Special episode by No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, host Mili speaks with Jennifer Droguett Espinosa, a Colombian and Chilean Sustainable Fashion Designer and Creative Director, and the founder of Anciela. Jennifer shares how her early experiences with migration, identity, and upcycling shaped her personal and creative outlook. She discusses her journey from making her own clothes as a child through to studying fashion in Amsterdam, interning with Viktor & Rolf, and building her career and community in London.

Jennifer talks about the origins of Anciela, a brand deeply rooted in storytelling, South American folklore, and experimental tailoring, and grounded on the pillars of culture, sustainability, community, and visibility. She details her creative process, how she layers history, literature, music, and personal memory into collections, and the stories behind some of her signature pieces.

The conversation covers Anciela’s approach to circularity, including sustainable material choices, zero-waste techniques, refresh and repair services, and pioneering digital product passports for transparency. Jennifer opens up about collaborating with Latinx creatives, working with diaspora charities, and making fashion more accessible through inclusive events and workshops. She reflects on her time with the Fashion District’s Evo Fashion programme and the British Fashion Council’s low-carbon initiative, highlighting the challenges and rewards of growing a purpose-led business.

Jennifer concludes with advice on conscious consumption, the importance of small actions, and the need for more brands to center community, inclusivity, and honest storytelling.

Anciela:   Website   I   Linkedin   I   Insta

Mili Tharakan:   Website   I   Linkedin   I   Insta   I   Buy me a coffee

Resources

Evo Fashion - a four-month experiential support programme for emerging brands and fashion technology businesses. It will help you to integrate sustainability into every aspect of your business, taking a holistic approach to business strategy and focusing on supply chain sustainability, ethical working standards, channels to market, and investment readiness. Deadline: 4th August 2025

Low Carbon Transition Programme for SMEs report by British Fashion Council

Ellen MacArthur

Fashion Revolution

The travels of a T-shirt in the global economy, book by Pietra Rivoli

One Hundred Years of Solitude, book by Gabriel García Márquez

If you enjoyed this, please share the episode with a friend or colleague. Subscribe and leave a review, I love to hear your feedback.

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Join host Mili Tharakan as she sits down with Annabel Hought from Round Retail and Yayra Agbofah from The Revival to discuss innovative business models for sustainable fashion, the global crisis of textile waste, and the power of cross-border collaboration. This episode dives into the realities of the secondhand clothing market, the importance of community, and creative solutions for reducing waste while supporting vulnerable communities.

• Textile waste is a global problem that requires local and international collaboration.
• The rise of fast and ultra-fast fashion has led to a flood of low-quality, unsellable garments, overwhelming markets like Kantamanto in Ghana.
• Innovative business models like Round Retail and The Revival show how fashion can be a force for good.
• Consumer awareness and action are crucial for driving systemic change in the fashion industry. Consumers can drive change by voting with their money and supporting responsible businesses.
• Reduce stigma around secondhand fashion and foster a more conscious, circular fashion ecosystem.

How to Support
Donate or consign clothes to Round Retail
Follow and support The Revival’s ongoing efforts to rebuild Kantamanto market and community in Accra, Ghana - Donate
Advocate for extended producer responsibility and more transparent fashion supply chains

Fashion District Festival 2025

Fashion District Festival 2025: 3rd - 8th June 2025, Spitalfields, London

Launch and performance showcase:  immersive fashion show

Rebuild and Reimagine with Round Retail:  bring old clothes for creative upcycling sessions.

Accelerating Regenerative Fashion: workshop

Circular Design Practice: workshop

Past and Future fabrics: talks

Connect with me

Mili Tharakan:   Linkedin   I   Insta   I   Website   I Buy me a coffee

If you enjoyed this, please share the episode with a friend or colleague. Subscribe and leave a review, I love to hear your feedback.

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, host Mili Tharakan is joined by three pioneering voices in sustainable fashion and textiles: Dr. Laetitia Forst (University of the Arts London), Patrick McDowell (designer and founder of Patrick McDowell), and Philippa “Philly” Grogan (Sustainability Manager at Nobody’s Child). Together, they break down the jargon around circular design, and circular business models-exploring why these concepts matter and how the fashion industry can shift from linear to circular ways of thinking and working.

What We Cover:

• What circular design really means in fashion and textiles, and the three core pillars of circularity
• How circular design is being implemented at different scales-from luxury, made-to-order brands to large high street labels
• The creative opportunities and technical challenges of designing for recycling, durability, and closed-loop systems
• How circular business models like rental, repair, and resale are changing the way we use and value clothing
• The importance of storytelling, emotional durability, and customer engagement in making circularity a behaviour change.
• The role of emerging technologies, policy, and regulation in accelerating circular innovation

 ⭐️ Fashion District Festival:  3rd - 8th June 2025, London, UK ⭐️

Check out these events and buy your tickets here:

• Launch and performance showcase
• Accelerating Regenerative Fashion
• Circular Design Practice - join our guests for this hands-on workshop
• Past and Future fabrics

💛 Support FLOCC:
Help transform Madras lace waste into valuable cotton flock fibre by supporting the FLOCC crowdfunding campaign. Your pledge helps scale sustainable material innovation and keeps textile waste out of landfill. FLOCC Crowdfunder Campaign

Resources & Further Reading:

• Circular Design with Next Gen Materials Guidebook – UAL Research Online (Laetitia Forst)
• Garment Lifecycle Map – Interactive Tool
• British Fashion Council’s Institute of Positive Fashion
• Future Fabrics Expo
• Centre for Circular Design
• Try your hand at sewing or repairing a garment-engage with your clothes in a new way!

Mili Tharakan:   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Website   I   Buy me a coffee

Connect with me: [email protected]

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District

Guests:

• Amy Tsang, Head of Europe at The Mills Fabrica
• Georgia Parker, Innovation Team at Fashion for Good
• Helen Lax, Director of Fashion District London

This is the 5th in a series of episodes in collaboration with Fashion District - a dynamic hub for fashion innovation in East London, connecting fashion technology, business, and education to support startups with innovation networks, affordable spaces, business guidance, and investment opportunities.

This episode of No Ordinary Cloth podcast features an insightful discussion with three prominent ecosystem builders in the fashion and textile industry: Amy Tsang, Georgia Parker and Helen Lax. They delve into the crucial role of ecosystem partners in driving innovation and sustainability within the industry.

The conversation covers various aspects of supporting startups, including common challenges faced by innovators, such as funding, scaling production, and navigating the complexities of the fashion industry.

The guests highlight the importance of collaboration and alignment among different stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of sustainable solutions. They also stress the need for greater alignment with policymakers to drive meaningful change in the industry.

The episode explores the role of ecosystem builders in supporting startups through various stages of growth, from incubation to scaling. The guests share insights on impact measurement and the importance of founder wellbeing as well.

Looking ahead, the guests envision an even more critical role for ecosystem builders in facilitating industry-wide collaboration, addressing knowledge gaps, and helping stakeholders navigate the complex landscape of innovation and sustainability in fashion and textiles. The episode concludes with personal anecdotes about cherished textile items, highlighting the emotional connections we form with clothing and the potential for long-lasting, quality garments to be passed down through generations.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The role of ecosystem builders in driving innovation in fashion and textiles
• Common challenges faced by startups in the fashion industry
• Programs and support offered by The Mills Fabrica, Fashion for Good, and Fashion District London
• Building successful fashion innovation ecosystems
• Emerging technologies and trends transforming the fashion industry
• The importance of collaboration between ecosystem partners
• Funding and investment opportunities for fashion startups
• Measuring impact and success in fashion innovation

Fashion District London  l  Fashion District Festival 2025

Fashion for Good

The Mills Fabrica

World of waste 

Mili Tharakan: Linkedin   l   Insta   l   Buy me a coffee

Contact me: No Ordinary Cloth

Recommended listening:

Ep 18. Investor Insights for Fashion and Textile Startups

Ep 12. Strategies and Ecosystems for Fashion / Textile Startup Success

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this special episode of No Ordinary Cloth, we're joined by Victoria, the Material Innovation Lead at the World Textile Information Network (WTIN). Victoria shares her insights on the rapidly evolving field of smart textiles, highlighting key innovations and challenges in this industry. We discuss how smart textiles are bridging the gap between textiles, electronics, and computing, and explore emerging trends such as self-powered textiles and bio-based solutions. Victoria also discusses the importance of sustainability and circularity in the smart textile industry.

About WTIN:
WTIN is a leading provider of specialist insights and data-driven intelligence for businesses across the textiles and power value chain. Their primary focus is on high-growth markets such as material innovation, industry digitalisation, and technical textiles. WTIN operates on a subscription basis, offering a wide range of digital content, including in-depth reports, company profiles, podcasts, and conferences.

Key Points:

• Smart Textiles Database: Victoria discusses her comprehensive smart textile database, which connects companies across the supply chain, from conductive yarns to integrators who help develop commercially viable products.
• Emerging Trends: We explore emerging trends in smart textiles, including self-powered textiles and bio-based solutions.
• Collaboration: This episode is a special collaboration with WTIN's Textile Innovation Podcast, welcoming their listeners to our community.

World Textile Information Network (WTiN):   Website   l   Linkedin

Textile Innovation:   Podcast

You can connect with me here:   Linkedin   l   Insta   l   Buy me a coffee

Email me: No Ordinary Cloth

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District

In this episode, host Mili Tharakan partners with Fashion District London to bring an insightful discussion on securing investment in the textile and fashion industries. Featuring three seasoned venture capitalists—Gabbie Swycher (Redrice Ventures), Joseph Aziz (True Global), and Nic Gorini (Spin Ventures)—the conversation explores what investors look for in startups, actionable advice for founders, and the trends shaping the future of sustainable fashion. Whether you're a founder seeking funding or an industry professional curious about investment dynamics, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

Fashion District is a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment.

Topics covered on this episode:

1. Investor Expectations:The importance of founder resilience, passion, and purpose in early-stage startups.
   How startups can demonstrate traction, scalability, and market potential to secure funding.
   
2. Actionable Advice for Founders:Tips for crafting a compelling pitch deck and avoiding common mistakes.
   How to identify the right investors by researching portfolios, mandates, and value alignment.
   The significance of building strong networks and understanding your target audience.
   
3. Sustainability and Circularity:Key factors investors assess when evaluating sustainable innovations in textiles and fashion.
   The role of regulation, measurable impact, and integration into existing systems in driving investment decisions.
   
4. Emerging Investment Trends:The rise of circular fashion, re-commerce platforms, traceability technologies, and regulatory-driven opportunities.
   Insights into the challenges and opportunities in biomaterials and new business models.
   

Meet the Expert Guests:

• Gabbie Swycher (Redrice Ventures): Principal at Redrice Ventures, specializing in early-stage investments in purpose-driven consumer brands and tech across the UK.
• Joseph Aziz (True Global): Investor at True Global, focusing on early-stage consumer and retail startups with a robust network of corporate partners to support scaling efforts.
• Nic Gorini (Spin Ventures): Founder of Spin Ventures, a niche boutique fund dedicated to accelerating the transition to a circular economy through innovative technologies.

Resources:

• Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson – A guide to understanding venture capital for first-time founders.
• Waste to Wealth by Peter Lacy – Exploring business models behind circular practices.
• Estia Ryan's LinkedIn post on newsletters in consumer sustainability spaces.

You can connect with me here: Linkedin  I  Insta  I  Buy me a coffee

Email me: No Ordinary Cloth

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Join us on this episode of No Ordinary Cloth as we welcome Madison Maxey, the visionary founder and CEO of Loomia, a pioneering company in e-textiles. Host Mili Tharakan sits down with Maddy to explore her incredible journey from fashion design at Parsons to creating cutting-edge, soft and flexible electronics that are now making way into the automotive and robotics industries.

In this episode, Maddy shares her story of resilience, innovation, and the highs and lows of building a business in a challenging industry. Loomia’s breakthrough LEL (Loomia Electronic Layer) technology is helping redefine how we think about integrating electronics with textiles for better electro-mechanical properties but the road hasn’t been easy. With limited funding and market interest in e-textiles, Maddy has successfully built a revenue-generating e-textile startup.

For many listeners working in emerging textile technologies, this conversation will resonate deeply. As you work to find that elusive product-market fit, early adopters, and the right market, Maddy’s insights offer a beacon of hope and practical strategies for navigating this complex journey.

We dive into the real challenges of turning prototypes into products, and Maddy highlights the role of perseverance and customer obsession in creating a successful business. She also shares career advice for aspiring e-textilers and her vision for the future of this rapidly evolving field. Discover the fascinating intersections of textile, electronics and engineering — and gain invaluable insights on what it takes to make an impact in e-textiles.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation packed with insights, strategies, mindsets for textile entrepreneurs.

Loomia:   Website   I   Samples   I   Linkedin

Mili Tharakan:   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Buy me a coffee

Contact me: No Ordinary Cloth

Recommended listening:

Ep 9. Disobebient Fabrics: A Journey in Smart Textiles with Linda Worbin

Ep 3. Knitting Mathematics and Musical Textiles with Sophie Skach

Ep 1. Light and Lace with Sara Robertson

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

In this episode of No Ordinary Cloth, I sit down with Nina and Amanda, the brilliant minds behind the Future Fabrics Expo, to dive deep into how they’re revolutionising the textile and fashion industries through an expo that drives sustainability and innovation. The Future Fabrics Expo has become a key platform in the industry, showcasing thousands of sustainable materials and driving discussions around environmental responsibility, circularity, and collaboration across disciplines to drive the change we want to see in the Fashion and Textile industry.

We explore the growing need for materials that have a positive impact on both the planet and the people working in the supply chain, and discuss how interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to scaling these innovations. Additionally, we take a hard look at the issue of overproduction and how brands need to rethink their business models to prioritise circularity and reduce waste.

Whether you’re a designer, innovator, or sustainability advocate, this episode is packed with insights about the future of sustainable fabrics and why the Future Fabrics Expo is a must-attend event for anyone in the fashion, textile, home and interiors industry.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Future Fabrics Expo is not just about showcasing eco-friendly materials—it’s about finding materials that have a net-positive impact on the environment and communities.
2. Cross-industry collaboration is vital for the future of fashion. Partnerships between designers, scientists, and manufacturers are driving textile innovations forward.
3. The fashion industry must address overproduction and overconsumption by adopting circular business models and focusing on sustainable growth.

Highlights:

• The origins of the Future Fabrics Expo and how it grew into one of the most anticipated events in the sustainable fashion calendar.
• Why materials with regenerative qualities are crucial for the future of the textile industry.
• The role of collaboration between fashion designers, material scientists, and sustainability experts in creating scalable solutions.
• The challenges and opportunities that come with shifting toward more sustainable practices in fashion, including circularity and on-demand manufacturing.
• A preview of what to expect at the Future Fabrics Expo in New York, happening on November 19th and 20th, 2024.
• Hear from attendees and exhibitors about their experience at the Future Fabrics Expo London 2024

Join me on my journey to craft the future of this podcast. I would love to hear your feedback and ideas for the podcast. Get in touch with me here: Contact me 

The Sustainable Angle:  Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram

Future Fabrics Expo NYC Edition, November 19 - 20th, 2024. Register here

Seminar Series 2024: Listen here

No Ordinary Cloth:   Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Buy me a coffee

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District

In this episode of the 'No Ordinary Cloth Podcast', we have Brett Cotten, co-founder of Arda Biomaterials, in discussion about their innovative leather alternative, New Grain made from the spent grain waste from breweries. Brett shares the establishment journey of Arda, from its founding in 2022, its recognition among Forbes 30 Under 30 and H&M's Global Change Award, to entering the competitive market with a sustainable solution.

He elaborates on his motivations for starting Arda, his educational background, and the concept of turning pain points into purposes, as described in his book 'Gene Trepeneur'.

The conversation extends to the complex challenges faced in the traditional leather industry, the innovative process behind New Grain, collaborative efforts with breweries, and insights from various accelerator programs.

Key highlights include:

1. Turning a pain point into purpose and highlights from his book Gene-trepreneur
2. The animal and plastic leather industry’s impact on the environment
3. New grain technology and process to turn spent grain into bio-leather
4. Challenges of material durability, scaling production of biomaterials, and the promising future of biomaterials in replacing conventional leather and beyond
5. Investor relations and challenges
6. Arda’s future material roadmap

Grab a cold beer, or your favourite drink, and get comfortable to learn all about taking waste from the craft beer industry and making it into gorgeous leather.

This is the third in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment.

Accelerator resources: Entrepreneur First    I   Tech Nation   I   Carbon13   I   Creative Destruction Lab

Connect with Arda Biomaterials: Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram 

Book: Gene-treprenuer: Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset in STEM to Impact Sutainaibility 

Connect with Fashion District: Website   I   Instagram

Connect with Mili Tharakan: Website   I   Linkedin   I   Instagram   I   Buy me a coffee

Email: [email protected]

Podcast survey

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman

Special episode: No Ordinary Cloth x Fashion District

In this episode of the No Ordinary Cloth podcast, we chat with David Prior Hope (CTO) and Idan Gal-Shohet (CEO), founders of Fibe, a pioneering company converting potato harvest waste into sustainable cotton-like textile fibres. 

Fibe was born out of  a final year Masters project at Imperial College, London, aiming to turn agricultural waste into usable materials. Their innovative approach focuses on creating fibres from potato stems, which mimic cotton's feel and function while being more sustainable and cost-effective. 

Here, they share about collaborating with agricultural institutes and industry giants like Grimme and McCain, to build a promising startup in just two years that has secured funding from the likes of Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures, emphasising their impactful vision to develop a solution that can truly impact the textile industry. They enthusiastically share about their feedstock agnostic technology and the power of storytelling in building a startup.

It wasn't an easy journey, they reflect on their early days working out of a shipping container and how thrilled they were to get just GBP3000 to get their university project off the ground.

The conversation is inspiring and reflects their ambitions for the company to scale up by 2027, and integrate their fibres into existing textile manufacturing processes seamlessly. David and Idan encourage brands and stakeholders to support early-stage innovations, highlighting the transformative potential of such collaborations. 

Listen to them share about how they overcame challenges faced in finding funding to continue their R&D and scale their technology, their partnerships with potato farmers and fashion brands, the secret powers of being a student and how they manage a work-life balance while building an early stage startup.

Fibe is the winner of the Fashion District Manufacturing Futures Award for Innovation in 2024.

Get ready to gain a whole new level of respect for potatoes after this episode!

This is the second in a series of 6 episodes in collaboration with Fashion District, who are creating a hub for fashion innovation in east London. They connect fashion, technology, business and education to provide an ecosystem of support for fashion and textile startups that includes innovation networks, affordable space, business support and investment.

Connect with Fibe: website   I   Instagram   I   Linkedin

Connect with Fashion District: website   I   Instagram

Connect with Mili Tharakan:   website   I Instagram   I   Linkedin   I   Buy me a coffee

[email protected]

Podcast survey link

Cover art: Photo by Siora, Photography on Unsplash

Music: Inspired Ambient, Orchestraman