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.

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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

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!

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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

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!

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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

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!

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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

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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

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.

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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

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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

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. 

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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!

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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

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.

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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!

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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

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.

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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

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
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONSCIOUS EDIT

https://www.consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit