My next guest is artist and apparel designer Alexis Stiteler. Her collection of small batch, organic and botanically dyed apparel has quickly garnered a cult following for its hauntingly beautiful aesthetic that straddles a dual identity, both garment and artifact. 

A check in from Miranda and reflections on past and future Creativity in the Time of Capitalism conversations.

This episode is the second in a two part conversation with Nigerian based designer, Mukhtara Yusuf, if you missed part one, please pause and start there. In part two, we dive into the context where I first met Mukhtara—fashion. We discussed what it looks like today–it’s deep rootedness in personal storytelling and nostalgia, in cultural violence and erasure, and the very nature of consumerism. Let’s dive back in.

A visual artist, scholar, cultural activist and designer, Mukhtara Yusuf’s work operates in the space of decolonizing design, sustainability, alternative economies and design in the global south. In our conversation, we discuss the seen and unseen aspects of design, including grief, trauma, as well as cultural biases and effacement. I left this conversation with all of my synapses lit up, immersed in bigger and broader questions than I had considered in some time, and I hope the effect will be the same for all of you out there as well. This is part one of a two part conversation.

Welcome to part two of my conversation with Rebecca Mapes, if you missed part one, please be sure to start there.

When we left off, Bec had just shared where she found herself after spending three years developing and ultimately releasing her sustainable hair care product under her label Winden. After prioritizing the most sustainable choices possible for the manufacturing and packaging of her new shampoo bar, she ultimately found herself facing the unsustainable financial reality of those choices. We also learn more about her experiences translating Winden to the fundraising and start-up world, and the realities of relocating her business from NYC to Sante Fe, NM. Finally, we discover the surprising place Bec has come to land in her creative and entrepreneurial journey. 

My next guest, Rebecca Mapes, is a multidisciplinary artist whose work currently comprises painting, jewelry, collage, and glass blowing. She began her creative career with Winden, a collection of fine, minimalist jewelry created in NYC. Ultimately, that brand evolved to incorporate high end hair accessories before Mapes spent three years developing a sustainable shampoo bar with a deeply considered and equally sustainable carrying case. In part one of this conversation, we deep dive through her entrepreneurial career trajectory, with an emphasis on the role debt has played in the various stages of her growth, as well as her thoughts today on an-all-or-nothing approach to sustainability as an independent business owner.

Welcome to part two of my conversation with Ilana Kohn, if you missed part one, please be sure to start there.

Originally a successful illustrator who began her career creating original works for The New Yorker and The New York Times among others, Ilana brought her love of color and graphics to her collection of effortlessly silhouetted and comfort-driven daily wear essentials. Kohn’s label is one quickly recognized by those in the know, with a cool and easy approach to fit and cut informed by the designer and her team’s perspective rather than the gaze of “capital F” Fashion industry. In the second chapter of our conversation, Ilana gives a rare glimpse behind the curtain at what the reality of operating an independent apparel collection looked like in the post-COVID era. 

The official uniform of cool girls everywhere (including Molly Baz and Claire Saffitz), Ilana Kohn's namesake apparel collection is no stranger to fans, followers, and peers in the independent and slow fashion space, and I am so pleased to welcome her as my guest on this first official episode of the Creativity in the Time of Capitalism podcast. I spoke with Ilana this past November on the heels of the announcement that she would be closing her deeply beloved and wildly successful cult clothing line. Based in New York City for the duration of its run, and most recently headquartered across three stories in the heart of NYC's Lower East Side, Kohn has sat at the helm of her brand since its official launch in 2012.

The Creativity in the Time of Capitalism Podcast is here! Hosted by veteran entrepreneur and creative Miranda Bennett, learn the why behind this much anticipated project that interrogates the intersection of creativity and livelihood.