Common Threads

It’s the final episode of series two, and today we’re exploring the role of ethical brands in changing the fashion system. We’re asking: can an organic cotton t-shirt really save the world?

We’re also joined in conversation with the brilliant Lora Nikolaeva. As the owner of the ethical brand Lora Gene for over 10 years, she has a lot to say on the state of the industry, and plenty of advice on how new brands can build a sustainable business of their own. Lora also chats to us about the need for size diversity in ethical fashion, and why growing up in Bulgaria means sustainability has always been in her life.

Follow Lora Gene on Instagram, and visit the brand’s website to shop its stunning designs.

Here’s the link to some articles we mention in the podcast:

If you’d like to continue your ethical fashion activism during our break, you can find out more about the impact of Covid 19 on garment workers, donate to the Kantamanto Fire Relief, and ask brands to #PayUp for cancelled orders.

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 Hannah Mitson of Mitson Design.

This week we’re joined by the co-founder of Fashion Revolution Orsola de Castro, as she releases her new book: Loved Clothes Last.

Fashion Revolution has been instrumental in bringing the ethical fashion conversation into the public eye, and Orsola’s passion and knowledge for this subject is second to none. Listen to our conversation for an insight into her new book, advice on how we can all become fashion revolutionaries, and a first look into what’s coming up for Fashion Revolution Week 2021.

You can purchase Orsola’s Book Loved Clothes Last on Bookshop.org as an ethical alternative to Amazon.

Follow Fashion Revolution on Instagram and Twitter. Orsola also mentions the work of Celine Semaan of Slow Factory and Study Hall. We’ve linked to these great organisations so you can get involved.

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.

What if instead of managing fashion waste, we designed it out instead? Today we’re chatting with two people working to help small-scale sewers and bigger brands alike do exactly that, by focusing on zero waste systems that incorporate the whole supply chain.

Holly McQuillan is a researcher at the Swedish School of Textiles and co-author of Zero Waste Fashion Design, and Cassandra Belanger is a Glasgow School of Art graduate and founder of The Stitchery. Their partnership with fellow fashion problem-solvers Mylène L’Orguilloux and Danielle Elsener is Zero Waste Design Online, where they provide workshops and resources to help people realise their zero waste ambitions.

Holly and Cassandra explained to us why the fashion industry is so wasteful, what a zero-waste system entails, and how everyone can implement zero waste thinking into their wardrobes and designs.

Follow Zero Waste Design Online on Instagram for the latest about its work. You can also find out more about the collective in Ruth’s recent article for Eco-Age.

Here are some additional zero-waste design resources, as recommended by Cassandra:

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 Mitson Design.

Repair is revolutionary, and today we are joined by two experts in this field to explore the power of sewing in combating the fast fashion system of consumption.

First we spoke to Ros Studd, the creator of the free online resource for beginner sewers, Repair What You Wear. Since launching during the first lockdown, thousands of people have used her simple, accessible videos to learn how to mend their own clothes. We find out more about this project and how it’s educating the next generation of fashion revolutionaries. Follow Repair What You Wear on Instagram here.

Next we spoke to Siobhan McKenna, the designer behind the sustainable fashion brand ReJean Denim. ReJean’s signature product is a classic, genderless denim jacket made from a patchwork of preloved jeans, but Siobhan also provides a dedicated repair shop for any brand of denim products. We discussed whether the buck stops with consumers or brands when it comes to repairs, and why altering your fast fashion garments is an act of beauty. Follow Rejean on Instagram here.

We also briefly mention Sojo, a new app connecting customers to local tailors. You can find out more about the app in this Refinery 29 Article.

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.

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

Welcome back to the second half of season two. Today we’re looking at the role of activists within the fashion industry itself, and how we can all ‘stay with the trouble’ to keep the conversation going, even when brands don't want to hear it. 

Our guest is Bel Jacobs, the former Metro fashion editor. She is also a founding member of Fashion Act Now, alongside Alice Wilby and Sara Arnold. Fashion Act Now follows on from the work of Extinction Rebellion, who you may remember from protests at London Fashion Week 2019, such as its now famous ‘fashion funeral’ to commemorate the loss of life due to climate and ecological breakdown caused by fashion.

What could have been a very bleak conversation with Bel actually transpired to be full of optimism, and we're excited to share it with you. Listen for Bel's insight on what a less destructive fashion industry could look like, as well as advice on how to carry out your own climate activism.

As a companion to this episode, we recommend reading a short ebook called the Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan by Kate Fletcher and Mathilda Tham, which you can access for free online here. 

Bel also refers to the work of Sierra Club, including this incredible article by Hop Hopkins.

You can follow Fashion Act Now on Twitter and Instagram, and donate to its Crowdfunder.

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 Mitson Design.

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

To round off 2020, here’s a solo episode from Ruth and Alice looking at the six biggest myths surrounding ethical fashion.

Here are the misconceptions we cover:

We refer to a few articles and resources in this episode, so here’s where you can read them:

Have a lovely festive period, everyone! We’ll be back with new content mid-January 2021.

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.

In an ode to what should be the Christmas party season, we’re chatting all things sequins and embellishment in this episode. Most of us know that plastic sequins are a sustainability nightmare, but have you ever thought about the people who sew on those adornments?

To chat about the role of these hand workers we’re joined by Uzma Bozai, whose eponymous label offers organic cotton sweatshirts with bold embellishments, crafted by artisans using traditional techniques in Pakistan.

Uzma chats with us about the true meaning of the term ‘artisan’, and what exactly goes into creating an embellished garment. Meanwhile, Alice and Ruth explore plastic-free alternatives to sequins, and how to shop sparkly clothing consciously.

Shop Uzma’s designs via her website, and be sure to follow the brand on Instagram @uzmabozai

For more information on the role of hand workers in the garment industry, we recommend listening to Wardrobe Crisis - Episode 92 with Rebecca Van Bergen. You can also find out more via the NGO Nest.

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

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

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

Have you ever thought about who makes your jewellery? This week we’re exploring the ethics of our necklaces, earrings, and other adornments, with Audrey Migot-Adholla. 

Audrey is the founder of Yala Jewellery, the only jewellery company which is a certified B-Corporation in the UK. She's incredibly passionate about social justice, circularity and sustainability, as well as the wellbeing of her artisans.

Be sure to follow Yala Jewellery on Instagram, and shop the collection here.

You can read more about the ethics of jewellery in Ruth’s article for Eco Warrior Princess.

You can also find out more about what it means to be a B-Corporation.

Here are the independent brands Audrey recommends following:

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

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

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

‘Tis the season to consume! As we approach Black Friday and Christmas, we’re exploring if capitalism and ethical fashion can coincide, with the help of journalist and author Tansy Hoskins. Tansy also chats about the ethics of our footwear, and why she’s quit Instagram for good.

Follow Tansy on Twitter, shop her books ‘Stitched Up: The Anticapitalist Book of Fashion’ and ‘Footwork: What Your Shoes Are Doing to the World’ at all good indie booksellers, and read her latest investigative report on workers rights in Myanmar for the Guardian.

Here are the organisations Tansy recommends following during her interview:

And here are the links to other content we’ve mentioned this episode:

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

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

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

Can fashion really be ethical unless it's circular? This week, we're chatting with circularity expert, Lynn Wilson, about why fashion needs to be a 'closed-loop system', and why we should value access over ownership. Lynn explains the reality of textile recycling and zero-waste design, how we as consumers can get more circular, and what fashion has in common with space exploration (yes, really!).

Follow Lynn on Twitter and Instagram, and watch her TedTalk: Circular Fashion. What's your Moonshot?

Read Sophie Benson's article on ASOS's (not) circular collection, and visit the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for more information on circularity. 

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

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

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