This week's podcast is guest hosted by American stylist and creative director Alexander-Julian (AJ) Gibbson. In a vibrant conversation with Abrima Erwiah, co-founder and president of fashion social enterprise Studio 189, you'll hear all about creating, running and building a fashion business with purpose in Accra.

Studio 189 is an award-winning fashion label based in Ghana and the United States. Its goal is to promote African and African-inspired fashion. Abrima and AJ explore the challenges and benefits of local production, the human aspect of slow fashion and to the beauty of knowing the stories of the people behind the process.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast series was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexander-Julian Gibbson is a Houston-based stylist and content creator known for his directional shoots for magazines (think GQ, Vogue and Flaunt) and musicians like Patoranking.

This week, Simone and Clare meet the Nigerian-American creative force to discuss Lagos style, why the world is looking to African fashion right now, and career pathways for emerging Black creatives.

They also have a frank conversation about the state of diversity and inclusion in the global fashion industry, what needs to change and what's being done.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is about fashion and art, healing and opportunities in Burrundi. Today a creative scene is blossoming in Bujumbura with artists, musicians, photographers and designers using the power of self-expression and the beauty of creativity to connect, and foster new economic opportunities.

Margaux Wong designer Margaux Rusita is one such creative. She designs sustainable and ethically produced jewellery, hand-crafted from cow horn and brass, and was part of the Ethical Fashion Initiative’s inaugural Accelerator Programme for African Designers. An artistic spirit with beautiful energy, she is also mother to five children, and passionate about female empowerment.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we meet two rising fashion design stars. Both are part of the Ethical Fashion Initiative's Accelerator Programme for Emerging African designers. 

Jennifer Mulli is the founder of Kenyan brand Jiamini - made by women for women. Known for its jewellery, in particular extravagant beaded neckpieces, bracelets and bags, they use age-old craft traditions passed down the generations and brought to life by skilled female artisans. Mulli discusses empowering women through ethical employment pathways and the beauty of using heritage fashion techniques to do so.

Lukhanyo Mdingi is a South African fashion designer based in Cape Town who is gaining accolades globally for his sophisticated men’s and womenswear collections. A textile enthusiast, Mdingi manufactures locally with a luxury aesthetic. In this conversation, we talk about how a small brand can take on the international market, the slow fashion approach and the opportunities for re-shoring garment production in South Africa.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ethical Fashion Initiative.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Access to technology is changing the game for a new generation of young African entrepreneurs, and the creative economy provides exciting opportunities on the continent. But with young people making up 60% of Africa’s unemployed, how can they overcome career challenges and harness digital connectivity to get ahead? And what skills and qualities are companies looking for in potential young employees today?

Welcome to the second episode in our new series focused on Africa. Our guest host this week is Roberta Annan, impact investor and founder of Africa Fashion Fund. She is in conversation with Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana. They discuss mentoring new talent, the importance of digital and financial literacy, women in leadership, their own career paths to becoming prominent female business leaders in Ghana, and strategies for emerging creative entrepreneurs across Africa in the digital era.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ethical Fashion Initiative.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Virgil Abloh is one of the most interesting designers working in the global fashion industry today. He is the artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, as well as the creative force behind his own brand Off-White. A true polymath, he is a multi-media artist who moves culture forwards and describes his creative process, across multiple platforms, as “taking an idea and dreaming it aloud”.

In this, the first episode of Series 2, hosts Simone Cipriani and Clare Press sit down with Abloh to discuss diversity and inclusion, his latest projects, what he calls “mentoring by existence” and his personal creative journey. It’s conversation as a rollercoaster ride swooping from Andy Warhol to Miles Davis and James Baldwin to Caravaggio, fashion students, Abloh’s aims and inspirations, and the role of a designer today.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the final episode of Series 1, Simone and Clare talk with Jeanne De Kroon, the founder of Zazi Vintage - a high-end fashion social enterprise that celebrates upcycled fabrics and artisan techniques. Zazi works with the EFI in Afghanistan.

Jeanne is a free spirit who says her mission is to create: "a narrative that connects and weaves cultures together through cloth, that works with women storytellers all over the world." 

This vibrant conversation is really good fun, but, like fashion, it also engages with serious, complex issues.We discuss the deep questions shaping the sustainability discourse today: who profits and who pays the true cost, transparency, finding purpose, and seeking ways to bridge different cultures.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, our theme is Social and Environmental Sustainability Standards. Why do we need to talk about this? Standards exist. Indeed, some say there are too many. And yet problems in fashion's supply chains persist. The fashion industry is well known for it's labour issues and adverse environmental impacts. Are things improving? What is missing when it comes to compliance, collaboration and consumer input, and how might  increase transparency and accountability?

To fill out the picture and explore the solutions, your hosts Simone Cipriani and Clare Press interview: Paola Deda, who works for the UN Economic Commission for Europe and is active in the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, Jill Dumain, CEO of the company behind the BlueSign certification system and Biatriz Cunha, a specialist in the textiles, clothing, leather, footwear sector at the ILO.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a lack of transparency to a business model that squeezes those at the bottom, fashion's supply chains can be a sustainability nightmare. There's a disconnect between the consumers who buy clothes, the retailers who sell them, the designers who conceive of them and all the different suppliers further down the chain, who cut and sew them, produce the textiles and the raw materials.

And while the fashion industry has been very effective in optimising shareholder wealth, it has been less so when it comes to creating wealth for other stakeholders – in particular suppliers and workers.

The current system favours ‘buy cheap, sell high’, compressing the cost of production. Suppliers find themselves competing on price and are often forced to compromise on employment standards to stay in business.

So what's the alternative? In this Episode we ask, how can we create positive sum relationships, rather than zero sum transactions in the fashion supply chain? What happens when we start to view suppliers and workers as true stakeholders rather than simple as costs?

Simone sits down with Sergio Tamborini, CEO of Italian luxury textiles leader Ratti Spa. Clare discusses transparency with Remake Our World's Ayesha Barenblat, and profit sharing with Rituraj Dewan, cofounder of the Indian social enterprise 7 Weaves Silk.

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acting as a bridge between fashion brands and artisan producers, the Ethical Fashion Initiative carefully measures the impact of each order, to ensure that the work is positively impacting the lives of the artisans, and that each project works towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is sometimes difficult, always rewarding work - and perhaps nowhere more so than in Afghanistan.

There, the EFI's main fashion partner is Zarif Design. In this episode, your hosts Simone Cipriani and Clare Press sit down with Zarif's inspiring founder, Zolaykha Sherzad to hear how she established her social enterprise to bring beauty, harmony and hope to one corner of the city she grew up in. 

Find out more at https://ethicalfashioninitiative.org/

Our music is from the original production From Kabul to Bamako, music directed by Saïd Assadi.

This podcast was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.