being more sustainable?
Since no brand can be perfectly 100% sustainable, how can we REALLY tell if a brand is green or just greenwashing?
How can genuinely conscious fashion brands navigate communicating their efforts WITHOUT accidentally veering into greenwashing territory?
How can true conscious brands stand out in an increasingly crowded — and greenwashed — market?

Hit play to tune in to all of this and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/selina-ho-recloseted

LINKS MENTIONED:

Recloseted Radio EP16: Incorporating Sustainability With Limited Funds, Resources, and Time

CONNECT WITH SELENA & RECLOSETED:

Website
Instagram - @recloseted
Facebook - @recloseted
LinkedIn
Podcast

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Hear from Trisha Bantigue, the CEO and co-founder of Queenly — which is the leading online marketplace and search engine for pre-loved formalwear — about building an authentically inclusive fashion business.

In this episode, Trisha is also sharing:

Why fashion companies are stuck at this surface level view of diversity, rather than really addressing inclusivity at a root level
The negative perceptions of secondhand that Queenly was (and continues to be) up against in the formalwear industry
The challenges of securing funding as a women-founded business
How tech can be used to increase accessibility to secondhand

Hit play to tune in to all of this and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/trisha-bantigue-queenly/

LINKS MENTIONED:

Queenly app on Google Play Store
Queenly app on Apple Store
Julie Wainwright, CEO of The Real Real

CONNECT WITH TRISHA & QUEENLY:

Website
Instagram - @queenlyapp
Facebook - @queenlyapp
Pinterest - @queenlyapp
Twitter - @queenlyapp
Tiktok - @queenlyapp
LinkedIn

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Amanda McCarty, the host of Clotheshorse and an experienced buyer in the fast fashion industry, is giving us an inside look at the practices used by the fast fashion industry and revealing the realities of working for fast fashion corporations.

You'll hear about:

How overproduction is part of fast fashion's business model
Why most deals today are really just a delusion
What drove the dramatic drop in quality of fashion
What the toxic environment is like many fast fashion corporate offices
How Amazon is taking the fashion world by storm (but not in a good way...)
And why small business is the future

Hit play to hear Amanda pull back the curtain on the fast fashion industry!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/amanda-mccarty-clotheshorse

LINKS MENTIONED:

PayUp Movement
The Rana Plaza factory collapse (Article)
The Amazon That Customers Don’t See (Article)
EP22 Aja Barber on Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry (Podcast)

CONNECT WITH AMANDA & CLOTHESHORSE:

Website
Instagram - @clotheshorsepodcast
Email
Clotheshorse Podcast

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

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In this episode, I'm sharing the most transformative resources on my personal conscious fashion journey in an effort to share useful resources that you can turn to on your own path.

So, hit play to hear 7 resources that I have either learned the most from or that have shifted my mindset around slow, conscious, and sustainable fashion most profoundly.

Looking for more resources? Grab your free 10 page Google Doc full of sustainable fashion resources (books, documentaries, podcasts, courses, etc.) by signing up for the Conscious Edit newsletter at consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-fashion-resources

LINKS MENTIONED:

The True Cost Documentary
River Blue Documentary
Conscious Chatter podcast
Green Dreamer podcast
Wardrobe Crisis podcast
Crash Course Fashion podcast
Clotheshorse podcast
View all previous Conscious Style Podcast episodes
Slow Factory Open Education
15 Sustainable Fashion Books to Add to your Reading List
Remake's website and Instagram and Ambassador Community
Vogue Business Sustainability Section
Sourcing Journal
Sophie Benson
Ethical Style Journal
Atmos: #ReFashion
The Fashion Law
The Guardian
Conscious Life & Style Website
Conscious Fashion Collective website
@ConsciousFashion Instagram
@TheSustainableFashionForum Instagram
Grist
Free Courses and Education to Learn More About Sustainable Fashion

EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP8 Unpacking Fashion’s Colonial Roots & Modern-Day Realities With Sophia Yang
EP9 Creating an Intersectional Sustainable Fashion Future with Sophia Yang
EP12 From the Frontlines: Fighting for Garment Worker Rights in Bangladesh with Nazma Akter
EP24 The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumption with Shakaila Forbes-Bell
EP29 Compostable Clothing, Natural Dyes, and Localizing Fashion Systems
EP30 Regenerative Fashion & Building a Seed-to-Sew Supply Chain
EP31 The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade with Nikissi Serumaga
EP22 Aja Barber on Colonialism, Consumerism, and Changing the Fashion Industry
EP11: Fashion Activism: It’s Time for Brands to #PayUp with Ayesha Barenblat

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

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Custom Collaborative is a New York-based nonprofit transforming the apparel industry economics for low-to-no income women and immigrant women.

In this episode, you're going to hear from Custom Collaborative’s founder and Executive Director, Ngozi Okaro.

Ngozi advocates for a fashion industry that honors both planet and people. In this episode Ngozi talks about:

Custom Collaborative's various programs: their training institute, business incubator, advocacy work, and cooperative development support
Why local manufacturing is important for a sustainable and ethical fashion future,
What we need at a legislative level for more accountability in the industry,
How cooperatives can be an approach to a more equitable garment production system.

If you know someone else that you think would also get something out of this episode, you can grab the share link on your podcast app and send it their way.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/custom-collaborative-ngozi-okaro/

OTHER EPISODE(S) MENTIONED:

EP11: Fashion Activism: It’s Time for Brands to #PayUp with Ayesha Barenblat

LINKS MENTIONED:

Fashion That Works Production
Garment Worker Protection Act (SB 62)
New York's Fashion Sustainability and Accountability Act, (“The Fashion Act”)
Garment Worker Center

CONNECT WITH NGOZI AND CUSTOM COLLABORATIVE

Website
Instagram - @customcolab
Facebook - @customcollaborative
Twitter - @customcolab
LinkedIn
Youtube
For volunteers, send your applications to: info@customercollaborative.org

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Is it possible to preach the values of sustainability while still promoting consumption?

This is the question posed by a recent article in The New York Times titled, "The Moral Quandary of ‘Slow Fashion’ Influencers". The piece explored what it is like navigating the nuanced world of working with brands — and making a living — while also advocating for sustainability and reduced consumption.

And a lot of what was in this article and what some of the creators said in this piece really resonated with me. Being an influencer or creator in the sustainability space comes with a lot of complexities and challenges, and my personal journey is no exception.

In today’s solo episode, I will be talking about how I navigate balancing my values while sustaining a media platform and business. I'll be talking about:

The balancing act of working with brands while sustaining my values of minimalism, slow fashion, and conscious consumption;
How to provide more value to brands beyond promoting their products;
Diversifying income streams and platforms to not be overly dependent on social media or advertising;
Creating content that’s meaningful, educational, and one that drives change without being caught up in the numbers games;
Dealing with negative comments on social media and talking about challenging (sometimes controversial) topics while setting boundaries;
And more.

This is a bit of a different topic than usual, but I think it's an important one. And I hope that this episode will be useful for any of my fellow creators or entrepreneurs out there.

If you know someone else who would find this content helpful, grab the share link in your favorite podcast app for this episode, and send it their way.

If you want personalized advice, learn more about my creator consulting services.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-influencer-challenges/

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

CREATOR CONSULTING SERVICES:
https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/contact/consulting-services/

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In this episode, you are going to get a behind-the-scenes look at one element of Conscious Life & Style as a business and you'll get to meet a member of the team!

My partnerships manager, Abigail Davidson, and I will be talking about all things sustainable brand and influencer (or creator) partnerships.

Abigail has a boutique agency, ADH Management, where she helps conscious creators increase their income and save them time through brand partnerships management and content optimization.

In this episode, Abigail is going to talk about:

What the differences are between conscious creator-brand partnerships versus sort of typical or "mainstream" influencer partnerships, so to speak,
Her thoughts on navigating the tough balance of trying to be a sustainable influencer,
What the pros and cons are of working with small versus larger brands are,
Her perspectives on gifting partnerships (i.e. when a brand wants to gift an item in exchange for something in return)
And a TON of do's and don'ts for both brands and creators.

Click play to dive into this conversion with Abigail!

And if you know a conscious creator or a friend that owns a brand and wants to learn more about influencer marketing, share this episode with them if you think they'd get something out of it.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-influencer-brand-partnerships/

LINKS MENTIONED:

[EBOOK] The Complete Guide to Creator Partnerships and Influencer Marketing (get 10% off with the code CONSCIOUSSTYLE)
Eco-Friendly Mattress Brands guide
Canva

CONNECT WITH ABIGAIL AND ADH MANAGEMENT:

Website
Email

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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I receive questions through Instagram frequently, often I get repeat questions, and I feel like a podcast is a perfect place to answer them, elaborate more on the question, and give you in-depth responses.

So today on the podcast it’s going to be a Q&A solo episode. Yup, just you and me!

In this episode, I will talk about:

The different options for rehoming your old clothes
Where and how to send or recycle old clothes responsibly
Tips for upcycling and recycling damaged clothes that can’t be resold or re-worn
Where to find sustainable underwear, bras, and socks
My recommendations for sustainable fashion platforms or marketplaces (including secondhand ones)

If you have a question that you would like me to address in a podcast episode, or invite a guest on to address, you can send me a DM on Instagram @consciousstyle.

Make sure you are subscribed to this podcast so that you don't miss those future Q and A's!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/what-to-do-with-unwanted-clothes/

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

OTHER EPISODES MENTIONED:

EP31 The Reality of the Secondhand Clothing Trade
EP17 More Creativity, Less Consumption: Tips from Slow Fashion Stylist Alyssa Beltempo
EP7: How to Make the Most of Your Wardrobe with Jess Atkins
EP25 #SwapBeforeYouShop: The Many Benefits of Clothes Swapping with Nicole Robertson
EP23 How Can We Make Fashion Rental More Sustainable? with Eshita Kabra of By Rotation
EP1 What is Ethical Fashion? Here’s What You Need to Know
EP2 What is Sustainable Fashion + Why Does it Matter?
EP3 What is Slow Fashion and How Can You Participate in the Movement?
EP4 How to Tell if a Fashion Brand is Green — or Just Greenwashing
EP20: How We Can Make Mending Mainstream with Josephine Philips of Sojo

GUIDES MENTIONED:

How and Where to Recycle Your Old Clothes
How to Host a Clothing Swap
Conscious Fashion Brands with Online Secondhand Marketplaces
Organic & Eco-Friendly Underwear Brands
Sustainable Socks
Eco & Organic Bralettes
18 Best Online Secondhand Stores to Shop (and Sell!) Preloved Clothes

ORGANIZATIONS & APPS MENTIONED:

Swap Society
Nuw
By Rotation
Hurr
Tulerie
Free The Girls
Freecycle Network
Trash Nothing
TerraCycle

BRANDS & ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED :

contains affiliate links

Patagonia
Eileen Fisher
Knickey
Organic Basics
Pact
Conscious Step
Poshmark
Depop
Plato's Closet
The RealReal
Vestiaire Collective
Made Trade
ourCommonplace
Consciously
Galerie.LA
Fox Holt
Eco Fashion Labels
Know The Origin
The Green Labels
Adjoaa
Macondo
Ikkivi

CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH & CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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Instagram
Pinterest
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What is the difference between stylists and style coaches? Today on the podcast we are going to learn a bit more about style coaching with personal style coach, Elyse Holladay.

Elyse is on a mission to help women transform their relationship with clothes and show up fully as their authentic selves.

In this episode, Elyse is going to talk about:

The power of style — and why that power has been so underestimated
What personal style coaching is all about
The importance of habits, why it's so challenging to shift consumption behaviors, and how we can start to interrogate that
How she integrates her values into her business
The balance of fair pricing as a socially conscious business
Her advice for others who want to start service-based slow fashion businesses of their own.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Elyse as much as I did — if you know someone who would find this episode on the power of style and running a values-based business interesting or useful, share this episode with them!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/personal-style-coaching/

RELEVANT LINKS:

Jessica DeFino
The Unfolding
Shakaila Forbes-Bell
Jennifer Armbrust
Lindsay Goldsmith

CONNECT WITH ELYSE & ELYSE STYLED:

Website
Instagram - @elyseholladay
Facebook
LinkedIn
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So, when you hear the word marketing, what do you think of?

Do you think of glitzy advertisements with photoshopped models that make us feel we're not enough? Greenwashing campaigns from fast fashion brands that tell us we can buy our way to sustainability? Perhaps sales emails telling us the latest and greatest discounts & doorbusters?

Well, I don't believe that marketing has to look this way.

So, today on the show, we're talking about marketing, and how to do it more mindfully. Because as it stands now, it doesn't exactly have a great reputation!

In this episode, I am talking with Natalia Gomez of Green Studio Marketing. With over 8 years of marketing experience, Natalia offers ethical content marketing services for conscious entrepreneurs.

You're going to hear Natalia talk about:

What ethical marketing is all about and how she helps small conscious brands sell their products in a mindful way,
Why branding and content marketing are important for small businesses,
What her experience was like working in marketing for a mass consumption brand, and how that differs from what she does now,
Her advice for anyone else who wants to start their own conscious business, and more

If you have any takeaways or thoughts on what we talk about in this episode, we'd love to hear them — you can find me on Instagram @consciousstyle and Natalia is over on @green.studiomx.

And if you know a small brand owner, share this episode with them if you think they'd find it helpful or interesting!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/ethical-marketing-authentic-content/

LINKS MENTIONED:

See You Tomorrow: A Resale Shop by Nordstrom

CONNECT WITH NATALIA & GREEN STUDIO

Website
Instagram - @green.studiomx
Pinterest

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit/

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Do you want to know what it takes to launch a conscious fashion brand and how to do it in a more sustainable and affordable way?

Whether you're a fashion designer who wants to launch a label, an aspiring sustainable fashion entrepreneur, or just someone curious about this whole process (like me!) you will get a lot out of this episode.

In this episode, I interviewed Shannon Lohr, the founder of Factory45, an online sustainable fashion startup school that has been trusted by over 500 Fashion entrepreneurs since 2014. Shannon has worked with aspiring designers from all over the globe to launch and grow their brands in a way that is better for people and the planet.

You are going to hear Shannon talk about:

How Factory45 helps fashion entrepreneurs get started from scratch without VC funding or thousands of dollars to invest
How to create an eco-friendly product that considers the context of functionality and durability
The unique challenges that small, slow fashion businesses face
What pre-selling and on-demand manufacturing are and why she recommends these models as more environmentally and financially sustainable approaches
How entrepreneurs can build an authentic audience before they've even produced their product, and more.

If you have an entrepreneurial friend or a designer friend looking to start a label, perhaps you can share this episode with them in case they would find it useful!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/how-to-start-sustainable-fashion-brand/

LINKS MENTIONED:

Vesta by Kendall Wilson
Factory45 Application

CONNECT WITH SHANNON & FACTORY45:

Website
Instagram - @factory45co
Youtube

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When we think about sustainable fashion, we often think about the supply chain of a garment: the fabrics, dyes, and worker rights along the way. But increasingly, the reverse supply chain of clothes — i.e. the secondhand supply chain — is also becoming part of the sustainable fashion conversation.

To dive deeper into this topic, I interviewed Kampala-based filmmaker Nikissi Serumaga, who I have been wanting to speak to for months, and I was so humbled and excited that she agreed to come on this show.

Nikissi is the creator, director, and co-host — along with Bobby Kolade — of VINTAGE OR VIOLENCE, a six part limited podcast series that explores the world of secondhand clothing from a Ugandan perspective.

In this episode, you'll hear Nikissi share:

- The complex reverse supply chain that donated or recycled clothes go through,
- The social and economic impacts of secondhand clothing imports in Uganda,
- Who is really benefiting from this so-called circular fashion system or secondhand trade,
- Why Uganda — or other countries in East Africa — don't just ban the import of secondhand clothes, as is often suggested.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/secondhand-clothing-trade-vintage-or-violence/

LINKS MENTIONED:

“Charity has become commerce.”, a quote by Andrew Brooks
Vintage or Violence Podcast
AGOA Act
(Article) Secondhand fashion: Is it really good for Africa?
(Article) This Is Not Your Goldmine. This Is Our Mess. by Liz Ricketts

CONNECT WITH NIKISSI & VINTAGE OR VIOLENCE:

Vintage or Violence Podcast
Vintage or Violence Instagram: @2ndhandviolence
Instagram: @thisiskissi

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This is the second season finale of the podcast!

As you probably know by now, the focus of this season is circular fashion and in the past 15 episodes or so, we've talked about secondhand, swapping, renting, slowing down production, repairing and mending, recycling and upcycling, and beginning in last week's episode, composting and building soil-to-soil circularity.

We will be continuing that conversation today and also discussing regenerative fashion and regenerative agriculture a bit more. I am going to be interviewing Nishanth Chopra, who is the founder of Oshadi Collective, an initiative that is re-creating a circular and regenerative seed-to-sew-supply chain that is rooted in ancient Indian agricultural practices and artisan heritage.

Oshadi is truly breaking molds and boundaries and re-imagining a better fashion future that can uplift rather than degrade; regenerate rather than destroy; celebrate rather than exploit.

And so I was so humbled that I had the opportunity to talk with Nishanth all about Oshadi's seed-to-sew supply chain and discuss their approach to regenerative fashion, and circularity, and building a more equitable fashion supply chain. Nishanth had some really interesting points about minimum wages and living wages in this interview that really got me thinking...

I actually did this interview a few months ago, but I decided to leave this episode for the very end of this season because Oshadi is just doing so many incredible things that provide a great blueprint for what a more positive fashion system could look like.

I thought it would be fitting to end the second season with an inspirational episode, so I hope you enjoy it! (And don't forget to leave a rating and/or review in Apple Podcasts if you're liking the show so far.)

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/regenerative-fashion-oshadi-collective/

LINKS:

Christy Dawn Farm to Closet Collection
Nishanth on the Green Dreamer Podcast
Nishanth on the Conscious Chatter Podcast
Nishanth with Holly Rose

ABOUT OSHADI COLLECTIVE:

Oshadi is a regenerative fashion initiative, mindfully building a seed-to-sew supply chain in rural India.

Originally founded by Nishanth Chopra in 2016 as a womenswear label, Oshadi now is involved in every element of the production process, from growing the cotton, to printing and dyeing, to weaving and spinning.

Rooted in ancient Indian agricultural practices and artisan heritage, at the heart of Oshadi is a 50-acre regenerative cotton farm and a simple ethos: to give back more than they take.

CONNECT WITH OSHADI:

Website
Instagram

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When you think about the best end of life for clothing, we may think of recycling or upcycling those clothes. But what if we could compost them?

What if our clothes could return to the soil from where the fibers to make that clothing was grown? It might sound like a far off dream — especially when we consider that most clothing today is made from synthetic fabrics (i.e. plastic fibers like polyester) — but there are actually a few brands working to make fully compostable clothing a reality.

One of the brands making significant headway in this realm is California Cloth Foundry. This small slow fashion brand believes in creating a healthy wardrobe the natural way using botanical ingredients that we could consume and avoiding all petroleum-based fibers, treatments, and dyes.

Not an easy feat in today's fossil fuel-addicted fashion industry. So, to dive into how California Cloth Foundry is doing all of this, I sat down with founder and designer Lydia Wendt.

In this conversation, Lydia is sharing:

What fully compostable clothing is and what elements might make natural fiber clothing no longer compostable
What the challenges are as a brand to create compostable clothing and
What natural dyes are and how they're different from low impact dyes

Lydia is also going to talk about how California Cloth Foundry is going beyond doing less bad and investing in creating a positive fashion system. And Lydia is going to share some interesting reflections on her previous experiences working in big fashion and why she decided to create a local and traceable supply chain for her label — and how sourcing locally and producing slowly allows California Cloth Foundry to produce is a sustainable way.

**If you're enjoying this podcast so far, a rating on Apple Podcasts can go a long way in helping this content reach new audiences and also helping me get more amazing guests on this podcast. So thank you in advance for taking a moment to do that!!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/compostable-clothing-natural-dyes/

CONNECT WITH CALIFORNIA CLOTH FOUNDRY

Website
Shop
Instagram

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There are quite a few barriers to secondhand shopping, from perceptions about limited styles to the issue of smells. And this episode will cover all of these obstacles and more. But sizing is one of the most common obstacles that comes up, especially for those shopping for plus sizes.

So, in this episode, I'm chatting with Mya Price, the founder of the plus size vintage boutique, More Than Your Average.

More Than Your Average has colorful one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, and if you've spotted their Instagram, you know that Mya has some seriously impressive vintage styling skills!

In this interview, Mya is sharing:

Her tips for styling vintage pieces in a modern way
Advice for others looking for plus size secondhand or vintage fashion
What her secondhand garment sourcing process is like
Her perspective on what we can all do to make slow and secondhand fashion more size inclusive
How we can find amazing secondhand garments that will fit us well and that we'll truly love for many years to come

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/plus-size-vintage-more-than-your-average/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE (coming soon):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

LINKS

Conscious Fashion Brands with Plus Sizes
Conscious Fashion Brands with Tall Sizes
Conscious Fashion Brands with Petite Sizes

CONNECT WITH MYA & MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE

Website
Styling Services
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook

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For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Cynthia Power, an expert in brand resale programs. Cynthia currently helps brands build and optimize their resale programs at Recurate, a full-service recommerce partner for brands, whose clients include Mara Hoffman and RE/DONE. Before that, Cynthia worked as the Director of Eileen Fisher's take-back and resale program. And as you may know, Eileen Fisher has been a major trailblazer in the brand resale space.

Cynthia is also an avid thrifter and self-proclaimed vintage fanatic herself, so she has a lot of great insight into the secondhand fashion space.

In this episode Cynthia is addressing topics like:

What are the differences between brand-led resale programs vs. third-party platforms like a ThredUP or Depop?
What do the logistics look like for a brand's resale program? And what are the challenges to getting a resale program off the ground?
And how can brands design for resale from the very beginning?

Cynthia is also addressing some of those big difficult-to-answer and hotly debated topics, like:

How can we start to get fashion to finally talk about reducing new production?
And does resale give brands an "excuse" to continue to overproduce since they have a home for that unsold stock?

Let's dive into this conversation with Cynthia to get the answers to all of these questions, and more.

Quick reminder: If you enjoy this conversation, make sure to hit subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast app! so that you don't miss future conversations like this one.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-resale-recurate/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE (coming soon):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

LINKS MENTIONED:

ThredUP 2021 Resale Report
Recurate's Brand Partners
CS Podcast Episode about Clothing Rental
The Sustainability EDIT 2021 Report
CS Podcast Episode with Natasha Halesworth of The Consistency Project
Brass Clothing Case Study

CONNECT WITH RECURATE:

Website
Instagram

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
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To celebrate 10,000 downloads and thank you all for subscribing and tuning in to the show, I have a very special bonus episode for you today.

As you may know by now, this season of the podcast is all about circular fashion. But home goods actually have a LOT in common with fashion.

First off: a lot of home goods are made with textiles: meaning they too can be made from linen and cotton, recycled materials, or virgin synthetic oil-based fabrics like polyester.

And interior design has always evolved over the years. But also just like the fashion industry, it has been following faster and faster trend cycles. And this is due in part to furniture and home goods getting cheaper, both in price — and quality.

But, another similarity that home furnishings and decor has to fashion, is that we can follow a lot of the same principles for conscious home as we can for conscious fashion.

And in today's bonus episode, I'm chatting with a secondhand and sustainable home expert to teach us all about how we can decorate and design our homes more mindfully: Nina Verduin of Homebody, which is a slow living interior design studio.

Nina started Homebody to show how to intentionally style beautiful, cozy homes that encourage us to slow down, let go of stuff, and make conscious decisions.

In today's episode, Nina is sharing:

Why sustainable furniture & home decor matters
How we can get started with sustainable interior design
How to make the most of the furnishings and decor pieces we have
The benefits of choosing secondhand home goods
Plus, her tips for secondhand home shopping
And, advice for making all those existing pieces and secondhand pieces feel cohesive in your space

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/secondhand-home-nina-verduin-homebody/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

RELEVANT LINKS:

5 Easy Ways to Update a Space
Tips for Using Color in a Room
27 Brands with Sustainably Sourced Furniture
Ethical Home Decor Brands

CONNECT WITH NINA & HOMEBODY:

Website
Instagram

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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With so much talk about circularity in the fashion industry today from big fast fashion brands, circularity has been co-opted and greenwashed.

These brands are using mass produced recycled polyester clothes to advertise their sustainability credentials with no mention of fair wages or safety for workers. They're using take-back programs as a way to continue to overproduce and encourage overconsumption. They are advertising textile recycling technology as a silver bullet solution that will solve all of the industry's problems.

Does this mean that circular fashion is a lost cause? That circularity is meaningless?

Well, I still have hope for the concept, especially when I look at small, conscious brands that think about every single stage of their process. Brands like Anne Mulaire.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Andréanne Mulaire, the founder of Anne Mulaire, about how this label is building a truly circular fashion business model that is also ethical and local.

Andréanne will be telling us about her brand's intentional production practices to minimize leftover inventory, as well as their innovative zero waste design processes, tailoring and mending services, and the upcoming launch of their resale program.

Andréanne is of Ojibwa / French Métis ancestry so she's also going to talk about how she continues to explore her Métis heritage through her brand and about the designs in Anne Mulaire's Heritage Collection.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/indigenous-circular-fashion-brand-anne-mulaire/

CONNECT WITH ANNE MULAIRE:

Anne Mulaire's Website
Anne Mulaire's Instagram

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How can we slow down fashion, get more use out of clothes, but also have clothes that fit us — literally and figuratively speaking — at the current point in our lives?

Well, that's something that clothes swapping is ideal for! Swapping allows us to responsibly re-home our existing garments that no longer suit us while being able to access different pieces that would fit us better, size wise, color wise, style wise or otherwise.

Swapping is a great way to extend the lives of clothes, so I knew that I wanted to cover this topic in our second season all about circular fashion and slowing down consumption.

In this episode, I am chatting with Nicole Robertson about all things swapping. Nicole is the founder of Swap Society, an online clothing swap shop for women and kids making it easy — and affordable — to switch up your wardrobe more sustainably.

Nicole is sharing:

The benefits of swapping — from an environmental impact perspective and also in our own lives
How swapping might change the relationship we have with our closets and our personal style
The impact that evolving fashion trends have on the secondhand market, including swapping
And what online swapping through Swap Society looks like

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/clothes-swapping-swap-society/

RELEVANT LINKS:

Swap Society Styling Services
Swap Society's Collection

CONNECT WITH NICOLE & SWAP SOCIETY

Swap Society Website
Swap Society Instagram
Swap Society Twitter
Swap Society TikTok
Swap Society Facebook

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Have you ever wondered what really drives consumption? What the motivations are — on a psychological level — that drive people to consume.

Can psychology help explain this rapid increase in consumption that we've seen in recent years and help us understand why it's so difficult to shift towards more conscious consumption habits?

And then on the flip side of that, how could we potentially use behavioral psychology to help us communicate about sustainable fashion in the most effective way possible?

These are big questions that I am definitely not qualified to answer but our guest is! I'm talking with Shakaila Forbes-Bell, a published Fashion Psychologist, writer, consultant, and owner of FashionisPsychology.com, a platform dedicated to making academic research into Fashion Psychology more accessible.

Shakaila is also going to explore:

How representation in fashion and media influences behavior and beliefs,
What the impact of virtue signaling or performative inclusion in fashion is,
And why people might actually buy MORE when they perceive something to be sustainable, and more.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-consumer-psychology/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

RELEVANT LINKS:

6 Reasons Why You Really Buy Sustainable Fashion
The White Coat Effect (Enclothed Cognition Explained)
Shakaila on Why Black Models Need to Be More Represented in Fashion
How This Founder Uses Fashion to Understand Consumer Behavior

CONNECT WITH SHAKAILA & FASHION IS PSYCHOLOGY

Fashion is Psychology Website
Instagram: @fashionispsychology / @shakailaelise
Twitter: @fashionispsych / @shakailaelise
TikTok: @shakailaelise

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Conscious Life & Style Website
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Is fashion rental actually sustainable? Are there ways to make it more sustainable? This episode is a deep dive into the various elements of the fashion rental system.

In this episode, I'll also interview Eshita Kabra-Davies, the founder and CEO of the world's first social fashion rental app, By Rotation.

Eshita is sharing:

How By Rotation's peer-to-peer rental model works,
How peer-to-peer sharing models can be more sustainable than an inventory-based renting model,
And her perspectives on that viral study that inspired those "throwing away your clothes is greener than renting them" headlines.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/renting-clothes-sustainable/

LINKS MENTIONED:

Inside Rent the Runway's Secret Dry Cleaning Empire
Rent the Runway's Filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission
The Finnish Study Evaluating Five Types of Clothing Ownership and End-of-Life Scenarios
Renting clothes is 'less green than throwing them away'
How Sustainable is Renting Your Clothes, Really?
Eshita Kabra on The BBC World Podcast

CONNECT WITH ESHITA AND BY ROTATION

Website
Instagram
Eshita's Instagram
App

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In this episode, I'm chatting with the one and only Aja Barber, a sustainable fashion thought leader, consultant, writer, and new author. Her debut book is called Consumed, The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism.

Aja is sharing:

How the fashion industry been shaped by colonization, and what its lasting legacies are;
Why fast fashion isn't actually affordable (for the planet, the people in the supply chain, and even for us as consumers); and
Her advice for how we can begin to address the issues in the industry.

Aja is also breaking a lot of the myths perpetuated by fast fashion brands, like that shopping fast fashion is improving the economies in other countries, that sweatshop jobs are at least better than no jobs, or that these brands really have no control or awareness of the exploitation happening in their supply chains. She's also diving into why Depop (or any other secondhand site) isn't to blame for the reduced quality standards and higher prices at thrift stores.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/consumed-colonialism-consumerism-aja-barber/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE (COMING SOON):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

GET THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org (US)
Indiebound (US)
Waterstones (UK)

CONNECT WITH AJA:

Website
Instagram
Twitter

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
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What are the connections with overconsumption and the rise of fast fashion with social media and influencer (and haul) culture?

In this episode, Lily of Imperfect Idealist explores how social media influences consumption and why overconsumption + overproduction are such big problems in fashion.

Lily also shares:

Why fashion hauls are so problematic;
What some of the solutions are — on both an individual level and system level — for overconsumption and overproduction;
What she sees as the biggest misconceptions about sustainable fashion;
How we can make the space more inclusive; and
Her tips for talking to others about the problems in the industry without sounding preachy or judgmental.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/overconsumption-fashion-imperfect-idealist/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

LINKS MENTIONED:

How to Make Your Clothes Last Longer
Our Dangerous Obsession with Fashion Hauls
9 Common Misconceptions with Sustainable Fashion
Sustainable or Greenwashing? How to Evaluate Fashion Brands
TikTok is Roll Out In-App Shopping Features

ABOUT LILY:

Lily advocates for inclusive and realistic sustainable fashion on her blog and social accounts. She shares everyday knowledge along with ways to use your voice for systemic change.

CONNECT WITH LILY:

Website
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube

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Between the overflow of cheap clothing, schedules packed to the brim, and a decline in sewing education, torn and ill-fitting clothes are far more likely to be tossed than mended or altered.

But fashion tech entrepreneur Josephine Philips is on a mission to change that with her clothing repair and tailoring app, Sojo.

Sojo makes it more convenient than ever to get your clothes mended or modified — and I have no doubt that it's going to transform the industry.

Josephine is going to give us many more details about how Sojo works, as well as the future plans for this company, in this episode. You'll also hear Josephine talk about:

Why mending is the "forgotten" circular fashion solution
How we can make mending more mainstream
The importance of sustaining local tailoring and seamster businesses
And more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE

ABOUT JOSEPHINE & SOJO

Josephine Philips, 23, is a recent graduate turned Fashion Tech entrepreneur

working to make the fashion industry circular with her startup, Sojo, which is modernising the clothing repair and tailoring industry. Sojo is the UK’s first clothing alterations and repairs App and it connects customers to local seamster businesses to ensure that getting your clothes fixed or fitted is an easy and hassle-free process.

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Instagram

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Natasha Halesworth is the founder and owner of The Consistency Project, which is a shop that curates pre-loved fashion and designs reworked clothing while working to break the stigma of secondhand.

In this episode, Natasha is giving us a glimpse inside what it's like to run a secondhand and reworked clothing brand.

She's also sharing:

What her sourcing process is like and what she keeps in mind when shopping for secondhand textiles;
What deadstock is and how the deadstock system really works in the fashion industry today;
What the production process looks like for reworked garments — and if that process can or should ever become scalable;
And her advice for other small businesses focused on pre-loved fashion and reworking.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/reworked-upcycled-clothing-consistency-project/

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

CONNECT WITH NATASHA & THE CONSISTENCY PROJECT

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When you think of a circular economy, what do you think of? Perhaps repurposing and reusing? Restoring and renewing? Repairing and mending? Recycling and upcycling?

Well in this episode, I'm chatting with Nicole Bassett, the co-founder of the Renewal Workshop, which is a circular fashion business dedicated to doing all of those things.

In this conversation, Nicole is going to share:

What the challenges are with transforming linear business models into circular ones;
How the Renewal Workshop helps fashion brands reduce their waste and become more circular;
The large-scale shifts businesses need to make to address the climate crisis;
Why brands are not talking about slowing down production and producing less;
How designers can start to design for circularity;
And more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/circular-fashion-renewal-workshop

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

LINKS MENTIONED:

Ellen MacArthur Foundation: What is a Circular Economy?
North Face Renewed
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
Renewal Workshop's Store
Become a Brand Partner with Renewal Workshop

CONNECT WITH NICOLE & THE RENEWAL WORKSHOP:

Website
Instagram
Twitter

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
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Have you ever struggled to feel creative with the clothes in your closet? Do you ever feel uninspired by your wardrobe?

You'll want to tune into this conversation, because Alyssa is sharing:

Tips for ways we can maximize a piece's use and discover more outfit combinations;
How to "get the look" of outfits we see and love using only the items already in our wardrobes;
How to break down style elements to emulate an aesthetic without copying exact looks or having to buy new things;
Why it's so important to get past the idea that fashion is just about shopping; and more.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-stylist-tips

WATCH THIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIKaxSd78Hqa8XA6cQf8tvg

LINKS MENTIONED:

Stylebook App
Cladwell App
Shop Your Closet Series Playlist
Italian Style Playlist
20 Ways to Style One Pair of Jeans video

CONNECT WITH ALYSSA:

Website
YouTube
Instagram

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Conscious Edit Newsletter

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Circularity is a big topic in sustainable fashion, and it's only getting bigger. But circularity has many layers to it, which can make it confusing for individuals and easy to be misused by brands.

That's why the second season of the Conscious Style Podcast will be all about circularity in fashion.

There's much to come on this, but before we get into the interviews with changemakers in circularity, this episode is establishing the foundations. It covers:

What circular fashion is,
What some of the different approaches to circularity are,
What it will take for the linear fashion ecosystem to become circular,
Some common greenwashing schemes going on with circular fashion,
And more.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Subscribe to the Conscious Edit
Ellen MacArthur: Circular Economy
Fibershed
What is Zero Waste Fashion + 7 Brands Implementing It
EP7: How to Make the Most of Your Wardrobe with Jess Atkins
EP10: Building a Better Secondhand Fashion System with Emily Stochl
Fashion Revolution's Event Calendar
18 Online Secondhand Fashion Stores
Study: When The Option to Recycle Increases Consumption

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/circular-fashion/

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Conscious Edit Newsletter

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In this bonus episode, I'm answering your questions from Instagram, from what the first step to sustainable fashion is to how to source kids clothing more consciously to how I manage the anxiety from knowing the impacts of fast fashion.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Conscious Fashion Brand Guides

ThredUP

Swap.com

OnceUponAChild

Poshmark

Kidizen

FreeHandMeDowns.com

Sustainable Baby & Kids Clothing Brands

Good On You Review of Modal

What is Tencel?

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Conscious Edit Newsletter

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From laundering to mending, this episode will cover how to care for our clothes sustainably to make sure that they last! Because the most sustainable garments are the ones already hanging in our closets...

LINKS MENTIONED:

How to Get Smells Out of Clothes Without Washing Them
American Cleaning Institute's Stain Removal Guide
WikiHow: Stain Removal
Guppyfriend Washing Bag
The Laundress' "Dry Clean Only" Cleaning Products
Easy Sewing for Beginners YouTube Channel
Fixing.Fashion
Sojo app
How and Where to Recycle or Donate Your Clothing

EPISODE SHOW NOTES:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-clothing-care/

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Conscious Edit Newsletter

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This episode is going back to basics, covering some of the biggest topics in sustainable fashion.

Cynthia Dam, the content creator behind Inspiroue, is talking about ways to get started with a more conscious approach to fashion, how to curate a sustainable wardrobe affordably, how to spot greenwashing brands, what to look for from a truly sustainable fashion brand, tips for smart thrifting, and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/conscious-closet-consumer-activist/

LINKS MENTIONED:

Sustainability Literacy Playlist
How to Sustainably Build Your Wardrobe
Sustainability Buzzwords and Greenwashing Tactics Brands Use
How to Assess a Brand's Sustainability
Thousand Fell
Eileen Fisher
Patagonia
Lora Gene
Aja Barber
Depop
Vestiaire Collective

CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA:

Website
Instagram
YouTube

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
Pinterest
Conscious Edit Newsletter

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This episode with Niha Elety is highlighting an incredibly important topic in conscious fashion that doesn't get enough attention: cultural sustainability (or cultural preservation).

In this interview, Niha is shedding light on:

How the fashion ecosystem in India — from the fiber cultivation to the production of garments — is inherently sustainable, and what we can learn from that
The connections between cultural preservation with social and ecological sustainability
How brands and individuals can avoid cultural appropriation
And then what true cooperation or co-creation with artisans looks like, and more.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:
consciouslifeandstyle.com/cultural-sustainability-fashion

CONNECT WITH NIHA:

Website
Instagram
Patreon
Tega Collective

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
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Have you ever wanted to try your hand at making, modifying, or upcycling your own clothes? Today's guest, Sonya Philip, is dedicated to encouraging and teaching people how to do just that!

In this episode, Sonya is sharing:

The benefits of being able to make or modify our own clothes,
Advice for beginners who want to get started with sewing,
How the movement to make our own clothes contributes to more conscious participation in fashion,
What sorts of possibilities there are with making our own clothes, and how this gives us more freedom,
The connections between sewing skills and body acceptance, and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

consciouslifeandstyle.com/how-why-make-modify-your-clothes

LINKS REFERENCED:

The Act of Sewing Book
Alabama Chanin
Craft of Use

ABOUT SONYA PHILIP

Sonya Philip is an artist, designer and teacher. In 2012, she started a project called 100 Acts of Sewing, making dresses while documenting the process. Since then Sonya has made it her mission to convince people to sew their own clothes. When not covered in bits of thread, she can be found knitting another shawl or cardigan. Sonya lives in San Francisco with her family.

CONNECT WITH SONYA:

100 Acts of Sewing Website
100 Acts of Sewing Instagram
Sonya Philip's Instagram
Sonya Philip's Twitter

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Instagram
Pinterest
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In this episode, hear Nazma Akter of the Awaj Foundation share her first-hand accounts of what it's like to work in the garment sector in Bangladesh and her perspectives on what needs to change to create a fairer, safer future for fashion.

In this episode, you'll also hear Nazma talk about:

What brands need to do to step up and protect the people making their clothes.
How the pandemic — and the subsequent order cancellations from brands — affected garment workers in Bangladesh
What sorts of shifts we need for a better industry
How Awaj Foundation is building solidarity and worker power for garment makers in Bangladesh
and more.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/garment-worker-rights-bangladesh/

QUICK LINKS:

AwajFoundation.org
GoFundMe: Direct Relief for Garment Workers
More Info on Order Cancellations and #PayUp Campaign
PayUp Fashion Petition

CONNECT WITH NAZMA & AWAJ FOUNDATION:

Awaj Foundation Website
Awaj Foundation Twitter
Awaj Foundation Facebook
Awaj Foundation Instagram

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Conscious Life & Style Website
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In this episode, Ayesha Barenblat, the founder and CEO of the ethical fashion nonprofit Remake, is breaking down:

What led to the success of the #PayUp movement and what the current status of this campaign is;
Why fashion has for too long left out the people side of sustainability, and how harmful this is to the 'sustainable fashion' movement;
What types of transparency we need from fashion brands to actually hold them accountable;
How we can be allies for the people who make our clothes and center garment workers in conversations about sustainability;
The power imbalances between workers, factories, and brands, and what can be done to fix this;
If paying living wages is REALLY as difficult as brands say it is;
What types of legal reforms we need to transform the industry;
And more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-activism-brands-pay-up/

QUICK LINKS:

Remake.World Website
Remake Brand Directory
PayUp Fashion Website
Sign the PayUp Fashion Petition
Direct Relief Fund for Garment Workers
Join the Remake Ambassador Community
Donate to Remake

CONNECT WITH AYESHA & REMAKE

Website
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Facebook

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In this episode of the Conscious Style Podcast, we're going to be talking all about the secondhand fashion ecosystem with Emily Stochl, the producer and host of Pre-Loved Podcast, which is a weekly interview show that explores the vintage, thrift and secondhand industry.

In this interview, you'll hear (or read!) about:

What pre-loved fashion encompasses and how you can get started not only with conscious shopping secondhand, but with secondhand fashion activism;
What the concern about gentrification of thrift stores is all about and what this conversation is currently missing;
How charity shops really operate and what this means for the global secondhand trade;
What the recent $1 billion+ IPO (initial public offering) of ThredUP might mean for the future of secondhand;
And more!

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

consciouslifeandstyle.com/better-secondhand-fashion-system

QUICK LINKS:

Atmos Article: How to Build a Better Thrifting System
OR Foundation
Eileen Fisher
Patagonia Worn Wear
Liz Rickets of the OR Foundation on the Pre-Loved Podcast
OR Foundation on the Pre-Loved Podcast Part 2
Patagonia Worn Wear on the Pre-Loved Podcast
Remake Website
PayUp Campaign
No New Clothes Campaign
Garment Worker Protection Act (SB62)

ABOUT EMILY

Emily is a writer, journalist, and podcast creator, with expertise in the vintage and secondhand fashion industry, sustainability, and labor rights activism. She is the producer and host of Pre-Loved Podcast, a weekly interview show exploring the vintage, thrift and secondhand industry: all its stories, and all its angles.

She is also Remake’s Advocacy Manager. Remake is a global nonprofit that aims to make fashion a force for good. As Remake's Advocacy Manager, Emily helps lead ambassador engagement and community management, specifically around the SB62, #PayHer, and #NoNewClothes campaigns. Her goal is to make policy information and industry topics easy to understand, and to communicate to others, believing that we all have a role to play in making fashion a force for good.

CONNECT WITH EMILY & PRE-LOVED PODCAST

Website
Pre-Loved Podcast
Apple Podcasts
Instagram
Twitter

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

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In this part two of our conversation with Sophia Yang (check out episode 8 for part one!), we discuss how we can create a more equitable and intersectional fashion ecosystem.

Sophia, who is the Founder & Executive Director of ethical fashion organization Threading Change, is sharing:

How we can get started with or continue fashion activism,
What artivism is and how it could bring more people into the sustainable fashion and social justice movements,
The importance of engaging youth in ethical fashion,
and more.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/intersectional-sustainable-fashion-future/

QUICK LINKS:

Fashion Revolution: Take Action
Remake
Textile Talks: Threading Change's Webinar Series
Threading Change's Current Campaigns
Clothes Busters Webinar Series
Contact Threading Change

CONNECT WITH SOPHIA:

Website
Instagram
Twitter
Soundcloud

CONNECT WITH THREADING CHANGE:

Website
Instagram

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
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In this powerful and illuminating two-part conversation, Sophia Yang of Threading Change discusses how colonialism has not only shaped fashion, but how colonial systems are deeply embedded in the industry today.

Sophia also shares what equity really is and how we must address exploitation in fashion at its core; the realities of racism and colonialism in not just fast fashion, but the conscious fashion space as well; and why we need to decentralize and decolonize the Eurocentric understanding of land and labor in the fashion space.

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT:

consciouslifeandstyle.com/fashion-colonial-roots-and-realities

QUICK LINKS:

The OR Foundation
Kantamanto Market in Ghana
Zara deletes statement against forced labor from website
Background on China and forced Uighur labor
The brands implicated in report on forced labor in China

CONNECT WITH SOPHIA:

Website
Instagram
Twitter
Soundcloud

CONNECT WITH THREADING CHANGE:

Website
Instagram

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
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Get expert tips from Jess Atkins, the co-founder of Stylebook (a closet management app), on how to plan outfits, assess your closet, and actually wear the clothes you have in your wardrobe more!

Plus, get Jess’ insights on:

How organizing our closets (digitally or IRL) can help us wear our clothes more
What is so universally appealing beyond the slow fashion bubble about wardrobe organization and how this can help us achieve a more sustainable fashion future
How to realistically calculate your cost per wear of a piece
The importance of taking a shopping break on a conscious fashion journey
The benefits of investing in quality clothes — and how to identify a quality garment in the first place
And more!

QUICK LINKS:

Stylebook App
Looking Good Every Day book
TheMedianModa on Instagram

FULL SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT

ABOUT JESS & STYLEBOOK:

Jessica Atkins is the co-creator of Stylebook Closet App, a virtual closet app for the iPhone and iPad, and author of The Whole Closet Method. She graduated from Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Photography and Imaging and a minor in Art History.

As a student, she interned at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and in the fashion closets of Vogue and Modern Bride. After graduating, she worked for several years in the Lucky Magazine art department before starting her software company with her husband, Bill Atkins. She now works full-time on their primary product, Stylebook, where she does product development and writes content to help people become conscious clothing consumers while maximizing the clothes they already own using Stylebook’s tools.

CONNECT WITH JESS & STYLEBOOK:

Stylebook Website
Stylebook App
Follow Stylebook on Instagram
Whole Closet Method book

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Conscious Life & Style Website
Conscious Life & Style Pinterest
Conscious Style on Instagram
Conscious Edit Newsletter Sign-Up

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This episode is a bit different from previous ones! I'm sharing my journey from being somewhat addicted to fast fashion, shopping all of the time, to becoming a conscious consumer then sustainable fashion blogger and now a fashion activist and online business owner.

I'm also answering YOUR questions in this episode that some of you sent in via Instagram, like how to talk about ethical fashion without sounding pushy and how to declutter your closet in a conscious way.

There will be future Q&A bonus episodes, so be sure to subscribe (or follow) so that you do not miss those! And if you'd like to ask a question, follow Conscious Style on Instagram and watch out for question stickers in Stories :)

QUICK LINKS:

65+ BIPOC Conscious Creators To Follow
Sustainable Fashion Courses Newsletters, Podcasts, YouTube Channels, and More
Fashion Is a Feminist Issue — Here's Why
Conscious Brand Guides
Conscious Fashion Collective
Remake Ambassador Program
Contact Page

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From "sustainable fashion is expensive" to "sweatshop jobs are better than no jobs", I'm busting some of the MOST common sustainable fashion myths in this episode.

Sustainable fashion is a journey involving unlearning, learning and perspective shifting.

This episode is certainly not about saying that I know it all — I believed many of these myths and even promoted a couple of them before — and I'm sure there will be more myths that I'll unlearn on my journey.

That said, these are some of the misconceptions that I've seen throughout these years in the conscious fashion space that I wanted to clear up!

Have another myth to add to this list? DM me on Instagram.

LINKS MENTIONED:

Clothing Poverty book
OR Foundation
OR Foundation Instagram
Fashion Revolution Transparency Index
FashionChecker.org
Garment Worker Jobs at Risk from Automation
PayUp Fashion

TEXT VERSION OF EPISODE + MORE LINKS:

consciouslifeandstyle.com/sustainable-fashion-myths

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

Instagram: instagram.com/consciousstyle

Conscious Edit Newsletter: consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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This episode breaks down the 7 main types of greenwashing (or "greenwashing sins"), in which ways each type is being used in the fashion industry today, and how you can spot them to avoid them! You'll also get a bit of history on greenwashing and tips to keep in mind about identifying greenwashing in the fashion industry.

LINKS MENTIONED:

List of Fashion Certifications
Remake's Brand Directory
Good On You Directory
Good On You App: App Store or Google Play

TEXT VERSION OF EPISODE + MORE LINKS:

consciouslifeandstyle.com/how-to-identify-greenwashing

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

Instagram: instagram.com/consciousstyle

Conscious Edit Newsletter: consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

*If you're enjoying this podcast so far, don't forget to subscribe and rate the show!

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This episode is an introduction to some of the major concepts of slow fashion such as small-batch production, timeless designs, buying less, and caring for our clothes; the history of mass-produced fashion and how we got where we are today, why slow fashion is so important and fast fashion is so harmful; how slow fashion is interconnected with, but differs from, sustainable fashion and ethical fashion; and more!

LINKS MENTIONED:

Clothing Poverty book
A Guide to Slow Fashion Brands
The Curated Closet
Stylebook Closet App
How to Get Smells Out of Clothes Without Washing Them
Easy Sewing For Beginners
Repair What You Wear
Fixing. Fashion

TEXT VERSION OF EPISODE + MORE LINKS:

consciouslifeandstyle.com/what-is-slow-fashion

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

Instagram: instagram.com/consciousstyle

Conscious Edit Newsletter: consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

*Don't forget to subscribe & review this show!

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This episode unpacks what sustainable fashion is all about, how it differs from eco-friendly fashion, why sustainable fashion is so important, and the benefits of sustainable fashion. You'll also hear about tips for identifying truly sustainable brands and ways to get active in the sustainable fashion movement beyond what you do or don't purchase.

LINKS MENTIONED:

McKinsey Report on Fashion's Impact on Biodiversity Loss
Fashion Brands Using Plant-Based Dyes
Remake Ambassador Program
Fashion Revolution Country Teams
Fashion Revolution Instagram
Remake Instagram
Garment Worker Center Instagram
Clean Clothes Campaign Instagram
Woman of Color Sustainable Fashion Activists
Free Sustainable Fashion Courses & Other Educational Resources

TEXT VERSION OF EPISODE + MORE LINKS:

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/what-is-sustainable-fashion/

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

Instagram: instagram.com/consciousstyle

Conscious Edit Newsletter: consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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Explore what ethical fashion is, why it matters, and get tips for identifying whether a brand is actually ethical. We'll cover a variety of issues in the fashion industry today like low wages, exploitive conditions, racism, and sexism. Plus, this episode covers some ways that you can take action and get involved with the ethical fashion movement beyond consumerism.

LINKS:

Why Fashion is a Feminist Issue
Living Wages in Fashion: What Will it Take for the Industry to Pay Fair?
Remake
Garment Worker Center
Awaj Foundation
Clean Clothes Campaign
Labour Behind the Label
Remake Ambassador Program
PullUpForChange on Instagram
Diet_Prada on Instagram
Ethical Fashion Certifications List

TEXT VERSION OF EPISODE + MORE LINKS:

consciouslifeandstyle.com/what-is-ethical-fashion/

CONNECT WITH CONSCIOUS STYLE:

Website: consciouslifeandstyle.com

Instagram: instagram.com/consciousstyle

Conscious Edit Newsletter: consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit

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