Start Somewhere

In this week’s episode, I’m thrilled to be joined by the incredible Lily Cole. Lily is a model, actor, filmmaker, all-round multihyphenate and wrote a book last summer called Who Cares Wins, chronicling a thousand ways in which we can halt the Sixth Mass Extinction. 

It was Lily’s extraordinary curiosity and desire to know what was happening in the world that led her to research the industry she was working in and explore the impact of capitalist businesses on people and planet. Initially tentative because she felt she was criticising the same industry she was working for, Lily decided to work for and create businesses that accelerated positive change, working with brands like The Body Shop and co-founding Impossible, a purpose-driven technology group and Wires Glasses, a sustainable eyewear company. 

In this episode, we discuss why Lily felt drawn to social impact work, what makes Lily hopeful about the future and how living a balanced life helps you connect to your purpose.

The ask: Question the cultural conditioning we’ve all received and be independent in your thinking, this is a way to find your inner truth.

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan) or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial) 

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This week, I’m delighted to be speaking to the wonderful Elizabeth Peyton-Jones, master herbalist, author of four books and most recently the creator of The Responsible Trust for Models, with a mission to establish a global standard for the modelling industry and protect models from exploitation at the hands of the industry.

It was in Russia where Elizabeth first developed a curiosity for traditional medicine and the healing power of food after slowly recovering from illness with a strong broth and vodka rubbed on her feet. She returned to England, to become a master herbalist and started seeing patients, taking a holistic approach to healing. After being asked to create a new diet for models by the British Fashion Council, Elizabeth found herself shocked by how young models received a lack of support and were often exploited, resulting in unaddressed trauma years later. It was then when she created the Responsible Trust for Models. 

In this episode, we discuss how Elizabeth refused to be defined by her past, why physical health and mental health are two sides of the same coin, and what the fashion industry can do to protect models’ rights. 

The ask: Consider that models, regardless of what they look like in the clothes or make-up that they wear, are people worthy of respect.

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial)

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In this week’s episode I’m delighted to speak to the extraordinary Eva Von Alvensleben, Executive Director and Secretary General of the Fashion Pact, a coalition of leading players and brands in the fashion and textile industry. 

Having grown up in a family full of architects, Eva had never foreseen that she would be making her mark on the fashion industry, yet she is one of the most impactful changemakers around. At The Fashion Pact, she facilitates conversations  between CEO’s of brands like Nike, Burberry and the H&M Group about achieving industry transformation, which is a seismic shift in an industry this fiercely competitive. 

In this episode, we find out about how Eva joined the mission given by French President  Macron to create The Fashion Pact, why businesses need to collaborate to tackle the climate crisis and how businesses need to think bigger than their own carbon footprint. 

The ask: Count how many pieces you have in your wardrobe, and how many pieces you actually wear. 

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial) 

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I’m thrilled to be joined by the amazing Lucia Blayke this week’s episode. Lucia is the founder of London Trans+ Pride, which attracts thousands to Central London throughout the year to march for trans rights. She is also the founder of Harpies, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ strip club and Transmissions, a network for trans activists.

Lucia grew up in Liverpool and at a young age moved to London to study Fashion, find her footing and live her life authentically as a trans woman. At the nightclub she was working at the time, she created Transmissions, a support network turned activist group for trans people which made headlines during the 2019 London Fashion week when they protested to end trans inclusivity for tokenism. Now, two years later, Lucia is the Creative Director of the genderless label ART SCHOOL which has recently headlined London Fashion Week 2021, and is making her mark on the fashion industry by ensuring trans people are consulted and involved at every step of the creative process. In everything that Lucia does, she’s sending out a clear message of visibility and self-love. 

In this episode, we speak about the importance of finding your own community, how fashion brands can better represent trans folks, and the advice Lucia has for young trans kids. 

The ask: Listen to trans people, see trans people and remember that they have the same hopes and fears as everybody else.

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial)

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This week’s episode promises double the pleasure, double the fun with my two wonderful guests, Noella Coursaris Musunka & Victoria Prew. 

Noella is a model and Founder & CEO of Malaika, a grassroots nonprofit that educates and empowers girls and their communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Victoria is the co-founder and CEO of HURR Collective, the UK’s first peer-to-peer wardrobe rental platform.

In this episode, we talk about when the two crossed paths and became a partnership powerhouse, why fashion rental is here to stay, and how through Malaika, Noella is ensuring the next generation of girls are empowered to write their own future. 

The ask: Join our mission to make fashion circular and join HURR on www.hurrcollective.co.uk and support a Malaika girl by donating to www.malaika.org. 

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan) or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial)

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I’m overjoyed to be joined by the amazing fashion editor turned writer and climate activist, Bel Jacobs, this week. She is the co-founder of Fashion Act Now, a project to accelerate change in the fashion industry, and founder of Fashion in Schools, a new UK wide project to keep young people informed about the impacts of fashion.

Bel initially made her mark as a fashion editor for Metro, travelling and working with the world’s most influential fashion houses. She gradually became more and more aware & disillusioned about the seemingly never ending influx of brands, styles and seasons to cover and the rapacious nature of the industry, but it was the horror of the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh in which over 1,100 workers tragically lost their lives, that caused her to draw a line, leave her job and set to re-thinking the industry.

In this episode, Bel talks us through the monumental challenges of taking on the fashion industry, what happened after she called for Fashion Week to be cancelled, and how compassion for people and the planet can guide you to find your purpose.

The ask: Educate yourself on today’s injustices, place yourself firmly in the heart of nature, and have compassion toward other people.

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial)

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In this week’s episode I have the pleasure of speaking to Daniella Vega, the Group Director of Sustainability at Selfridges and a true pioneer in the world of retail. In the second half of 2020, Selfridges’ launched Project Earth, a transformational initiative which aims to ‘change the way we shop’ by reducing environmental impact and driving change through retail activism.

Daniella has always had a deep understanding of how everything in the world is interconnected, so after pursuing a career producing nature documentaries she became set on making sustainability a household practice in the UK. She was involved in Sky becoming the first media company to become carbon neutral, and then moved to transform the future of retail.

In this episode, Daniella explains what retail can do to tackle the climate crisis, why the supply chain matters, and how to drive change, even if it seems impossible.

The ask: We need to rethink the way we buy and wear our clothes. Be more conscious about how you buy, and buy with the thought that you’ll be keeping that product forever 

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial)

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This week I’m graced by the presence of a real life Avenger, the incredible Gail Gallie. She, along with film director Richard Curtis is the Co-Founder of Project Everyone, the campaign unit that launched the Global Goals on behalf of the United Nations. Gail is also the Founder of Project17 and most recently founded the Business and Fashion Avengers.

In this episode, we discuss why the fashion industry plays a central role in achieving the 17 Global Goals, how every single person can use them to help heal the world we live in, and why, in the face of achieving the Goals, collaboration trumps competition.

The ask: Before you buy anything, challenge yourself and ask ‘Do I really need that?’. Instead of buying something brand new, try borrowing or swapping clothes. If you do buy something new, research the values and behaviours of the brand to make sure their ethos aligns with yours. 

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial)

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This week we are joined by someone who is an enormous inspiration to me, the visionary Professor Dilys Williams, Founder and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Professor of Fashion Design for Sustainability, who previously designed for the legendary fashion designer & activist, Katharine Hamnett and also for Liberty. 

After being confronted with the stark disparity between the image and earnings of the big fashion brands and the farmers and garment workers they employ, she realised that as a fashion designer she was implicated in the injustices and decided to learn more about her industry. Ignited by what she uncovered, she eventually founded the CSF, a University of the Arts, a London research, education and knowledge exchange centre that helps brands and the future generation of fashion designers to achieve social and ecological equity in their work. 

In this episode, we speak about how she put sustainability at the forefront of all of her work, why the climate crisis, social injustice and gender inequality are interconnected, and how the surge of small and sustainable fashion labels are leading the way.

The ask:  Decide what it is you care about in the world, and think about if what you’re buying represents you. Refuse to be defined as a consumer. We’re recipients, but we’re also contributors.

Do you have a comment, question or would you like to share your own advice on Starting Somewhere? You can find me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/saravaughan)  or send me a DM on Instagram (www.instagram.com/saravaughanofficial. 

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I’m so honoured to kick off Start Somewhere Series 3 with the incredible Arizona Muse, the queen of fashion herself. Arizona has to date graced countless magazine covers and has fronted campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands including Chanel, Prada, & Yves Saint Laurent. 

Arizona’s curiosity about the origins of the garments she was asked to wear during her fashion shoots led her to learn about the social and ecological injustices that are deeply rooted in parts of the industry. Wanting to push for change, she found her voice as an activist and is now an ambassador for Greenpeace and Women For Women, and has most recently collaborated with Remake on their #PayUp Campaign.

In this episode, we speak about how the pursuit of sustainability enriched Arizona's life, what fashion has to do with agriculture and how she would reimagine the fashion industry if she were the ‘Head of Global Fashion Industry’. 

The ask: Define your style before buying anything else to ensure that what you buy doesn't just sit in your closet. A sustainable lifestyle means having less but feeling more. Take a snap of your outfit and rate it, using #Awearness

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