Fashioncast

Fashioncast®

Episode #53, November 12, 2024

Alden Wicker, Toxic Textiles (Part 3): Has Toxic Apparel Become Fashion’s Watergate?

This episode is Part 3 of a three-part series on toxic textiles and features Alden Wicker, award-winning author, freelance investigative reporter, and environmental blogger.  The discussion covers Wicker’s career in the fashion industry since 2011, including her introduction to fashion, the launch of her website EcoCult, and her first book released in 2023, To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back.

This is a highly informative and fast-moving interview. In many ways, Wicker is like the authors who have appeared on the show before her. She’s exceptionally intelligent, articulate, and speaks from experience and knowledge. In addition, Wicker is passionate about the surprising discoveries made during her research, and the listener can hear the urgency in her voice.

While reading To Dye For, Wicker’s investigative journalism instincts are pervasive throughout the book.  From her invitation to investigate Alaskan Airline flight attendant complaints about new uniforms, to her trip to India dye houses, Wicker uncovers endless layers of the proverbial onion.  Of course, all the while being scoffed at by gatekeepers and bureaucrats from the airline, medical, legal, and fashion industries.  To Dye For is a reader’s journey of intrigue, surprise, frustration, and anger.  If the outcome weren’t so tragic, the book was so well-written and full of unique characters, it could have passed as fiction.  Fortunately, I am not the only one who noticed, Wicker recently won the Society of Environmental Journalists Rachel Carson Book Award for reporting on the environment. 

Sure, Rachel Carson’s1962 book Silent Spring, challenged the use of chemical pesticides and sparked the environmental movement, but decades later big industry never got the memo, particularly the fashion industry.  However, one can only hope, To Dye For, may be the catalyst that sparks a new and serious movement in the fashion industry about toxic apparel with Alden Wicker leading the charge!  Enjoy this special episode.

www.Aldenwicker.com

www.ecocult.com

To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick--and How We Can Fight Back https://a.co/d/jl27WNk

Fashioncast®

Episode #52, October 8, 2024

Dr. Alison Matthews David, Toxic Textiles (Part 2): Fashion’s History of Silent Consent

This episode is Part 2 of a three-part series on toxic textiles and features Dr. Alison Matthews David, award-winning author, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, and fashion activist.  Dr. Matthew David’s ground-breaking fashion history classic Fashion Victims, will mark its tenth anniversary in 2025 and has become the go to art fashion history text in fashion colleges around the globe.

Tying together over a hundred years of the fashion industry’s indifference to the toxic manufacturing of apparel, Matthews David explains in spell-binding detail the dangers of fashion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  For example, she highlights damning evidence that the industry was aware of the effects of mercury poisoning in workers for 200 years!

It’s fascinating to listen to Matthews David’s passion about the comparison of toxicity in apparel between the 20th and 21st centuries.  Unfortunately, given advances in plastics and the chemicals used to manufacture synthetic textiles, not much has changed--fashion is still one of the most polluting industries on earth.

Matthews David does concede there is a small movement within the industry about the overuse of cheap toxins.  Fashion college students seem adamant about making meaningful progress by insisting on the use of non-toxic fabrics in design. Further, a slew of upstart fashion brands is manufacturing non-toxic clothing and making inroads in educating the public and the industry about the real health effects of toxic apparel.

When Matthews David isn’t teaching, researching, and writing, she can be found coordinating collaborations with museums about the history of toxicity in fashion.  Currently, she has an exhibit at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada.

While the use of toxic textiles is a grave issue within the fashion industry, understanding the history of the ongoing problem is critical to gain perspective and make future changes.  Matthews David exhaustive research methodology and prolific authorship on the topic continues to be a godsend to the industry and will undoubtedly prove to be extremely helpful in solving this menacing problem.  Enjoy!

Alison Matthews David | Department of Art History (utoronto.ca)

Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present https://a.co/d/b8wemri

Fashioncast®

Episode #51, September 17, 2024

Lydia Dupree, Toxic Textiles (Part 1): A Biochemist Unravels Fashion’s Toxic Secrets 

Put your thinking caps on fashionistas!  On this episode, you’ll meet Lydia Dupree, the brilliant and affable biochemist who is tackling one of fashion’s most opaque topics—toxic textiles. Dupree is a notable cancer researcher and has several research papers already published. And while her entrance into fashion came about unexpectedly, for the industry, Dupree’s intelligence and passion could ultimately change what we wear.  This episode is the first in a three-part series exploring how toxic apparel impacts individual health.

Fashion’s poor environmental reputation is well documented, but oddly enough, toxic textiles have evaded serious scrutiny until now.  The health scare related to the issue is just beginning to gain traction within the fashion community and Dupree does a masterful job explaining the lengthy list of toxins that are knowingly part of the apparel manufacturing process. 

It is fascinating to listen to a biochemist unapologetically explain the toxic tsunami confronting fashion.  Her credibility and proven research make it clear there are serious public health issues to weigh including the effects on children, fertility, and the long-term consequences of toxins absorbed through the skin. 

But Dupree takes her research skills well beyond blogging her findings on social media, she’s created the website Day Into Eve where she conducts a deep vetting of companies that claim their fashion or lifestyle products are toxic-free.  As of this episode, the Day Into Eve platform lists over 40 companies that have passed Dupree’s stringent specifications.

Lastly, not surprisingly, Dupree hopes to expand her messaging about toxic textiles through further educating consumers and collaborating with the fashion industry.  Given the fashion industry's history on environmental issues, toxic-free fashion is only a long-term goal rather than a short-term mandate.  In the meantime, the industry should amplify the important work of a young biochemist from Milford, Connecticut!  Enjoy the show!

www.dayintoeve.com

Instagram @lydia.dupree

TikTok Lydia I Non-Toxic Fashion

Fashioncast®

Episode #50, August 20, 2024

Somy Madani, Haute Couture Makes A Comeback With London’s Next Generation Designer

This is the 50th show anniversary of Fashioncast®, and we couldn’t think of a better guest to share our success with than Somy Madani, the award-winning London-based international designer.

Born and raised in Medina, Saudi Arabia, Somy’s fashion journey is a remarkable story of entrepreneurial grit and determination.  Brilliant and affable, she’s a woman on a mission. In her brief stint in London, she has completed her fashion education, launched her fashion business, launched a non-profit organization (Somy Talent Academy), and continues raising her two children. 

Her brand, Somy London launched in 2021, is known for its bespoke evening gowns worn by London’s celebrity class.  The brand recently ventured into ready-to-wear with The Time Is Now line and follows a strict sustainable methodology while emphasizing body positivity and inclusion in its design.

Beyond Somy’s amazing story and bonified business success, she is an outspoken advocate for mental health and self-care for the creative community.  Included in her approach has been Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), the use of horses in the therapeutic process.  In fact, her next fashion show in September 2024 will incorporate and offer therapy for local children struggling with mental health symptoms.  A beautiful reminder that giving is its own form of healing.

Lastly, Somy is more than just an awe-inspiring fashion designer, she’s an extraordinary human being with boundless energy and creativity.  Listeners will be captivated by the many topics covered in this interview from her wish to collaborate with Lady Gaga to the most exciting and challenging issues facing the fashion industry.

It was a great honor to speak with Somy Madani about her true passion, and it will be an equal pleasure to hear.  Please enjoy the 50th Fashioncast® episode!

https://somylondon.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/somy-madani-7046b5133/

@somyofficial_

Fashioncast®

Episode #49, July 16, 2024

Stacy Igel, Fashion’s Queen of Collaboration

Listen closely fashionistas! On this episode we introduce you to “fashionpreneuer” extraordinaire Stacy Igel, Founder Boy Meets Girl apparel company and best-selling author of Embracing The Calm In The Chaos.   

As Stacy says, she was interested in fashion while “still in the womb,” and her history since birth reinforces her prenatal yearning to build a career in fashion.  What makes this episode so appealing is that Igel is both a steadfast businessperson and a creative.  Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Igel made her mark as a hosiery salesperson when Marshall Fields hired her while still in the eighth grade!  She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she tripled majored in design, merchandising, and retail.  She soon moved to New York City to learn the fashion business from the ground up, and in 2001 she launched the Boy Meets Girl apparel company.

Whether interviewing Igel, or writing about her, one always is in high gear.  Igel is kind, intelligent, professional, and yes, humorous.  But more than anything else, Igel is full of positive energy, and constantly multitasking like the entrepreneur, designer, and mother you would expect!

Fashioncast could have easily produced two episodes out of this interview, one focused on Igel’s phenomenally successful company, Boy Meets Girl, and another on her equally successful book, Embracing The Calm In The Chaos. The book details Igel’s fashion journey including the launch of her brand.

We found Igel’s interview full of one surprise after another.  This is after all, someone who has made her way in New York’s fashion world through twenty years of grit and determination.  Boy Meets Girl sports a Who’s Who list of collaborations with industry heavyweights from Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom to Bergdorf Goodman and the Chicago Bulls.  Igel has come a long way since dressing classmates in grade school!

Of course, Fashioncast probed Igel about sustainability, the lack of a business curriculum in fashion colleges, and the big issues she believes are headwinds for the industry.  We are certain you will find Stacy Igel as energetic, knowledgeable, and entertaining as we did!

Please enjoy the show!

www.boymeetsgirlusa.com                www.stacyigel.com

https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Calm-Chaos-Perseverance-Collaboration/dp/140023493X

Fashioncast®

Episode #48, May 21, 2024

Rachel Erickson, Riding High in the World of Performance Apparel

Hold on fashionistas! On this episode we introduce you to manufacturing performance apparel consultant Rachel Erickson.  As Founder and CEO of Unmarked Street, Rachel, and her team specialize in fashion consulting to the sports performance market, especially cycling. 

Enthusiastic about fashion at an early age, with some maternal nudging, Rachel has made fashion more than a career, it’s her identity. But of course, there have been challenges along the way.  “Burned out” from mind numbing work in corporate apparel manufacturing, after 17 years, Rachel launched Unmarked Street and began blazing a new path as a fashion apparel consultant. 

The company specializes in consulting for performance wear and cycling in particular, a rare niche market within the world of fashion. And the reason Unmarked Street has been so successful.  Sometimes it pays NOT to play to the masses!

Erickson is easy to listen to, she’s energetic, humorous, articulate, and is knowledgeable about the fashion industry way beyond her niche.  It’s exciting to hear Rachel discuss a broad range of topics including branding, how to construct apparel for flawless fit, competition, difficult assignments, and sustainability. We especially enjoyed Rachel’s discussion of Major League Baseball’s ongoing uniform controversy with Nike and Fanatics.  Only from a performance apparel consultant, could you receive the “inside-baseball” of such a debacle.

After interviewing Erickson, we had a newfound appreciation for the technical side of the business.  Understanding the use a performance of specific textiles is as critical to the business as marketing and distribution—nothing can be left to chance. And Erickson tells the story well.  Constantly weaving in personal anecdotes, it’s clear this is an entrepreneur who loves her work!

Lastly, when Erickson was asked to take off her “consulting hat” and reflect on the fashion industry at large, she was particularly insightful about the unwanted side effects of fast fashion placed on her and many others within the industry.  It’s part of the discussion you won’t want to miss!

We loved interviewing the very lively Rachel Erickson! Please enjoy!

www.unmarkedstreet.com

@unmarkedstreet

Fashioncast®

Episode #47, February 15, 2024

Gittemarie Johansen, The Global Guru of Sustainability Takes on Fast Fashion

Hey Fashionistas!  On this episode we introduce you to sustainability educator, author, speaker, and YouTube sensation, Gittemarie Johansen. 

Smart, witty, and experienced, Gittemarie has been living and teaching the zero-waste lifestyle for a decade. It’s fascinating to hear how Gittemarie stumbled into her career, found her passion, and has made her livelihood teaching the rest of us how to think and behave sustainably.  Even better, she walks the talk living as close to a zero-waste life as anyone you’ll ever meet. 

Johansen is clearly an intellectual force on the topic of sustainability and has created her own unique definition for the word sustainable.  And, why not?The word has been so misused and diluted, especially by the fashion industry, it has no meaning.  For the record, Fashioncast agrees with the Gittemarie definition!

Given Gittemarie’s early background as a fashion influencer and reporter, it’s rare for such an individual to transition to the sustainable movement, but that’s what is so captivating about her story.  She hasn’t simply done the research on this important industry topic, she’s lived it!  And that kind of transformation brings an inner knowing that few can replicate.

Johansen is brilliant in this interview as she verbally slays topics from greenwashing and sustainable designers to consumer overconsumption and worker rights.  It’s a joy to hear one so experienced articulate fashion’s many paradoxes but offer solutions too.  Johansen has indeed thought long on the big issues surrounding sustainability, and it shows.

What we found so compelling is how Johansen answered a myriad of tough questions in such a thoughtful and precise way.  Her answer to what is most troubling about fast fashion is a perfect example when she stated without hesitation, “exploitation.”  There are so many things troubling about fast fashion, it may be difficult to list them all, but exploitation would be at the top.  Bravo Gittemarie!

Lastly, we loved Gittemarie’s interview so much, we are already working on her next visit!  Enjoy!

www.gittemary.com

@Gittemary

Episode #46, December 20, 2023

Fern Mallis, A Fashion Legend Imparts Wit And Wisdom On Her Career And Life

On this exclusive episode, you will hear from the Godmother of Fashion, Fern Mallis, as she describes the trials and tribulations of her early days to her current role as President of her own consulting company.

Listening to Mallis reflect on her hard-earned wisdom about the industry is the equivalent to enjoying a ten-course meal.  Few, if any, know the depth and the breadth of the industry like Mallis, and her knowledge is genuinely on display during this interview.  Often, Mallis is on the other side of the microphone interviewing fashion icons such as Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta,  Donna Karan, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger to name a few.  But, as an interviewee on Fashioncast® she is equally professional, patient, witty, and intelligent.

Mallis has a keen sense of what’s needed and expected in the industry.  For example, as Executive Director, Council of Fashion Designers of America (1991-2001), she worked tirelessly to launch what is now known as New York Fashion Week. Her efforts to make the show successful and financially viable broke many of the known rules for fashion event planning including soliciting sponsorships, a practice today that is part of the event protocol.  You’ll hear; however, Mallis is quick to credit all those who have been so instrumental in her career.  It’s been a collective effort in managing and leading the industry to new heights.   

When interviewing Fern Mallis, it's obvious that she loves the fashion industry.  She is in her zone, a comfortable, familiar, and creative zone. In fact, Mallis is so enthusiastic about her role, she can’t help but attract others to her mission to support and build a better fashion industry.  That beautiful attitude has served her outside of the industry as well as she has co-founded, directed, and volunteered for multiple nonprofits applying her fashion experience and business expertise to help raise millions of dollars.  A legacy that nearly rivals her life in fashion.

Interviewing Fern Mallis was an honor, and we sincerely believe you’ll enjoy the notable advice and insight from the fashion legend.

www.fernmallis.com

www.92ny.org

www.cfda.com

www.nyfw.com

Fashioncast®

Episode #45, October 30, 2023

Jennifer Knoepfle, LilaPants

Hey Fashioncast fashionistas, on this episode you’ll learn about the amazing startup LilaPants (www.lilapants.com), and the company’s innovative apparel made for the tween market.  Born from the innocent question, “What would you like to do when you grow?”, the LilaPants journey is full of the trials and tribulations of a fashion startup.  What is uniquely compelling about LilaPants is the fact it’s a family affair.  The company was co-founded by spouse/mother, Jennifer (Jenny) Knoepfle, her husband Matt, and their two daughters Lila and Georgia.  In fact, Lila and Georgia may be the youngest fashion entrepreneurs in the U.S.!

It’s motivating to hear the lively and articulate Jenny as she describes the genesis of the LilaPants brand including confirmation of the idea via a Mom’s Facebook group, the fits and starts of fabric selection, the use of a fashion incubator, building a family-oriented company, and the go-to-market strategy to employ for trending apparel.  The result, sporting 68 SKUs, is LilaPants, a pant suit dress alternative for the tween market that preserves the style and sophistication to allow attending any function fashionable.  It was especially endearing listening to Jenny describe to roles Lila and Georgia have taken within the company.  The sister entrepreneurs are heavily involved in everything from product design and sizing to marketing and modeling.

While all startups face significant challenges, fortunately for LilaPants, a unique market niche may have given them an important survival advantage.  We were surprised to learn U.S. children’s fashion accounts for $52.9 billion in revenue and is one of the most lucrative sectors within apparel.  Entering a verified white space, the tween dress alternative market, unmatched LilaPants is poised to capture its share of the revenue pie.

Lastly, we love several other aspects of the LilaPants brand including their long-term commitment to sustainability.  While the apparel items offered are currently not sustainable, the packaging is, and a plan to incorporate affordable sustainable fabrics is in the works. In addition, LilaPants donates a portion of its profits to Darthmouth Health’s Gastrointestinal Behavioral Health Program (https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/gi/gi-behavioral-health), an important cause to the family and anyone suffering chronic GI conditions.

Please enjoy the wit and wisdom of Jenny Knoepfle on your tour of the formation and launch of LilaPants!

Fashioncast®

Episode #44, August 29, 2023

Graham Stewart, EVP, FIBRE52

Whoa! Fashioncast listeners, on this episode you’ll learn about the most innovative sustainable product for cotton bleaching and dying since the 12th century! International sustainable textile innovator and FIBRE52 Executive, Graham Stewart, joins the show and shares his vision for the company and the textile industry.  Stewart, a veteran of the textile industry since 1976, has held a variety of positions, but perhaps his most important contribution to the fashion industry has been his patent pending cotton bleaching and dying discovery FIBRE52.

A textile and chemistry enthusiast from childhood, Graham grew up in the heart of textile manufacturing in northern England.  While the textile mills have moved offshore, the toxic caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) laden recipes remain in use around the globe.  This is where FIBRE52 enters the scene.  The process, invented by Stewart, is an environmentally friendly and inexpensive method designed to replace the traditional cotton bleaching and dying process on a global scale! 

FIBRE52 is a brilliant invention that utilizes natural products instead of conventional chemical heavy compounds while using less energy, less water, and less time—the perfect sustainable recipe!  In terms of circular fashion, FIBRE52 demonstrably helps lengthen and strengthen the life of garments for recycling/upcycling.

While Stewart extols the virtues of the FIBRE52 for key user groups such as manufacturers, brands, and consumers, he does an equally masterful job of explaining the “inside baseball” of the global textile market.  Who leads the world in cotton production?What other companies are leading in sustainable textile manufacturing?  Is FIBRE52 open to collaboration?  Stewart answers these questions and still has time to gift invaluable advice to newcomers to the fashion industry! 

If we were handing out awards, FIBRE52 would easily win the Fashion Innovation Award of the Year!  Listen and judge for yourself.  Enjoy!

www.fibre52.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamrstewart