Conscious Chatter

In episode 67 of Conscious Chatter, Kestrel welcomes the founder of Luna Zorro, Molly Berry, to the show. As you may have heard, the below quote from Molly has come up in past episodes, when discussing the balance between working with artisans and sharing that story:

It seems to me that the word 'empower' has become a marketing buzz word for many companies to pull the heart strings of the consumer, sometimes to the point of exploitation, manipulating images or stories and convincing people that their single purchase is "changing a life". I work directly with indigenous, Mayan weavers everyday. I need them as much as they need me to make this business work. We stand in a global marketplace together. This is not a charity case and I am not simply "doing them a favor". We are partners. We are creating and designing things by hand and maintaining an ancient tradition that has been all but entirely replaced by machines.

Molly shares her wild and crazy adventures that eventually led her to founding Luna Zorro. Kestrel and Molly also discuss the differences / potential overlaps between artisan made and ethical manufacturing, inspired by a question Harper Poe of Proud Mary asked Kestrel in the past.

Here's a big-time WOW number that came up in the conversation:

According to Triple Pundit, the global artisan market is estimated to be worth $34 billion, and it's just continuing to grow more. So, it's probably a good idea that larger companies continue to take note of the global talent in this sector.

Another element that wove its way into the conversation was the importance of aesthetics, photography, and style in the marketing and selling of artisan made goods. For Molly, this is hugely important and it 100% shows through as you scroll through the Luna Zorro Instagram feed.

In episode 66 of Conscious Chatter, Kestrel welcomes Stefan Siegel, the founder of Not Just A Label to the show. The world's leading designer platform for showcasing and nurturing today's pioneers in contemporary fashion, Not Just A Label has been described by Vogue Paris as: "One of the ten most essential websites of today: it inspires, to be ahead of the trends".

Stefan shares his insight on how data and fashion should be collaborating more often, and the potential that exists in that space. He also elaborates on his recent decision to move Not Just A Label physically to Los Angeles. For Stefan, LA is a place that has all the ingredients to redefine what fashion and manufacturing look like by creating a new system.

At the moment, Stefan sees huge power in being able to connect consumers to independent designers, and he sees the way the food industry has rebuilt itself, as inspiration for this change.

In episode 65 of Conscious Chatter, Kestrel welcome Ayesha Barenblat to the show. The founder of Remake, Ayesha is hugely passionate about the power of storytelling and human connection. Remake is a platform that builds human connections between all of us as people who shop - and the makers whose hands create the fashion we wear.

In episode 64 of Conscious Chatter, Kestrel welcomes self-taught designer Mia Vesper to the show. While Mia may be a new name to the fashion scene, she's turning heads left and right. From Vogue to W Magazine to Man Repeller, the big guys are taking note. A 25-year old designer, Mia brings two key elements into her eye-catching designs: reinvention and recycling.

In this chat, Kestrel asks Mia about her approach to design, and how she sources the vintage tapestries that are so integral to the pieces she creates. The two discuss the idea of "having your thing" as a designer, and its importance in today's overly noisy state.

Mia shares her thoughts on a conundrum she's been facing for quite some time now: to build an ethical business or to build a profitable business, and the questions she's faced with on a regular basis, when she wants to build a better brand.

Also, listen to hear some entertaining stories from two fashion-driven women who have roots in Wisconsin.

In episode 63, Kestrel welcomes Arianne Engelberg, the Creative Director of The New Denim Project to the show. An innovative product line out of Iris Textiles in Guatemala, The New Denim Project makes textiles and products from upcycled pre-consumer denim waste.

Arianne shares stories of the evolution of her family's factory over the years - her grandparents originally started it back in the 1950s. Also, Arianne explains more in detail the process behind the upcycled textiles they have developed, and where the waste they use comes from. In addition, Arianne addresses the way she and the New Denim Project have found creative ways to tackle their own waste from their manufacturing process, as they work to push the limits when it comes to building a closed loop company.

One of Kestrel's highlights from this show was how Arianne explained that she and her team members have discovered over time, that as textile manufacturers, they actually do have a massive amount of power when it comes to helping to shift the future of the fashion industry.

In episode 62, Kestrel welcomes guests Ian Rosenberger, the founder and CEO of Thread, and Zachary Angelini, the Environmental Stewardship Manager at Timberland. Ian and Zack share some of the stories behind the Thread x Timberland collaboration, which is made of Thread's Ground to Good™ fabric, harvested from plastic bottles littering the streets and landfills of Haiti.

Kestrel also asks Zack to share his mindset on Timberland's approach to sustainability, especially considering the company's high-reaching goals for 2020, including wanting to have 100% organic, US-origin or better cotton, as well as 100% recycled, organic or renewable materials in their shoes.

Finally, Kestrel asks Ian to share his insight on the microfilament issue, which now tends to arise in any conversation connected to recycled plastic fabrics. Ian's response brings light to other ways of potentially looking at this issue, from a more holistic approach.

In episode 61, Kestrel welcomes Dechel McKillian, founder of Galerie.LA and former stylist for the Black Eyed Peas and Lil Wayne to the show. They talk all things personal style and curation, and explore how sustainability fits into these approaches.

With a background in psychobiology, Dechel shares her thoughts on how technology and fast fashion are influencing a general loss of personal style, and that the homogenization of culture is potentially influencing us to lose our own identities to only become "what is popular".

Kestrel and Dechel also explore the importance of curation when it comes to the future of fashion. From Dechel's perspective, quality over quantity wins; she reminds us that owning your own aesthetic could potentially help you buy less and love your clothes more.

In this week's episode, Kestrel welcomes two guests to the show: Jason Kibbey, the CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and Alden Wicker, writer and founder of EcoCult. The idea for this show exploded for Kestrel after she read an article Alden wrote for Racked: "We Have No Idea How Bad Fashion Actually Is For The Environment". It struck a chord with her -- and many other people who have been using the same unverified fact over and over again in our conversations: the global fashion industry is the 2nd most polluting industry in the world.

In this chat, Jason shares his thoughts on where we are currently when it comes to determining the "impact" of the fashion industry. He highlights the reality that creating standards can be especially difficult in the fashion industry because value judgements will inevitably come into play. He also shares what The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is working on with the Higg Index.

Kestrel, Jason and Alden also dive deep into the question of whether conscious consumerism can make an impact, and if so - how much. The search for analytics in the fashion industry is a constant thread throughout this conversation.

In episode 59, Kestrel had the opportunity to visit the Patagonia Headquarters in Ventura, CA to record an in-person interview with 2 key players in the Patagonia game. Helena Barbour is the Senior Director of Global Sportswear at Patagonia, and Thuy Nguyen is the Manager of Social Responsibility and Special Programs. The two have played a large role in building out Patagonia's Fair Trade initiative - in conjunction with Fair Trade USA - in recent years.

In light of Fashion Revolution Day this year, and a continued hope to instigate more respect for the people who make our clothes, this chat is focused heavily on the concept and implementation of Fair Trade initiatives in the garment supply chain. Kestrel asks Thuy and Helena to share more about the evolution of the program at Patagonia, including their thoughts on where they started and where they have come. In addition, they discuss the logistics of how the Fair Trade program works, and how it has the potential to help support local communities around the world.

Kestrel brings "scalability" to the table again, and Thuy and Helena provide their insight on the scalability of fair trade manufacturing, and how collaboration is key to the future success of this program. When it comes to storytelling, the three discuss how complicated it still is to bring up the sustainable fashion conversation with an inclusive, nonjudgemental approach. To close, Thuy and Helena each share their ideas on how we can continue to work on small ways of bringing a more conscious approach to what we wear.

In episode 58, Kestrel welcomes on Cynthia Powers, the Facilitating Manager of Eileen Fisher's clothing take back program, Fisher Found, as well as Teslin Doud, who was part of Eileen Fisher's Social Innovators Project, helping develop some of the company's circular design components.

Kestrel asks Cynthia and Teslin about Fisher Found's origins, intention and goals. In addition, Cynthia and Teslin share more insight on the meaning behind the program's three Rs: Reworn, Renewed, and Remade.

The three also discuss the future of take back programs and what we might expect down the line.

This week's episode was sponsored by The Fourth Gentlemen, who make accessories from bamboo and cork. Why are their bamboo sunnies so amazing?

1. Bamboo is a renewable resource and apparently one of the fastest growing plants on the planet.
2. It's super flexible and lightweight - often I've forgotten I have these shares on because they're like a feather.
3. They float! If you like sailing or being on the water like me, these are a great option - I've lost many a pair of sunglasses to the depths below over the years.