Common Threads

We’re back for a special bonus episode, to give you the inside scoop from The State of Fashion Biennale 2022 in Arnhem, The Netherlands. This unique event is co-curated by Fashion Open Studio and Not Enough Collective.  Every day the range of activities is different and brought to life together by creators and visitors.  Think of it as a big, interactive sustainable fashion festival.

This episode starts with an intro from Alice, followed by content from Ruth in Arnhem. She interviews Marina Sasseron de Oliveira Cabral from Not Enough Collective, Sebastiaan Kramer from brand Hul le Kes, designer Sindiso Khumalo, and Maria Kuznetsova from Outfit Library Less.

Follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by ​​Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

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Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

What does being a game changer in fashion really look like? For the final episode of series three, we’re chatting to the founders of sustainable brand Birdsong, about their social enterprise model and how fashion can be a force for good.

As well as our conversation with Birdsong’s founders Susanna Wen and Sophie Slater, we also chat to their embroiderer, Mona, about what fashion social enterprises provide for local communities.

Follow Birdsong on Instagram, shop the latest collection here, and sign up to Birdsong’s Patreon for the latest behind-the-scenes content.

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by ​​Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

Fashion can't be truly ethical if it's not inclusive. This week we're chatting to Ngoni Chikwenengere from size-inclusive brand We Are Kin about why inclusivity matters, and what fashion’s big players can do to get there.

You can read more of Ngoni’s work over on her blog, and you can keep up with We Are Kin’s latest designs on Instagram.

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by ​​Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

Do you ever think about the full life cycle of your clothes? This week we’re unraveling the journey of a garment with the wonderful Maxine Bédat, author and founder of the New Standard Institute.

We chat with Maxine about the lifecycle of our clothes, the cycle of trends and seasons, the fascinating research for Maxine’s new book, and what shoppers and brands need to do to build a more equitable fashion system.

Buy Maxine’s book ‘Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment’ here. Follow the work of the New Standard Institute on Instagram and Twitter, and visit its website for independent, science-backed analysis of sustainability claims.

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by

Is it ever OK to use the designs of a community that’s not your own? Today we’re exploring the issue of cultural appropriation, and what it means for the Indigenous communities that designers and brands like to ‘take inspiration’ from.

To help us digest this meaty issue we’re joined by the wonderful Monica Boța-Moisin, a cultural IP rights lawyer, and founder of the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative (CIPRI). Monica chatted to us about how brands can move from ‘Ego to Eco’ when creating clothes, and why the three Cs of consent, credit, and compensation can build bridges between traditional artisans and the fashion industry.

Find out more about CIPRI via their website, and on Instagram, and find out more about Monica’s Why We Craft initiative.

Read about the Oma people’s journey to create their database in this Fashion Revolution article. You can also delve deeper into the implications of cultural appropriation in this Fashion Revolution Zine.

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from Alice Cruickshank and Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by

If we can't see it, we can't fix it, and that's why transparency is essential for a fairer fashion system. This week's episode is a solo chat between Alice and Ruth, breaking down the Fashion Revolution Transparency Index results for 2021, and exploring what the future of fashion transparency might look like. We also touch on wokewashing, and how Covid 19 has impacted garment workers.

Read the Fashion Revolution Transparency Index for yourself here. Follow Fashion Revolution on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates. 

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by ​​Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

This week we're talking about a topic that is fundamentally transforming the way we consume fashion, and it’s called the sharing economy. We're joined by two guests helping us explore how we can make our wardrobes accessible to others, and what that means for making the industry more sustainable.

First up we chat to Aisling Byrne, founder of peer-to-peer swapping and renting app, Nuw. You can sign up to Nuw here, and follow on Instagram.

Next up we spoke to Kalkidan Legesse, founder of ethical retailer Sancho's and new venture, Shwap. Shwap offers circular solutions for both consumers and the brands they buy from, using innovative tech. Sign up for Shwap here, and follow on Instagram.

Other clothes sharing platforms we recommend are Swopped.co.uk and Swishup.

Read Ruth's article for EcoCult on clothes swapping here.

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

You'll often hear us talk about how the fashion system needs to change, but what exactly is a system? We're breaking down what a more equitable fashion landscape could look like with systems expert and Sustainable Fashion Scotland co-founder, Mairi Lowe. Listen to our conversation with Mairi to learn what the 'fashion system' is, how to fight the feeling of overwhelm when thinking about all that's wrong with fashion, and what we as individuals can do to make a difference. 

To learn more about the fashion system, we recommend watching the recording of this Fashion Revolution Week event hosted by Mairi.

You can also read the Sustainable Fashion Scotland magazine here. 

Follow Mairi on Twitter, and keep up-to-date with the work of Sustainable Fashion Scotland via Instagram and by registering for its newsletter. 

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by ​​Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

Common Threads is back for Series Three! In this solo episode, Ruth and Alice explore all their gripes with ethical fashion. From not serving everyday families to the difficulty of investing in clothes for life, this is an episode for anyone who’s felt like the world of sustainable style doesn’t quite cater for them.

Common Threads is an ethical fashion podcast from stylist Alice Cruickshank and writer Ruth MacGilp. If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by ​​Madeleine Welsch. Music produced by Feena McKinnell.

Welcome back for a special mini episode to mark Fashion Revolution Week 2021. Now in its eighth year, Fashion Revolution Week is designed to bring the global community together to demand change within the fashion industry.

You have likely already seen the hashtags #WhoMadeMyClothes and #WhatsInMyClothes, and this year the focus is on #WhoMadeMyFabric. In this solo episode, Alice and Ruth explore why rights for workers need to extend much beyond the cutting and sewing stage of garment production, and how we can all get involved in Fashion Revolution Week.

Be sure to follow Fashion Revolution on Instagram and Twitter, and head to the organisation’s website for more information on how to get involved, including a printable Who Made My Fabric poster and a tool to email your favourite brands to ask them about their full supply chain.

You can read more about Uyghur forced labour in the cotton industry in this Fashion Revolution Statement.

You can also find out about the need for supply chain transparency in the ‘Out Of Sight’ report.

If you liked this episode and you want to support our work, you can buy us a Ko-Fi here.

For more updates on the ethical fashion conversation, follow Common Threads on Instagram, like us on Facebook, and join the conversation on Twitter.

You’ll find Ruth on Instagram: @ruthmacgilp_ and Twitter @ruthmacgilp

You’ll find Alice on Instagram: @styledbyalicex and Twitter: @styledbyalice

Common Threads artwork was created by Hannah Mitson of Mitson Design.