Black Material Geographies

This is the final episode of Season 1, where we explore the question: What would it look like if regional fiber initiatives became the norm? In last week's episode we started to explore how material supply chains impact our system and how to rethink them. Today, the fashion industry is experiencing a resurgence of interest in regional clothing fibers. The globalization of the fashion industry has prompted designers to look beyond the traditional suppliers of their materials and explore regional textile production. As regional producers hone their craft and grow their businesses, new regional clothing fiber opportunities are emerging that allow apparel makers to produce garments with a lower environmental impact and greater local sourcing. This week Teju gets more granular to show us why they are important, as well as what's possible with them. As the fashion industry and consumers began to prioritize the ethics and sustainability of their clothing purchases, designers need to look beyond conventional sources and explore emerging regional textile production. There are brilliant people changing the way clothes are made so that our environment benefits from it, and local economies thrive too.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

In the final episodes of this season of Black Material Geographies, Teju sharpens her focus on regenerative textile and fiber systems and looks at how and why redesigning our supply chains can create a more efficient and sustainable fashion industry that doesn’t rely on unsustainable and destructive practices. Redesigning supply chains starts with recognizing how they currently ignore the people who make our products and the environments they come from. Redesigning the supply chain can be a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity. She talks with her guests about creating new paths and processes with a creative mindset and an open mind.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

All of us have our own relationship with cotton and the way it fits into our lives. The history of cotton cultivation in the Americas is deeply linked to the history of Black people in this region. Throughout the history of the United States, cotton and the ingenuity and creativity of Black people have played a crucial role in its development as one of the most powerful countries in the world. This week on Black Material Geographies, Teju explores the relationship between humankind and the cotton plant.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

During this week's episode, Teju Adisa-Farrar discusses Oakland, natural dyeing, art, and urban farming. Fiber and plants are integral to not just the Black diaspora's history, but also human history more broadly. It is a granular exploration of the broader topic of regenerative production practices. Historically, most human products were created with local natural materials. It was a practical matter. Humans have been producing fiber and dyeing textiles in ways that we now consider "regenerative" throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas for centuries.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

Western imperialism was and still is a force to be reckoned with. Today in the fashion world, colonialism has left its mark on what we wear, how clothes are made, and who makes them. The ways that clothes are made, the aesthetics of each garment, and even the pricing can be traced back to colonial-era trade routes. Teju Adisa-Farrar continues the conversation she began last week about the afterlife of colonialism, how the modern fashion industry has been shaped by it, and how this generation of designers is working to transform their production methods in order to create more sustainable fashion systems.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

How much has the world changed since the days when colonialism ruled the planet? There have been advances toward achieving global equality among the once-colonized nations; however, many of the structures and customs that characterized colonialism remain. There is an opportunity for every industry to transform the systems that underpin our lives. This week we look at colonialism's afterlife and delve deeper into the topic, exploring its colonial origins and its afterlives in the contemporary fashion industry. Fashion is one of the largest polluting industries on our planet and creates vast amounts of textile waste, which usually ends up in countries in tropical Africa and the Caribbean, but there are opportunities for transformation. It will take a variety of solutions to solve this issue. One way designers are addressing the issue of textile waste and fashion pollution in countries outside of the West is by reusing, also known as upcycling fashion.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

Why don't we hear about the Lacebark tree? The lagetta was once abundant in Jamaica 200 years ago. Indigenous Taíno used its inner bark for rope, baskets, and hammocks but now their presence is rare. They are gone forever or driven out by humans who wanted more land. There had already had been room enough on Earth so everyone could live together peaceably, without any wars happening between them, all making progress every day while respecting nature's limits. That includes not overpopulating areas since resources should only support an appropriate number of people at one time.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

Host Teju Adisa-Farrar was asked to write about her personal relationship to knitting and crafting. “I instantly thought of my grandmother, who did everything from crochet and knitting to needlepoint. As I explored these Caribbean crafts further, I discovered a tree that she had never heard about but seemed important in them all: the Lacebark.” This two-part episode looks at the Lacebark's origin and impact, as well as Cockpit Country in Trelawny in Northwestern Jamaica and the Accompong Maroons, the stewards of the biodiversity there and keepers of West African traditions.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

In the Western world, we walk around consuming culture that originated in Africa, with no recognition given to indigenous Africans who cultivated and developed the aesthetics that so many of us appreciate today. The exclusion of precolonial African contributions to the world is based on racist ideas developed to justify looting Africa and enslaving Africans in the Americas. In Pt. 2 of our look at Precolonial Textile Cultures, we examine how Baba’s book aims to challenge these stereotypes of Africa’s inferiority.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

Our environments impact us from before birth to after death, and we in turn impact them. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, everything we use comes from the earth...our collective environment. There is no question that the dominant food and fiber systems — from growing almonds in California to manufacturing polyester — threaten the health of our environment and oppress the majority of people on this planet. In this first episode of Black Material Geography, host Teju Adisa-Farrar explores the current material conditions of life in the Western world, resulting from several historical events that must be taken into account if we wish for a better future.

Black Material Geographies is part of Whetstone Radio Collective. Learn more about Black Material Geographies here.

Find show notes here.

And transcript here.

MUSIC CREDIT:Philip Kelechi Nnamdi Iroh